A big stink is being made of the USC loss to Stanford. Many members of the media are claiming that that it’s an even bigger upset than Appalachian State defeating Michigan.
So here’s my question. If the national media thinks that USC’s loss was worse, then why did USC only drop to No. 10 in the AP poll when Michigan fell out of the top 25 entirely? In fact, 16 teams received votes after week 1, so that means Michigan, at best, dropped to No. 42. The Wolverines drop 37 spots, minimum, and the Trojans only drop eight?
That’s not the only horrible thing in the polls this week. Unbeaten Missouri, who beat Nebraska by 35, is one spot behind now-beaten USC, who beat those same Huskers by 18. In the Coaches Poll, Wisconsin is four spots ahead of the Illinois team they just lost to, whose only loss is to the aforementioned Missouri Tigers.
That my friends, is why I do my own poll. Without further ado…
No. 1 – California Golden Bears
(5-0, idle) Last Week: 1
They weren’t going to drop out of this spot unless somebody else turned in an outstanding performance. Nobody did, so the Bears can get comfortable.
No. 2 – LSU Tigers
(6-0, def. Florida 28-24) Last Week: 2
Good win for the Tigers, but it wasn’t terribly convincing. Not that it needed to be, Florida is a good team, so the fact that they won speaks volumes. Still, not quite loud enough to leapfrog the Bears.
No. 3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
(6-0, def. Purdue) Last Week: 5
Demolished the top offense in the Big Ten, and made it look easy. OSU has held three Big Ten opponents to a total of 49 rushing yards this season.
No. 4 – USF Bulls
(5-0, def. Florida Atlantic 35-23) Last Week: 4
Narrow win against never-competitive Florida Atlantic gets them passed over by the Buckeyes. Next up? Never-competitive Central Florida. Let’s leave the sunshine state boys.
No. 5 – Boston College Eagles
(6-0, def. Bowling Green 55-27) Last Week: 7
The class of the ACC continues to roll. Matt Ryan (four TDs) continues to pad his Heisman resume.
No. 6 – South Carolina Gamecocks
(5-1, def. Kentucky 38-23) Last Week: NR
What was I thinking leaving these guys out last week? Spurrier’s squad has wins against Georgia and Kentucky, and their only loss was against the No. 2 in this poll.
No. 7 – Missouri Tigers
(5-0, def. Nebraska 41-6) Last Week: NR
Finally some respect for the Tigers. That season opening 40-34 win in Champaign is looking better and better by the week. So is this team.
No. 8 – Oregon Ducks
(4-1, idle) Last Week: 9
People in front of you lose, you get to benefit. Such is life.
No. 9 – Illinois Fighting Illini
(5-1, def. Wisconsin 31-26) Last Week: NR
Big ups for the Ron Zookers. Not only did they beat highly ranked (albeit overrated) Wisconsin, but that Missouri loss officially isn’t a god awful loss anymore. Those combine to make Illinois way better.
No. 10 – Oklahoma Sooners
(5-1, def. Texas 28-21) Last Week: 10
They beat Texas, but it wasn’t a super impressive win, so they didn’t move up. The Big XII sucks, so blame the other teams in the conference if you’re upset.
No. 11 – West Virginia Mountaineers
(5-1, def. Syracuse 55-14) Last Week: 12
West Virginia is without a really good win this season, but their only loss was to a pretty good team, and they’ve got so many talented playmakers, they can’t be ignored.
No. 12 – Cincinnati Bearcats
(6-0, def. Rutgers 28-23) Last Week: NR
Bears are fairly intimidating by themselves, but when you cross them with cats? That’s just ridiculous. In a related story, I know virtually nothing about this team, nor do I have any idea how they’re so good, if you couldn’t tell.
No. 13 – Florida Gators
(4-2, lost to LSU 28-24) Last Week: 13
They blew a pretty commanding lead in pretty impressive fashion. That being said, it wasn’t epic, and they were supposed to lose this game. They’re not dropping for that.
No. 14 – Arizona State Sun Devils
(6-0, def. Washington State 23-20) Last Week: 15
Washington State has been one of the great disappointments this season. ASU wasn’t the first team to beat them and won’t be the last. Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, Dennis Erickson is seriously good.
No. 15 – Kansas Jayhawks
(6-0, def. Kansas State 30-24) Last Week: NR
Kansas isn’t good. I know they’re not good, you know they’re not good. But they’re 6-0 in a BCS conference, so they’re in the Top 15. Just don’t get too comfortable, Jayhawks.
Dropped from the top:
No. 3 USC Trojans, No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats, No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers, No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers, No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs
On the Fringe:
Auburn Tigers (4-2), Hawaii Warriors (6-0), Kentucky Wildcats (5-1), Purdue Boilermakers (5-1), USC Trojans (4-1), Wisconsin Badgers (5-1)
Worth noting, Michigan is not on the fringe, but they could be soon. The Wolverines are 4-0 since losing to Oregon in the second week of the season, and they look like they’re getting better every week. As much as the Columbus sports fan may hate to admit it, you can never count out the school up north.
--
Heisman Spotlight
Amazing Heisman race this year. Honestly, I don’t think anybody has any idea who’s going to win this thing.
1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas
McFadden’s leading this thing is more a testament of how watered down this race is than how good he’s been. Still, a six yard average isn’t something to laugh at, and seven scores in five games is a solid clip, especially with other teams loading up against him.
2. Andre Woodson, Kentucky
His ugly game against South Carolina dropped him back to earth. We’ll see how he responds against LSU this weekend.
3. Mike Hart, Michigan
It’s a tired pun, but Hart has heart. He’s the only glue holding this season together in Ann Arbor.
4. Matt Ryan, Boston College
Three touchdowns for every interception, and over 1800 yards in six games. Ryan refuses to back down in his hunt for the bronze statue.
5. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
How’s this for a great player who nobody is talking about? 17 touchdowns are five more than college football’s next scorer, and eight more than the closest receiver.
--
Final note. Now that the non-conference schedule is more or less over, the conference power rankings are leaving until bowl season. However, if there had been a ranking this week, the SEC would have taken the top spot on the strength of the tight LSU-Florida contest and USC and UCLA getting upset by bad teams.
Tags:
ncaa football,
ohio state football
Add a Comment
Please be civil.