Got a couple emails yesterday from readers wondering whether Michigan and Michigan State deserve to be ranked in the top 25 after big wins Saturday. It's an easy question in my mind, and the answer is no.

I've said since the Appalachian State loss that I still consider Michigan one of the best teams in the Big Ten. But at 2-2 with home wins over a terrible Notre Dame team and an offensively-challenged Penn State squad, the Wolverines haven't done enough yet to warrant a place in the top 25. There's a clear divide between the top five teams (USC, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma and West Virginia) and everybody else. Michigan's in the second class, but its resume is still lacking. With easy pickings the next two weeks against Northwestern and Eastern Michigan, expect Michigan back in the polls by early October.

MSU is a different story. The Spartans are a good story at 4-0 and a better team than in the past, but they're still in the proving stages. Next week's game at overrated Wisconsin is their first test against a better team. Let's wait and see how they look in Madison (and home the next two weeks against Northwestern and Indiana, teams they should beat) before ascending them up the polls. For now, they're in the same boat as Kansas, UConn and Cincinnati — other suspect unbeatens.