We’re about to tell you a tale with more twists and less logic than Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We doubt you’ll be able to follow, because we sure as hell can’t. Here’s how it all started - a simple glance at this week’s college football odds from Vegas. Then the flashing back began.

(1) Pre-season AP college football poll: Georgia is atop the poll and received 22 first place votes. USC checks in at no. 3 with 12 first place votes.

(2) Week 1 of the season: Georgia opens up a 38-0 lead on Georgia Southern before pulling its starters just after the half and winning 45-21. The game is not televised. On ABC nationally, USC wins at Virginia 52-7.

(3) After week 1 of the season: USC somehow jumps from no. 3 to no. 1 in the AP poll, now receiving 22 first place votes - 10 more than the previous week. Georgia slips to no. 2 and loses two first place votes.

(4) Week 2 of the season: Georgia easily defeats Central Michigan 56-17. Georgia gains two first place votes back to 22. On a bye week, USC receives 11 more first place votes to bring the total to 33. Yes, on their bye week. Virginia, who fell to USC in week 1, leads Division 1-AA Richmond 3-0 late into the 4th quarter before winning 16-0. UConn defeats Temple 12-9

(5) Week 3 of the season: USC beats Ohio State (minus rb Wells) at home 35-3. Yes, the same Ohio State team that trailed Ohio U. in the 4th quarter the previous week. Georgia wins at South Carolina 14-7. Virginia falls to BIg East powerhouse UConn 45-14, getting outgained 506 to 219.
(6) After week 3 of the season: USC gains 28 more first place votes to solidify its no. 1 status with 61 top votes. Georgia falls to no. 3 after a road win in the SEC.

(7) Week 4 of the season: Nothing new as Georgia wins at the Pac 10’s Arizona State easily but not not move in the polls. USC does not play and keeps 61 first place votes.

(8) And now on to week 5, the upcoming slate of college football. Virginia, the team USC beat to overtake Georgia and become no. 1, plays at Duke. Duke has lost 25 consecutive ACC games. The line on the game?

DUKE -7 vs. VIRGINIA.

That’s right, the team the USC so “impressively” defeated to leapfrog two teams into the no. 1 spot back in August is a 7-point underdog to Duke. We’re not sure that duke has been a 7-point favorite since Spurrier left. Duke recently won a court case by arguing at what an awful football program they have. And this team is favored against Virginia by a touchdown.

This is the reason why college basketball is so great. You don’t have to worry about idiot voters determining the outcome. There is no way in hell you can look at a win over Virginia as worthy of jumping two spots to no. 1. You just can’t. Who knows if that win was more impressive than Georgia’s win over Georgia Southern? That’s how bad Virginia is.

And yet, there sits USC at the top of the list. And look at who they have left to play - nobody. An Oregon team that just lost to Boise State, a Cal squad that got hammered by Maryland, an Arizona group that lost to New Mexico.

Thanks to a win over Virginia, Georgia now has an uphill fight on its hands to get to the title game, not to mention a schedule that looks like playing the NFC East compared to USC’s playing in a Pop Warner league.

But, this must be an exciting time for Duke fans.  One has to figure that if they can beat Virginia, then the Blue Devils will jump into the top 10 in AP poll for the first time in about 50 years!