1 - 25: THE TIMES’ RANKINGS BY CHRIS DUFRESNE

NO. TEAM (RECORD): COMMENT

1. North Carolina (5-0): Hey, Dean Smith is now available to lead team to Sweet 16.

2. Florida (5-0): Gators would finish second in NFC West. Maybe first.

3. Penn State (4-0): Paterno wants name of wise guy who slipped this tough game into schedule.

4. Nebraska (4-0): Next year will spot Kansas State a 20-0 lead and still win by 30.

5. Florida State (4-0): Beating up on Miami better than any psychiatrist Bowden could have seen.

6. Michigan (4-0): If I’m Northwestern, I’m sweating bullets this weekend.

7. Ohio State (5-0): Katzenmoyer warms up for Penn State by tackling parked cars in stadium lot.

8. Auburn (5-0): Not looking ahead to Florida; total focus on Louisiana something-or-others.

9. Michigan State (4-0): Defense hits harder than former alums Kirk Gibson and Steve Garvey.

10. Notre Dame (1975 team): Bench scrub “Rudy” Ruettiger carried off field after Georgia Tech win.

11. Washington State (5-0): Start packin’ for Pasadena; five of last six games in the state of Washington.

12. Washington (3-1): Should be 6-1 going into Nov. 1 game against Defensive Tackle U (USC).

13. Tennessee (3-1): Manning could lose rest of games and still win Heisman (see Paul Hornung).

14. LSU (4-1): Glut report: Loss of Collins leaves Tigers with only two great backs.

15. Iowa (4-1): Tavian, meet Andy; Andy, say hi to Tavian.

16. Georgia (4-0): You are the Iowa of the SEC if you don’t beat Tennessee.

17. Stanford (4-1): Check out Stanford band’s “Ode to Terminal Diseases.” It’s a riot.

18. UCLA (3-2): Just guessing 66 would be a lucky Lotto number for Bruins.

19. Texas A&M; (4-0): Aggies return from ashes of last year’s riches-to-rags story.

20. Air Force (6-0): Falcons are never out of options with Blane Morgan at QB.

21. BYU (3-1): Cheap, easy, horse racing line: Shoemaker back in the saddle at QB.

22. Oklahoma State (5-0): What, did Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas go back to college?

23. Virginia Tech (4-1): Fellas, do the Hokie-pokey and turn your season around.

24. Colorado (2-2): Neuheisel needs to look in the mirror and chew out his offensive coordinator.

25. Marshall (4-1): Long-distance dedication for W. Va. fan who refers to rank master as “Idiot” in e-mail dispatches.

97. USC (2-2): Trojan rushing game screaming up the national charts.