by Michael Rosenberg

Let's say that you would rather French kiss a rattlesnake than see Ohio State in another national championship game. I don't know how many Americans feel that way, but my guess is roughly 140 million. And let's say that your loathing extends to the entire Big Ten conference.

Ohio State (No. 9 in the BCS) hosts Penn State (No. 3 in the rankings that were released Sunday) this week. Do you cheer for the Nittany Lions? They can permanently knock Ohio State out of the national title picture but if they do, they will be in great position to make the national-title game. After visiting Ohio State, Penn State plays at Iowa and hosts Indiana and Michigan State. That game at Iowa will be a much tougher test than people realize, but the Nittany Lions will be heavy favorites in all three games.

Meanwhile, the team that is most likely to be in the title hunt in early December is No. 5 USC. The Trojans don't play a single ranked team the rest of the year. Since losing their No. 1 ranking to a 48-pound tailback at Oregon State, the Trojans have outscored their opponents 141-10. It's just hard to see them losing the rest of the year.

A USC title-game berth would not annoy the masses as much as an Ohio State berth, because USC whipped Ohio State, and because USC has fared better in the postseason. I get all that. But let there be no doubt that USC is benefiting from a weak conference, too.

And this means yes we could have an Ohio State-USC rematch for the national title. I gotta say, when the Trojans were crushing the Buckeyes in the Coliseum last month, I did not envision a rematch for the national title, and I didn't particularly want to see one. But who knows? The Buckeyes could be a different team in January.

Terrelle Pryor was just a toy for Jim Tressel last month. Now Pryor is a starting quarterback with scary potential. Pryor told Tressel last Friday that if he didn't lead the Buckeyes down the field in one of their first three possessions against Michigan State,, Tressel should bench him. It was a remarkable thing for a true freshman to say on the eve of a road game against a 6-1 team. But then Pryor simply embarrassed the Spartans with a combination of size, speed, general, um, jukiness and even a stiff-arm.

What he lacks in throwing mechanics, he makes up for with confidence and athleticism.

"People don't know what I can do," Pryor said. "They say I'm overrated. Wait and see. The time will come and you will find out."

That time might just be January 8, 2009.

Whether you want it to be or not.

My top five

1. Texas
A dominant performance over Missouri left no doubt.

2. Alabama
The Crimson Tide beat Kentucky and Ole Miss by a total of seven points. You can bet that rival Tennessee is staking its season on Bama's visit this weekend.

3. Penn State
The Nittany Lions have improved from 55th in total offense and 45th in scoring offense to 11th and seventh. And that should explain why Daryll Clark is No. 2 on my Heisman list.

4. Oklahoma
Do you remember 2001, when Nebraska failed to win the Big 12 but played Miami for the national title? That could happen to the Sooners, who need Texas to lose twice in order to win the Big 12 South.

5. USC
The Trojans were 42-point favorites over Washington State. They led by 41 at halftime.

Four for the Heisman

1. Colt McCoy, Texas
2. Daryll Clark, Penn State
3. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
4. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech

After his 29-for-32 performance against Missouri, McCoy should be No. 1 on everybody's ballot.

Under the Table

Let's play a game. It's called "Which Adolf Hitler Joke Is In Worse Taste?"

Hitler Joke No. 1: ""Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim."

Hitler Joke No. 2: When a coach is struggling in his first year with a new program, but is supposed to be a great leader, you say, "Hitler was a great leader too."

The answer, of course, is that both jokes are in lousy taste. So how come ESPN suspended writer Jemele Hill for writing the first joke, and let announcer Lou Holtz off without a suspension for the second?

If Oklahoma State upsets Texas this week to improve to 8-0, will we finally think of Mike Gundy as something other than a YouTube legend? Nah, I didn't think so.