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If one wonders how Texas fell to UCLA and remained, at 3-1, atop the polls, the answer is simple. It is a name brand program that is destined for another hand-picked championship classic. I mean no disrespect to the Texas program. Oklahoma barely beat Cinci; Nebraska struggled against SDSU; and they both remain atop the major polls as well.

Compare for example K-State, number 1 in the Big 12 North standings. K-state this season at 4-0 defeated UCLA (who this week defetaed Texas), defeated a conference competitor in Iowa State, defeated UCF, a team with quick defensive prowess and rising young talent on its offensive side, and yet the Wildcats are nowhere to be seen on any poll.

Texas who lost to that same Bruins unit remains atop the polls. Why? Because Texas is a media friendly brand. If K-State were to defeat Nebraska on October 7, it is unlikely that accolades will go to KSU and Heisman candidate Daniel Thomas for getting the job done for a 5th straight time. The focus will instead be on Nebraska's loss. Nebraska just wasn't for real.

If K-State defeats Nebraska on October 7, K-State may appear somewhere toward the bottom of the Top 25, while many other 4-1 or 3-2 brand-name Top 25 leaders will remain at the top so that we might have yet another classic championship series, be it Bama, Sooners, or Ohio State, even Notre Dame if it could string together two wins in a row. Few would disagree that the Fighting Irish would quickly be elevated to the top of the rankings in the major polls.

If Kansas State loses to Nebraska next week, and at 4-1 holds the same record as Texas, it will appear nowhere on any poll and have no shot at the title game. It begs the question, why does one team at 4-1 have a shot at the title game when another does not. The only way we will ever see a legitimate championship team is through a competitive playoff system.

The current system is inherently wired to exclude teams that deserve a shot at the title and in some cases rewards teams who don't (Boise State?). I think the answer is simple. Take back the power of selection from the sports writers and coaches and give it to the kids who play their hearts out every week on the field.