Grantland Rice always gets my vote

HAWAII has won five in a row now, stands at 6-2, and so, we are told, the question is starting to rumble. Should UH be nationally ranked?

Well, no. Of course not. Come on, let's not get crazy. Yes, UH looks especially unstoppable at home. Yes, Colt Brennan is in a Rolo zone. But when it comes to next-level respect, there were only two games that mattered and UH has already lost them both.

Still, should UH roll today, should Hawaii keep rolling, it could have a cumulative effect. Then it would get interesting. Then there might be some tough decisions for those voters to make.

Good thing I only need to worry about the top 16.

Yes, brace yourselves. This next sentence will shake some people. Someone has given me a vote. (It's the Internet age. Everything is overhyped. Everybody's got a vote).

Don't worry. I'm not keeping anyone out of the BCS. It doesn't count for anything. It's just there, on the Internet.

But yes, hold on, I'm a voter in the Football Writers Association of America's Grantland Rice Super 16 and National Team of the Week.

(Last year I was on the All-America selection committee and was an Outland Trophy voter. I guess this time they decided to put me where I could do less damage. The poll doesn't go up until late each week and I don't know if anyone even knows it exists -- we've gotten two e-mails all season.)

So no, it's not a "real" poll, but it's a group that it's an honor to be a part of. Guys from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Rivals.com, Maxim Online, The Seattle Times, draftinsiders.com, The Dallas Morning News, CBS Sportsline, CollegeFootballNews.com, Chicago Tribune, The Knoxville News Sentinel, The Sporting News, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Danbury (Ct.) News-Times, New York Post, The Miami Herald and, of course, your very own Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

And so you see, it's a very legit -- wait a minute, Maxim has a college football writer? I'm in the wrong job!

Anyway, this poll-voting stuff is tougher than you would think. So much to consider. Luckily, I've got a system. Let me take you inside my thought process, inside the mind of a typical poll voter: Mmmm ... doughnuts.

They did give us guidelines on the voting and the blog: "Remember, have fun, keep it light and don't be afraid to fire off an opinion or two." Which I took to mean, "Be completely irresponsible and make it up as you go." West Virginia was my preseason No. 1. Enough said.

The poll is online at footballwriters.com, along with everyone's complete vote, and our comments on the reasons why. Each week I lead with the Dana College football score.

Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com