JP Top 25: Final 2008 ballot

Note: J.P. Giglio is one of 65 voters in the AP Top 25.

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• AP Top 25

We've covered the topic of No. 1, so you know I rank the teams by the quality of wins. Head-to-head results, common opponents, location of wins and losses are also factored.

I made no attempt to even look at my previous ballot, hence Virginia Tech's jump to No. 13 and LSU's inclusion (21).

The bowls matter but they're not the entire season, hence the slight drop by Texas Tech (10), down from No. 8.

Here's my preseason ballot for a point of comparison, not too proud of some of those picks (No. 1 and 25 in particular) but there were a few highlights — relatively speaking, Utah, Alabama and FSU were good to me and I predicted Oklahoma would lose in the BCS title game.

Do regret changing my summer pick of Florida at No. 1. When SI, Phil Steele and just about every other preseason magazine took the Gators, I felt the need to go in a different direction.

Just remember, kids, always go with your first answer.

1. Florida

Record: 13-1
Previous rank: No. 1
Best wins: Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, @ Florida State, LSU
Loss: Ole Miss
Bowl result: beat Oklahoma, 24-14

Two titles in three years for Urban Meyer and if Tim Tebow returns (why wouldn't he?), the Gators will be challenging for a third in '09.

And what is it about Florida's defense and the BCS title game and Heisman winners?

2. Utah

Record: 13-0
Previous rank: No. 5
Best wins: Alabama, TCU, Oregon State
Losses: none
Bowl result: beat Alabama, 31-17

Good for Kyle Whittingham for putting his team No. 1 in the coaches' poll and bully for the 16 AP voters who put the Utes No. 1. They have a point but to me, just being undefeated is not enough.

The quality, and quantity, of Florida's wins were better than Utah's.

I was one of four voters to have Utah in the preseason top 25, by the way.

3. Texas

Record: 12-1
Previous rank: No. 2
Best wins: Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Missouri
Loss: @ Texas Tech
Bowl result: beat Ohio State, 24-21

Oklahoma's bowl loss makes me feel better because I really didn't want to put Oklahoma in front of Texas, who beat the Sooners, 45-35.

Unlike Whittingham, Mack Brown backed off his threat of putting his team No. 1 in the coaches' poll — where the voters are contractually obligated to put the BCS winner No. 1.

With Colt McCoy coming back, should be another interesting '09 race at the Heisman and for No. 1 in Austin.

4. USC

Record: 12-1
Previous rank: No. 7
Best wins: Penn State, Oregon, Ohio State
Loss: @ Oregon State
Bowl result: beat Penn State, 38-24

I would love to see Florida play USC. Wonder if those two ADs have cell phones?

The Trojans might be the best team in the country, but they've got to avoid their annual Pac-10 pitfall. The rest of the Pac-10 is just not strong enough to make up for the one slip, like Florida was able to do in the SEC. Either that or drop Notre Dame from schedule and play an SEC team every year.

5. Oklahoma

Record: 12-2
Previous rank: No. 3
Best wins: Texas Tech, TCU, Cincinnati, @ Oklahoma State, Missouri
Losses: Florida, Texas
Bowl result: lost to Florida, 24-14

Bob Stoops is 0-3 in title games since winning it all after the 2000 season and has lost five straight BCS bowls.

Ohio State fans should really do a better job pointing out these numbers.

As for Thursday's loss, what happened to the offense? Didn't expect another 60-pointer but two TDs? Back to the drawing board, Big Game Bob.

6. Alabama

Record: 12-2
Previous rank: No. 4
Best wins: Ole Miss, @ Georgia, @ LSU
Losses: Utah, Florida
Bowl result: lost to Utah, 31-17

Since no one else will, let me point out that Alabama had no motivation, not to mention their best player, in the Sugar Bowl. That's not Utah's fault, just the reality of the game.

Still, a fine season for Nick Saban, improving from 7-6 to 12-2.

