Less helmet stickers and only one repeat as we start getting into some conference play.
Mark Ingram 2 (RB, Alabama) - at Arkansas. 24 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs. Ingram is a workhorse and carried Alabama through a tough win at Arkansas. He has now played in two games and went over 150 yards in both games and also had 2 TDs in each game.
Ryan Lindley (QB, San Diego State) - vs Utah State. 17/24 362 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT. Lindley, Hillman, and Brown are the forces of this offense that is surprising people. This week it was Lindley's turns as he was very efficient throwing the ball, averaging just over 15 yards per attempt.
Trey Burton (QB, Florida) - vs Kentucky. 1/1 42 yards, 5 carries, 40 yards, 5 TDs. The freshman backup QB scored five touchdowns on five carries. And his single pass attempt went for 42 yards. Every time the play was on him something great happened for the Gators.
James White (RB, Wisconsin) - vs Austin Peay. 11 carries, 145 yards, 4 TDs. It takes an impressive game to get a helmet sticker going against Austin Peay. 145 yards and 4 TDs on just 11 carries will do that.
Cam Newton (QB, Auburn) - vs South Carolina. 16/21 158 yards, 2 TDs, 25 carries, 176 yards, 3 TDs. In one of the biggest games in the SEC this year, Newton accounted for over 300 yards and had a part in all 5 touchdowns. He is averaging over 10 yards per attempt on the season, one of only five quarterbacks who can say that.
Ryan Colburn (QB, Fresno State) - at Ole Miss. 32/42 390 yards, 4 TDs. In a losing effort, Colburn threw for almost 400 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions in 42 attempts. Colburn has thrown 9 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions so far this year.
Chad Spann (RB, Northern Illinois) - at Minnesota. 15 carries, 223 yards, 2 TDs. Spann averaged almost 15 yards per carry and run in for two touchdowns in a big win at Minnesota.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Week 4 (9/25) Thoughts
Week 4 had a couple of big matchups, but not many. There were 8 games between the Big Ten and the MAC. The MAC surprisingly won two games, with two other games being with 10 points. This shows how bad the bottom of the Big Ten is, with Purdue losing to Toledo (Arizona won at Toledo 41-2 this year) and Northern Illinois beating Minnesota. Both wins were by 11 points. One of the biggest stories in the Big Ten came when #21 Michigan QB Denard Robinson went down with a knee injury in the first quarter while Michigan was leading 21-0. He was checked out on the sideline and ended up with just a twisted knee, but immediately after he went out Bowling Green scored two touchdowns. After that, Michigan settled down and proceeded to rout the Falcons.
There were a few teams that surprised me in a good way this weekend. I had predicted #1 Alabama to beat #10 Arkansas by at least two touchdowns. But Arkansas got off to a quite start scoring less than a minute into the game. Alabama's first lead of the game came on the game-winning touchdown by Mark Ingram with just 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. If it wasn't for Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett's three interceptions, I would think that he is for real this year. But again, I feel like he is just another mediocre quarterback in a pass happy system.
Another team that surprised me was Florida. They finally started playing Urban Meyer football and demolished Kentucky. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but Kentucky's offense had been putting up some pretty impressive numbers (admittedly against some pretty bad teams). Stat of the day for that game: Backup Florida QB Trey Burton had five rushing touchdowns on five carries.
San Diego State deserves some recognition. They have been playing extremely athletic football and beat Utah State who has been on the rise 41-7 (it was 28-0 at halftime). The Aztecs are 3-1 going into conference play and with horrible teams like Colorado State, New Mexico, and UNLV in the Mountain West, they should be headed to a bowl game for the first time in over a decade.
A couple teams have been surprising me in a bad way, too. #8 Oklahoma beat struggling Cincinnati by only two points. Earlier this season they beat Utah State at home by 7 and Air Force at home by 3. By they also slaughtered Florida State 47-17. They're 4-0 but in a very puzzling way.
BYU, where is the offense? The Cougars are currently 95th in passing and 118th in rushing and are 1-3. With San Diego State on the rise and road games against Utah and TCU, they'll struggle to make a bowl game on their farewell tour as they will be independent next year. I'm sure this is not how they wanted to leave the conference. The good news is that they get the three worst teams in the conference before their final game of the season at Utah.
#7 Texas got blown out by UCLA 34-12 at home. Despite Texas outgaining the Bruins by 58 yards, it was never close after the first quarter. Texas had 4 fumbles lost.
There were a few good matchups, at least. #17 Auburn and #12 South Carolina came right down to the wire. South Carolina was leading 27-21 at the end of the third quarter, but they turned the ball over on all 4 of their possessions in the fourth quarter and Auburn scored on two of their three fourth quarter drives to take the win 35-27. The schedule sets up nicely for Auburn to go at 10-2 this season. Their road games this season are Mississippi State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and #1 Alabama. They also don't need to play Florida. They're tough games will be at home against Arkansas and LSU and at Alabama, but they should only lose 1 or 2 of those 3 games. It should be a great year for the Tigers.
Teams at the top of the Pac-10 struggled, but won. #5 Oregon had trouble putting away Arizona State, as did #16 Stanford with Notre Dame. And #14 Arizona needed a touchdown with 1:11 remaining to pull off a 10-9 win over Cal.
There were a few teams that surprised me in a good way this weekend. I had predicted #1 Alabama to beat #10 Arkansas by at least two touchdowns. But Arkansas got off to a quite start scoring less than a minute into the game. Alabama's first lead of the game came on the game-winning touchdown by Mark Ingram with just 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. If it wasn't for Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett's three interceptions, I would think that he is for real this year. But again, I feel like he is just another mediocre quarterback in a pass happy system.
Another team that surprised me was Florida. They finally started playing Urban Meyer football and demolished Kentucky. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but Kentucky's offense had been putting up some pretty impressive numbers (admittedly against some pretty bad teams). Stat of the day for that game: Backup Florida QB Trey Burton had five rushing touchdowns on five carries.
San Diego State deserves some recognition. They have been playing extremely athletic football and beat Utah State who has been on the rise 41-7 (it was 28-0 at halftime). The Aztecs are 3-1 going into conference play and with horrible teams like Colorado State, New Mexico, and UNLV in the Mountain West, they should be headed to a bowl game for the first time in over a decade.
A couple teams have been surprising me in a bad way, too. #8 Oklahoma beat struggling Cincinnati by only two points. Earlier this season they beat Utah State at home by 7 and Air Force at home by 3. By they also slaughtered Florida State 47-17. They're 4-0 but in a very puzzling way.
