It's easy to forget that the kids banging into each other on Saturday afternoons are just that--kids.

So, with that in mind, we hope Iowa State QB Jacob Park, not typically a factor in these parts, is okay. Having said that, after seeing his pregame walk-in prior to his team's loss to Texas last week, we had to wonder if his absence this week--due to "personal health issues"--would be a case of addition by subtraction. Suffice it to say, he came off as a bit of a hot dog.

Well, whether his subtraction was indeed an addition is debatable, but in beating Oklahoma this week--in Norman, no less--his Cyclones teammates have had a big impact on our rankings.

Here's our Top 10 as of October 9, 2017 (with won-loss records in parentheses).

 

NCAA College Football (CFB) Rankings

1. Alabama, (6-0)

'Bama may have put the final nail in Kevin Sumlin's tenure at Texas A&M. If so, running back Damien Harris (14 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD) was the hammer.

2. Penn State, (6-0)

It was a "yeah, but..." week for the Nittany Lions. Yeah, they beat up on Northwestern, but future opponents may have also learned how to stop back Saquan Barkley on the ground. A 53-yard TD scamper made an otherwise blah stat line look darn good (16 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs).

3. Clemson, (6-0)

Wake Forest added a little window-dressing in the fourth quarter to make Clemson sweat it out--a bit--at the end, but the Tigers looked poise for the BCS playoffs--again.

4. Georgia, (6-0)

Yeah, we didn't rate the Bulldogs highly to start the season, and we still wonder about them a bit, in what is a (relatively) down year for the SEC. Still, when you have two great running backs, you've got a chance. This week, Sony Michel (12 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD) was the star.

5. Washington, (6-0)

Speaking of down conferences, the Huskies keep winning in theirs (the Pac-12), too. Freshman tight end Hunter Bryant (9 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD) emerged this week as a star in the making.

6. Washington State, (6-0)

The Pac-12 title could be decided in the Apple Cup. So could the identity of the conference's representative in the BCS playoffs--if it gets one. QB Luke Falk (24-42, 282 yards, 3 TDs) deserves the national stage.

7. TCU, (5-0)

Horned Frogs QB Kenny Hill isn't exactly a fantasy star, but he is learning how to win. And score. Against West Virginia, he ran for 1 TD (the game-winner), threw for another, and caught a TD pass on a trick play.

8. Wisconsin, (5-0)

We've run out of superlatives to describe freshman RB Jonathan Taylor (25 carries, 249 yards, 2 TDs). Before the season, we wonder if an offensive star would emerge for the Badgers. We're not wondering anymore.

9. Oklahoma, (4-1)

Count us among the disappointed, and count the Sooners out if they lose again. QB Baker Mayfield still had a good day (24-33, 306 yards, 2 TDs) in spite of a bad home loss to a Park-less Iowa State.

10. Ohio State, (5-1)

No, we're not putting a lot of credence in the Buckeyes' big win over Maryland. Really, we're just more of the belief that Urban Meyer will find a way to get his team to New Year's Day in the end. J.K. Dobbins carried the mail against the Terps (15 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD).