Check out my other blogs!

Hey all,

I've currently been busy with other projects, which is why this blog has not been updated since, well, April.

You all can feel free to check out my other works, which can be found at:

http://forgottenrivalries.wordpress.com
http://ontheclocknfldraft.wordpress.com
http://vintheday.wordpress.com 

I will still try to keep this blog updated, but be sure to catch all my work on WordPress!

-Vintheday

Spring Training brings bed tax spike to Scottsdale

The smell of fresh cut grass and hot dogs on the grill. The click-clack of metal cleats against concrete. The crack of a 36-ounce bat sending a 5-ounce leather-bound ball over the wall for a home run. The roar of the crowd a they see that ball disappear behind the fence and watch their player round the bases.

These are the sights, sounds and smells on baseball diamonds throughout the city of Scottsdale, Ariz., each March as Spring Training, Major League Baseball’s month-long warm up period for its players to prepare for the regular season plays out.

Scottsdale is the site of two Spring Training facilities that host three teams.
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, a 140-acre complex that has 12 practice diamonds and an 11,000-seat stadium that opened in 2011, hosts the hometown Arizona Diamondbacks and National League West rival, the Colorado Rockies. Scottsdale Stadium, a 12,000-seat stadium first opened in 1956, is the spring home of the San Francisco Giants.
 
Economically, Spring Training is the most important time for the city. One of the best indicators for this is the bed tax collected by the city.

According to a report from the City of Scottsdale Economic Development Department, from 2007-2012 the city of Scottsdale collected and average 15.14 percent ($1,568,717.83) of their yearly bed tax during the month of March and with the opening of Salt River Fields in 2011, the bed tax collected increased 3.44 percent, which resulted in an extra $962,010 coming into the Scottsdale economy.

According to travel-industry-dictionary.com, bed tax is “a levy imposed by a local government on hotel stays within its jurisdiction.” The Scottsdale bed tax is 5%, as approved by voters in 2010.

Bed tax is applied to a hotel bill when a visitor checks out and 50 percent of the revenue generated from Scottsdale’s goes to destination marketing for the city while the other 50 percent goes to tourism-related construction projects.

Rachel Pearson, Vice President of Community and Government Affairs for the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that Spring Training is the most important time of the year for Scottsdale.

“You look at how much (bed tax) we project coming in, in the summer months we may only see 4 or 5 percent of the entire year’s collection coming in in those months,” Pearson said. “During high season, in January we see about 10% of collection, March is the largest percentage of collection.”

Pearson went on to say that March is the high season for tourism in the city and that hotels are usually at their highest occupancy rates, typically around 80 to 90 percent.

That was collaborated by Alexa Ohmann, the sales manager for the Scottsdale Marriott Suites Old Town, which is within walking distance of Scottsdale Stadium. She said that in March, the Marriott Suites is sold out and that room rates are much higher than most months.

The Marriott website showed that room rates are around $399 per night at the hotel, a 150% increase over the typical room rates in the summer months and a 67% increase over the winter months, and the hotel was already sold out for March 2014.
There are many reasons that fans venture down to the desert in March. Some come to get out of the snow. Others come to play golf. But the biggest draw in March is Spring Training.

In Scottsdale that draw grew larger with the opening of Salt River Fields in 2011, which brought the Diamondbacks, Rockies and their fans up from Tucson, Ariz.
The results from this could be felt immediately in Scottsdale. The revenue from bed tax increased $962,010 from 2010.

Ohmann said that people would do anything to come to Scottsdale in March.

“People are always going to want to go to Spring Training to see what their team will bring to the regular season,” Ohmann said.

According to statistics from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, around 1.9 million people landed at Sky Harbor in March 2012, around 100,000-300,000 more people than most months.

Mike Boyes, the co-founder of Charlie Noble Clothing Co., didn’t pass through Sky Harbor, but instead drove down to Scottsdale with his wife, Emily, and 9-month-old son, Merrick, to enjoy his first Spring Training.

The family contributed $150 to the Scottsdale economy and took in a game between the Rockies and Oakland Athletics at Salt River Fields.

“As fans, we wanted to go to Spring Training to experience baseball in a more intimate setting where you get to see the players up close,” Boyes said in an email. “With so many baseball parks in the area, you can see a number of different teams over a short period of time.  Also, watching some baseball games in warm weather doesn't hurt either.”

NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week 9

Sorry these are a little late, I was on a Devil's Advocates (ASU Tour Guides) retreat on Saturday, so I had to play catch up today. Here is this week's Top 25! (All Times Eastern, Games are on Saturday, October 27 unless otherwise marked)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: 7-0, 4-0 SEC, Last Week: (#1) W @ Tennessee 44-13, This Week: vs. Mississippi State, 8:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

2. Oregon Ducks: 7-0, 4-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#2) W @ #25 Arizona State 43-21, This Week: vs. Colorado, 3:00 PM on the Pac-12 Network

3. Florida Gators: 7-0, 6-0 SEC, Last Week: (#3) W vs. #10 South Carolina 44-11, This Week: @ #12 Georgia (In Jacksonville, FL), 3:30 PM on CBS

4. Kansas State Wildcats: 7-0, 4-0 Big XII, Last Week (#5) W vs. #18 West Virginia 55-14, This Week: vs. #15 Texas Tech, 3:30 PM on Fox

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 7-0, Last Week: (#4) W vs. BYU 17-14, This Week: @ #8 Oklahoma, 8:00 PM on ABC (College GameDay will be in Norman, OK for this game)

6. LSU Tigers: 7-1, 3-1 SEC, Last Week: (#6) W @ #20 Texas A&M 24-19, This Week: BYE

7. Ohio State Buckeyes: 8-0, 4-0 B1G, Last Week: (#7) W vs. Purdue 29-22, This Week: @ Penn State, 5:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

8. Oklahoma Sooners: 5-1, 3-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#8) W vs. Kansas 52-7, This Week: vs. #5 Notre Dame, 8:00 PM on ABC (College GameDay will be in Norman, OK for this game)

9. Oregon State Beavers: 6-0, 4-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#9) W vs. Utah 21-7, This Week: @ Washington, 10:15 PM on the Pac-12 Network

10. USC Trojans: 6-1, 4-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#11) W vs. Colorado 50-6, This Week: @ Arizona, 3:30 PM on ABC or ESPN2 and WatchESPN

11. Florida State Seminoles: 7-1, 4-1 ACC, Last Week: (#12) W @ Miami (FL) 33-20, This Week: vs. Duke, 3:30 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

12. Georgia Bulldogs: 6-1, 4-1 SEC, Last Week: (#13) W @ Kentucky 29-24, This Week: vs. #3 Florida (In Jacksonville, FL), 3:30 PM on CBS

13. Mississippi State Bulldogs: 7-0, 3-0 SEC, Last Week: (#15) W vs. Middle Tennessee State 45-3, This Week: @ #1 Alabama 8:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

14. Clemson Tigers: 6-1, 3-1 ACC, Last Week: (#14) W vs. Virginia Tech 38-17, This Week: @ Wake Forest, Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

15. Texas Tech Red Raiders: 6-1, 3-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#17) W @ TCU 56-53, This Week: @ #4 Kansas State, 3:30 PM on Fox

16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 7-0, 4-0 Big East, Last Week: (#19) W @ Temple 35-10, This Week: vs. Kent State, 3:30 PM on ESPN3

17. Louisville Cardinals: 7-0, 2-0 Big East, Last Week: (#16) W vs. South Florida 27-25, This Week: vs. Cincinnati, Friday, Oct. 26, 8:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

18. South Carolina Gamecocks: 6-2, 4-2 SEC, Last Week: (#10) L @ #3 Florida 11-41, This Week: vs. Tennessee, 12:00 PM on ESPN, ESPN 3D, and Watch ESPN

19. Stanford Cardinal: 5-2, 3-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#22) W @ Cal 21-3, This Week: vs. Washington State, 6:15 PM on the Pac-12 Network

20. Michigan Wolverines: 5-2, 3-0 B1G, Last Week: (#24) W vs. Michigan State 12-10, This Week: @ Nebraska, 8:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

21. Boise State Broncos: 6-1, 3-0 MWC, Last Week: (Unranked [UR]) W vs. UNLV 32-7, This Week: @ Wyoming, 3:30 PM on the CBS Sports Network

22. Ohio Bobcats: 7-0, 3-0 MAC, Last Week: (#23) BYE, This Week: @ Miami (OH), 3:30 PM on ESPN3

23. Texas A&M Aggies: 5-2, 2-2 SEC, Last Week: (#20) L vs. #6 LSU 19-24, This Week: @ Auburn, 7:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