BYU, where is the offense? The Cougars are currently 95th in passing and 118th in rushing and are 1-3. With San Diego State on the rise and road games against Utah and TCU, they'll struggle to make a bowl game on their farewell tour as they will be independent next year. I'm sure this is not how they wanted to leave the conference. The good news is that they get the three worst teams in the conference before their final game of the season at Utah.
#7 Texas got blown out by UCLA 34-12 at home. Despite Texas outgaining the Bruins by 58 yards, it was never close after the first quarter. Texas had 4 fumbles lost.
There were a few good matchups, at least. #17 Auburn and #12 South Carolina came right down to the wire. South Carolina was leading 27-21 at the end of the third quarter, but they turned the ball over on all 4 of their possessions in the fourth quarter and Auburn scored on two of their three fourth quarter drives to take the win 35-27. The schedule sets up nicely for Auburn to go at 10-2 this season. Their road games this season are Mississippi State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and #1 Alabama. They also don't need to play Florida. They're tough games will be at home against Arkansas and LSU and at Alabama, but they should only lose 1 or 2 of those 3 games. It should be a great year for the Tigers.
Teams at the top of the Pac-10 struggled, but won. #5 Oregon had trouble putting away Arizona State, as did #16 Stanford with Notre Dame. And #14 Arizona needed a touchdown with 1:11 remaining to pull off a 10-9 win over Cal.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Week 4 (9/25) Rankings
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. TCU
5. Stanford
6. Arizona
7. Boise State
8. Nebraska
9. Wisconsin
10. Utah
11. Nevada
12. Oklahoma
13. Florida
14. Iowa
15. Auburn
16. LSU
17. Arkansas
18. Miami (FL)
19. North Carolina State
20. Michigan
21. South Carolina
22. Missouri
23. Texas
24. Michigan State
25. Northwestern
2. Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. TCU
5. Stanford
6. Arizona
7. Boise State
8. Nebraska
9. Wisconsin
10. Utah
11. Nevada
12. Oklahoma
13. Florida
14. Iowa
15. Auburn
16. LSU
17. Arkansas
18. Miami (FL)
19. North Carolina State
20. Michigan
21. South Carolina
22. Missouri
23. Texas
24. Michigan State
25. Northwestern
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Week 3 (9/18) Helmet Stickers
Here is the second edition of the weekly helmet stickers. A couple repeats here (if there is a small superscript number next to a player's name, that is the number of helmet stickers he has received from me this year, including this week). I broke my own rule and have 11 guys here.
Colin Kaepernick 2 (QB, Nevada) - vs California. 10/15 181 yards, 2 TDs, 17 rushes, 148 yards, 3 TDs. Kaepernick had his lowest passing total of the season, but still threw for 2 touchdowns. He also ran for three touchdowns. So far this season, he has thrown 2 touchdown passes and ran for at least 2 touchdowns in each game. He now has 13 total touchdowns on the season and the Wolfpack are 3-0 for the first time since at least 2000 (cfbdatawarehouse.com is down right now).
Ronnie Hillman (RB, San Diego State) - at Missouri. 23 carries, 228 yards, 2 TDs. In a losing effort, Hillman had just below 10 yards per carry because of two long touchdown runs (75 and 93 yards). The first TD run came with just 19 seconds left in the first half to cut Missouri's lead to 3. The second came in the fourth quarter and (after the XP) gave the Aztecs their first lead of the game, 21-20. Ronnie Hillman looks to be a very athletic running back who is going to cause a lot of trouble for Mountain West defenses.
Brandon Weeden (QB, Oklahoma State) - vs Tulsa. 23/32 409 yards, 6 TDs. Weeden played two quarters and one series and threw for six touchdowns. When he stepped off the field with 13:18 left in the third quarter, Oklahoma State was leading 48-7. Weeden has thrown for almost 1,000 yards already and has 11 passing touchdowns.
Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State) - vs Tulsa. 6 catches, 174 yards, 3 TDs. Weeden's favorite receiver on Saturday scored on half of his receptions in a blowout of Tulsa.
LaMichael James 2 (RB, Oregon) - vs Portland State. 14 carries, 227 yards, 2 TDs. James averaged 16.2 yards per carry and racked up over 200 yards in just one half. He has run for 361 yards after playing in just two games.
Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama) - at Duke. 9 carries, 151 yards, 2 TDs. This was Ingram's first game of the season after sitting out the first two with a knee injury. He ran for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first quarter. Last year's Heisman winner looks right on track.
Denard Robinson 2 (QB, Michigan) - vs Massachusetts. 10/14 241 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 17 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD. Robinson ran for over 100 yards again as he has done every game this season. He is currently the nation's leading rusher.
Jarvis Phillips (CB, Texas Tech) - vs Texas. 2 INTs, 1 TD, 1 PBU. Texas Tech lost this game, but Phillips was a big reason they were even in it. Texas was up 14-0 in the first quarter and deep in Tech territory when Phillips intercepted a pass off of a tip and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. Texas was driving just before halftime and Phillips made an incredible catch on another tipped pass to end the Longhorns' drive.
Ed Wesley (RB, TCU) - vs Baylor. 19 carries, 165 yards, 2 TDs. The fourth running back this week to earn a helmet sticker. While Wesley may not always get the statistics, he is one of the most impressive backs I've seen all year. He always seems to get the yards that don't appear to be there and always puts the team in a good position. He has also not fumbled in 48 touches this year.
Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama) - at Duke. 9 carries, 151 yards, 2 TDs. This was Ingram's first game of the season after sitting out the first two with a knee injury. He ran for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first quarter. Last year's Heisman winner looks right on track.
Denard Robinson 2 (QB, Michigan) - vs Massachusetts. 10/14 241 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 17 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD. Robinson ran for over 100 yards again as he has done every game this season. He is currently the nation's leading rusher.
Jarvis Phillips (CB, Texas Tech) - vs Texas. 2 INTs, 1 TD, 1 PBU. Texas Tech lost this game, but Phillips was a big reason they were even in it. Texas was up 14-0 in the first quarter and deep in Tech territory when Phillips intercepted a pass off of a tip and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. Texas was driving just before halftime and Phillips made an incredible catch on another tipped pass to end the Longhorns' drive.
Ed Wesley (RB, TCU) - vs Baylor. 19 carries, 165 yards, 2 TDs. The fourth running back this week to earn a helmet sticker. While Wesley may not always get the statistics, he is one of the most impressive backs I've seen all year. He always seems to get the yards that don't appear to be there and always puts the team in a good position. He has also not fumbled in 48 touches this year.
Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford) - vs Wake Forest. 17/23 207 yards, 4 TDs, 3 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD. Andrew Luck torched the Demon Deacons with his arm a couple times with his feet. Luck has thrown 10 touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception yet this year.
If you think I missed someone, please let me know. It's harder to pick the guys that deserve recognition in the first month of the season because so many teams are playing very weak non-conference opponents.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Week 3 (9/18) Thoughts
It's hard to complain about a 56-14 win for Utah. But Terrance Cain continues to struggle in the beginning of games. With a minute to go in the half, Utah was only up 14-0. Against New Mexico, who I believe is the worst FBS team this season (although San Jose State made a case for themselves by struggling to beat SUU last week). Utah scored 28 points over a 6 minute span beginning just before halftime. But 14 of those points were from defensive and special teams touchdowns. The offense also turned the ball over and New Mexico returned it for a touchdown. I know that Cain doesn't make Wide fumble, but it just seems like the entire offense as a whole plays worse with Cain in there. He went 20-23, but of his three incompletions, two were in the first quarter and they were overthrown balls to open receivers in the endzone. Passes I'm nearly certain that Jordan Wynn would hit with ease. But Wynn is going to start throwing this week so hopefully he can play this week. Either way, Utah is an extremely talented team and deserves their #13 ranking.
On to the rest of the country, NC State has been impressing me. I know that Cincinnati is imploding already after only three games, but watching NC State, they looked like a good football team. They made Cincinnati look like they didn't know what was going on. Russell Wilson (QB) really bounced back from his bad performance against UCF by throwing for 333 yards and 3 TDs. He's a good quarterback, but is also inconsistent. He's only a junior so they could make a good run next year too. But I feel like the ACC is wide open. I'd pick that the NC State at Florida State game on Thursday Oct 28 will end up deciding the winner of the ACC Atlantic.
Kansas, what a joke. So far this season they have beaten Georgia Tech and lost to Southern Miss and North Dakota State. I find it interesting that teams who came out of nowhere and were near the top are now back where they were. Kansas, Missouri, South Florida, Cincinnati, just to name a few. Missouri needed a last minute touchdown to beat San Diego State. SDSU did look pretty athletic from what I saw, though. They actually had the same number of yards (440). Aztec RB Ronnie Hillman had a couple long TD runs (93 and 75 yards).
If anyone is doubting Nevada, look again. They just killed Cal. QB Colin Kaepernick now has a combined 13 passing and rushing touchdowns through three games. If he doesn't get hurt, Nevada and Boise State could both be undefeated heading into their game on November 26. I think Nevada is going to give Boise State a run, and that game in is Reno. We could be talking about Nevada in a BCS game instead of Boise State this year (if Utah and TCU both lose).
The top teams continue to blow everyone else out of the water. Mark Ingram has 9 carries for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first game in his first game of the season. Ohio State demolishes Ohio 43-7 (it was 43-0 after three quarters) despite Pryor throwing two interceptions. I was surprised with how well TCU handled Baylor. I thought Baylor would hang around and give TCU trouble, but that game was 35-3 at the half. Stanford is joining the teams at the top following Andrew Luck. I know it was a late game for Wake Forest (kickoff at 11:15 PM east coast time), but it was 41-7 just before halftime. Stanford make Wake Forest look like an FCS team and Luck threw for 4 touchdowns. Oregon only beat Portland State 69-0, no 70 point win this week. I guess maybe if they had tried in the fourth quarter they could have scored one more point. Oregon may not be the best team this year (they might be though), but I think they are the most explosive/dangerous. Darron Thomas completed 9 passes, 4 of which were touchdowns. Arizona also looks like an elite team. They built a big lead, then let Iowa come back to tie it, but ended up taking the win at the end. That's what happens when you have three turnovers and 12 penalties. Give Nick Foles credit for fighting hard to win that game.
A number of games came right down to the end. Arkansas had a 14-point lead on Georgia on the road in the fourth quarter, then Georgia came back to tie it. With under a minute to go, they decided to stop tackling and let Arkansas score to take the win. Auburn came back after being down 17-0 in the second quarter and sent the game against Clemson into overtime. After Auburn got a field goal, Clemson drops a pass in the endzone. Then on Clemson's field goal attempt, the kick went in but the center did an illegal snap. On the retry, he missed. What looked like an impressive win for Auburn was really only a win because Clemson dropped a pass in the endzone and their center doesn't know how to snap the ball. Michigan State vs Notre Dame went down to the end. I don't even want to talk about that crapfest. If I could choose a game where both teams lose, this would most likely be it. I will say one thing...Michigan State cheated the clock at home to give us instant replay. They cheat the clock at home again, what will happen this time?
Michigan, oh where is your defense? They struggled early because they had their first turnover of the season, gave up their first sack, and missed a field goal all in the first quarter. But still, they never led by more than 18. AGAINST UMASS. Sure, UMass is a better FCS team, but they're still an FCS team. This Michigan "defense" is just pathetic. I still ranked them #25 because they're undefeated and have beat a couple decent teams (well, maybe decent. UConn just lost to Temple and Notre Dame is dumb) and their offense is just explosive. Denard Robinson was actually outrushed by a teammate this week. But he still went over 100 yards on the ground and over 200 yards through the air. If they decide to start tackling, it could be a good year. But that defense is going to get eaten alive but the top half of the Big Ten.
Florida, where is your offense? They have struggled in every single game so far this season. At least this week it was against Tennessee. Demps had 26 carries. In case you haven't seen Florida, that's a lot for one back to have at that school. Going back to the beginning of 2009, this is the fourth time that a player has had more than 20 carries in a game. All three others were last year, and all three times it was Tim Tebow in games where the offense struggled (Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State). I'm still not sold on the Gators, so I still have them back at #16 and I feel like that might be high. In fact, I had a hard time ranking teams 15-25 as high as they were besides Auburn, NC State, and Fresno State.
Fresno State beat Utah State. Big deal, right? I think Utah State is a decent football team. And Fresno had already giving Cincinnati a beating in the season opener. Maybe they shouldn't be ranked, but I didn't know who else to rank (USC? Florida State? Air Force?). I think that Fresno State beating up on Utah State in the second half secures their spot as third place in the WAC. The Bulldogs definitely seem to be a second half team.
Other non-BCS schools worth mentioning, Boise State and Houston. I thought Boise State would have trouble traveling to Laramie to play the piss and poop. I was wrong. Boise outgained the Cowboys 648-135. That's just ridiculous. Wyoming rushed 28 times for -21 yards. They were sacked 4 times for 26 yards and a -26 yard rush (snap over Carta-Samuels' head), so they had 25 rushes for 31 yards. Whose idea was it to run the ball that much? Houston will be mentioned for the last time this season, most likely. They were already being beaten with no hope of coming back against UCLA when they lost their biggest playmaker in QB Case Keenum. Keenum will be out for the season, a very difficult loss for the Cougars. Now they will probably just be another Conference-USA team.
One last point. Jake Locker is the third best QB. In the conference. If he's lucky. Andrew Luck (Stanford) and Nick Foles (Arizona) are both better than Locker. Darron Thomas (Oregon) looks to be better, but hasn't had the same competition. Kevin Riley (Cal) and Matt Barkley (USC) could also both make cases for why they're better than Locker. So the Heisman hype (and any hype, really) can just die now.
Utah, Auburn, and Michigan are all 3-0. Utah's future looks very bright, Auburn's and Michigan's futures have small lights that are flickering. I think the separation between Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State, TCU, and the rest of the country got a lot fuzzier today with Arizona, Stanford, and Nebraska really stepping up.
On to the rest of the country, NC State has been impressing me. I know that Cincinnati is imploding already after only three games, but watching NC State, they looked like a good football team. They made Cincinnati look like they didn't know what was going on. Russell Wilson (QB) really bounced back from his bad performance against UCF by throwing for 333 yards and 3 TDs. He's a good quarterback, but is also inconsistent. He's only a junior so they could make a good run next year too. But I feel like the ACC is wide open. I'd pick that the NC State at Florida State game on Thursday Oct 28 will end up deciding the winner of the ACC Atlantic.
Kansas, what a joke. So far this season they have beaten Georgia Tech and lost to Southern Miss and North Dakota State. I find it interesting that teams who came out of nowhere and were near the top are now back where they were. Kansas, Missouri, South Florida, Cincinnati, just to name a few. Missouri needed a last minute touchdown to beat San Diego State. SDSU did look pretty athletic from what I saw, though. They actually had the same number of yards (440). Aztec RB Ronnie Hillman had a couple long TD runs (93 and 75 yards).
If anyone is doubting Nevada, look again. They just killed Cal. QB Colin Kaepernick now has a combined 13 passing and rushing touchdowns through three games. If he doesn't get hurt, Nevada and Boise State could both be undefeated heading into their game on November 26. I think Nevada is going to give Boise State a run, and that game in is Reno. We could be talking about Nevada in a BCS game instead of Boise State this year (if Utah and TCU both lose).
The top teams continue to blow everyone else out of the water. Mark Ingram has 9 carries for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first game in his first game of the season. Ohio State demolishes Ohio 43-7 (it was 43-0 after three quarters) despite Pryor throwing two interceptions. I was surprised with how well TCU handled Baylor. I thought Baylor would hang around and give TCU trouble, but that game was 35-3 at the half. Stanford is joining the teams at the top following Andrew Luck. I know it was a late game for Wake Forest (kickoff at 11:15 PM east coast time), but it was 41-7 just before halftime. Stanford make Wake Forest look like an FCS team and Luck threw for 4 touchdowns. Oregon only beat Portland State 69-0, no 70 point win this week. I guess maybe if they had tried in the fourth quarter they could have scored one more point. Oregon may not be the best team this year (they might be though), but I think they are the most explosive/dangerous. Darron Thomas completed 9 passes, 4 of which were touchdowns. Arizona also looks like an elite team. They built a big lead, then let Iowa come back to tie it, but ended up taking the win at the end. That's what happens when you have three turnovers and 12 penalties. Give Nick Foles credit for fighting hard to win that game.
A number of games came right down to the end. Arkansas had a 14-point lead on Georgia on the road in the fourth quarter, then Georgia came back to tie it. With under a minute to go, they decided to stop tackling and let Arkansas score to take the win. Auburn came back after being down 17-0 in the second quarter and sent the game against Clemson into overtime. After Auburn got a field goal, Clemson drops a pass in the endzone. Then on Clemson's field goal attempt, the kick went in but the center did an illegal snap. On the retry, he missed. What looked like an impressive win for Auburn was really only a win because Clemson dropped a pass in the endzone and their center doesn't know how to snap the ball. Michigan State vs Notre Dame went down to the end. I don't even want to talk about that crapfest. If I could choose a game where both teams lose, this would most likely be it. I will say one thing...Michigan State cheated the clock at home to give us instant replay. They cheat the clock at home again, what will happen this time?
Michigan, oh where is your defense? They struggled early because they had their first turnover of the season, gave up their first sack, and missed a field goal all in the first quarter. But still, they never led by more than 18. AGAINST UMASS. Sure, UMass is a better FCS team, but they're still an FCS team. This Michigan "defense" is just pathetic. I still ranked them #25 because they're undefeated and have beat a couple decent teams (well, maybe decent. UConn just lost to Temple and Notre Dame is dumb) and their offense is just explosive. Denard Robinson was actually outrushed by a teammate this week. But he still went over 100 yards on the ground and over 200 yards through the air. If they decide to start tackling, it could be a good year. But that defense is going to get eaten alive but the top half of the Big Ten.
Florida, where is your offense? They have struggled in every single game so far this season. At least this week it was against Tennessee. Demps had 26 carries. In case you haven't seen Florida, that's a lot for one back to have at that school. Going back to the beginning of 2009, this is the fourth time that a player has had more than 20 carries in a game. All three others were last year, and all three times it was Tim Tebow in games where the offense struggled (Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State). I'm still not sold on the Gators, so I still have them back at #16 and I feel like that might be high. In fact, I had a hard time ranking teams 15-25 as high as they were besides Auburn, NC State, and Fresno State.
Fresno State beat Utah State. Big deal, right? I think Utah State is a decent football team. And Fresno had already giving Cincinnati a beating in the season opener. Maybe they shouldn't be ranked, but I didn't know who else to rank (USC? Florida State? Air Force?). I think that Fresno State beating up on Utah State in the second half secures their spot as third place in the WAC. The Bulldogs definitely seem to be a second half team.
Other non-BCS schools worth mentioning, Boise State and Houston. I thought Boise State would have trouble traveling to Laramie to play the piss and poop. I was wrong. Boise outgained the Cowboys 648-135. That's just ridiculous. Wyoming rushed 28 times for -21 yards. They were sacked 4 times for 26 yards and a -26 yard rush (snap over Carta-Samuels' head), so they had 25 rushes for 31 yards. Whose idea was it to run the ball that much? Houston will be mentioned for the last time this season, most likely. They were already being beaten with no hope of coming back against UCLA when they lost their biggest playmaker in QB Case Keenum. Keenum will be out for the season, a very difficult loss for the Cougars. Now they will probably just be another Conference-USA team.
One last point. Jake Locker is the third best QB. In the conference. If he's lucky. Andrew Luck (Stanford) and Nick Foles (Arizona) are both better than Locker. Darron Thomas (Oregon) looks to be better, but hasn't had the same competition. Kevin Riley (Cal) and Matt Barkley (USC) could also both make cases for why they're better than Locker. So the Heisman hype (and any hype, really) can just die now.
Utah, Auburn, and Michigan are all 3-0. Utah's future looks very bright, Auburn's and Michigan's futures have small lights that are flickering. I think the separation between Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State, TCU, and the rest of the country got a lot fuzzier today with Arizona, Stanford, and Nebraska really stepping up.
Week 3 (9/18) Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. TCU
5. Arizona
6. Stanford
7. Nebraska
8. Boise State
9. Wisconsin
10. Texas
11. Utah
12. Oklahoma
13. Arkansas
14. Nevada
15. Iowa
16. Florida
17. LSU
18. South Carolina
19. Auburn
20. Miami (FL)
21. North Carolina State
22. Pittsburgh
23. Fresno State
24. California
25. Michigan
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. TCU
5. Arizona
6. Stanford
7. Nebraska
8. Boise State
9. Wisconsin
10. Texas
11. Utah
12. Oklahoma
13. Arkansas
14. Nevada
15. Iowa
16. Florida
17. LSU
18. South Carolina
19. Auburn
20. Miami (FL)
21. North Carolina State
22. Pittsburgh
23. Fresno State
24. California
25. Michigan
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Week 3 (9/18) Preview
Week 3 starts tonight with Cincinnati at North Carolina State. Cincinnati ran out of gas against Fresno State in a late night west coast game but bounced back against cupcake Indiana State. NC State looked impressive in their first week win over Western Carolina but struggled against UCF. Cincinnati is not the same without Brian Kelly and I think both of these teams won't matter in November. But I am interested to see how the passing attacks do against each other.
Friday night has Cal at Nevada. Both teams have QBs in the top 20 in passing efficiency. Cal's Kevin Riley has thrown for 455 yards and 7 touchdowns with no interceptions, while Nevada's Colin Kaepernick has thrown for 547 yards and 4 touchdowns and added 4 more touchdowns on the ground. There should be some fireworks in this game, but both defenses had strong showings last week against weaker Colorado and Colorado State. Nevada's defense struggled in the opener against Eastern Washington, so that may be something to watch for.
There is only one game between two AP ranked teams this weekend: #9 Iowa at #24 Arizona. That game should be an interesting one. I'm still trying to figure out why I failed to rank Arizona this week. It should be a battle of two defenses who seem to be playing good football right now. Both teams are in the top ten in total defense and scoring defense. Arizona's defense has not yet let up a touchdown. I think Arizona QB Nick Foles will have a big day in a game more high scoring than people might think.
#12 Arkansas at Georgia will be a game to watch. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet has been putting up some impressive numbers (49/67 701 yards, 6 touchdowns) and is the 4th quarterback in the nation in passing yards. Georgia will want to bounce back after losing their conference opener to South Carolina last week.
#23 Houston at UCLA could be fun to watch. UCLA is 0-2 and could start 0-3 for the first time since 1977 when they went 0-11 (they also started 0-2-1 in 1983). Houston only plays two BCS teams this year, UCLA and Texas Tech, so they need a win here if they're going to try to make a run at a BCS game (which unfortunately won't happen because of Boise State and TCU). Kickoff is at 9:30 PM local Houston time, so that could also be a factor in the second half.
I am interested to see how Mark Ingram does in his first game this season. #1 Alabama plays at Duke on Saturday. Fresno State plays at Utah State on Saturday night, and that game could actually determine who finishes third in the WAC behind Boise State and Nevada. Wake Forest plays at Stanford and kickoff is at 11:15 PM local North Carolina time, so any small chance Wake Forest may have had at an upset is gone. Florida State should get right back on track at home against BYU this week. That game could get ugly in the second quarter. Florida and Tennessee play their annual game, but both teams have been pretty underwhelming so far this year.
Here are the games I plan on watching at least some of (times are MDT):
Thursday 5:30 - Cincinnati at NC State (ESPN)
Friday 8:00 - Cal at Nevada (ESPN2)
10:00 - #12 Arkansas at Georgia (ESPN)
10:00 - Massachusetts at #20 Michigan (Big 10)
1:30 - #1 Alabama at Duke (ABC/ESPN2) - I assume I won't get this game
1:30 - #8 Nebraska at Washington (ABC/ESPN2)
1:30 - BYU at Florida State (ESPNU)
2:30 - Baylor at #4 TCU (Versus)
5:00 - Clemson at #16 Auburn (ESPN)
6:00 - #3 Boise State at Wyoming (CBS College Sports)
6:00 - #14 Utah at New Mexico (The Mountain)
8:30 - #9 Iowa at #24 Arizona (ESPN)
8:30 - #23 Houston at UCLA (FSN Rocky Mountain)
9:15 - Wake Forest at #19 Stanford (ESPN2)
Friday night has Cal at Nevada. Both teams have QBs in the top 20 in passing efficiency. Cal's Kevin Riley has thrown for 455 yards and 7 touchdowns with no interceptions, while Nevada's Colin Kaepernick has thrown for 547 yards and 4 touchdowns and added 4 more touchdowns on the ground. There should be some fireworks in this game, but both defenses had strong showings last week against weaker Colorado and Colorado State. Nevada's defense struggled in the opener against Eastern Washington, so that may be something to watch for.
There is only one game between two AP ranked teams this weekend: #9 Iowa at #24 Arizona. That game should be an interesting one. I'm still trying to figure out why I failed to rank Arizona this week. It should be a battle of two defenses who seem to be playing good football right now. Both teams are in the top ten in total defense and scoring defense. Arizona's defense has not yet let up a touchdown. I think Arizona QB Nick Foles will have a big day in a game more high scoring than people might think.
#12 Arkansas at Georgia will be a game to watch. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet has been putting up some impressive numbers (49/67 701 yards, 6 touchdowns) and is the 4th quarterback in the nation in passing yards. Georgia will want to bounce back after losing their conference opener to South Carolina last week.
#23 Houston at UCLA could be fun to watch. UCLA is 0-2 and could start 0-3 for the first time since 1977 when they went 0-11 (they also started 0-2-1 in 1983). Houston only plays two BCS teams this year, UCLA and Texas Tech, so they need a win here if they're going to try to make a run at a BCS game (which unfortunately won't happen because of Boise State and TCU). Kickoff is at 9:30 PM local Houston time, so that could also be a factor in the second half.
