HTR's Top 25: Week 4

Previous dubious assertions: HTR's Official Meaningless Preseason Top 25, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

(HT: Mike DeSimone) 

Rank	Team
1	Alabama
2	Oregon
3	LSU
4	Florida State
5	Georgia
6	West Virginia
7	Stanford
8	Texas
9	South Carolina
10	USC
11	Notre Dame
12	Kansas State
13	Florida
14	Clemson
15	Ohio State
16	TCU
17	Michigan State
18	Oklahoma
19	Louisville
20	Northwestern
21	Mississippi State
22	Baylor
23	Nebraska
24	Oregon State
25	Boise State

Out: Michigan, Missouri, UCLA, Arizona

• Your weekly reminder that the Big Ten is a festering stinkfest of stink. Need I say more? Iowa loses again, Michigan drops a Kafkaesque one in South Bend, Michigan State allows the might Fightin' Ron Englishes and the venerable PROCESS to hang around for far too long, Ohio State was only up 6 on the lowly Blazers of UAB at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Illinois lost to Louisian Tech by 28 at home, Wisconsin only beat UTEP by 11 and lost Ball early in the game to another head injury...it's bad. Michigan can win this thing, even in spite of its 2-2 start, but you and I both know that it doesn't mean much this year. Still, a conference title is a conference title, and given Michigan's current drought in that department, I will take it without complaint. 
• LSU Les Miles around, Oregon takes advantage. Like everyone else, I'm bumping Oregon up to #2 for now based on this week's games; the Ducks handled an Arizona team that has shown itself to be surprisingly competent--formidable, even--and LSU struggled with a downright bad Auburn team. Yes, we're only four weeks into the season, but if Alabama can just go ahead and knock off LSU in Baton Rouge and Oregon takes care of business, we might be getting another Oregon vs. the SEC national title game, which I think we can all agree would be approximately 942 times better than another LSU-Alabama rematch. 
• "I've made a huge mistake."--Missouri "GOB" Tigers. Missouri took on its second SEC foe and left with its second thumping at the hands of a ferocious South Carolina team. Quarterback play has always been the issue under Spurrier's tenure at USC East--which is still funny to type out or even think about given his reputation--so if Connor Shaw can continue to be the gritty runner and efficient passer that he was this past Saturday, the SEC East better look out. 
• Your other weekly reminder: NORTHWESTERN IS UNDEFEATED Y'ALL. Hit it, one more time: 
• Free fallin'. Arkansas...I mean, what is there to say? It's hard not to feel bad for John L. Smith, but at the same time everyone kind of knew that this was coming. Arkansas is 1-3 heading into the part of the schedule that is actually supposed to be difficult, and man, even getting to bowl eligibility looks like an uphill battle. Only in college football can a team like Arkansas be 1-3 while squads like Oregon State and Rutgers remain undefeated. If college football were a person, it would definitely be Maximus standing amid the fallen favorites yelling "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" into perpetuity.