24. Texas Longhorns: 5-2, 2-2 Big XII, Last Week: (UR) W vs. Baylor 56-50, This Week: @ Kansas, 12:00 PM on Fox Sports Southwest

25. West Virginia Mountaineers: 5-2, 2-2 Big XII, Last Week: (#18) L vs. #5 Kansas State 14-55, This Week: BYE

Also Considered (#'s 26-45): Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Cincinnati Bearcats, Toledo Rockets, Wisconsin Badgers, TCU Horned Frogs, Penn State Nittany Lions, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Arizona State Sun Devils, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Northwestern Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, Duke Blue Devils, Northern Illinois Huskies, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, North Carolina Tarheels, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Arizona Wildcats

Biggest Winner: Boise State, unranked (#26) last week, #21 this week, up 5 spots

Biggest Loser: South Carolina, #10 last week, #18 this week, down 7 spots

Boise State's Blackout Uniforms

   I was browsing Bleacher Report, which is quickly becoming my favorite sports website, on Monday during my seven-hour plane delay when I came across something extremely interesting. Boise State, the school famous for busting the BCS and having the blue "smurf turf" had announced that they will be wearing brand new "black out" uniforms for their homecoming game against UNLV on Saturday.
 
   I, like Uni Watch blogger Paul Lukas, am very interested in uniforms, especially when it comes to college football. It seems that these days, thanks in large part to the University of Oregon and their love affair with Nike, that NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams have become the center of uniform innovation. And as we saw with Air Force two weeks ago and BYU last week, this is a very awesome thing, especially for black outs.

  I have loved seeing all the new uniforms come out over the past few years, especially when Arizona State came out with their new uniforms last year and Oregon every week, and black-out uniforms are my absolute favorite. For some reason it seems that uniform companies are at their best when it comes to black uniforms. Their seems to be more innovations in these than any uniform that involves a schools actual colors. Take, for example, Arizona State.
                                                                                                     

ASU's maroon uniforms. Photo: rt-now.com

Sun Devil RB Cameron Marshall wearing the "Maroon Monsoon uniform against USC in 2011. Photo:  arizonasports.com

ASU's maroon jersey with the maroon helmet and gold pants.  Photo: thesundevils.com

Arizona State's All-white uniform. Photo: arizona.sbnation.com

ASU employs two main, basic jerseys, two helmets and three pairs of pants. The Sun Devils wear a maroon jersey at home that is straight forward maroon and gold (A, B, and D), ASU's two primary colors. They look pretty sweet especially with the "ASU" and the shoulders and the stripes right above it. They also have a white jersey that they wear when the team travels (C). This is usually worn with the white helmet and white pants, but also may be worn with the maroon or gold pants (maroon more often than gold). This is also very basic with the same general design, but the numbers, instead of being plain gold are maroon with a gold outline. The shoulders, while the same design as the maroon jersey, is maroon instead of gold. The pants and helmets are basically interchangeable and can be seen in all of pictures. ASU (well, Nike) got more creative when it came to the black jerseys.  

Arizona State's Blackout Uniforms. Photo: blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com

     

   While the same design is used, it is in the number where the creativity is shown. The number changes color as it starts gold at the top and fades to white in the middle. They also have a matte black helmet with the new pitchfork logo, which is awesome. They are wearing these uniforms against Oregon on Thursday on ESPN, so tune in and watch what will be an amazing game! 

But, now back to the original point of this post. On Monday, Boise State released some absolutely sick uniforms for their homecoming game against UNLV. See them below. 

Boise State's Blackout Uniforms that will be worn this Saturday against UNLV. Photo: facebook.com/bleacherreport

   In this uniform set, Boise has taken many of the awesome uniform elements that they have introduced in the past few years and used some of the best elements of Nike's best designs over the past few years and combined them into one awesome, black, super jersey. My favorite element of this uniform is the helmet, because I have loved the giant bronco on the side of the helmet ever since Boise introduced it a few years ago against Georgia. It is something that is uniquely Boise's and it makes any uniform that they wear it with pop. I also love the black facemask. It makes the whole helmet more fierce. I also live the numbers on the uniform. As with ASU's, they start with the school's color and the top and fade to a silvery-white. I can't tell if it is silver or white, but we will find out in a few days. I also love how the numbers are outlined in orange. It just looks, well, for lack of a better term, badass. Boise State has one of the best blues in the nation and they utilize the perfect amount of it in the uniform. The gloves, which I hope have a bronco on the palms, look awesome in Boise blue. And did I mention that I love the black? It will amazing in contrast to Boise's famous "smurf-turf."

