1) Oregon State (6-0, 4-0, +15) - The Beavers notched their second consecutive win against the Beehive State, 21-7 at home against Utah, and now have their best start to the season since 1907. They climbed to 7th in this morning's AP poll, two spots behind Notre Dame. I would like to point out that Oregon State had 450 yards, 7.5 per play, in beating BYU 42-24, while allowing 4.6 yards per play and forcing three turnovers; yesterday, Notre Dame beat that same Cougars team 17-14, allowing 4.0 yards per play and forcing two turnovers while registering 389 yards of their own, 6.5 per play. So, yeah, Notre Dame's definitely better than Oregon State.
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15) - Hopefully Florida's 44-11 dismantling of South Carolina made the Crimson Tide sit up and take notice. South Carolina turned the ball over four times, and at one point the Gators had 21 points on 24 total yards. Florida is for real, though, with wins against South Carolina, LSU, and Texas A&M. A lot will be at stake next week against Georgia. Then, strangely enough, the Gators have one more game, versus Missouri, and then they'll be done with their SEC schedule. They finish their season against Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacksonville State, and then at Florida State, in a game that might have BCS implications. (For the first time in a long time!)
P.S. - One voter in this morning's AP poll switched their No. 1 vote from Alabama to Florida. I'm disappointed. There should be more.
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13) - So, beating a good-not-great Arizona State team 43-21 doesn't seem like much... until .... until you realize that the Ducks scored all of their points over the course of 16 minutes, 22 seconds in the first and second quarters. That means they could have conceivably scored 160 points for the game. They led at half time 43-7, against what had been a top 10 defense, and played mostly bench warmers in the second half. The Ducks get one more tune-up at home against Colorado before they get to run the USC, Stanford, Oregon State gauntlet.
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12) - OK, I know that Lou Holtz is both an Irish Homer and kind of insane. But last night, I think he was stumbling upon one of the essential contradictions of the BCS, the polls, and college football. Everyone agrees that Oregon is better than Notre Dame. But if they both go undefeated, should the Ducks automatically get the BCS nod? Holtz thinks not. The Irish will have four wins against AP Top 25 teams (USC, Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan) as will the Ducks (Oregon State, Stanford, USC twice). But Notre Dame will have played all its games against BCS conference opponents; they've got no cupcakes like Arkansas State or FCS Tennessee Tech on their schedule. (We can debate the relative merits of Colorado and Boston College later.) But how valid would it be to punish the Ducks for what's essentially an accident of the calendar? Hopefully, the Ducks will demolish Stanford, who came within a centimeter of beating the Irish, and make this whole talk academic.
P.S. - Oh wait, we don't have to! Thanks to all my hard work, we can see that 1-6 Colorado is a -30, meaning that they are slightly less of a drag on their opponent's strength of schedule than 1-6 Boston College, a -33. Hurray!
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12) - Kansas State dominated West Virginia 55-14, and now ought to be considered the hands down favorite to win the Big 12. In a showdown of Heisman Trophy hopefuls, West Virginia QB Geno Smith was 21/32, 143 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTS, whereas K-State QB Collin Klein was 19/21, 323 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTS, plus 41 rushing yards on 12 attempts with 4 TDs. Ladies and gentlemen, your new Heisman leader.
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11) - Yes, I think that LSU will have a chance in their Nov. 3 showdown against Alabama. But they still needed a bit of luck in beating Texas A&M 24-19. Specifically, much maligned QB Zach Mettenberger was 11 for 29, with 0 TDs and 1 INT. The Tigers get next week off to prepare for Alabama.
On a related note, I don't think that there will be another all-SEC national championship this year. We really needed a perfect storm last year of not having Alabama and LSU play each other in the SEC championship, and of having Oregon and Oklahoma State lose late in the season. Never say never, I guess, but also, remember that the BCS Championship last year was terrible TV. ESPN remembers that, and I'm sure will remind the voters of that when it comes time to make a decision.
