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A true championship team should have a balance of both - a stellar defense and an offense who can score in quick strike fashion - for a championship team must be able to function and survive in the following three game scenario's:

   1. Does the team go for the jugular in blow-out wins, quickly putting away an inferior opponent?

   2. Can it come back after falling several scores behind, especially on the road in hostile venues?

   3. Can it stand toe-to-toe without flinching while avoiding the knock-out punch in a tilt of championship implications with another heavyweight contender?

Although it is difficult to rank the difference between the teams at such an early juncture in the season, I would say we are at a point (Week #3) where the polls are actually starting to take on some validity. At this point in the season, my rating scale is heavily weighted to the defensive side of the ball, but a team can rise swiftly if they show a healthy balance of both.

The BCSBusters Top-6 hasn't changed since last week, although I did bump USC from the 3 spot into #2, which dropped Oklahoma down one. In all seriousness, I would consider it a four way tie for number one at this point, but there is no way to insert this and it would draw the "irons of fire" from fellow pollsters - Grow Some Hair!

LSU has been the most impressive of the four, but I can't see much difference between Oklahoma, USC and Florida. You could even make an argument for West Virginia, but they have been just a shade inconsistent in victories over Marshall and Maryland. These five teams are the Kings - or Gold Medal recipients - through the first quarter of the season.

The Silver Medal Recipients are Penn State, California and Clemson. Ohio State (who I moved up from #14 to #9), due to the fact that they have suddenly discovered their offense, but then again - Washington is a bit hyped and over-rated considering they have beaten Syracuse, who is quite possibly to worst BCS team in the country, and Boise State - who isn't even close to where they were last year after graduating key players in the skill positions (the Huskies looked okay for a half, but they are a year away from being a serious contender this year, and they will likely be a major spoiler along with UCLA in the PAC-10).

 So who knows how strong the Buckeye's really are?

Clemson and Boston College, two ACC teams, have found their way into the Silver Medal bracket of the Top-10 due to differing circumstances. If you question Clemson in the Top-10, consider they have been ranked in the Top-10 in every major defensive category for the last 5 years, and they have a slew of play-makers on offense. Boston College has quietly scheduled 3 ACC games to start the season and they are so far ahead of the others at this point that the division race may already be settled. Plus, I ran an article called the Quality Opponent Factor right before the season began and was surprised to learn that BC had the second best rating in the country as they are 6-2 against teams who have gone on to win 9 or more games in the last 3 seasons. With their fast start this year, with key victories over Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, this figure could improve this year as well.

The Bronze medal winners (11-15) include Oregon, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and South Carolina, while Rutgers, South Florida, Arizona State, Wisconsin and Missouri round out the medal winners.

The spoilers include Texas A&M, Georgia, Arkansas, Nebraska and Louisville.

Teams who have dropped in the first three weeks include Texas (from #2 to #13), Louisville (from #4 to #25), and Wisconsin (from #6 to #19) for they haven't performed well under the 3 pronged criteria for assessing championship excellence that was listed at the top of the article. Only Texas has a realistic chance to recover in my mind.

The first quarter of the season is over and as we begin the second quarter it is important to realize this exact point - it's too early to tell as a realistic and valid poll - which doesn't account for traditional status with the television networks, or past performances, shouldn't come out until week #6, the half-way point of the season.

LSU #1: Hard to argue with LSU as they have been stellar on both offense and defense to start the season. They only negative is the strength of schedule. Sure the Virginia Tech win looks good on paper, but the Hokies have been worrisome on offense so far in the 2007 campaign, so are we scaling this with Virginia Tech's prominence in the last decade, or the results of this season.

USC #2: There isn't much difference between Florida, USC and Oklahoma so far this season, but the deciding factor for me is the fact that USC went on the road - and in front of a festive and hostile environment, absolutely crushed Nebraska. Both Florida and Oklahoma have yet to play a road game, and this is most certainly an advantage that isn't addressed within the weekly polls as much as I'd like.

Oklahoma #3: Who can argue with the Sooners - their defense is off the charts and I love the intensity on the sideline - led by example from coach Stoops! Could they be on the outside looking in if USC and LSU fail to lose throughout the season? The BCS Controversy Continues!

Florida #4: While it looks good from the viewpoint of the media, I expected Florida to roll over the Vol's as I have stated many times that Tennessee and Michigan are two of the most over-rated teams given the pre-season polls on an annual basis. This has turned out to be a valid assessment as both teams are 1-2 and struggle due lack of speed when match-up against programs who spread the field. In reality, there isn't much difference between the top four teams as any of these four would be very good representatives in the national championship game.

West Virginia #5: There is a bit of a drop at this point in the polls, although West Virginia had an improved look on defense this week against Maryland. However, when compared to the Big-Four above, the Mountaineer's haven't been quite as impressive, especially on the defensive side, but then again - would Florida, LSU, USC or Oklahoma look as impressive on defense if they had to defend the Blue and Gold express from West Virginia? Food for thought!