   I cannot wait to see these uniforms in action on Saturday. I know that they will look awesome, much like pretty much all of Nike's uniforms, and I cannot wait to see what Nike comes up with next and for which team it is for. They clearly lead the pack when it comes to uniform innovation and other companies like Under Armour need to take notice. Now, if only the MWC would let Boise wear the blue uniforms again.....

  

College Football FBS Top 25 for Week 8

Alright, it's time once again for me to say who are the Top 25 teams in the nation, at least in my mind. Here we go (All times ET) :

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: 6-0, 3-0 SEC, Last Week: (#1) W @ Missouri 42-10, This Week: @ Tennessee, Saturday, Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

2. Oregon Ducks: 6-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#2) BYE, This Week: @ #25 Arizona State, Thursday, Oct. 18, 9:00 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

3. Florida Gators: 6-0, 5-0 SEC, Last Week: (#6) W @ Vanderbilt 31-17, This Week: vs. #10 South Carolina, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on CBS

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 6-0, Last Week: (#5) W vs. #17 Stanford 20-13 OT, This Week: vs. BYU, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on NBC

5. Kansas State Wildcats: 6-0, 3-0 Big XII, Last Week: (#7) W @ Iowa State 27-21, This Week: @#18 West Virginia, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on Fox

6. LSU Tigers: 6-1, 2-1 SEC, Last Week: (#9) W vs. #3 South Carolina 23-21, This Week: @#20 Texas A&M, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on ESPN, ESPN 3D, and WatchESPN

7. Ohio State Buckeyes: 7-0, 3-0 B1G,  Last Week: (#8) W @ Indiana 52-49, This Week: vs. Purdue, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on ABC or ESPN2, and WatchESPN

8. Oklahoma Sooners: 4-1, 2-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#15) W vs. #16 Texas (@ Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX) 63-21, This Week: vs. Kansas, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM

9. Oregon State Beavers: 5-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#12) W vs. BYU 42-24, This Week: vs. Utah, Sat., Oct. 20, 10:30 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

10. South Carolina Gamecocks: 6-1, 4-1 SEC, Last Week: (#3) L @ #9 LSU 21-23, This Week: @#3 Florida, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on CBS

11. USC Trojans: 5-1, 3-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#11) W @ Washington 24-14, This Week: vs. Colorado, Sat., Oct. 20, 6:00 PM on Pac-12 Network

12. Florida State Seminoles: 6-1, 3-1 ACC, Last Week: (#10) W vs. Boston College 51-7, This Week: @ Miami (FL), Sat., Oct. 20, 8:00 PM on ABC

13. Georgia Bulldogs: 5-1, 3-1 SEC, Last Week: (#13) BYE, This Week: @ Kentucky, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM

14. Clemson Tigers: 5-1, 2-1 ACC, Last Week: (#14) BYE, This Week: vs. Virginia Tech, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on ABC or ESPN2 and WatchESPN

15. Mississippi State Bulldogs: 6-0, 3-0 SEC, Last Week: (#18) W vs. Tennessee 41-31, This Week: vs. Middle Tennessee State, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

16. Louisville Cardinals: 6-0, 1-0 Big East, Last Week: (#19) W @ Pittsburgh 45-35, This Week: vs. South Florida, Sat. Oct. 20, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on ABC

17. Texas Tech Red Raiders: 5-1, 2-1 Big XII, Last Week: (Unranked [UR]) W vs. #4 West Virginia 49-14, This Week: @ TCU, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on ESPN2 or ABC and WatchESPN

18. West Virginia Mountaineers: 5-1, 2-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#4) L @ Texas Tech 14-49, This Week: vs. #5 Kansas State, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on Fox

19. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 6-0, 3-0 Big East, Last Week: (#20) W vs. Syracuse 23-15, This Week: @ Temple, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on the Big East Network and ESPN3

20. Texas A&M Aggies: 5-1, 2-1 SEC, Last Week: (#24) W @#21 Louisiana Tech 59-57, This Week: vs. #6  LSU, Sat., Oct. 20 12:00 PM on ESPN, ESPN 3D, and WatchESPN

21. Cincinnati Bearcats: 5-0, 1-0 Big East, Last Week: (#22) W vs. Fordham 49-17, This Week: @ Toledo, Sat., Oct. 2012, 7:00 PM on ESPN3

