College football writer J.P. Giglio is one of 60 voters in the AP Top 25 poll.
The top eight didn't change for the first time all season, but No. 9 through No. 25 is the same roulette wheel it has been since Week 1.
Oregon (9) took control of the Pac-10 with a wild comeback win at Arizona. Even with two losses, both on the road, I think Oregon's better than Pittsburgh (10).
Really, there's no explanation for Pitt's loss at N.C. State on Sept. 21. The Panthers led by two scores in the fourth quarter, and they haven't given up as many as 28 points in any other game, let alone the 38 to the Wolfpack.
Other voters have them higher, but I can't see bumping them up until the result of the Cincinnati game.
North Carolina (20) inexplicably continues to lag behind Virginia Tech (21) and Miami (22) in the proper AP poll, despite the same 8-3 record and wins over both teams.
The AP has Virginia Tech at 14, Miami at 19 and UNC at 23. Strange.
For an expanded version of the J.P. Top 25, go to blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow.
Team | Prev. |
1. Florida | 1 |
2. Alabama | 2 |
3. TCU | 3 |
4. Texas | 4 |
5. Boise State | 5 |
6. Cincinnati | 6 |
7. Georgia Tech | 7 |
8. Ohio State | 8 |
9. Oregon | 13 |
10. Pitt | 10 |
11. Iowa | 14 |
12. Clemson | 11 |
13. Penn State | 15 |
14. Houston | 17 |
15. Oklahoma State | 18 |
16. Oregon State | 20 |
17. Mississippi | - |
18. LSU | 9 |
19. Southern California | 19 |
20. North Carolina | 21 |
21. Virginia Tech | 22 |
22. Miami | 23 |
23. California | - |
24. Stanford | 12 |
25. BYU | 24 |
Out: Wisconsin (16), Utah (25)
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Hours after the Smith Center emptied and the cameras left, long after he and his North Carolina teammates went their separate ways, Tar Heels point guard Kendall Marshall lay awake in the early hours of Thursday morning with certain parts of Duke's 85-84 victory against UNC playing on a loop in his mind. 
Forget about Duke's comeback win over North Carolina. The evidence from this season suggests that the Blue Devils' biggest test of the week will come today when Maryland comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium. 
East Chapel Hill sophomore Ben Griffin was about 13 years old when he challenged a group of then-current and former University of North Carolina golfers. 
Robert Orr, a Raleigh attorney who represented UNC football players Quinton Coples and Devon Ramsay during the school's recent NCAA-related problems, said Friday that the firing of Butch Davis and hiring of Larry Fedora as head football coach would not fundamentally change the chances of similar issues cropping up at the school. 
If Wake Forest wants to extricate itself from the ACC's cellar, wins in its next two games would be a good place to start. 
Rameses, North Carolina's 18th ram mascot, died Thursday night of natural causes. He was 8 years old. 
Remember when ACC teams began conference play about a month ago, and how it seemed like the road to the regular-season championship would be limited to a two-team race between North Carolina and Duke? 
While there will be bonus time to draw up a game plan for Thursday's trip to Duke, the break also comes at a good time for C.J. Williams. Keep up with the latest sports stories with our free e-mail newsletters, delivered to your inbox!
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