1.(1) 6-0
While many people do not think that the Buckeyes deserve to be number 1 in the country, I have nothing else to pull from that would tell me any different. They started out ranked 2 in the preseason polls and haven't lost. Granted, they haven't played anybody too good yet (Miami is turning out to be a dud) and Illinois gave them a run for their money in a close game in Champagne. Ohio State has a Heisman contender at quarterback and a tenacious defense coached by the legendary Jim Tressel. Until they lose or have a close call against a bad team, this is where they are.
2.(3) 5-0
This is a good spot for Boise State as of right now. They have earned it by beating two teams that were in the top 25 at the time (1 of them, Virginia Tech, was ranked 10th) and smoking everyone else they played. Coach Chris Petersen has these guys playing at an extremely high level, even if he refuses to pad stats or earn what the "experts" call style points. The Broncos were ranked third to begin the season and haven't lost. At the same time and with Alabama taking a dive, 2nd is their deserved spot. The showdown in Reno against the Wolfpack on November 26th should be for all the marbles and will be a great boost for their strength of schedule. Until then, do not be surprised to see the Broncos slide back yet again.
3.(2) 6-0
Ranking the Ducks any higher than this is a joke. You all know my feelings about that. Sure, Oregon has racked up some high scores in their games so far and they are absolutely one of the best teams in the country, but they've only played one good team so far. Stanford at home was a great win as they burnt the Cardinal for 52 points. But New Mexico, Tennessee, and Portland State? Anybody can drop 69 points on Portland State. Plus they should have beaten Washington State by more than they did. Don't get me wrong, as the season progresses and if Oregon continues to win and they beat more good teams, then I will have them moved up ahead of Boise State. Until then, this is where they belong.
4.(4) 6-0
These potential BCS Busters beat a ranked Oregon State team to begin the season and have not let up since. Yet again Gary Patterson his his Horned Frog defense playing at a high level, even with as many good players as they lost from last year. Andy Dalton is still a good quarterback, but a little overrated in my book. TCU played very poorly on the road against Colorado State and other than the Beavers and maybe Baylor, their resume is not that exciting. They too may also fall back as the season goes on. The Horned Frogs will travel to Salt Lake City to take on a ranked Utah team on November 6. It will be by far their toughest game of the season.
5.(7) 6-0
This may seem a little high to a lot of people, but Auburn did beat South Carolina, who in turn beat 1st ranked Alabama. The Tigers are still undefeated and have had a decent non-conference schedule so far. They will continue SEC play at home against Arkansas this Saturday. We will shortly find out if Auburn deserves to be this high or if a drop in the rankings is in order. Cam Newton is a beast at quarterback and is very difficult to stop. If Auburn continues like they are, they will be ranked this high for a long time.
6.(6) 5-0
I had to think a lot about where to rank the Sooners. They barely beat a bad Utah State team at home on opening weekend, and then squeaked past a good Air Force team. QB Landry Jones is playing well and as always their defense makes stops. Oklahoma beat a completely over-rated Texas team in the Red River Rivalry. Despite all that, it was their convincing win over ACC-king Florida State that convinced me to rank the Sooners this high. As long as Oklahoma keeps winning, they shouldn't move at all.
7.(10) 4-1
The Gamecocks only loss this year was against Auburn. That is precisely why I have them ranked below the Tigers. Stephen Garcia had the game of his life against Alabama last weekend and that victory is what moved South Carolina up so high in the rankings. The SEC is a tough conference and it would not surprise me at all if they lost another one. Until that happens, number 7 is where the Gamecocks belong.
8.(8) 5-1
The same reason I have Auburn ranked ahead of South Carolina is the same reason I have Alabama ranked below the Gamecocks. I do think that the Crimson Tide is a lot better than number 8 in the nation, but the way they lost to S.C. was shocking. Alabama was outclassed, outplayed, and outworked. I definitely they will move back up the rankings as the season plays out, but it will be next to impossible to regain number 1. The National Championship is still in the picture for Alabama, but they have a lot of work to do.
