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 (3-0)…Gave Arkansas its first home shutout since 1966, which was also its most lopsided SEC victory since the 1950s.
2. LSU (3-0)…A whopping eight LSU players are averaging 4.8 yards per rushing attempt or better in the first three games of season.
3. Georgia (3-0)…He’s not generating the headlines of some other top freshmen, but Todd Gurley is averaging 9.9 yards per carry on 28 rushing attempts.
4. Florida (3-0)…Back-to-back come-from-behind road wins in College Station and Knoxville means the Gators are back.
5. Oregon (3-0)…The big news this week was the season-ending injuries suffered by their best defensive back and best offensive lineman.
6. Stanford (3-0)…Vaults way up in the rankings after beating USC for the fourth straight time for the first time in school history.
7. Notre Dame (3-0)…Irish haven’t beaten Michigan and Michigan State in the same season since 2004.
8. Florida State (3-0)…Finally played a team with a pulse, and punished a Wake Forest squad that has been a thorn in their sides for years.
9. Texas (2-0)…After struggling last season, quarterback David Ash has seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions thus far.
10. Clemson (3-0)…That opening win in Atlanta against Auburn isn’t looking like such a big deal nowadays.
11. West Virginia (2-0)…If you’re waiting for the Mountaineers to play somebody, you’ll have to wait another week with hapless Maryland on deck.
12. Oklahoma (2-0)…Got a week off to prepare for a visit from Kansas State.
13. USC (2-1)…Matt Barkley’s Heisman campaign, as well as the Trojans’ national title dreams, bought the Farm.
14. UCLA (3-0)…No letdown after big win over Nebraska with Pac-12 opener versus Oregon State on deck.
15. Kansas State (3-0)…Wildcats certainly looked like a team playing a sandwich game against North Texas.
16. South Carolina (3-0)…Still have no idea how good this team really is, but we do know Marcus Lattimore still isn’t quite all the way back.
17. Louisville (3-0)…Jumped out to a big lead against North Carolina, and then held on for dear life to get the win.
18. Michigan (2-1)…Will the Wolverines perform better in this primetime spot than they did in the opener against Alabama?
19. Arizona (3-0)…We’ll find out just how far the Wildcats have come in year one under Rich Rodriguez at Oregon this week.
20. Michigan State (2-1)…Not even a tremendous defense can overcome worst home offensive performance since 1991.
21. Mississippi State (3-0)…Survived an upset bid on the road in an letdown spot, and now could be 7-0 when Alabama comes calling October 27[SUP]th[/SUP].
22. Oregon State (1-0)…Got a week off to recover from big win over Wisconsin and get ready for UCLA this week.
23. Tennessee (2-1)…Second half against Florida showed the Vols still aren’t all the way back quite yet, but the Gators are.
24. Iowa State (3-0)…Have held consecutive opponents without an offensive touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1959.
25. Nebraska (2-1)…Somebody has to be ranked here, so we’ll give a traditional power the benefit of the doubt.
Honorable Mention:
26. TCU (2-0), 27. Baylor (2-0), 28. Northwestern (3-0), 29. Rutgers (3-0), 30. Texas A&M (1-1).
Cheers & Jeers
Cheers to…Connecticut. Former Coach Randy Edsall never addressed his team when he left for Maryland. The Huskies paid him back two years later by beating him on the road on Saturday.
Jeers to…Arkansas. Down 52-0 on a gloomy, rainy day in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks quit according to star quarterback Tyler Wilson.
Cheers to…Utah. The Utes bounced back from losing to Utah State and losing their starting quarterback for the season to upset arch-rival BYU in the Holy War.
Jeers to…The Big Ten. The woes continue. Northwestern has three of the league’s four non-conference wins against BCS conference foes. This week, Ohio State and Wisconsin were each outplayed in home wins over double-digit underdogs. Michigan State’s home winning streak was snapped. Minnesota lost its starting quarterback. Indiana leads the league in total offense, and lost to Ball State at home.
Cheers to…The Sun Belt Conference. The “mid-major†league now has two road wins against the SEC after Western Kentucky won at Kentucky this week. Is the Sun Belt better than the Big Ten?
Jeers to…Colorado. The sorry Buffaloes make this list for the second straight week after giving up 69 points to Fresno State, and are now the only BCS Conference program with a 0-3 record. Paging Bill McCartney.
Big Ones
The top five games of next weekend.
Clemson at Florida State…The unstoppable offense versus the immovable defense calls for a visit from College Gameday.
Michigan at Notre Dame…For the first time since 2006 both teams are ranked in the annual rivalry of college football’s winningest teams.
Oregon State at UCLA…Before the season who would’ve thought these teams would be ranked for this matchup?
Arizona at Oregon…Rich Rodriguez versus his padawan Chip Kelly. Think there will be some points scored in this one?
Kansas State at Oklahoma…Guessing Bill Snyder took a look at how UTEP ran the ball down the Sooners’ throats.
How I would rank the top 25 teams in the country based on how they’re playing now.