I am interested to see how Mark Ingram does in his first game this season. #1 Alabama plays at Duke on Saturday. Fresno State plays at Utah State on Saturday night, and that game could actually determine who finishes third in the WAC behind Boise State and Nevada. Wake Forest plays at Stanford and kickoff is at 11:15 PM local North Carolina time, so any small chance Wake Forest may have had at an upset is gone. Florida State should get right back on track at home against BYU this week. That game could get ugly in the second quarter. Florida and Tennessee play their annual game, but both teams have been pretty underwhelming so far this year.
Here are the games I plan on watching at least some of (times are MDT):
Thursday 5:30 - Cincinnati at NC State (ESPN)
Friday 8:00 - Cal at Nevada (ESPN2)
10:00 - #12 Arkansas at Georgia (ESPN)
10:00 - Massachusetts at #20 Michigan (Big 10)
1:30 - #1 Alabama at Duke (ABC/ESPN2) - I assume I won't get this game
1:30 - #8 Nebraska at Washington (ABC/ESPN2)
1:30 - BYU at Florida State (ESPNU)
2:30 - Baylor at #4 TCU (Versus)
5:00 - Clemson at #16 Auburn (ESPN)
6:00 - #3 Boise State at Wyoming (CBS College Sports)
6:00 - #14 Utah at New Mexico (The Mountain)
8:30 - #9 Iowa at #24 Arizona (ESPN)
8:30 - #23 Houston at UCLA (FSN Rocky Mountain)
9:15 - Wake Forest at #19 Stanford (ESPN2)
Week 2 (9/11) Helmet Stickers
I missed week 1 with this, but each week I will pick 5-10 players (in no particular order) who deserve to be recognized for their individual performance.
Denard Robinson (QB, Michigan) - at Notre Dame. 24/40 244 yards, 1 TD, 28 rushes, 258 yards, 2 TDs. How does he follow up his 383 all-purpose yard, 2 TD performance against UConn? He accounts for 94% of Michigan's total offense in his first road start. In Vince Young and Time Tebow best games, they had 84% of the offense. Robinson is leading the nation in rushing with 455 yards. And more importantly for Michigan, the offense has yet to turn the ball over under his leadership.
Ahmad Black (S, Florida) - vs South Florida. 8 tackles, 2 ints. The safety had a big day as Florida bounced back this week. One interception was at the end of the half, and the other interception set up a Florida touchdown. Black is tied for first in the nation with three picks.
Jermaine Kearse (WR, Washington) - vs Syracuse. 9 catches, 179 yards, 3 TDs. Kearse had a big performance against Syracuse and is averaging just over 20 yards per catch on the season.
LaMichael James (RB, Oregon) - at Tennessee. 16 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD. After sitting out the first game, James dominated Tennessee's defense averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Oregon's backfield seems unstopped with James and Barner.
Colin Kaepernick (QB, Nevada) - vs Colorado State. 21/29 241 yards, 2 TDs, 11 rushes, 161 yards, 2 TDs. Through 2 games, Kaepernick has 8 total TDs (4 passing, 4 rushing) and has yet to turn the ball over. He has also completed 71% of his passes. He may just be the best player in the conference that doesn't play for Boise State.
Conner Vernon (WR, Duke) - at Wake Forest. 8 catches, 181 yards, 2 TDs. Even though Duke lost, Vernon had two touchdowns and is now over 300 yards receiving on the season after just two games. He is leading the nation with 310 yards receiving.
Dominique Davis (QB, East Carolina) - vs Memphis. 27/38 244 yards, 3 TDs, 13 rushes, 10 yards, 2 TDs. Davis leads the nation in total touchdowns with 11 (8 passing, 3 rushing).
Diondre Borel (QB, Utah State) - vs Idaho State. 21/26 255 yards, 1 TD, 9 rushes, 28 yards, 1 TD. Borel completed 80% of his passes. Utah State is going to continue to turn heads this year.
Denard Robinson (QB, Michigan) - at Notre Dame. 24/40 244 yards, 1 TD, 28 rushes, 258 yards, 2 TDs. How does he follow up his 383 all-purpose yard, 2 TD performance against UConn? He accounts for 94% of Michigan's total offense in his first road start. In Vince Young and Time Tebow best games, they had 84% of the offense. Robinson is leading the nation in rushing with 455 yards. And more importantly for Michigan, the offense has yet to turn the ball over under his leadership.
Ahmad Black (S, Florida) - vs South Florida. 8 tackles, 2 ints. The safety had a big day as Florida bounced back this week. One interception was at the end of the half, and the other interception set up a Florida touchdown. Black is tied for first in the nation with three picks.
Jermaine Kearse (WR, Washington) - vs Syracuse. 9 catches, 179 yards, 3 TDs. Kearse had a big performance against Syracuse and is averaging just over 20 yards per catch on the season.
LaMichael James (RB, Oregon) - at Tennessee. 16 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD. After sitting out the first game, James dominated Tennessee's defense averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Oregon's backfield seems unstopped with James and Barner.
Colin Kaepernick (QB, Nevada) - vs Colorado State. 21/29 241 yards, 2 TDs, 11 rushes, 161 yards, 2 TDs. Through 2 games, Kaepernick has 8 total TDs (4 passing, 4 rushing) and has yet to turn the ball over. He has also completed 71% of his passes. He may just be the best player in the conference that doesn't play for Boise State.
Conner Vernon (WR, Duke) - at Wake Forest. 8 catches, 181 yards, 2 TDs. Even though Duke lost, Vernon had two touchdowns and is now over 300 yards receiving on the season after just two games. He is leading the nation with 310 yards receiving.
Dominique Davis (QB, East Carolina) - vs Memphis. 27/38 244 yards, 3 TDs, 13 rushes, 10 yards, 2 TDs. Davis leads the nation in total touchdowns with 11 (8 passing, 3 rushing).
Diondre Borel (QB, Utah State) - vs Idaho State. 21/26 255 yards, 1 TD, 9 rushes, 28 yards, 1 TD. Borel completed 80% of his passes. Utah State is going to continue to turn heads this year.
Week 2 (9/11) Thoughts
There are only 4 teams that have REALLY impressed me through 2 weeks (and by REALLY, I mean like potential national championship). They are:
- Alabama: That San Jose State win looks a lot better now that SJSU traveled to Wisconsin and lost only 27-13, although it was 20-0 late in the third. (By the way, JAMES, Nisnocsiw beat UNLV 41-21 ) Leading Penn State 24-0 in the fourth quarter was also huge. I was very skeptic of their defense this year but they have only let up 6 total points so far.