7. Penn State

Record: 11-2
Previous rank: No. 6
Best wins: @ Ohio State, Oregon State
Losses: @ Iowa, USC
Bowl result: lost to USC, 38-24

Utterly and completely outclassed in the Rose Bowl, only garbage points in the fourth quarter made it look respectable.

The postseason is not an "Ohio State" problem, it's a Big Ten problem.

Sadly, the Nits peaked on Sept. 6 with a 31-point win over Oregon State, who somehow beat USC. Go ahead and figure that one out.

8. TCU

Record: 11-2
Previous rank: No. 11
Best wins: Boise State
Losses: @ Oklahoma, @ Utah
Bowl result: beat Boise State, 17-16

The Horned Frogs came the closest to ruining Utah's season but lost 13-10 in Salt Lake City on Nov. 6.

The bowl win over Boise State gives them an edge of the No. 9 team.

9. Boise State

Record: 12-1
Previous rank: No. 9
Best wins: @ Oregon
Loss: TCU
Bowl result: lost to TCU, 17-16

After losing to ECU in the Hawaii Bowl last season, I thought the Broncs were due for a fall. Instead, they finished the regular season unbeaten with a strong road win at Oregon on Sept. 20.

Still amazed that a program in Boise, Idaho can consistently find quarterbacks and smart coaches and 85 percent of the ACC can't.

10. Texas Tech

Record: 11-2
Previous rank: No. 8
Best wins: Texas, Oklahoma State, Missouri
Losses: @ Oklahoma, Ole Miss
Bowl result: lost to Ole Miss, 47-34

The writing was on the wall in the bowl game — the coach trying to find any port in the storm, the "We deserve better than this" disappointment of the Cotton and a blazing hot opponent — but that doesn't diminish Mike Leach's best season.

11. Oregon

Record: 10-3
Previous rank: No. 17
Best wins: Oklahoma State, @ Oregon State
Losses: Boise State, @ USC, @ Cal
Bowl result: beat Oklahoma State, 42-31

When the Ducks lost stars Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart to the NFL, I didn't think they had the talent to repeat last year's 9-4 record. I was wrong. They even improved on the '08 mark.

12. Ole Miss

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: No. 14
Best wins: @ Florida, Texas Tech, @ LSU
Losses: @ Wake, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, @ Alabama
Bowl result: beat Texas Tech, 47-34

The Rebels finished the season with six straight wins and were the only team to beat Florida, at the Swamp no less. Their four losses were by a combined 17 points.

His itchy text-trigger finger aside, Houston Nutt can flat-out coach with anyone in the business. You don't win at Arkansas and Ole Miss by accident.

13. Virginia Tech

Record: 10-4
Previous rank: NR
Best wins: Cincinnati, @ Nebraska, Georgia Tech
Losses: ECU, @ BC, @ FSU, @ Miami
Bowl result: beat Cincinnati, 20-7

The ACC champs were rarely pretty but ultimately effective. To get to 10 wins, especially after losing at Miami on Nov. 13, was one of Frank Beamer's best coaching jobs in a career full of them.

14. Georgia

Record: 10-3
Previous rank: No. 16
Best wins: @ LSU, Michigan State
Losses: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech
Bowl result: beat Michigan State, 24-12

Mark Richt's missing something because he can X-and-O with anyone but he's about to lose a pair of first-round picks — quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno — and all he has to show for it is a 10-3 disappointment. Maybe it's a former Florida State coach thing.

Safest bet on the board: UGa will not go off at No. 1 in '09.

15. Ohio State

Record: 10-3
Previous rank: No. 10
Best wins: @ Michigan State, @ Northwestern
Losses: @ USC, Penn State, Texas
Bowl result: lost to Texas, 24-21

Congratulations to the Buckeyes and Jim Tressel, they actually showed up for a BCS game. Of course, they had nothing to play for, but their effort was admirable, as was the game-planning.

See when you have talent, you find ways to get them the ball.

With heavy personnel losses, the Buckeyes won't have to worry about expectations in '09.

