BCS contenders/pretenders begin to emerge over the weekend

The conference season is beginning to heat up and the contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the pretenders around the world of college football.

This weekend, many teams placed themselves into the two categories and some just delayed the pretender tag that will inevitably meet up with them in the future.

The top team according to the majority of national rankings is Florida, who battled all the questions about their “superman” Tim Tebow's concussion and won at LSU this weekend.

The win was impressive on paper, but to me the jury is still out on Florida being the nation’s top team.

There is no question about the talent Urban Meyer has brought to Gainesville or the fact that Tim Tebow is probably the most respected athlete in college sports. Plus there is the theory that until someone knocks off the national champion they are the king of the mountain.

But with the cream puff competition they have played, and no Alabama on the schedule, how could they be considered America’s best team?

The only time the Gators will be able to prove to anyone that they belong in the top spot will be in the SEC championship game.

Alabama on the other hand has already played and won a neutral site game with Virginia Tech and a road game with Ole Miss. And although the Rebels were massively overrated to begin the year, dominant wins over both are very impressive.

Bama has one of the best defenses I have ever seen and an offense that doesn’t make mistakes while scoring points.

The Tide do not have Tebow, but they made a huge case as the nations’ best team Saturday.

As for Texas, I believe that there is a reason why CompughterRatings.com has them down at number 10.

There are high school teams that have seen better competition than the Longhorns.

I know the slate gets more difficult, but with cupcakes on their schedule such as UTEP, Wyoming and Louisiana-Monroe, and their toughest game so far being a home game against struggling Colorado, Texas has proven nothing.

To me Virginia Tech is the team that is the most interesting.

Everybody knows who the Hokies have been since a national championship run in 1999: a defensive juggernaut who's offense has been as smooth as a drunken frat guy.

But this season has been different since their miraculous win against Nebraska.

All of the sudden the Hokies have found their offensive mojo. With wins against the Cornhuskers and Miami under their belt, the Hokies have nobody else on their schedule that poses much threat.

After their game next Saturday at Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech’s toughest remaining game is a Thursday night match up with North Carolina in Blacksburg.

In other words … I like their chances of running the table.

With the AP and Coaches’ top four out of the way, here are some other contenders and pretenders in the BCS hunt along with their CompughterRatings.com ranking.

Contenders:

Oregon (7) - Despite a disastrous opening weekend, the Ducks have now beaten Utah, Cal and UCLA. They are inching closer to contention for the top spot in the Pac-10.

Iowa (4) - Big wins over Penn State and Michigan have given them a great position in the Big Ten. A win against Ohio State later this season would get the Hawkeyes recognition.

Cincinnati (13) - Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard are two of the nation’s best players whom you have never heard of and in a less than stellar Big East, the Bearcats will have a chance to run the table.

Nebraska (15) - The Cornhuskers moved into the driver’s seat for the Big 12 north title with a huge win at Missouri last Thursday. Despite the loss at Virginia Tech, they could win the rest of their games with no Texas or Oklahoma State on their schedule.

Pretenders:

USC (9) - The Trojans had the slip up at Washington and although they have a big win at Ohio State on the resume, the freshman quarterback and tough Pac 10 schedule will be too much in my opinion. Remember, they still have to play at Oregon.

Georgia Tech (14) - The Yellow Jackets simply do not have the defense to contend for even an ACC title, or the offense to help them come back in games which they are down. I think this team fades in a major way down the stretch.

Kansas (18) - Sure they are still unbeaten, but the Jayhawks’ schedule is an even bigger joke than Texas’. When Duke is your best opponent so far, it is hard to take them seriously. With Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska still on the schedule, Kansas better prepare to take their lumps.