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9) - Alabama rolled on the road, 44-13 against Tennessee. Preseason is over, and now it's time for the Tide to make their move. Next week they play Mississippi State - win, and I'll move them to third or fourth. The week after that, they get LSU. Win again, and they'll be Top 3, maybe higher, depending on what the Ducks and the Gators do. But everyone has to prove their worth on the field.
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8) - The Buckeyes were the first of several Big Ten teams that escaped from an inferior opponent, beating Purdue 29-22 in overtime. Nebraska had to make a furious comeback to win at Northwestern 29-28, and Michigan beat Michigan State 12-10 on a last minute field goal. Ohio State is good, but not without (big) weaknesses: They gave up 347 yards on 5.0 yards per play to the Boilermakers a week after surrendering 49 points and 6.2 yards per play to Indiana.
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7) - Mississippi State has two wins against FBS teams with winning records: 4-3 Troy and 4-3 Middle Tennessee State. In the next three weeks, they play Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU. Good-bye, so long, aufwiedersehn farewell.
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7) - Oklahoma coasted at home 52-7 against Kansas. Next week, they get their big showdown against Notre Dame. The Sooners will have homefield advantage, but I'm picking Notre Dame, based on how Oklahoma wilted against the only other defense they've faced so far this season, K-State.
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10) - Tech is kept low because they cannot pass Oklahoma, to whom they lost. This will change next week, when the Red Raiders play Kansas State and Oklahoma plays Notre Dame. (Unless they both lose.)(Which they will.)(Sorry Tech.)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2, +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4) - The Bulldogs just beat a Kentucky team, 29-24, that had previously lost to Florida 38-0 and Western Kentucky 32-31. Georgia's single loss this season was at South Carolina, 35-7, a team Florida beat 44-11. I'm putting money on the Gators next week. I might take the Bulldogs against Western Kentucky. I don't know.
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4) - Maybe the Broncos are better off not being in the national spotlight this year. After coming out flat in a 13-17 loss at Michigan State, Boise has quietly won six in a row, including 32-7 against UNLV and 20-10 last week against their old rivals, Fresno State. They don't have much opposition the rest of the way, though, until they finish the season against another old rival, Nevada. A Mountain West championship and an invitation to a third consecutive Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA may be the best Boise State can hope for at this point. Sigh. Viva Las Vegas. I guess.
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4) - Don't count out the Trojans. Matt Barkley broke a school record with his 101st career touchdown pass, and went 19/20 for 298 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs in a 50-6 win against hapless Colorado. 'SC still has a tough road ahead, but Oregon and Notre Dame both have to come to SoCal this year. Meanwhile, poor Colorado, now 1-6. They get to travel to Eugene next week, and then host Stanford the week after. Remember when they beat Oregon 38-6 in the 1996 Cotton Bowl? No. You don't.
(P.S. - Rick Neuheisel was the coach of that Colorado team. Weird.)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3) - With their last minute 12-10 win over Michigan State, the Wolverines ended a four game losing streak to the Spartans, their longest in history. Likewise, this win gets them one step closer to their first Rose Bowl since 2007. If they fail to make the Rose Bowl this year, it will be their longest absence from the Grandaddy since they failed to make the trip to Pasadena from 1952-1965.