- Oregon: I don't need to say much more besides 59 points in the first two quarters of the season. Also, went on the road all the way to Tennessee (only 2,126 miles between the two cities) and come back and turn it into a blowout. It was less than impressive for them to be down 13-3 in the second quarter, but it was a long road trip and they scored 45 straight points after that.
- Ohio State: Marshall taking WVU to overtime makes OSU's first win look a lot more impressive (that game was 21-6 for Marshall in the 4th). Against Miami, Pryor ran for over 100 yards and they forced 4 INTs from Jacory Harris. They also only had 2 penalties against Miami, which shows good discipline in a big game (7 against Marshall is expected for a season opener).
- TCU: Looked good in the opener against Oregon State, and absolutely dominated Tennessee Tech. Not much else to say here.
Alabama seems to be quite a bit above these other teams.
Boise's stock has fallen as Virginia Tech lost to James Madison this week. Four more FCS teams beat FBS teams this week. JMU over VT, South Dakota over Minnesota, Gardner-Webb over Akron, and Liberty over Ball State. Okay, so they didn't beat powerhouses (except JMU had their biggest win in school history), but it seems to me that lately the FCS teams are closing the gap a little bit.
- Alabama: That San Jose State win looks a lot better now that SJSU traveled to Wisconsin and lost only 27-13, although it was 20-0 late in the third. (By the way, JAMES, Nisnocsiw beat UNLV 41-21 ) Leading Penn State 24-0 in the fourth quarter was also huge. I was very skeptic of their defense this year but they have only let up 6 total points so far.
- Oregon: I don't need to say much more besides 59 points in the first two quarters of the season. Also, went on the road all the way to Tennessee (only 2,126 miles between the two cities) and come back and turn it into a blowout. It was less than impressive for them to be down 13-3 in the second quarter, but it was a long road trip and they scored 45 straight points after that.
- Ohio State: Marshall taking WVU to overtime makes OSU's first win look a lot more impressive (that game was 21-6 for Marshall in the 4th). Against Miami, Pryor ran for over 100 yards and they forced 4 INTs from Jacory Harris. They also only had 2 penalties against Miami, which shows good discipline in a big game (7 against Marshall is expected for a season opener).
- TCU: Looked good in the opener against Oregon State, and absolutely dominated Tennessee Tech. Not much else to say here.
Alabama seems to be quite a bit above these other teams.
Boise's stock has fallen as Virginia Tech lost to James Madison this week. Four more FCS teams beat FBS teams this week. JMU over VT, South Dakota over Minnesota, Gardner-Webb over Akron, and Liberty over Ball State. Okay, so they didn't beat powerhouses (except JMU had their biggest win in school history), but it seems to me that lately the FCS teams are closing the gap a little bit.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Week 2 (9/11) Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Iowa
6. Nebraska
7. Wisconsin
8. Boise State
9. Texas
10. Oklahoma
11. Stanford
12. Utah
13. Arkansas
14. California
15. Auburn
16. Florida
17. Michigan
18. South Carolina
19. Houston
20. Miami (FL)
21. LSU
22. Pittsburgh
23. Air Force
24. Baylor
25. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Iowa
6. Nebraska
7. Wisconsin
8. Boise State
9. Texas
10. Oklahoma
11. Stanford
12. Utah
13. Arkansas
14. California
15. Auburn
16. Florida
17. Michigan
18. South Carolina
19. Houston
20. Miami (FL)
21. LSU
22. Pittsburgh
23. Air Force
24. Baylor
25. Georgia
Week 1 (9/4) Thoughts
I didn't rank Florida or Oklahoma. I feel like rankings should be heavily based on what you have accomplished already. Here is my defense of some of my rankings in case you care to read. I also want to point out a few teams that deserve to be noted for doing good things.
Florida rallied late and had over 100 yards in the 4th quarter to be TIED in offense to Miami (OH) who won ONE single game last year. Sure they brought back 20 starters, so we'll see how improved they are. But for Florida to only be able to muster 212 yards at home against them and to be only up 21-12 in the fourth quarter and like 50 yards is just embarrassing. Oh, and Miami's 12 points came on 4 red zone field goals. Florida first 3 touchdowns came off a returned INT, and two drives of 12 and 2 yards. That performance in no way deserves to be in the top 25, in my opinion. Especially when other teams actually decided to play football this weekend.
Oklahoma almost made it into my top 25, only because they got out to a 21 point lead and I feel like Utah State will be going to a bowl game this year. But they're also, well, Utah State. I mean, Utah State turns the ball over 4 times at Oklahoma and only loses by a touchdown? Oklahoma only had one more yard, also. Come on Sooners, I expected much more.
I ranked Oregon so high because of their pure dominance. I actually wanted to put them ahead of Alabama, but Alabama actually played an FBS team (yes, I'm saying New Mexico is not FBS anymore). I really think New Mexico would struggle to have a winning record in a decent FCS conference.
Not that these teams would have been ranked anyway, but Kansas losing to North Dakota State (and only putting up 3 points)? Wow. ND State only beat Wagner, Western Illinois, and Indiana State last year. And give Jacksonville St credit for coming back to beat Ole Miss in double OT. I'm less surprised about that considering Jacksonville St put up fights against Georgia Tech and FSU last year and the only FCS team they lost to last year was Eastern Illinois (who ended up 8-4 with 2 FBS losses).
Penn State is also ranked low because they struggled early with Youngstown State, which shouldn't really be a surprise since Penn St likes to do that. They kicked a FG at the end of the first half to make it 16-7. Then they returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a TD and it was all over from there.
I was also disappointed/impressed with Auburn. They gained over 600 yards on Arkansas State but also let up 366 yards and Arkansas State hung around until midway threw the third. This Ark St team won only 4 games last year but was 3 points from Iowa and Troy.
Now for some teams that deserve some recognition...First off, Oregon. I've said enough about them in other posts, so I'll skip that. But I'll just say, WOW. Also, Michigan put up 30 points on a UConn defense that returned 7 starters (the team returned 16) and their defense has been really tough in recent years. Plus, it's the Michigan team that has been stagnant. They could be good, Denard Robinson is the next Pat White. And how about Cal? Sure, UC Davis is bad (went 6-5 and won the Great West conference, which is where SUU plays) but I don't know what other defense let up under 100 yards this week. And the offense put up over 500. Houston's Case Keenum was impressive as usual. In one half, went 17/22 for 274 yards and 5 touchdowns. Almost 1/3 of his throws were TDs. He also threw 2 picks though, and it was only against Texas State. Florida State also looked GREAT, which is why I ranked them #7. In one half, Christian Ponder was 12/14 for 167 yards and 4 TDs. His 1 INT was on a tipped pass. Every pass I saw of his was right on target, and the white boy learned how to run too. Watch out for FSU. They're going to absolutely slaughter BYU, which looked underwhelming in their win against Washington (I think Ludwig is a Husky now).
And then, of course you have to give huge props to TCU and Boise State for pulling off big wins in exciting games. One other shout-out goes to Maryland. They forced 3 fumbles inside the 5 against Navy (recovered 2 and the other one made it go to the half). Then pulled off a goal line stop with under a minute to play to beat Navy. Yeah, two crappy teams, but it was exciting and Maryland's defense was impressive to stop Navy's offense in those situations. Some very exciting finishes this week (Utah-Pitt, Jacksonville St-Ole Miss, LSU-UNC, TCU-Oregon State, ECU-Tulsa, Maryland-Navy, Boise State-Virginia Tech).
Florida rallied late and had over 100 yards in the 4th quarter to be TIED in offense to Miami (OH) who won ONE single game last year. Sure they brought back 20 starters, so we'll see how improved they are. But for Florida to only be able to muster 212 yards at home against them and to be only up 21-12 in the fourth quarter and like 50 yards is just embarrassing. Oh, and Miami's 12 points came on 4 red zone field goals. Florida first 3 touchdowns came off a returned INT, and two drives of 12 and 2 yards. That performance in no way deserves to be in the top 25, in my opinion. Especially when other teams actually decided to play football this weekend.
Oklahoma almost made it into my top 25, only because they got out to a 21 point lead and I feel like Utah State will be going to a bowl game this year. But they're also, well, Utah State. I mean, Utah State turns the ball over 4 times at Oklahoma and only loses by a touchdown? Oklahoma only had one more yard, also. Come on Sooners, I expected much more.
I ranked Oregon so high because of their pure dominance. I actually wanted to put them ahead of Alabama, but Alabama actually played an FBS team (yes, I'm saying New Mexico is not FBS anymore). I really think New Mexico would struggle to have a winning record in a decent FCS conference.
Not that these teams would have been ranked anyway, but Kansas losing to North Dakota State (and only putting up 3 points)? Wow. ND State only beat Wagner, Western Illinois, and Indiana State last year. And give Jacksonville St credit for coming back to beat Ole Miss in double OT. I'm less surprised about that considering Jacksonville St put up fights against Georgia Tech and FSU last year and the only FCS team they lost to last year was Eastern Illinois (who ended up 8-4 with 2 FBS losses).
Penn State is also ranked low because they struggled early with Youngstown State, which shouldn't really be a surprise since Penn St likes to do that. They kicked a FG at the end of the first half to make it 16-7. Then they returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a TD and it was all over from there.
I was also disappointed/impressed with Auburn. They gained over 600 yards on Arkansas State but also let up 366 yards and Arkansas State hung around until midway threw the third. This Ark St team won only 4 games last year but was 3 points from Iowa and Troy.
Now for some teams that deserve some recognition...First off, Oregon. I've said enough about them in other posts, so I'll skip that. But I'll just say, WOW. Also, Michigan put up 30 points on a UConn defense that returned 7 starters (the team returned 16) and their defense has been really tough in recent years. Plus, it's the Michigan team that has been stagnant. They could be good, Denard Robinson is the next Pat White. And how about Cal? Sure, UC Davis is bad (went 6-5 and won the Great West conference, which is where SUU plays) but I don't know what other defense let up under 100 yards this week. And the offense put up over 500. Houston's Case Keenum was impressive as usual. In one half, went 17/22 for 274 yards and 5 touchdowns. Almost 1/3 of his throws were TDs. He also threw 2 picks though, and it was only against Texas State. Florida State also looked GREAT, which is why I ranked them #7. In one half, Christian Ponder was 12/14 for 167 yards and 4 TDs. His 1 INT was on a tipped pass. Every pass I saw of his was right on target, and the white boy learned how to run too. Watch out for FSU. They're going to absolutely slaughter BYU, which looked underwhelming in their win against Washington (I think Ludwig is a Husky now).
And then, of course you have to give huge props to TCU and Boise State for pulling off big wins in exciting games. One other shout-out goes to Maryland. They forced 3 fumbles inside the 5 against Navy (recovered 2 and the other one made it go to the half). Then pulled off a goal line stop with under a minute to play to beat Navy. Yeah, two crappy teams, but it was exciting and Maryland's defense was impressive to stop Navy's offense in those situations. Some very exciting finishes this week (Utah-Pitt, Jacksonville St-Ole Miss, LSU-UNC, TCU-Oregon State, ECU-Tulsa, Maryland-Navy, Boise State-Virginia Tech).
Week 1 (9/4) Rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Boise State
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. TCU
6. Wisconsin
7. Florida State
8. Nebraska
9. Texas
10. Iowa
11. Virginia Tech
12. Miami (FL)
13. Georgia Tech
14. Utah
15. Georgia
16. Arkansas
17. Stanford
18. Michigan
19. California
20. Auburn
21. Pittsburgh
22. Oregon State
23. Tennessee
24. Penn State
25. North Carolina State
2. Boise State
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. TCU
6. Wisconsin
7. Florida State
8. Nebraska
9. Texas
10. Iowa
11. Virginia Tech
12. Miami (FL)
13. Georgia Tech
14. Utah
15. Georgia
16. Arkansas
17. Stanford
18. Michigan
19. California
20. Auburn
21. Pittsburgh
22. Oregon State
23. Tennessee
24. Penn State
25. North Carolina State
Preseason Rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Boise State
3. Alabama
4. Virginia Tech
5. TCU
6. Texas
7. Florida
8. Wisconsin
9. Oregon
10. Nebraska
11. Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Georgia Tech
14. Auburn
15. Oklahoma
16. Pittsburgh
17. Georgia
18. Florida State
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Arkansas
22. Miami (FL)
23. Oregon State
24. Penn State
25. Stanford
2. Boise State
3. Alabama
4. Virginia Tech
5. TCU
6. Texas
7. Florida
8. Wisconsin
9. Oregon
10. Nebraska
11. Iowa
12. North Carolina
13. Georgia Tech
14. Auburn
15. Oklahoma
16. Pittsburgh
17. Georgia
18. Florida State
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Arkansas
22. Miami (FL)
23. Oregon State
24. Penn State
25. Stanford
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