SteveDeace
Well-Known Member
If I Had a Vote in the AP Poll
How I would rank the top 25 teams in the country based on how they’re playing now.
1. Alabama (1-0)…Clearly the headline story of the opening week was the statement made by the defending national champions.
2. LSU (1-0)…Showed off its deep stable of runners with over 300 yards on the ground against overmatched North Texas.
3. USC (1-0)…Matt Barkley’s Heisman campaign got off to a scintillating start, and the Trojans were able to rest several banged up defenders.
4. Oregon (1-0)…The starters were sat down at halftime with a 50-10 lead, so don’t let the final score against Arkansas State fool you.
5. Clemson (1-0)…Put the Orange Bowl fiasco behind them by ending a 6-game losing streak in Atlanta and defeating Auburn without All-American Sammy Watkins.
6. Georgia (1-0)…Played without five defensive starters suspended for disciplinary reasons, and they’ll need them back this week at Missouri.
7. Florida State (1-0)…When you open against Murray State and Savannah State there’s not much to say until you play a team with a pulse.
8. West Virginia (1-0)…Geno Smith put up Robert Griffin III-type numbers, and the Mountaineers picked up right where they left off in the Orange Bowl.
9. Michigan State (1-0)…Did everything it was supposed to against Boise State, and game was only close because new quarterback Andrew Maxwell struggled.
10. Nebraska (1-0)…Total domination in opener: 33 first downs, 632 yards of total offense, and only allowed 260 yards on defense.
11. Arkansas (1-0)…Got off to a slow start, and then did everything it was supposed to do against Jacksonville State.
12. Tennessee (1-0)…Victimized N.C. State with one of its most impressive season-opening efforts in many years.
13. Texas (1-0)…Had two backs rush for over a hundred yards, but more important David Ash improved his quarterback rating by almost 30 points.
14. South Carolina (1-0)…There is winning a game, and then there is surviving a game—and that’s just what the Gamecocks did in Nashville.
15. Virginia Tech (1-0)…Took overtime to defeat a Georgia Tech squad that was without five defensive starters.
16. Oklahoma (1-0)…If UTEP had even competent quarterback play the Sooners might have started the season off with a crushing loss.
17. Louisville (1-0)…Quietly posted on of the most solid performances of the opening weekend with one of their most lop-sided wins over instate rival Kentucky.
18. Michigan (0-1)…Will welcome back leading rusher Fitzgerald Toussaint from a one-game suspension.
19. Notre Dame (1-0)…Tough turn-around to avoid jet lag from Ireland with underrated rival Purdue coming to South Bend.
20. Wisconsin (1-0)…Danny O’Brien did well in his first game at quarterback, but running Montee Ball 32 times to avoid a loss to Northern Iowa wasn’t the gameplan.
21. BYU (1-0)…Spoiled Mike Leach’s debut holding Washington State to minus-5 yards rushing and just six points.
22. Baylor (1-0)…Nick Florence steps right in and throws for 341 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
23. Nevada (1-0)…Used a balanced attack (over 200 yards rushing and passing) to upset California in grand opening of its renovated stadium.
24. TCU (0-0)…Horned Frogs will wait an extra week to get their season started.
25. Kansas State (1-0)…Rolled up over 300 yards rushing against Missouri State despite not featuring Collin Klein in the running game.
Honorable Mention:
26. Vanderbilt (0-1), 27. Oklahoma State (1-0), 28. Missouri (1-0), 29. Utah (1-0), 30. Iowa State (1-0).
Cheers & Jeers
Cheers to…Sam Durley. The quarterback at Division III Eureka College set a NCAA single-game record with 736 passing. Durley averaged over 21 yards per pass completion.
Jeers to…Pittsburgh Coach Paul Chryst. He lost his debut at home to FCS Youngstown State by two touchdowns. Yikes!
Cheers to…Ohio Coach Frank Solich. He might have enjoyed the most satisfying day of his long coaching career on Saturday. First, Solich guided the Bobcats to one of their biggest non-conference wins ever at Penn State. Then loathsome Pittsburgh A.D. Steve Pedersen, who fired Solich when he was at Nebraska, and his Panthers lost to Youngstown State under their third head coach in as many years.
Jeers to…Houston. Crushed at home by 35-point underdog Texas State, 30-13. Remember when the Cougars were one win away from the BCS last season?
Cheers to…Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez. He showed off his improved passing acumen he worked so hard on during the offseason. Martinez was 26-of-34 for 354 yards and five touchdowns, for a passer rating of 212.5.
Jeers to…Whichever coach at Michigan came up with the brilliant idea of playing cornerback Blake Countess on the punt coverage unit. Perhaps the school’s best player on defense was lost for the season to a knee injury on the first punt of the year.
Big Ones
The top five games of next weekend.
Florida at Texas A&M…The Aggies’ SEC opener is now their season opener because of Hurricane Isaac. Florida Coach Will Muschamp really needs this game.
Georgia at Missouri…James Franklin should test a Georgia defense overcoming suspensions in Tigers’ SEC opener.
Nebraska at UCLA…A chance for the Bruins to announce their return to relevance, and a chance for Taylor Martinez to prove last week wasn’t a fluke.
Washington at LSU… Keith Price is wondering about that LSU secondary minus the Honey Badger.
Iowa State at Iowa…The most underrated in-state rivalry in the country? For all he’s accomplished in Iowa City, Kirk Ferentz is just 6-7 versus the Cyclones.
