Top 25 Poll
Others receiving votes: Florida, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Northern
Illinois, Utah State
Dropped from the rankings: Nebraska (20), Northern
Illinois (24)
25 (19). Notre
Dame (2-1) – They had a tough and ugly win at Purdue. They didn’t look great,
but they know how to win.
24 (21). Wisconsin
(2-1) – They are the latest Big Ten victim losing at ASU. It was a great
game, in which we saw both teams surrender their first points of the year.
23 (22). Miami
(2-0) – Miami took the week off in preparation for their battle with
Savannah State next week. Nice scheduling, Miami.
22 (NR). Oklahoma
(3-0) – Blake Bell showed that he should have been the starter all along.
With that offense and arguable a top 10 defense, this team should make some serious
noise in the Big 12.
21 (15). Northwestern
(3-0) – Northwestern had an unexciting win over Western Michigan, who just
came off a loss to Nicholls State. They got away with a double digit win, but
they need to blow teams like that out if they want to be a serious threat in
the Legends Division.
20 (NR). Central
Florida (3-0) – A win over Penn State showed that this team is for real.
There are a handful of non-AQ teams that are going to threaten perfect seasons.
This is the most complete of them all.
19 (17). Texas Tech
(3-0) – They had the spotlight on Thursday night, which they squandered
offensively. It was a win over a ranked team, but the offense showed that it is
not invincible.
18 (18). Mississippi
(3-0) – The Rebels breezed to another nice win, this time over the
unraveling Texas Longhorns. This team is going to be scary in the SEC.
17 (22). Texas
A&M (2-1) – It is not often that a team gains ground for losing and
giving up 49 points, but that offense is absurd. They might not lose the rest
of the year. The defense needs to find something, though.
16 (11). Michigan
(3-0) – The Wolverines flirted with one of the more confusing losses ever
(Akron has won 3 games in the last 3 years combined, and hasn’t beaten a Big
Ten team since 1894), but they escaped with a win that no one should feel good
about.
15 (25). Arizona
State (2-0) – I am starting to buy into this team. Their running game
against Wisconsin’s front 7 is what most impressed me about the Sun Devils.
14 (14). South
Carolina (2-1) – The Gamecocks had a nice win over Vanderbilt. That was a
classic trap game, but they got past the upset-minded Commodores.
13 (12). Oklahoma
State (3-0) – They continue to score points and look impressive doing it.
They have done nothing to give up the Big 12 frontrunner status.
12 (13). Georgia
(1-1) – The gauntlet of their season has already passed. With the exception
of a game against LSU, they should be able to win out.
11 (7). LSU (3-0) –
They show glimpses offensively of being incredibly tough. I can’t wait
until they get to the meat of their schedule.
10 (6). Louisville
(3-0) – They looked sloppy against the putrid Kentucky squad, but they got
it done. They will not lose in conference, unless they really are overlooking
someone. They cannot afford to do that if they want the national respect
required to see a BCS Title berth.
9 (9). Baylor (2-0)
– The Bears are now rested and ready to wreak havoc on the Big 12. They are
probably going to start at least 7-0 until they play Oklahoma.
8 (16). UCLA (2-0)
– Winning at 9AM is something. They had an 18 point comeback at one of the
toughest places to play in America. They are going to be a tough out. There is
no one who should challenge them in the South.
7 (5). Ohio State
(3-0) – They are surrendering way too many points to teams that have no
business scoring on them. They need some serious help if they are going to win
a National Title. And is it just me, or are they better without Braxton Miller?
6 (10). Washington
(2-0) – They got a big road win out of the way against one of the top
offenses in the country. They are going to roll and continue to be under the
radar until their back-to-back games against Stanford and Oregon.
5 (8). Florida
State (2-0) – They were sluggish for a half, and then they demolished
Nevada and their third string QB. This team can score on anyone when they want
to.
4 (4). Clemson
(2-0) – Look for the Tigers to come back from their idle week and torch
some teams. They get Florida State at home in October. That could decide who is
playing for the BCS Championship.
3 (2). Stanford
(2-0) – The Cardinal defense is not as stout or sharp as they have been in
years past. They are still built unlike any other team in the conference. They
should be able to pound out wins against most teams. Kevin Hogan still has not
lost as their starting QB.
2 (1). Alabama
(2-0) – The defense looked silly against Johnny Football and Mike Evans. I
feel foolish not putting them #1, but that game was telling. You can score on
this team.