16. Cincinnati

Record: 11-3
Previous rank: No. 12
Best wins: @ West Virginia, Pitt
Losses: @ Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, UConn
Bowl result: lost to Virginia Tech, 20-7

The Bearcats lost the Orange Bowl but won the Big East and more importantly, kept their coach.

Even with four different quarterbacks, Brian Kelly coached up the offense and found 11 wins.

17. Oregon State

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: No. 25
Best wins: USC, Cal, Pitt
Losses: Stanford, @ Penn State, @ Utah, Oregon
Bowl result: beat Pitt, 3-0

If not for injuries to their quarterback and No. 1 running back, the Beavers would have been in the Rose Bowl, not USC.

Alas, they couldn't beat Oregon in the last week of the regular season and had to settle for the Sun Bowl.

Strong wins and, other than Stanford, acceptable losses.

18. Iowa

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: No. 24
Best wins: Penn State
Losses: @ Pitt, Northwestern, @ Michigan State, @ Illinois
Bowl result: beat South Carolina, 31-10

Shonn Greene saved coach Kirk Ferentz's job and saved the country from another Big Ten blowout in the BCS title game.

The Hawkeyes were the only Big Ten team, of seven, to win their bowl game.

19. Oklahoma State

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: No. 15
Best wins: @ Missouri
Losses: @ Texas, @ Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oregon
Bowl result: lost to Oregon, 42-31

The Big 12 South didn't exactly represent in the bowl games (1-3). The Cowboys were no exception, losing to Oregon.

As it is, all four of their losses were to ranked teams and they won at Missouri.

20. Pitt

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: No. 18
Best wins: Iowa, West Virginia, @ UConn
Losses: Oregon State, Bowling Green, Rutgers, @ Cincinnati
Bowl result: lost to Oregon State, 3-0

West Virginia, at 9-4, was one of the teams that almost made the bottom of this ballot but the Mountaineers lost to Pitt. Just because Pitt lost the bowl game, doesn't mean they should in "others receiving votes" and WVU at No. 23.

21. LSU

Record: 8-5
Previous rank: NR
Best wins: Georgia Tech
Losses: @ Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas
Bowl result: beat Georgia Tech, 38-3

I'm not crazy about the five losses, especially to Arkansas, but the Tigers didn't just beat Georgia Tech, they dropped the battle axe on them, 38-3.

Given GT's two wins over I-AA teams (bad I-AA teams), and the head-to-head result, I'm going with the underachieving Tigers over the overachieving Jackets, by one spot, anyway.

22. Georgia Tech

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: No. 13
Best wins: @ Georgia, FSU, @ BC
Losses: @ Virginia Tech, Virginia, @ UNC, LSU
Bowl result: lost to LSU, 38-3

Didn't expect nine wins, even with two I-AA gifts. The win over Georgia was the highlight of the season for the ACC. The bowl loss wasn't.

23. Florida State

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: NR
Best wins: Virginia Tech
Losses: Wake, @ Georgia Tech, BC, Florida
Bowl result: beat Wisconsin, 42-13

With two I-AA freebies, the Noles should have won 10 games. The pummeling of Wisconsin in the bowl salvaged an otherwise disappointing season, certainly one of missed opportunities.

24. Missouri

Record: 10-4
Previous rank: NR
Best wins: @ Nebraska, Northwestern
Losses: Oklahoma State, @ Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma
Bowl result: beat Northwestern, 30-23 (OT)

Out of BYU, West Virginia, Rice, Nebraska, Michigan State or Northwestern — the candidates for these final two spots — Missouri beat two of them.

Right there with Georgia, LSU, Auburn and South Florida on the all-disappointment team, though.

25. Cal

Record: 9-4
Previous rank: NR
Best wins: Oregon
Losses: @ Maryland, @ Arizona, @ USC, @ Oregon State
Bowl result: beat Miami, 24-17

Beat a ranked team — which BYU, Rice, Nebraska can't claim — and all of their losses were on the road.

No. 25 with a bullet.