1. Alabama (3-0)…Gave Arkansas its first home shutout since 1966, which was also its most lopsided SEC victory since the 1950s.
2. LSU (3-0)…A whopping eight LSU players are averaging 4.8 yards per rushing attempt or better in the first three games of season.
3. Georgia (3-0)…He’s not generating the headlines of some other top freshmen, but Todd Gurley is averaging 9.9 yards per carry on 28 rushing attempts.
4. Florida (3-0)…Back-to-back come-from-behind road wins in College Station and Knoxville means the Gators are back.
5. Oregon (3-0)…The big news this week was the season-ending injuries suffered by their best defensive back and best offensive lineman.
6. Stanford (3-0)…Vaults way up in the rankings after beating USC for the fourth straight time for the first time in school history.
7. Notre Dame (3-0)…Irish haven’t beaten Michigan and Michigan State in the same season since 2004.
8. Florida State (3-0)…Finally played a team with a pulse, and punished a Wake Forest squad that has been a thorn in their sides for years.
9. Texas (2-0)…After struggling last season, quarterback David Ash has seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions thus far.
10. Clemson (3-0)…That opening win in Atlanta against Auburn isn’t looking like such a big deal nowadays.
11. West Virginia (2-0)…If you’re waiting for the Mountaineers to play somebody, you’ll have to wait another week with hapless Maryland on deck.
12. Oklahoma (2-0)…Got a week off to prepare for a visit from Kansas State.
13. USC (2-1)…Matt Barkley’s Heisman campaign, as well as the Trojans’ national title dreams, bought the Farm.
14. UCLA (3-0)…No letdown after big win over Nebraska with Pac-12 opener versus Oregon State on deck.
15. Kansas State (3-0)…Wildcats certainly looked like a team playing a sandwich game against North Texas.
16. South Carolina (3-0)…Still have no idea how good this team really is, but we do know Marcus Lattimore still isn’t quite all the way back.
17. Louisville (3-0)…Jumped out to a big lead against North Carolina, and then held on for dear life to get the win.
18. Michigan (2-1)…Will the Wolverines perform better in this primetime spot than they did in the opener against Alabama?
19. Arizona (3-0)…We’ll find out just how far the Wildcats have come in year one under Rich Rodriguez at Oregon this week.
20. Michigan State (2-1)…Not even a tremendous defense can overcome worst home offensive performance since 1991.
21. Mississippi State (3-0)…Survived an upset bid on the road in an letdown spot, and now could be 7-0 when Alabama comes calling October 27[SUP]th[/SUP].
22. Oregon State (1-0)…Got a week off to recover from big win over Wisconsin and get ready for UCLA this week.
23. Tennessee (2-1)…Second half against Florida showed the Vols still aren’t all the way back quite yet, but the Gators are.
24. Iowa State (3-0)…Have held consecutive opponents without an offensive touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1959.
25. Nebraska (2-1)…Somebody has to be ranked here, so we’ll give a traditional power the benefit of the doubt.
Honorable Mention:
26. TCU (2-0), 27. Baylor (2-0), 28. Northwestern (3-0), 29. Rutgers (3-0), 30. Texas A&M (1-1).
Cheers & Jeers
Cheers to…Connecticut. Former Coach Randy Edsall never addressed his team when he left for Maryland. The Huskies paid him back two years later by beating him on the road on Saturday.
Jeers to…Arkansas. Down 52-0 on a gloomy, rainy day in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks quit according to star quarterback Tyler Wilson.
Cheers to…Utah. The Utes bounced back from losing to Utah State and losing their starting quarterback for the season to upset arch-rival BYU in the Holy War.
Jeers to…The Big Ten. The woes continue. Northwestern has three of the league’s four non-conference wins against BCS conference foes. This week, Ohio State and Wisconsin were each outplayed in home wins over double-digit underdogs. Michigan State’s home winning streak was snapped. Minnesota lost its starting quarterback. Indiana leads the league in total offense, and lost to Ball State at home.
Cheers to…The Sun Belt Conference. The “mid-major†league now has two road wins against the SEC after Western Kentucky won at Kentucky this week. Is the Sun Belt better than the Big Ten?
Jeers to…Colorado. The sorry Buffaloes make this list for the second straight week after giving up 69 points to Fresno State, and are now the only BCS Conference program with a 0-3 record. Paging Bill McCartney.
Big Ones
The top five games of next weekend.
Clemson at Florida State…The unstoppable offense versus the immovable defense calls for a visit from College Gameday.
Michigan at Notre Dame…For the first time since 2006 both teams are ranked in the annual rivalry of college football’s winningest teams.
Oregon State at UCLA…Before the season who would’ve thought these teams would be ranked for this matchup?
Arizona at Oregon…Rich Rodriguez versus his padawan Chip Kelly. Think there will be some points scored in this one?
Kansas State at Oklahoma…Guessing Bill Snyder took a look at how UTEP ran the ball down the Sooners’ throats.
