PJ Poll - Week Nine

There are Five Alive!

Much like the name of my favorite '80s post-sports thirst quencher -- a drink which has since faded into fruit punchy obscurity.

One of the five teams left in the PJ Poll will also certainly fade into obscurity as TCU and Utah challenge each other in a pivotal Mountain West matchup.

Here are the games that matter this week:

1 p.m. - Chattanooga at Auburn - Hey Choo Choo Men, do you see that train that just sped by? Cam Newton was on it. He just left you in the station. This game is solely to pump up Newton's Heisman stats.

3:30 p.m. - Hawaii at Boise St. - If this game was in Hawaii, it really could go either way. The home-field advantage is a big deal for the Broncos -- moreso than almost any other team in Division I.

The Warriors, though, have the weapons to pull off big plays against Boise. Hawaii will not be able to stop the Broncos on defense, so they are going to need to air it out early and often.
This game still could be the biggest surprise of the year. Don't count the Warriors out!

3:30 p.m. - Washington at Oregon - I've been hearing about how Washington quarterback Jake Locker is the next big thing for some time now. Yeah, when is that going to happen?

Quarterbacks that never win in college generally don't win in the NFL, either! I'm talking to you, Jay Cutler. Oh, and Oasis is going to be the next Beatles. How did that work out?

Oregon is favored by 35. They'll cover. The only drama will be if the Duck mascot can do all the push-ups.

3:30 p.m. - TCU at Utah - This is the game that will ensure an exit from the PJ Poll. Texas Christian is a completely solid team with no holes on offense or defense. The Horned Frogs are not flashy, but they know how to get the job done. I saw Utah struggle at home against a mediocre Pitt team at the beginning of the season. They do not have the firepower to overcome the consistency of TCU.

It will be a close game. But I think we'll still be talking about TCU in the PJ Poll next week.

Here are the rankings:

1. Oregon
2. Auburn
3. Boise St.
4. Texas Christian
5. Utah