9.(5) 5-0
I am still not sure about Nebraska. As of now, they are undefeated. Like Oregon, but to a lesser degree, they haven't played anybody. Plus, some of their games were ugly. A 17-3 win over South Dakota State is ugly. They did beat an undefeated Kansas State team very soundly, but the Wildcats are not that good. I have the Cornhuskers ranked a lot lower than they are in the AP Poll for those reasons. They can still move up when they play ranked Oklahoma State and Missouri in consecutive weeks. Until then, they will stay here.
10.(9) 6-0
LSU is another team that I am not sure about and it is possible that they are overrated. They barely beat a terrible Tennessee team at home (they actually lost, a stupid mistake by coach Derek Dooley gave the Tigers another chance after time had ran out) and beat a completely overrated Florida team. I will say this, LSU has one of the best if not the best defense in the nation led by Patrick Peterson. They are very hard to score on. Imagine if they had a decent offense and a good quarterback. They would be unstoppable. Unfortunately, that does not look possible this year.
11.(12) 4-1
A tough loss to Alabama is the only thing that has kept the Razorbacks from a 5-0 record. They played well enough to win up until QB Ryan Mallett decided to throw some untimely interceptions. Still, with an outstanding receiving core, an experienced offensive line, and a decent defense, Arkansas has what it takes to make some noise in the SEC title and National Championship picture. I am still not 100% sold that they should be ranked this high, but I have no reason to not put them up here.
12.(13) 6-0
The Spartans have been through a lot this season. The excitement of an overtime trick play win over Notre Dame was eclipsed by the devastation of their head coach suffering a heart attack. Since then, Michigan State still has not lost and has beaten two ranked teams along the way (Wisconsin and Michigan). I do not believe that they have the offense or the defense to carry them to an undefeated season, but they can at least contend for a Big 10 title. Unfortunately, we will not see them play Ohio State this season. It's too bad because then we would indeed know who is tops of the conference.
13.(16) 5-1
I think the Seminoles are underrated. Granted, they did get smoked by Oklahoma early in the season, but look where the Sooners are ranked! Their win over ranked Miami last weekend was a great performance for Florida State. I rank them this high because they have a great defense, a good offense, and a good quarterback in Christian Ponder. The Seminoles should be matched up with the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ACC championship if all goes how I think it will.
14.(14) 5-1
The Cardinal's loss to Oregon was deflating in a couple of ways. Stanford started off playing very well, taking the lead early only to see it disappear before half time. Plus, it was a conference loss it what appears to be a tough PAC 10 this year. Still, the first quarter of the game against the Ducks showed what Andrew Luck and his squad are capable of. I think they will rebound well and contend for a conference title. They just need to hope that Oregon loses a couple of times for that to come into fruition.
15.(15) 4-1
Had they been able to complete a stunning comeback against Arizona a couple of weeks ago, the Hawkeyes would be ranked in the top 10 and contending for a national title. Still, Iowa has a tough schedule ahead, including a match up with number 1 Ohio State. If they win out, they are right back in the thick of things. I think the loss to Arizona was somewhat of a fluke, but it still counts in the polls and on their record. I also feel that Iowa will lose at least one more time, but for now they will stay at number 15.
16.(18) 5-1
The Badgers are one of the best teams in the Big 10, even with their loss to Michigan State. Running back John Clay is a beast and is on track for another offensive player of the year for the conference and a spot on the All-American roster. The real test for Wisconsin comes this Saturday as they host the Buckeyes at Camp Randall. After it is over, we will know if the Badgers are for real or just a pretender. I could move them way up or way down depending on the outcome.
17.(17) 4-1
Like I said above, I think the Wildcats are overrated. The win against Iowa at home was a perfect storm of events, circumstances, and luck that went their way. The fact that the Beavers beat them last weekend also at home shows a little bit the pecking order of the PAC 10. Still they have earned this ranking and will stay there for the time being.