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
Showing posts with label Oregon State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oregon State. Show all posts
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
My Top 25
1) Oregon State (6-0, 4-0, +15)
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15)
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13)
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12)
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12)
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11)
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8)
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7)
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7)
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2 , +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4)
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4)
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3)
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Tulsa (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2, 0)
Louisiana Tech (6-1, 1-0, 0)
Kent State (6-1, 4-0, 0)
Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0, -1) Louisiana-Monroe (5-2, 4-0, -1)
Western Kentucky (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Arizona State (5-2, 3-1, -2)
Texas (5-2, 2-2, -2)
Arizona (4-3, 1-3, -2)
North Carolina State (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Duke (6-2, 3-1, -3)
San Jose State (5-2, 1-1, -3)
Nebraska (5-2, 2-1, -3)
TCU (5-2, 2-2, -4)
Penn State (5-2, 3-0, -4)
Iowa State (4-3, 1-3, -5)
Northwestern (6-2, 2-2, -6)
Nevada (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Utah State (6-2, 3-0, -6)
Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Texas-San Antonio (5-2, 1-1, -7)
Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1, -7)
San Diego State (5-2, 3-0, -7)
Washington (3-4, 1-3, -8)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2, 3-1, -8)
UCF (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Ball State (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Mississippi (4-3, 1-2, -9
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1, -9)
Fresno State (5-3, 3-1, -9)
Miami (FL) (4-4, 3-2, -10)
Brigham Young (4-4, 0-0, -10)
Temple (3-3, 2-1, -10)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 2-3, -10)
Middle Tennessee State (4-3, 2-1, -11)
Tennessee (3-4, 0-4, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-0, -11)
East Carolina (5-3, 2-1, -11)
Iowa (4-3, 2-1, -12)
North Carolina (5-3, 2-2, -12)
Michigan State (4-4, 1-3, -12)
Troy (4-3, 3-2, -12)
Missouri (3-4, 0-4, -13)
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2, -13)
Syracuse (3-4, 2-1, -13)
Bowling Green (5-3, 3-0, -13)
Minnesota (4-3, 0-3, -14)
Maryland (4-3, 2-1, -14)
Wake Forest (4-3, 2-3, -14)
North Texas (3-4, 2-2, -14)
Navy (4-3, 0-0, -14)
Air Force (4-3, 3-1, -14)
Baylor (3-3, 0-3, -15)
New Mexico (4-4, 0-2, -15)
Houston (3-4, 3-1, -16)
Purdue (3-4, 0-3, -16)Washington State (2-5, 0-4, -18)
Pittsburgh (3-4, 0-3, -18)
South Florida (2-5, 0-3, -19)
Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2, -20)Marshall (3-4, 1-1, -20)
Utah (2-5, 0-4, -21)
Miami (OH) (2-4, 1-1, -21)
SMU (3-4, 2-1, -21)
Georgia Tech (3-4, 1-3, -21)
Central Michigan (2-5, 0-3, -23)
Connecticut (3-5, 0-3, -23)
Indiana (2-5, 0-3, -23)
California (3-5, 2-3, -23)
UTEP (2-5, 1-1, -25)
Auburn (1-6, 0-5, -26)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
South Alabama (2-5, 1-2, -26)
Florida Atlantic (1-6, 0-3, -27)
Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -27)
Illinois (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Buffalo (1-6, 0-3,-29)
Kansas (1-6, 0-4, -29)
Memphis (1-5, 1-1, -29)
New Mexico State (1-6, 0-3, -30)
Colorado (1-6, 1-3, -30)
Kentucky (1-7, 0-5, -30)
Rice (2-6, 0-3, -32)
UAB (1-6, 0-3, -33)
Boston College (1-6, 0-4, -33)
Virginia (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Wyoming (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Army (1-6, 0-0, -35)
Tulane (1-6, 1-4, -35)
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Eastern Michigan (1-6, 0-2, -35)
Akron (1-7, 0-3, -37)
Idaho (1-7, 1-1, -38)
Southern Miss (0-7, 0-3, -38)
Massachusetts (0-7, 0-3, -39)
Florida International (1-7, 0-4, -40)
UNLV (1-7, 0-3, -40)
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15)
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13)
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12)
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12)
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11)
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8)
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7)
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7)