Penn State #6: Some people may be howling over this pick, but consider that Penn State plays old school football - where field position and time of possession play considerably into the game plan. While most teams use a flashier scheme, the old tried and tested smash mouth affair can be just as successful, but just not as pleasing to the eye-ball. Sure they never look flashy, just look at the uniforms - they haven't changed since Joe Paterno started roaming the sidelines nearly 50 years ago. But then again, their stingy defense hasn't changed much either, which is why they sit and number six.

California #7: This is by far the shakiest pick in the Top-10 and yes, I think CAL would have beaten Tennessee just as handily as the Gators did if it was in fact week three instead of week one. Why am I so enamored with Jeff Tedford? Look at his track record with both Oregon and the Bears. Remember, if you would have told most of us at week #7 last year that the Gators would win the title, most of us would have said you should be institutionalized. The Bears will find their destiny in Pasadena this year, and if they happen to go undefeated against the PAC-10, it will be just as significant as an SEC team going undefeated considering the strength of the conference this year. No PAC-10 bashing on this one!

Clemson #8: This may also be a bit of a surprise compared to the other polls, but how can you argue against their start to 2007. Plus the Defense has been ranked in the top-10 of every major defensive category for the last 5 years and they could have as much team speed on both sides of the ball as any team in the country. The question will be the same for this team - Do they believe they can win the big one and will they flinch in the heavy-weight match-ups.

Ohio State #9: Ohio State found some balance this past weekend as their offense has awakened from hibernation. They scored 30 points in the second half to win going away and their defense is much like Penn State's - nothing flashy except the scoreboard, which has rarely changed from zero for most teams so far this season.

Boston College #10: BC has the second highest Quality Opponent Factor Rating in the last three seasons (6-2) so it was of no surprise to me that they have started so strongly so far this season. The division race in the ACC is all but over and the Eagle defense just keeps getting better and better. How about the strategy of starting the season with three conference games in a row: A+ for the Eagles!

Oregon #11: If Dennis Dixon wasn't among the pre-season hype for the Heisman Trophy, he should be now. Who can argue with his performance, which is very Vince Young like thus far. With Oregon's resurgence this past weekend against a Fresno team who took Texas A&M to triple over-time last weekend, the Ducks have returned to their 03' and 05' form. Bitten by the turnover bug last season, the Ducks have been charmed in this category so far this season.

Alabama #12: While much of the nation was raving over Arkansas to start the season, I found it quite humorous that the Hogs were favored in their annual clash with Bama this past weekend. I thought they were lucky to win last year given the Tide's ineptitude on special teams. Look out - The Tide is Beginning To Roll again this year, and who can question the leadership of Saban?

Texas #13: Where o' where has Vince Young gone...Where o' where can he be...the Longhorns are average without his "T"...where o' where will we be? I had the Horns ranked as high as number two in my pre-season poll, but where has the consistency gone with the horns? I will tell you, it's called the 85 scholarship rule, and the fact that any team today can beat another on any given day. Without a difference maker like Young, the Horns are ripe for an upset maybe two or three times this season. The Defense needs to step up!

Kentucky #14: How about the job that former Oregon Coach -Rich Brooks has done at Kentucky. I have tremendous respect for Brooks as he is a straight shooter and will go on the record and take full responsibility when his team doesn't perform. Who would have guessed that Kentucky would be sailing in the right direction and Louisville would be sailing without its defense - in the wrong direction. How in the world do you give up a long touchdown with less than a minute to go - on 3rd and long - when your in Cover 3? One thing you will notice with Brooks is the pile always moves backwards when his defense takes the field and given the fact that he started with 10 fewer scholarships available due to NCAA penalties, where will they be when this factor begins to balance itself out?

Arizona State & South Carolina #15: I've gone back on forth on the final pick for the Top-15, so I finally just submitted to a tie. Both Spurrier and Erickson have both won national championships. Both are quickly turning around programs who have settled for mediocrity within their given conferences, and both have similar styles of play. Both can find success and adapt to the personnel available, and who knows - in three years, both may be playing each other in a major BCS Bowl!

#17:  Rutgers
#18:  South Florida
#19:  Wisconsin
#20:  Missou
#21:  Texas A&M
#22:  Georgia
#23:  Arkansas
#24:  Nebraska
#25:  Louisville

It is important to remember that we have arrived at the end of the first quarter of the season and we have a long way to go. When you factor the turnover and injury equations into the coming match-ups, there will most certainly be surprises, which is why we play the games on grass or field turf, instead of smoke filled rooms full of bias, speculation and projection. Can't wait for Week #4, but before you know it, the season will be all but over - Is it really Week #4 already?

I apologize for the poor readability here.  The article on my website actually has some good links within each team segment that you may enjoy.  Thanks again Paragon for letting me Post here!  Copy and paste doesn't work very well in diaries.  Go Trojans - Go PAC-10!