Crimson Red Sports

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- There's a new No. 1 in college football. At least in the eyes of the Associated Press poll, where voters LSU deservedly jumped the Tigers to No. 1. Oklahoma stays No. 1 in the coaches' poll.

What does this mean? This early in the season, not much. Except there's becoming a clear feel of who the top teams are in college football -- or at least who we believe they are right now.

LSU. Alabama. Oklahoma. In some kind of order.

Solomon's Wisdom Top 10

Remember my rules. These rankings aren't necessarily who I believe are the top 10 teams. Rather, it's who I think has accomplished the most to date. The better the opponent a team beats, the higher they'll be ranked. Road wins carry extra weight in my eyes. These rankings will look odd at times, especially early in the season.

1. LSU (4-0). LSU has three wins away from home over teams ranked at the time: Oregon, Mississippi State and West Virginia. That's strong, and it could buy LSU a mulligan to reach the BCS Championship Game with one loss -- as long as that loss isn't against Alabama.

2. Alabama (4-0). Nick Saban continues to own Bobby Petrino. As long as Arkansas stays one-dimensional with 17 rushing yards against Alabama, Petrino won't beat Saban. The Crimson Tide look very strong.

3. Oklahoma (3-0). Maybe the Sooners' D isn't as good as we thought. Oklahoma gave up 241 rushing yards and 291 passing in a 38-28 win over Missouri. The win over Florida State looks a little less impressive after the Seminoles lost to Clemson, so Oklahoma drops in my rankings.

4. Boise State (3-0). The Broncos will continue to root for a good season from Georgia, which defeated Ole Miss. Boise State defeated Tulsa 41-21, but any hopes the Broncos have of being in the BCS Championship Game rest on good seasons by Georgia (which also lost to South Carolina) and TCU (which lost to Baylor).

5. Oklahoma State (4-0). The Cowboys rallied from down 20-3 to beat Texas A&M on the road 30-29. This team is up and down with a suspect defense, but keeps winning. Could Oklahoma State be this year's Auburn and be a player in the national championship discussion?