Hlas' AP Top 25 ballot for Week 6 - Ducks!

Alabama lost. Time to have to think about a No. 1 pick for a change.

I choose Oregon.

We're at the halfway point of the season for most teams, the 5-game mark for the others. Even with all the cupcakes everyone has played, there is now plenty of substance to sort out.

Oregon has beaten an excellent Stanford team by three touchdowns, won at Arizona State (which was a blocked extra-point from going to overtime at Wisconsin), and won at Tennessee by five TDs (LSU was really lucky to nip Tennessee at home last week).

Ohio State's best win is at home against Miami. Its second-best win is at Illinois. Its third-best? Indiana at home. That doesn't equal Oregon's resume, especially in light of how Miami got pounded at home Saturday night by Florida State.

1. Oregon (6-0)

2. Ohio State (6-0)

3. Oklahoma (5-0). I zoomed OU up the rankings from sixth last week because its 47-17 home win over Florida State keeps growing in stature (the Seminoles have been drilling everyone ever since), because it's still the only team that has defeated a good Air Force team, and it also beat Texas in Dallas and Cincinnati in Cincinnati. It has played better teams than Ohio State has, but the Buckeyes have looked more the world-beater. So far.

4. Boise State (5-0). The win over Oregon State grew in significance after the Beavers won at Arizona Saturday, and Virginia Tech has rounded back into form after its horrific loss to James Madison in Week 2, so the Broncos win over Va. Tech is starting to mean something again. But Boise hasn't played anybody else of any importance.

5. TCU (6-0). Beat Oregon State. Its second-best win? It's either at SMU or at home against Baylor. The Horned Frogs have back-to-back Mountain West shutouts, but Colorado State and Wyoming aren't good opposition.

6. Nebraska (5-0). Has yet to play a ranked team, but has two lopsided road wins over a decent Washington team and an OK Kansas State club.

7. LSU (6-0). The greatest highwire act in college football. This is not the seventh-best team in America. But we are told to vote on performance. Winning at Florida is performing. Playing six teams from BCS conferences and winning them all is performing.

8. Michigan State (6-0). The Spartans have beaten ranked teams on consecutive weeks, one by 17 points on the road? That's performance.

9. Auburn (6-0). The 35-27 home win over South Carolina in Week 2 gained some luster Saturday, eh? I'd take Iowa or Wisconsin over Auburn or LSU, but it's the performance thing. The schedules will even out among BCS conference teams, and they'll all have their chances to state their cases.

10. South Carolina (4-1). It beat the No. 1 team in the country, and its only loss was on the road by eight points to unbeaten Auburn.

11. Alabama (4-1). Tough to drop the Tide this far when they've won at Arkansas and rolled Florida in Tuscaloosa. But it lost by two touchdowns Saturday, and that's that.

12. Utah (5-0). This is an excellent team, as I saw in person Saturday night at Iowa State. But its best win was at home, in overtime, over a Pittsburgh team that is part of the Big East's steaming pile of mediocrity.

13. Stanford (5-1). A last-second home win over USC was, well, meh. But a one-loss team whose only loss is at Oregon is a good one-loss team.

14. Florida State (5-1). Has been on a rampage the last few weeks, and its 45-17 win at Miami Saturday was a show-stopper. Has shook off its whopping loss at Oklahoma in Week 2.

15. Iowa (4-1). The Hawkeyes' opponents to date aren't helping their status among pollsters.  The hard-fought loss to Arizona was diminished when the Wildcats fell at home Saturday night to Oregon State. I can't justify putting Iowa ahead of Florida State when the Seminoles have won big at Miami, while the Hawkeyes' best win is over a Penn State team that now looks awfully mortal. The next three weeks give Iowa ample opportunity to climb in the ranking.

16. Arkansas (4-1). I can't comment on every team, so I'm leaving the Razorbacks blank this week.

17. Wisconsin (5-1). Much ado about nothing was Bret Bielema's decision to go for a 2-point conversion against Minnesota with a 25-point lead. Hey, angry Minnesota Coach Tim Brewster. Build a better team and coach it better, and you won't be in a 25-point hole. Besides, it worked out for you. The Badgers didn't get the two points, and you ended up losing by 41-23 instead of the 42-23 score it would have been had Wisconsin kicked the extra point.

18. Oklahoma State (5-0). Went to Louisiana-Lafayette (!?!?) and trailed at halftime before mauling the Ragin' Cajuns.

19. Nevada (6-0). I hope Nevada is unbeaten when it hosts Boise State on Nov. 26. But I hope for a lot of things.

20. West Virginia (4-1). The Mountaineers won the "When Worlds Collide" game Saturday, beating Nevada-Las Vegas, 49-10.

21. Michigan (5-1). The question was "What happens when Michigan's defense plays somebody?" The answer was "It loses convincingly to Michigan State."

22. Oregon State (3-2). The losses were on the road to TCU and Boise State, and both were good battles. The Beavers are 2-0 in the Pac-10 after winning at Arizona.

23. Arizona (4-1). How can I have Arizona eight spots below Iowa, Arizona people can ask. 1. You beat Iowa by one TD at home. 2. You barely (bearly?) beat the Cal Bears at home the following week, the same Cal Bears that got slaughtered at Nevada. 3. You lost at home the game after that, to Oregon State. You should be 7-1 when you go to Stanford. Then we'll talk.

24. Florida (4-2).

25. Miami (3-2). I could have dropped these last two teams in favor of Air Force and Missouri, but I guess I have a soft spot for deposed Florida superpowers.

24.