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2 , +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4)
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4)
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3)
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Tulsa (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2, 0)
Louisiana Tech (6-1, 1-0, 0)
Kent State (6-1, 4-0, 0)
Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0, -1) Louisiana-Monroe (5-2, 4-0, -1)
Western Kentucky (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Arizona State (5-2, 3-1, -2)
Texas (5-2, 2-2, -2)
Arizona (4-3, 1-3, -2)
North Carolina State (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Duke (6-2, 3-1, -3)
San Jose State (5-2, 1-1, -3)
Nebraska (5-2, 2-1, -3)
TCU (5-2, 2-2, -4)
Penn State (5-2, 3-0, -4)
Iowa State (4-3, 1-3, -5)
Northwestern (6-2, 2-2, -6)
Nevada (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Utah State (6-2, 3-0, -6)
Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Texas-San Antonio (5-2, 1-1, -7)
Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1, -7)
San Diego State (5-2, 3-0, -7)
Washington (3-4, 1-3, -8)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2, 3-1, -8)
UCF (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Ball State (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Mississippi (4-3, 1-2, -9
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1, -9)
Fresno State (5-3, 3-1, -9)
Miami (FL) (4-4, 3-2, -10)
Brigham Young (4-4, 0-0, -10)
Temple (3-3, 2-1, -10)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 2-3, -10)
Middle Tennessee State (4-3, 2-1, -11)
Tennessee (3-4, 0-4, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-0, -11)
East Carolina (5-3, 2-1, -11)
Iowa (4-3, 2-1, -12)
North Carolina (5-3, 2-2, -12)
Michigan State (4-4, 1-3, -12)
Troy (4-3, 3-2, -12)
Missouri (3-4, 0-4, -13)
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2, -13)
Syracuse (3-4, 2-1, -13)
Bowling Green (5-3, 3-0, -13)
Minnesota (4-3, 0-3, -14)
Maryland (4-3, 2-1, -14)
Wake Forest (4-3, 2-3, -14)
North Texas (3-4, 2-2, -14)
Navy (4-3, 0-0, -14)
Air Force (4-3, 3-1, -14)
Baylor (3-3, 0-3, -15)
New Mexico (4-4, 0-2, -15)
Houston (3-4, 3-1, -16)
Purdue (3-4, 0-3, -16)Washington State (2-5, 0-4, -18)
Pittsburgh (3-4, 0-3, -18)
South Florida (2-5, 0-3, -19)
Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2, -20)Marshall (3-4, 1-1, -20)
Utah (2-5, 0-4, -21)
Miami (OH) (2-4, 1-1, -21)
SMU (3-4, 2-1, -21)
Georgia Tech (3-4, 1-3, -21)
Central Michigan (2-5, 0-3, -23)
Connecticut (3-5, 0-3, -23)
Indiana (2-5, 0-3, -23)
California (3-5, 2-3, -23)
UTEP (2-5, 1-1, -25)
Auburn (1-6, 0-5, -26)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
South Alabama (2-5, 1-2, -26)
Florida Atlantic (1-6, 0-3, -27)
Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -27)
Illinois (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Buffalo (1-6, 0-3,-29)
Kansas (1-6, 0-4, -29)
Memphis (1-5, 1-1, -29)
New Mexico State (1-6, 0-3, -30)
Colorado (1-6, 1-3, -30)
Kentucky (1-7, 0-5, -30)
Rice (2-6, 0-3, -32)
UAB (1-6, 0-3, -33)
Boston College (1-6, 0-4, -33)
Virginia (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Wyoming (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Army (1-6, 0-0, -35)
Tulane (1-6, 1-4, -35)
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Eastern Michigan (1-6, 0-2, -35)
Akron (1-7, 0-3, -37)
Idaho (1-7, 1-1, -38)
Southern Miss (0-7, 0-3, -38)
Massachusetts (0-7, 0-3, -39)
Florida International (1-7, 0-4, -40)
UNLV (1-7, 0-3, -40)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Power Rankings - Oct. 14
1) Oregon State (5-0, 3-0, +14, SoS: -7) - Well, I picked the winner, but not the score. The Beavers beat the BYU Cougars 42-24 and now have their best start to the season since 1939. Back-up QB Cody Vaz torched the formerly fearsome BYU defense for 332 passing yards and 3 TDs. These Beavers are for real folks. They still have tough road games at Washington and at Stanford, but, man ... has the Civil War ever featured two .... no, I won't even say it.
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12, SoS: -13) - I hope that the Ducks enjoyed their week off. If I'm Chip Kelly, sittin' at home watching TV, here's what I saw: A USC team with one of the best quarterbacks and the best receiving corps in the country, but with a defense that is susceptible. A Stanford team with one of the best defenses outside of the SEC and with a punishing offensive line, but a QB prone to make mistakes, and an Oregon State team that has proven that it can beat good teams in more way than one. Should be an interesting second half of the season.
