After Tide and Gators struggle, Longhorns vault into top spot

At the start of every season we Associated Press poll voters receive a set of guidelines, but one suggestion often goes ignored: Don't hesitate to make significant changes in your ballot from week to week.

Needless to say, the most significant changes come at the top. This past weekend, Alabama and Florida struggled. Meanwhile, the Texas offense looked so much like its 2008 counterpart that I checked the Wall Street Journal to make sure the economy hadn't collapsed again. So, two weeks after I dropped Texas to No. 3 and a week after I jumped Alabama over Florida, I again shuffled the top three.

At this very moment, Texas looks like the best team in the country. So for this week, the Longhorns are No. 1. Alabama, which claimed the top spot last week after I used the dubious transitive property to compare the Crimson Tide and Gators, falls to No. 3. Florida remains No. 2.

The SEC flip-flop came after I considered my reason for leaping Alabama over Florida in the first place: each team's performance against Arkansas. After this weekend, I compared each team's performance in a home game against Tennessee. Though the Gators didn't blow out the Volunteers, they never really were in danger of losing. The Tide, meanwhile, needed not one but two field goal blocks by nose tackle Terrence Cody to beat the Vols. While Cody vaulted to the top of my quarterback-free Heisman list, the Tide fell in the rankings.

This will doubtlessly anger many people in the Yellowhammer State, just as last week's rankings angered people in Florida and Texas. Feel free to send your concerns via e-mail or Twitter, but remember one thing: The season doesn't end today. I'll rank them again next week, and your team may wind up on top.

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