Once again, Ohio State and head coach -- an NCAA rules violation waiting to happen -- Jim Tressel were at the center of a controversy prior to the win against Texas. This time it had to do with Tressel's USA Today/coaches' poll ballot.

Tressel told reporters at his weekly luncheon that he had voted Texas No. 1 in his coaches poll ballot because "they deserve it," but USA Today disclosed last Tuesday night that Tressel's ballot didn't list Texas No. 1. He actually had the Longhorns at No. 3, and of course, instead of taking the blame for the foul-up, Tressel allowed Ohio State's director of player development, Stan Jefferson, to fall on the sword.

"When it came time to vote on the preseason poll, we voted Texas No. 1 and us No. 3 after talking about it as a staff," Jefferson said in the News Journal in Mansfield, Ohio. "He did not tell me to put Ohio State No. 1. I put that down because we were No. 1 in the preseason poll."

Honestly, is there anything more useless than the preseason poll?

The purpose for the preseason polls is so that television stations can sell ads for the "big games" between two highly ranked opponents in prime time (Florida State-Miami)-- and apparently to cause confusion within coaching staffs.

If the rankings were based solely on the projections of how a team would fare, wouldn't it be hard to judge that by the spring game?

Before USC and Texas in 2004 and 2005, respectively, the last two Bowl Championship Series titles were won by teams ranked 12th or lower in the preseason.

But it's not only the misrepresentation of the best teams, but also the miscalculation of which are the best teams. The 2005 University of Tennessee team was a perfect example of an overrated preseason team.

The Volunteers were as high as No. 3 in the pre-season polls, but fell flat on their faces and finished the season 5-6, which meant an early winter break for a team who smelled Roses in August.

And that's the one problem with college football rankings, they're all judgment calls, and when human judgement is involved there are bound to be big mistakes.

I know there is no set formula to picking the top 25 and we see how awful a computer system can be in the same situation. Maybe it's about time the NCAA rethinks how the rankings system is calculated.

My solution: Start ranking teams after week three.

By that point in the season, every team would have played at least one game and you could decipher who's a fraud and who's underrated. This would prevent the ridiculously high rankings for teams that have never proved anything, and the overlooking of a good team from a less prestigious conference.

By tweaking the rankings systems there will be fewer mistakes -- preseason No. 9 California for example -- and pressure more "big name" schools to schedule tougher opponents. No more playing one ranked team, and then facing off with two or three schools that are equivalent to St. Luke's School for the blind before your conference schedule.

With my new system, teams would have to make an early impression if they wanted make the first top 25.

It could also go a long way to securing a level playing field for teams that don't have the luxury of playing nationally recognized powerhouses in conference. I'm not saying they should give the smaller schools a shot at the national championship every year, but rather allow these schools -- and their conferences -- a chance to build a reputation on the national scene.

Then, all that would be needed is a playoff system, and college football would be just about perfect.

Game of the Week

For this week's GOTW, we will travel to the Deep South into the heart of SEC country, and watch four quarters of drama in Auburn, Ala.

No. 3 Auburn -- my dark horse National Championship pick -- will play its most difficult game of the season against No. 6 LSU. The battle of the Tigers will decide who represents the SEC West in the SEC Championship game.

Auburn has been impressive in its first two games of the season, outscoring its opponents 74-14. LSU allowed 113 rushing yards to Louisiana-Lafayette that spells trouble for the team from New Orleans.

With that said, Heisman candidate Kenny Irons should be able to run all over the LSU defense, and help Auburn run away with the victory.

Auburn 21, LSU 10