3) Notre Dame (6-0, 0-0, +11, SoS: -6.67) - Auuuugh! What a great game, one that I really wanted Stanford to win, but that they ended up losing 13-20 in overtime. What I saw was two great defenses playing against two average offenses. Cardinal QB Josh Nunes is no Andrew Luck (12/25, 125 yards, 2 INTs) but he shouldn't have to be. Meanwhile, the ND defense allowed 0 touchdowns, allowed 272 yards, had those 2 big INTs, and one huge stop on 4th and goal, which I thought was called correctly. And now how seriously do we need to start taking the Irish's BCS chances? They still have to travel to USC and Oklahoma, but both of those teams are beatable. Notre Dame will just need a little bit of luck to get to the national championship game.
4) Florida (6-0, 5-0, +11, SoS: -8.33)
5) Rutgers (6-0, 3-0, +9)
6) Kansas State (6-0, 3-0, +9) - On a day when West Virginia QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Geno Smith struggled, K-State QB Collin Klein stated his case in a 27-21 win at Iowa State. Klein was 16/24 with 187 yards and 0 TDs and 0 INTs through the air, plus he ran for 105 yards and 3 TDs. The man does everything. Next week, he'll get to go head-to-head against Smith and the Mountaineers in West Virginia.
7) LSU (6-1, 2-1, +9, SoS: -13.428)
8) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +8, SoS: -8.33)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8) - I usually root for the little guys to crash the BCS party, but man, I am sick of the Ohio Bobcats. This week, they beat 1-6 Akron (go Zips!) by the score of 34-28. Akron is the third team in a row that Ohio has played with 1 win or less. And Ohio's schedule means that they get to avoid the other two good teams in the MAC, Toledo and Northern Illinois. In fact, if the NIU Salukis hadn't lost to Iowa 17-18, they would be sitting right here alongside the Bobcats in the power rankings.
12) Mississippi State
13) Oklahoma (4-1, 2-1, +6) - Yeah, Oklahoma is pretty good. But Texas is really bad. In their last four games, they have allowed 31, 36, 48, and 63 points. Oklahoma had 677 yards of offense against the Longhorns, averaging an astounding 7.2 yards per play. The Sooners are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship, although they will need to win out in their conference, including at West Virginia, and have Kansas State lose twice.
15) Texas Tech (5-1, 2-1, +9) - In a conference that too often seems allergic to even the concept of defense, Texas Tech actually has a pretty good one. They held West Virginia to only 4.7 yards per play in their 49-14 win, and former uber-efficient passer Geno Smith was 29/55 for "only" 295 yards. (He had 656 passing yards against Baylor.) Things don't get easier for Tech with games at TCU and Kansas State next. Also, they're being kept low in these rankings because of their head-to-head loss to Oklahoma.
22) USC (5-1, 3-1, +3, SoS: -13.167) -The Trojans seem to be a team still looking for their groove. They showed flashes of brilliance in their 24-14 win against Washington, especially from receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods, but they were flat in the second half, turning a game that should have been a route into a pretty close affair. QB Matt Barkley was particularly listless, with a stat line of 10/20, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. But he'll probably do much better next week against Colorado.
I think we can now safely put Washington in the category of Pac-12 also rans. However, they seem to play much better at CenturyLink Field than on the road. It will be interesting when they host Oregon State in two weeks.
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2, SoS: -12.571) -
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12, SoS: -13) - I hope that the Ducks enjoyed their week off. If I'm Chip Kelly, sittin' at home watching TV, here's what I saw: A USC team with one of the best quarterbacks and the best receiving corps in the country, but with a defense that is susceptible. A Stanford team with one of the best defenses outside of the SEC and with a punishing offensive line, but a QB prone to make mistakes, and an Oregon State team that has proven that it can beat good teams in more way than one. Should be an interesting second half of the season.
