My Top 25

I do not vote in any of the college football polls. I sure wish that I did! It would be nice to add a little dose of reality to those tools at the top. As you know, I try my hardest to be honest and fair about Boise State and the rest of the teams in the nation, even as a die hard Bronco fan. With that in mind, I would like to offer my top 25 and why I think each team is where I put them. Keep in mind that this is what my views and perceptions of the teams halfway through the season. Preseason polls are ridiculous, but at the same time it gives us a starting point. All the coaches and media cannot be that wrong, just a little off here and there and of course, biased in many cases. Like I said, I will be using where teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 and my own feelings about them. The number in parenthesis is what they are ranked in the actual AP Poll (or you can just click here and see it yourself. It's the one on the left). Let's get started!

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!

Again People, Enough with the Overreaction!

Oh my freaking goodness gracious! The second Virginia Tech lost to FCS opponent James Madison on Saturday night Boise State fans and haters all went berserk with complete moronic overreactions and mass hysteria. It was like the movie "The Happening" when some random virus or infection took over peoples' brains and made them do really stupid things, like kill themselves. While no one died this time around (that I know of), everything I read on blogs, Facebook, articles, and message boards made it sound like the Broncos' season is over because VT is the biggest fraud of a good team in the history of the world. Take a chill people, life will go on and things should be OK. I say should be OK, but only time will tell. Let me explain to you why.

Our nation and I think humans in general often succumb to knee-jerk reactions when something undesirable occurs. For example, a terrorist attack leads Americans to hate all Muslims and want to obliterate the Middle East into a nuclear crater. Again, chill out. It's not what it may look like. Back to Boise State, there are many claims now that the Hokies are absolutely terrible and that the Broncos' win over them means nothing. Their chance for the BCS National Championship is shot and they suck all of the sudden. Anti-Boise State people (especially Vandal lovers) are glowing with excitement and "ha ha's" are abundant. I had to demoralize a teenager and destroy his soul for getting smart with this kind of garbage. The kid will probably never recover. Anyway, again I will say; chill the freak out!

Look at it this way, Virginia Tech had 4 days between games. They played Boise State on Monday and the James Madison Dukes on Saturday of the same week. That is hard enough as it is. Short weeks are the worst for sports teams to try and prepare themselves and break down game film of their next opponent. Usually a short week means 6 days, though, and the Hokies only had four. To make things worse and more dooming for them, their match up with the Broncos literally drained them physically, emotionally, and mentally. They had injuries all around and four days is not sufficient time to heal. It's not even enough time to get rid of soreness after working out. Combine these previous facts with one that should ease some of the desire to freak out: James Madison is a top ten FCS football program. The Dukes are not the regular cream puff opponent that a lot of FBS schools play. All of those things combined made for a huge trap game for the Hokies, and they fell for it. The athletic director should be hung for not giving them a week off.

Don't get me wrong, the loss feels like Boise State lost a game when they didn't even play. But like I said, the season is young and there is a lot of football left to play. Let's let it play out a little more and see what happens. Virginia Tech could completely implode and finish with 4 or 5 losses. Then and only then would it be a bad thing for the Broncos. On the other hand, they could regroup, unite, and win the ACC championship. Then we wouldn't hardly remember them starting 0-2 and that would be good for the Broncos. We should know which side of things Virginia Tech is going to be on this coming Saturday. They host East Carolina in Lane Stadium and can start their climb out of the hole with a win over the Pirates. I have a feeling that it is going to suck to be an East Carolina Pirate this weekend. The Hokies have a lot of rage to take out and it could happen then.

The polls did not change much for the Broncos. It appears the voters understand the concept of a long season where anything can happen. The fans don't, obviously. The voters kept Boise State at number 3 in the nation, but they lost all but one of their first place votes. So again people, stop the freak out. At least put it on hold until later on in the season, depending on what happens.

It's a dirty job but someone's gotta' do it.

Looks like I have found another idiot to put in his place. This time I will not be taking on a legitimate sportswriter from si.com, but some sort of chimpanzee who someone let get in front of a computer, he goes by the name of Ryan K. Mitchell. Just read a little bit of this steaming pile and you will see what I mean. This is just some amateur blogger (much like myself) who decided to jump in the middle of a non-existent story and promote his own sort of uninformed banter that is about as intelligent and useful as the contents of the used diaper that I just threw away. Let's get this thing started;

First of all, if you are going to use Bleacher Report as your only source to back up your claim, then you can go ahead and expect a lot of backlash to come your way. Bleacher Report is where regular contributor's from most schools get on and post a very biased story about the team that they support. You will find similar articles from other contributors at other schools who talk the same junk about their next opponent. Bleacher Report is an apparatus for homers to get on and do what homers do. The first rule of decent amateur blogging is; don't use Bleacher Report to get all up in arms and cracked out of your mind. Mr. Mitchell, you have committed a cardinal sin. Along with that, let me provide my readers and his with a few links where you can find substantial proof that Boise State and the media in this neck of the woods is not disregarding the Hokies, but rather respecting and fearing them. Let's go with this one (the first two paragraphs really), this bad boy (this one is a fan blog), oh and click here (an official message board, to which Mr. Mitchell was referring in his dumpster fire of a post). Those are just a few that I found quickly searching. You will not find anything out of the norm of what fans post about upcoming games. Compare it to other message boards about other schools. I also found this quote that gives as much respect and awe to a team and a game as you are going to find;

"[Boise State vs. Virgina Tech is] the biggest regular-season, non-conference game in WAC history." (WAC Commissioner Karl Benson, source idahostatesman.com

The numbers don't lie. Boise State has been sub par against BCS conferences. But, are we comparing the past to see who will win this upcoming game. I don't think so, at least no one ever has before. Doesn't it make sense that Virginia Tech has a better record against BCS teams than Boise State? For goodness sakes V Tech has been one of the most consistent programs in the country for a long time, and they come from an established BCS conference, the ACC. BSU plays in the WAC and just barely started playing division 1A football games in 1996. I sure hope the Hokies would have a better record. Switch conferences and history and I'm sure the records would flip flop as well. What you need to do, Mr. Mitchell, is look at the history of Boise State in relation to the level that they were playing. I believe there is a 1-AA national championship in there at some point (actually I don't believe, I know it's a fact. The year was 1980). You can't play or recruit any better or more than the level at which you are playing. Like I said, the past doesn't decide the game on Labor Day. It should be a lot of fun to watch, even with internet-privileged primates (Mitchell) posting bull crap to try and ruin it for me!

There is not much more that I can say to discount Ryan K. Mitchell's grease fire of a blog post that he claims is true. Get your facts straight and for the sake of all things good and holy, don't use Bleacher Report as a legitimate source. Ryan K. Mitchell's comments remind me of a quote that I love and fits his claim perfectly; "It's better to stand there and look stupid than to open your mouth (write a blog) and remove all doubt."