Hlas' final AP Top 25 ballot

Why I agreed to vote on Associated Press' Top 25 football panel again this season, I have no idea. Mainly for page-views, I guess. But the risk-reward ... too dangerous.

1. Auburn (14-0). Oh, I thought about putting TCU first. Oh yes, I did. Ohhhhhhh yes, I did. But you can't compare the Horned Frogs' schedule to that of the Tigers, no matter how you spin the numbers. Beating Alabama, Oregon and LSU alone settles the debate, and I'm as bleeding-heart for the so-called little guys as anybody.

2. TCU (13-0).

3. Oregon (12-1). Too bad the Ducks and Auburn didn't get to play on a real football field instead of that skating rink they were on Monday night.

4. Stanford (12-1)

5. Ohio State (12-1). If we were encouraged to include moral judgments in our voting, I'd drop the Buckeyes down a few slots for playing the Tattoo Five in the Sugar Bowl.

6. Wisconsin (11-2). Wrestled with keeping Wisconsin ahead of Ohio State because it played a better bowl team than the Buckeyes. But then you realize Wisconsin lost to Michigan State ...

7. Oklahoma (12-2). The most-impressive team in any of the three Phoenix bowls was the Sooners. Did playing UConn instead of Oregon or Alabama have something to do with that?

8. Boise State (12-1). Where would TCU have played had Boise State beaten Nevada and taken the Frogs' Rose Bowl spot?

9. LSU (11-2)

10. Nevada (13-1)

11. Alabama (10-3). Sure, Alabama has a better team than Nevada. I think. But it lost three times, and I don't think it beat a team as good as Boise State. Nevada did.

12. Oklahoma State (11-2). The second-best team in the Big 12, and in Oklahoma.

13. Arkansas (10-3)

14. Michigan State (11-2)

15. Virginia Tech (11-3)

16. Missouri (10-3)

17. Mississippi State (9-4)

18. Florida State (10-4)

19. Nebraska (10-4). I'm not deducting as much as I could for the Huskers losing in the Holiday Bowl to Washington after they blasted U-Dub in Seattle three months earlier. That bowl was something Nebraska couldn't get enthused about, and I don't blame it.

20. Tulsa (10-3). Finished the year with seven straight wins including a romp over a good Hawaii team in Honolulu.

21. Texas A&M (9-4). Won its last six regular-season games, including one against Oklahoma.

22. Central Florida (11-3). Beat an SEC team in a bowl, and the SEC apparently is the owner of college football.

23. North Carolina State (9-4). Gave West Virginia a righteous thrashing in the Champs Sports Bowl.

24. Utah (10-3)

25. Iowa (8-5). This is just one point, and I doubt the Hawkeyes get ranked. But yet I feel compelled to explain this vote more than Auburn over TCU. All news is local, I guess.

Besides, I hate to even be linked with the word "homer." I was leery of even spending a night in Homer, Alaska on vacation last summer just because of its name. It's a very nice place to visit, by the way. I recommend the Chocolate Drop Inn for a beautiful setting and fantastic breakfasts.

I looked at all the four-loss teams (and 11-3 Northern Illinois), and I looked some more. San Diego State didn't beat the likes of Michigan State and Missouri. Maryland lost three times by 14 points or more, and didn't beat any team as good as Michigan State or Missouri. Northern Illinois lost to Miami (Ohio) when it most needed a win, in its conference-title game.

Iowa lost five times, including to Minnesota. But it was in every game, and it beat a much-better bowl team than anyone else bubbling under the Top 20. Let's face it. There weren't 25 ranking-worthy teams in the country this season.