22. Stanford Cardinal: 4-2, 2-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#17) L @#5 Notre Dame 13-20 OT, This Week: @ Cal,  Sat., Oct. 20 3:30 PM on Fox

23. Ohio Bobcats: 7-0, 3-0 MAC, Last Week: (#23) W vs. Akron 34-28, This Week: BYE

24. Michigan Wolverines: 4-2, 2-0 B1G, Last Week: (UR) W vs. Illinois 45-0, This Week: vs. Michigan State, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on the Big Ten Network

25. Arizona State Sun Devils: 5-1, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (UR) W vs. Colorado 51-17, This Week: vs. #2 Oregon, Thursday, October 18, 9:00 PM on ESPN

Also Considered (#'s 26-43): Boise State Broncos, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, UCLA Bruins, Northwestern Wildcats, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, NC State Wolfpack, Wisconsin Badgers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, North Carolina Tarheels, Nevada Wolfpack, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Northern Illinois Huskies, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, Toledo Rockets, Penn State Nittany Lions

Biggest Winner: Texas Tech, Unranked (#36) last week, #17 this week. Up 19 spots

Biggest Loser: West Virginia, #4 last week, #18 this week. Down 14 spots



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Colorado State University On-Campus Stadium Article from Feb. 2012

On-campus stadium proposal poses opposition, challenges, for new athletic director, community 

By: Jeff Vinton, Sports Editor (at the time), Spilled Ink 

When Colorado State University hired Jack Graham on Dec. 2, 2011 as the new athletic director, the idea of the Rams playing in an on-campus stadium instead of at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, about three miles off campus, was proposed. Since then, it has been one of the most debated topics in recent Fort Collins history. 

   Graham suggested the idea of an on-campus stadium for three main reasons.

   “There are a number of reasons that led me to conclude that we need to have an on-campus football stadium,” Graham said. “The opportunity to be completely engaged with our alumni and to get our alumni in a position that they are enthused and passionate about giving back to our university, and not just to our athletic program, but across the university to our school of engineering, to our ag school, to the school of veterinary medicine to liberal arts, et cetera. This is about helping the entire university. That as well as the brand recognition and the opportunity to attract more students to come to CSU are primarily the reasons that I was committed to this.”

   Graham partnered with CSU President Tony Frank, and they have been aggressive in their pursuit of a new stadium. They have assembled a committee of 15 area citizens, met with construction companies, design firms, and engineers to learn what it would take to build it. Graham also believes that a new stadium will benefit the wider community.

   “As far as the greater Fort Collins community is concerned, this, an on-campus stadium will have a very positive economic impact on Fort Collins,” Graham said. “I think we can expect a positive economic impact of $1-1.5 million a year.”

   Not everyone agrees with the CSU Athletic Director, however. Greg Thompson, a freelance writer living in Fort Collins, is a member of the opposition group Save Our Stadium Hughes (SOSH). He is concerned about what an on-campus stadium will actually bring to campus.

   “An on-campus stadium is just going to bring traffic nightmares, trash nightmares, noise nightmares, and safety nightmares,” Thompson said. “I talked to some female students and they were worried about rowdy, inebriated people walking around campus and taking away the safety they feel. I am also worried about a new stadium taking up the green space that students enjoy so much on campus.”

   Graham plans to consider those worries and opposing views in deciding whether or not building a stadium is the right decision.

   “I really welcome the opposition. I think that opposing opinions and views makes the whole process better. It’ll make us more balanced in our approach, it’ll make us more disciplined in our approach,” Graham said. “And at the end of the day, I think the opposing voices can help us to a better answer and a better result, whether we build the stadium or not.”

   Thompson wants the supporters to really look at their arguments. 

   “I want them (the supporters of an on-campus stadium) to know that, so far, their arguments for the on-campus stadium are weak. At the meeting last week, Jack Graham used the word ‘engaged’ about 50 times. I don’t think being ‘engaged’ is worth $200 million, trash, traffic, safety, and noise. And, a new stadium is not going to help you score more touchdowns or get more third down conversions.” 

   The Stadium Advisory Committee has not set a date for their next meeting, but it is expected to be sometime in early to mid-March. The SOSH steering committee will meet again this evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, and the public is welcome to attend. 

