The ring girl has left the ring, my corner has brought down the swelling and it's time for round two of my Top 25 college football rankings.

One month, I listed the top teams in the country through the first quarter of the college football schedule. Now we are eight games in, and while some things have changed many remain the same.

Last time around I listed four teams that weren't ranked and should have been, and guess what, all four were ranked that next week. This time I have just two "Dangerfields," but a number of changes outside the top three.

Beat it BCS, these are the real rankings.

1. Florida - My top three stay the same because, well, they kept winning. Huge rivalry against Georgia in the Cocktail Party on Saturday should have Gator-nation worried though.

2. Alabama - The Tide barely escaped an upset to the Vols last weekend. The West title will be on the line when they face LSU in two weeks, but Heisman race leader Mark Ingram should lead the way.

3. Texas - They got through two of three tough games on their schedule against Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Their last big challenge is Saturday against Oklahoma State in what has the makings of a shootout.

4. Iowa - Like 'Bama, they escaped an upset last weekend against Michigan State. Big wins against Penn State and Michigan are good for the resume, but Ohio State is lurking two weeks away.

5. Cincinnati - The last of the five unbeatens from real conferences deserves a top-five spot. Iowa may have jumped them from last time, but they can move back with wins over West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

6. Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets and their beautiful triple-option have nearly run the table in the ACC. With a lone loss to Miami they stand a good chance to go orange-picking. Only a season finale against UGA stands in their way.

7. USC - The lone loss to a bad Washington team will continue to hurt them, but they're still the best out west. Upsets could still be looming with Oregon and Arizona left on the schedule.

8. TCU - Yes, the Horned Frogs beat down BYU, but I've been saying since Week 4 that was a badly overrated Cougars team. I didn't have them ranked last time, so they're getting their dues, but it might not last after one final test against Utah.

9. Boise State - Either TCU or Boise will not be in BCS consideration by year's end. The Broncos have clear sailing until the end of the year so they may end up jumping TCU for the annual BCS-buster award.

10. Oregon - The Ducks have been mighty since their week one loss to Boise State, but it all comes down to Saturday. A win over the Trojans gets Oregon smelling the roses come January.

11. Penn State - Last time around I got flack for having the Nittany Lions ranked No. 15, but a sound win over Michigan and lone loss to Iowa means Jo-Pa has more left in the tank than rival Bobby Bowden.

12. Oklahoma State - Two big games down with wins over Georgia and Missouri, but there's three more to go. After Saturday's game against Texas, the Cowboys still have Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

13. LSU - The Tigers looked awful against Florida, so this may come back to bite me. Not only do they have 'Bama left, Ole Miss and Arkansas are down the road, too. The offense has to get better quick.

14. Virginia Tech - The first two-loss team winds up here for two reasons, their losses are to Bama and Georgia Tech, and both were close. With a little help the Hokies could continue their ACC dominance.

15. Pittsburgh - Pitt just beat down South Florida and could jump high with wins over Notre Dame, Cincy and West Virginia in the season's final three weeks. Their lone loss to putrid N.C. State is killing them.

16. Miami - The Hurricanes lost a heart-breaker against Clemson in overtime last week, but they are a good young team. Despite a bad conference loss to Virginia Tech, a big win over Georgia Tech kept them in the rankings.

17. Notre Dame - The Fighting Irish offense is fast becoming one of the nation's best. With one last toughie against Pitt, and an upset alert against Navy left to go, Notre Dame is looking BCS bound.

18. Houston - If not for that loss to UTEP, the Cougars would be on their way to a big bowl game. Wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech keep them relevant and only a match-up with Tulsa stands in their way.

19. West Virginia - They lost to Auburn by 11, and their only note-worthy wins are against conference foes Rutgers and Louisville. The top three Big East teams are ahead in USF, Cincy and Pitt.

20. South Carolina - The Gamecocks are still riding high thanks to a big win over Ole Miss, but there are four make-or-break contests left on tap. The Vols, Razorbacks, Gators and Clemson Tigers have a chance to knock Steve Spurrier back to mediocre.

21. Arizona - The Wildcats could have made some noise if not for a 27-17 loss to Iowa, but there's more chances to come. Contests against the top Pac-10 teams in Cal, Oregon and USC will show where this basketball school really is.

22. Ohio State - The Buckeyes are ranked too high yet again. They lost to Purdue 28-16, and it wasn't close. Plus they haven't even played Penn State, Iowa or Michigan. They'll be outta here after those.

23. Navy - My first of two "Dangerfields." The Midshipmen may not be in a conference, but just two losses makes them one of the best in the country. They nearly beat the Buckeyes and Pitt. A win over the Fighting Irish, although unlikely, would be huge.

24. Ole Miss - They may have lost to Bama and South Carolina, but the Rebels beat down Arkansas last week. More tough games are ahead for Jevon Snead and company though, such as Tennessee and LSU.

25. Central Michigan - As you can guess, my other team not getting any respect. Remember Ball State last year? They were undefeated, from the MAC, and ranked way too high. The Chippewas are 7-1, lost to Arizona 19-6 and beat Michigan State. Boston College is the last big test.

So, for those math majors out there that leaves two Top 25 teams off my list. Those two are Utah and California.

Utah is No. 16 in the BCS rankings, and I'm not kidding about that. They've beat Louisville and Colorado State, but so has everybody else. Their lone loss is to Oregon, but ahead looms BYU and TCU.

For Cal, it's four weeks later and I'm having to say the same thing I did last time. After saying nobody should lose by 39 and be ranked, the Golden Bears got whipped 30-3 by USC. Why are they still ranked?

Just a handful of weeks left in the season means I have just two more rankings to go - pre-bowls and post-bowls.

- Contact reporter Chris Walsh at 774-8772 ext. 310 or e-mail cwalsh@dailynews.vi.