1 (3). Oregon
(3-0) – They obliterated an SEC team at home. The fans chant “We want Bama…We
want Bama…” How about focusing on Washington, UCLA, and Stanford before
thinking about that. All three of those teams can take them down. However, if
this offense is rolling, they will not be beaten.
Top 5 Games
for Next Weekend
5. Utah at BYU,
7:15PM ESPN2 – The Holy War is always one of the most physical and
entertaining games of the year. Both of these teams can really play. This seems
destined to be one of the more memorable games of the young season.
4. Utah State at
USC, 12:30PM ESPN2 – Utah State is one of the best offenses in the country.
USC finally found some legs against BC. I think that this could be a really interesting
matchup.
3. Boise State at
Fresno State, Friday 6:00PM ESPN – This is likely going to be the
matchup that decides the Mountain West. It would have been nice to see how
Fresno would have done against a Pac-12 team yesterday, but the uncertainty
just gives this matchup even more intrigue.
2. Michigan State
at Notre Dame (#24), 12:30PM NBC – The Notre Dame games against Michigan
State are always the most entertaining of all of their rivals. Sparty hasn’t
lost yet, and Notre Dame survived a scare. This should be a great game.
1. Arizona State
(#15) at Stanford (#3), 4:00PM Fox – The first of a host of Pac-12 battles
will really show what these teams are made of. Stanford cannot sleepwalk
through this one. Arizona State is going to travel up there with a ton of
momentum.
Heisman
Trophy Watch
5. Lache
Seastrunk, RB, Baylor – He holds onto his spot, even with a week off. He
could have a Barry Sanders-type year if Art Briles sticks to the ground game
all year like he should.
4. Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA – I don’t really know why he is so
overlooked, but he is a sharp-shooter and a terrific runner. He is like an
accurate Vince Young.
3. Teddy
Bridgewater, QB, Louisville – The team seems poised to get him invited to New
York. He is going to continue putting up crazy passing stats throughout the
year. He is the best pure passer in the country.
2. Johnny Manziel,
QB, Texas A&M – Putting up some 450 yards through the air and 100 on
the ground, essentially putting the entire team on his shoulders, proved that
he is the best player in the country. He is a jerk and everything that is wrong
with college football, but man is he fun to watch.
1. Marcus Mariota,
QB, Oregon – He is putting up stats in any way he wants to. He is the
scariest dual threat player I have seen. He is perhaps only rivaled by
Kaepernick and Dennis Dixon before he got broken.
BCS
Projections
Rose Bowl – Stanford over Ohio State
Orange Bowl – Clemson over Louisville
Sugar Bowl – Alabama over Oklahoma
Fiesta Bowl – Texas A&M over Baylor
BCS Championship Game
– Oregon over Florida State
What did you think of this weekend? Thoughts? Give me
your rankings in the comments!
I agree with you about Mariota. He is just ridiculous. I would say he is the best player in the country, not Johnny Manziel. I doubt if there are many coaches that would take Manziel over Mariota as their quarterback. (Well, unless you listen to the garbage ESPN analysts throw out there. Seriously, Manziel must have used that money from those autographs to pay ESPN to sing his praises.)
ReplyDeleteManziel is a Favre that makes stupid decisions that work out more times than not for some strange reason. (I can't believe people are giving credit to Manziel for that hail mary pass he threw after the scramble. It was textbook on what not to do in that situation.)
It's like Mariota doesn't make mistakes. It will be interesting to see what happens when Mariota actually has to try for four quarters. At this rate, he'll never have to.
I agree that ESPN needs to keep their pants on when talking about Manziel, but he is so much fun to watch. He is an absolute stud and carried his team to 41 points against the defending champs. During the first two games, it looked easy for him, like he was already a pro picking apart weak teams. In that game, he had no help from anyone (except on that ridiculous punt-like pass completion) and still nearly managed a victory. I have never seen a player like him. I hate him, but I can't deny that he is exciting to watch and undeniably talented. I heard the Browns were in attendance and plan on drafting him in the first round. That does not exactly sound like a fit, but that would be really interesting to see. Favre is a good comparison, by the way. He is Favre with a dash of Russell Wilson in terms of size and run ability. But he is a Texas gunslinger and risk-taker at his core.
DeleteMariota has not been as sharp as he can be. He has missed a lot of throws and has been a slow-starter in the games so far. The problem Oregon always has is playing close games, which is the reason I am always late to the hype party. Stanford beat them. USC the year before. Every game was a blowout, then a close one and they lose. We will see if Helfrich can change the team dynamics, but the players aren't going to know how to deal with adversity until they are staring a potential loss in the face.