(Note: On Oct. 4, the CSU Board of Governors gave approval to go ahead with a fundraising campaign for the on-campus stadium (per www.colostate.edu/stadium/). This is not the final approval for the stadium but it is a giant step toward the building of the new stadium.)


     

Week 7 NCAA FBS Top 25

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated my top 25. I have been a bit pre-occupied with schoolwork, but here is my Week 7 Top 25!

1.     Alabama: 5-0, 2-0 SEC, Last Week: Bye, This Week: @Missouri, 3:30 PM on CBS

2.     Oregon: 6-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: W vs. #23 Washington 52-21, This Week: BYE

3.     South Carolina: 6-0, 4-0 SEC, Last Week: W @ Georgia 35-7, This Week: @ #9 LSU, 8 PM

4.     West Virginia: 5-0, 2-0 Big XII, Last Week: 48-45 @ #11 Texas, This Week: @ Texas Tech, 3:30 PM on the ESPN Family of Networks

5.     Notre Dame: 5-0, Last Week: W 41-3 vs. Miami (FL), This Week: vs. #17 Stanford, 3:30 PM on NBC

6.     Florida: 5-0, 4-0 SEC, Last Week: W 14-6 vs. LSU, This Week: @ Vanderbilt, 6:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

7.     Kansas State: 5-0, 2-0 Big XII, Last Week: W 56-16 vs. Kansas, This Week: @ Iowa State, 12:00 PM on FX

8.     Ohio State: 6-0, 2-0 B1G, Last Week: W 63-38 vs. #21 Nebraska, This Week: @ Indiana, 8:00 PM on the Big Ten Network

   

9.     LSU: 5-1, 1-1 SEC, Last Week: L 6-14 @ #10 Florida, This Week: vs. #3 South Carolina, 8 PM

10. Florida State: 5-1, 2-1 ACC, Last Week: L 16-17 @ North Carolina State, This Week: vs. Boston College, 5:30 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

11. USC: 4-1, 2-1 Pac-12, Last Week: 38-28 @ Utah, This Week: @ Washington, 7 PM on Fox

12. Oregon State: 4-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: W 19-6 vs. Washington State, This Week: @ BYU, 3:30 PM on ABC

13. Georgia: 5-1, 3-1 SEC, Last Week: L 7-35 @ South Carolina, This Week: BYE

14. Clemson: 5-1, 2-1 ACC, Last Week: W 41-37 vs. Georgia Tech, This Week: BYE

15. Oklahoma: 3-1, 1-1 Big XII, Last Week: W 41-20 @ Texas Tech, This Week: @ #16 Texas, 12:00 PM on ABC

16. Texas: 4-1, 1-1 Big XII, Last Week: L 45-48 vs. West Virginia, This Week: vs. #15 Oklahoma, 12:00 PM on ABC

17. Stanford: 4-1, 2-1 Pac-12, Last Week: W 54-48 OT vs. Arizona, This Week: @ #5 Notre Dame, 3:30 PM on NBC

18. Mississippi State: 5-0, 2-0 SEC, Last Week: W 27-14 @ Kentucky, This Week: vs. Tennessee, 9:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

19. Louisville: 5-0, 0-0 Big East, Last Week: BYE, This Week: @ Pittsburgh, 11:00 AM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

20. Rutgers: 5-0, 2-0 Big East, Last Week: W 19-3 vs. Connecticut, This Week: vs. Syracuse, 12:00 PM on the Big East Network and ESPN3

21. Louisiana Tech: 5-0, 0-0 WAC, Last Week: W 58-31 vs. UNLV, This Week: vs. #24 Texas A&M, 9:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

22. Cincinnati: 4-0, 1-0 Big East, Last Week: W 52-14 vs. Miami (OH), This Week: vs. Fordham, 7:00 PM on ESPN3

23. Ohio: 6-0, 2-0 MAC, Last Week: W 38-31 vs. Buffalo, This Week: vs. Akron, 2:00 PM on ESPN3

24. Texas A&M: 4-1, 2-1 SEC, Last Week: W 30-27 @ Ole Miss, This Week: @ #21 Louisiana Tech, 9:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

25. Boise State: 4-1, 1-0 MWC, Last Week: 40-14 @ Southern Miss, This Week: vs. Fresno State, 3:30 PM on the NBC Sports Network

Also in Consideration: Michigan, Nebraska, Washington, Northwestern, UCLA, Baylor, Iowa State, TCU, Michigan State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Duke, Tulsa, Penn State