5-at-10: College football rankings, Adrian Peterson, Mr. Dobbs, Rushmore

Hey gang, hope this finds you well and smiling.

Remember the mailbag, and let's kick the tires on this puppy.

From the "Talks too much" studios, buckle up buttercup.

College football rankings

The top three remained unsurprisingly the same with Mississippi State, Florida State and Auburn leading the second rankings of the College Football Playoff Committee.

Oregon moved into the No. 4 spot.

And the intrigue aside, the announcement tells us very little and means next to nothing, considering the drama on tap for this weekend and the rest of this month.

photo Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott dives into the end zone for a touchdown during his game against Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014.

Here's a scanning of the Top 10 with a statement about each:

1. Mississippi State: Unbeaten in the best division of the best conference in the country, the Bulldogs obviously are in the driver's seat, and even have the luxury of a mulligan as long as it's not against Alabama.

2. FSU. Easily the best odds to get to the dance, since the unbeaten defending national champs likely will be at least a touchdown favorite in its final four (or five if it reaches the ACC championship) games. Crab legs for everyone.

3. Auburn. The best resume of the one-loss teams, the Tigers do not control their own destiny in the SEC, but it's very hard to image that if Auburn wins out the committee would not reward an 11-1 bunch against that schedule, even if they did not win the West or the SEC.

4. Oregon. The toughest test left for the Ducks in the regular season is Saturday's trip to Utah. Yes, the Pac-12 title game could be a chance to impress, but the Ducks' biggest challenge may be creeping in the rearview mirror. In addition to winning, Oregon would like to see Michigan State win out in convincing fashion, too.

5. Alabama. The Tide controls their destiny: Win out and punch a playoff ticket. Period.

6. TCU. The biggest enigma in the top 10 considering the Frogs have looked the part but are in a pickle that their best wins could get watered-down during this race to the finish, and there's a real chance they could finish tied with Baylor, which has the tie-breaker in the Big 12 chase. TCU's playoff chances may actually be hindered by the Big 12's lack of a conference title game.

7. Kansas State. This is the first of the top-10 one-loss teams that really needs some help. Even if Kansas State wins out, the Wildcats need someone to give Auburn a second loss since the Tigers won in Manhatten in September.

8. Michigan State. Another September victim to a team it's chasing, MSU has Ohio State this weekend and needs an impressive win over the only other ranked Big Ten team. Still, that double-digit loss at Oregon means MSU needs Auburn and Oregon to fall to have a chance.

9. Arizona State. Not sure how the Devils got here, but it won't last.

10. Notre Dame. It may be a bit of a blessing for the Irish that the Sun Devils moved in front of them since the two teams play each other this weekend and that gives the Irish a chance at a high-profile win. That said, the Irish, who will be favored in each of their games down the stretch and have a very interesting loss at unbeaten FSU, will be a fly in the ointment before this is all said and done.

And speaking of Notre Dame, here's Irish coach Brian Kelly has already fired the first politicking salvo about scheduling.

So there's that.

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Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson plead guilty to a lesser charge, negotiating down his felony child abuse charges to avoid jail time.

It's the cap to a surreal spin for arguably the best running back of his generation.

Now comes the question of when Peterson should be allowed to return to work.

It's hard to think that with the legal I's dotted and T's crossed, that Peterson would not be allowed to return sooner rather than later, especially since there is not a comparable precedent in this issue.

If the Vikings want to fire him, then that's within their rights -- we would think there is some form of personal conduct/PR fall-out clause in every contract in the current climate -- but it seems tough for the NFL to issue a long-term suspension now that the court has played out and Peterson is guilty of a misdemeanor.

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photo Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) takes off on a fourth-down play, with seconds left on the clock, to score a 36-yard touchdown at South Carolina last Saturday.

Mr. Dobbs if you please

Josh Dobbs' celebrity has sky-rocketed.

He's getting cheers in class. He was the SEC offensive player of the week. Dude is riding the jetwash of back-to-back star-studded performances, as TFP UT beat ace Downtown Patrick Brown details here.

And so it begins.

Dobbs has injected a fire into his offense, his team and the fan base. The mood of Johnny Vols Fans everywhere turned a complete 180 in the 24 hours of Saturday at lunch to Sunday at church, and that's because of Dobbs.

And it's much bigger that the real possibility that UT runs the table in November (not saying they will, saying there's a real possibility now) and gets to the postseason on a surge.

We have said on multiple occasions, the Vols will be better across the board on a talent scale in 2015, and that the questions at quarterback were going to be huge.

Well, if that question is answered - and Dobbs has looked like more than an answer the last two weeks, he's looked like the solution - there's a real chance UT will be viewed among the favorites in the SEC East next year.

Cue the Allen Iverson... "Practice."

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This and that

photo Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley

- Speaking of UT's quarterback situation, let's tip the visor to Justin Worley, who was as tough as shoe leather during his UT career. Worley will miss the rest of the year - his senior season - with a shoulder injury. Was the best UT quarterback ever? No, but dude was among the toughest, especially during the first six weeks of this year.

- Oh my G-O-S-H. Yes, we are lifting Emmitt's go-to line in the The Lego Movie for this. And yes, it's a vintage video of Auburn coach/sweater-vest-wearing football savant Gus Malzahn break-dancing to "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. You're welcome.

- According to reports, Mike Tyson is going to be the star in an animated series where the former heavyweight champ and the last true needle-moving boxer solves mysteries. Not sure if 2+2 is a real mystery, but we have all the confidence in the world in Mike figuring that out. Wonder if they thought about calling it, "Murder He Done Did Written."

- Former Yankees slugger and Cubs contract killer Alfonso Soriano announced his retirement Tuesday. Want to hear a crazy stat: Soriano made $157.96 million playing baseball. Oh my.

- Side question: Soriano, Hall of Famer? Dude was a seven-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger (best hitter at his position) and finished with 412 homers and a .270 average and career averages of 34 homers, 95 RBIs and 24 steals per 162 games.

- The Braves had two Gold Glove winners - Andrelton Simmons and Jason Heyward - among the defensive aces announced Tuesday. John Hart and Co. are going to have to decide what the future plan of the outfield is sooner rather than later. The Uptons are signed for a few more years, but this is the final year of Heyward's contract in Atlanta, and dude had a sneaky good year - .271, 11 homers, 20 steals and his second gold glove - and likely will command eight figures.

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Today's question

Bill Walton turns 62 today. Peace.

What's our Rushmore of guys who could have been all-time greats if not for injuries? Walton certainly deserves consideration, right?

Go - and thanks to everyone who played along on True or False Tuesday on Press Row.

And remember the mailbag.

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