18.(11) 5-0
By far Utah is the most overrated team in the poll and country. They have not beaten anybody of worth. Beating Pitt opening weekend looked good, but it sure does not anymore. Look at this non-conference schedule; San Jose State, Iowa State, and Pitt. The teams they have beat have a combined record against FBS teams of 5-21. That is really bad. We won't know how good they are until October 30 and November 6 when they play Air Force and TCU in back-to-back weeks. Still, they have earned to be ranked for not having lost yet. I just won't/can't move them up until they beat somebody good.
19.(20) 5-0
The Cowboys are a good team, not a great team. Just like Utah, they have not really beaten anybody of merit. Other than Texas A & M and Washington State, they have owned a bunch of non-BCS squads (trust me, Washington State is worse than most non-BCS teams. They suck). Still, they are undefeated and have one of the top rushers in the nation in Kendall Hunter and one of the best receivers in Justin Blackmon. They will face Nebraska at home on October 23rd and we will see then what Oklahoma State is made of.
20.(19) 6-0
There seem to be quite a few teams who we don't know very much about due to their bad schedules thus far. Nevada happens to be one of them. Still, they more than deserve to be in the top 25 in the nation. Colin "Bird Legs" Kaepernick is amongst the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country. Alongside RB Vai Taua they make up quite the duo in the backfield. Their defense still leads something to be desired, and they have not been tested yet. Their only good win is against the Cal Golden Bears, and not even they are a good team. There is a lot that needs to be figured out and it will start as the Wolfpack play on the road against a rejuvenated Hawai'i team on Saturday.
21.(23) 5-1
I know that the Falcons have yet to beat anybody of much merit this season, but it was their only loss that tells me a lot about them. On the road against Oklahoma they went down by a final margin of 27-24. They almost won and as good as the Sooners are, the Falcons played with them. That's why they are number 21. They will take on Utah and TCU later on and we will discover more about Air Force. I must say, anybody in the armed forces is cool with me. Go Falcons!
22.(24) 3-2
The Beavers are good, much better than their record would tell you. Think about it, they lost on the road twice to two top 5 teams who also happen to rank in the top 5 in defense. The fact they they beat Arizona on the road last Saturday shows how far they have come along (Arizona was also in the top 5 in defense). With WR James Rodgers out for the season with a leg injury, Oregon State might take a little bit of a hit, but it shouldn't affect them too much. They end the season very tough playing Stanford and Oregon in the final two weeks. Until then, they should slowly creep up the rankings.
23.(21) 5-0
As far as undefeated teams go, Missouri is bottom tier. Their only quality win came in week one against Illinois, who is turning out to be a pretty good team. Still, once Big 12 starts getting hot and heavy for the Tigers we will know how good of a team they are. Oklahoma and Nebraska in back-to-back weeks will be the deciding factor.
24.(25) 4-1
The Mountaineers have never been quite the same since Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan. Still, they are a quality team that always gets great athletes onto the field. They are ranked due to the fact that they played LSU tough in Baton Rouge a few weeks ago. They almost won and it should carry them far as long as they don't slip up somewhere along the way. West Virginia should win the Big East as it is turning out to be a very poor conference this season. It's really said and unfair that a team like the Mountaineers or some other squad from the Big East will get an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl over TCU, Utah, or Boise State who are ranked higher.
25.(NR) 4-2
I really had to think about this one. The Hokies' loss to James Madison was a huge shot to the gut. At the same time, they have bounced back, winning 4 in a row, including beating a ranked North Carolina Team on the road. When it came down to it, I had to choose between Florida and Virginia Tech for the last spot. I decided that being at the bottom of the stairs looking up was better than being at the top of the stairs and then falling down like the Gators were. They should not have been ranked that high to begin with. Now the Hokies looks to continue to win in hopes of making it to the ACC championship game. They will also move up as the weeks go by as long as they continue to add W's to their record.
Let me know what you think!
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