"Rebuilding", great word. Is that what you call it when a team has one good year with a good quarterback and can't do anything before or after that?
The reason certain teams get ranked as high as they do is because they're good CONSISTENTLY. It helps that Texas, Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Colorado are as good as they are more or less consistently and are in the same conference. What does the PAC-10 have? One consistently good team, USC. Every other team there is mediocre.
If Oregon had played Miami that year, they would have been spanked. WE should have played Miami that year, having beat Texas and Nebraska and decisively winning the Big XII.
And do go breaking out the ranking. Ooooh, 22. Colorado was 17 last week. Oregon will get blown out of the rankings after being paddled by Michigan this Saturday.