Sometimes, we think it would be easier to rank the 10 worst teams in the country.

But then we remember that these games are played by kids--as we noted last week--and that that would be cruel. And not to mention bad karma.

And we have enough of that. Anyway, it's not as if any of the teams in our Top 10 lost to squads that would have been in our bottom 10, but several of our best-ofs did struggle against weaker opponents this week.

Here's our Top 10 as of October 16, 2017 (with won-loss records in parentheses).

 

NCAA College Football (CFB) Rankings

1. Alabama, (7-0)

Not that Alabama was one of those teams we mentioned above. The Crimson Tide made light work of a more-than-decent Arkansas team on Saturday, even though QB Jalen Hurts (12-19, 155 yards) threw his first INT of the season. RB Damien Harris (9 carries, 125 yards, 2 TDs) had another big day.

2. Penn State, (6-0)

The Nittany Lions were off this week, giving them more time to prepare for this Saturday's Happy Valley showdown against Michigan. Most pollsters have had Clemson in this spot, of course, since the start of the season, so we'd like to think we were ahead of the curve.

3. Georgia, (7-0)

Which we hope makes up for the fact we've been behind the curve on UGA, which continues to impress. We had the audacity to question the Bulldogs' progress under coach Kirby Smart, and whether a freshman QB could succeed in Athens. Granted, our alma mater Mizzou's defense made that frosh, Jake Fromm (18-26, 326 yards, 2 TDs), look like Namath, but...

4. TCU, (6-0)

With all the losses in the Top 10 this week, the Horned Frogs look like winners, literally and figuratively. And QB Kenny Hill (27-37, 297 yards) is looking like, well, a QB.

5. Wisconsin, (6-0)

Like TCU, the Badgers keep getting it done week in and week out. And, man, RB Jonathan Taylor (30 carries, 219 yards, 1 TD) keeps putting up big numbers.

6. Ohio State, (6-1)

Look, we know Nebraska isn't Nebraska anymore, but the Cornhuskers wouldn't be on our aforementioned worst-of list either. And the Buckeyes went into Lincoln and made it look easy. QB J.T. Barrett (27-33, 325 yards, 5 TDs) had by far his best game of the season. Urban Meyer's team still has to hope one of the top four loses to get in the mix, but they're back in the conversation.

7. Oklahoma, (5-1)

Things looked bleak for the Sooners--and, by extension, the Buckeyes, who lost at home to OU in Week 2. But a banged up Baker Mayfield (17-27, 302 yards, 2 TDs) and a gutty defensive performance in the end allowed the Sooners to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against an improving Texas in the Red River Shootout. Still, they'll need to win out to stay in the mix.

8. Washington, (6-1)

One of the two teams in the state of Washington in our Top 10 had to suffer the effects of their respective losses this week, and we begrudgingly went with Mike Leach's Cougars, who managed just three points--three points!--against Cal. Still, we wonder about the Huskies. Their weak early-season schedule may have made them paper tigers.

9. Clemson, (6-1)

Speaking of paper Tigers, can Clemson recover from its upset loss at Syracuse? Sure. Remember: Clemson lost to Pitt last season, and still won it all. However, if QB Kelly Bryant (who left in the first half of that loss in upstate New York is injured for an extended period, coach Dabo Swinney's men may not be able to repeat the feat.

10. USC, (6-1)

Raise your hands if you had written off the men of Troy after their loss at Washington State. Well, we had. And not just because of that defeat but because of the shaky play of QB Sam Darnold, he of the 9 INTs on the season and the 10 fumbles lost as a starter in LA. When the Trojans looked like horses' you-know-whats in the first half against Utah on Saturday, their chances of a special season seemed slim. But then Darnold (27-50, 358 yards, 3 TDs) and the offense woke up.