3) Notre Dame (6-0, 0-0, +11, SoS: -6.67) - Auuuugh! What a great game, one that I really wanted Stanford to win, but that they ended up losing 13-20 in overtime. What I saw was two great defenses playing against two average offenses. Cardinal QB Josh Nunes is no Andrew Luck (12/25, 125 yards, 2 INTs) but he shouldn't have to be. Meanwhile, the ND defense allowed 0 touchdowns, allowed 272 yards, had those 2 big INTs, and one huge stop on 4th and goal, which I thought was called correctly. And now how seriously do we need to start taking the Irish's BCS chances? They still have to travel to USC and Oklahoma, but both of those teams are beatable. Notre Dame will just need a little bit of luck to get to the national championship game.
4) Florida (6-0, 5-0, +11, SoS: -8.33)
5) Rutgers (6-0, 3-0, +9)
6) Kansas State (6-0, 3-0, +9) - On a day when West Virginia QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Geno Smith struggled, K-State QB Collin Klein stated his case in a 27-21 win at Iowa State. Klein was 16/24 with 187 yards and 0 TDs and 0 INTs through the air, plus he ran for 105 yards and 3 TDs. The man does everything. Next week, he'll get to go head-to-head against Smith and the Mountaineers in West Virginia.
7) LSU (6-1, 2-1, +9, SoS: -13.428)
8) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +8, SoS: -8.33)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8) - I usually root for the little guys to crash the BCS party, but man, I am sick of the Ohio Bobcats. This week, they beat 1-6 Akron (go Zips!) by the score of 34-28. Akron is the third team in a row that Ohio has played with 1 win or less. And Ohio's schedule means that they get to avoid the other two good teams in the MAC, Toledo and Northern Illinois. In fact, if the NIU Salukis hadn't lost to Iowa 17-18, they would be sitting right here alongside the Bobcats in the power rankings.
12) Mississippi State
13) Oklahoma (4-1, 2-1, +6) - Yeah, Oklahoma is pretty good. But Texas is really bad. In their last four games, they have allowed 31, 36, 48, and 63 points. Oklahoma had 677 yards of offense against the Longhorns, averaging an astounding 7.2 yards per play. The Sooners are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship, although they will need to win out in their conference, including at West Virginia, and have Kansas State lose twice.
15) Texas Tech (5-1, 2-1, +9) - In a conference that too often seems allergic to even the concept of defense, Texas Tech actually has a pretty good one. They held West Virginia to only 4.7 yards per play in their 49-14 win, and former uber-efficient passer Geno Smith was 29/55 for "only" 295 yards. (He had 656 passing yards against Baylor.) Things don't get easier for Tech with games at TCU and Kansas State next. Also, they're being kept low in these rankings because of their head-to-head loss to Oklahoma.
22) USC (5-1, 3-1, +3, SoS: -13.167) -The Trojans seem to be a team still looking for their groove. They showed flashes of brilliance in their 24-14 win against Washington, especially from receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods, but they were flat in the second half, turning a game that should have been a route into a pretty close affair. QB Matt Barkley was particularly listless, with a stat line of 10/20, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. But he'll probably do much better next week against Colorado.
I think we can now safely put Washington in the category of Pac-12 also rans. However, they seem to play much better at CenturyLink Field than on the road. It will be interesting when they host Oregon State in two weeks.
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2, SoS: -12.571) -
Sunday, October 14, 2012
My Top 25
1) Oregon State (5-0, 3-0, +14)
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12)
3) Notre Dame (6-0, 0-0, +11)
4) Florida (6-0, 5-0, +11)
5) Rutgers (6-0, 3-0, +9)
6) Kansas State (6-0, 3-0, +9)
7) LSU (6-1, 2-1, +9)
8) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +8)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (7-0, 3-0, +7)
11) Louisville (6-0, 1-0, +6)
12) Mississippi State (6-0, 3-0, +6)
13) Oklahoma (4-1, 2-1, +6)
14) South Carolina (6-1, 4-1 , +5)
15) Texas Tech (5-1, 2-1, +9)
16) Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0, +5)
17) Florida State (6-1, 3-1, +4)
18) Western Kentucky (5-1, 2-0, +4)
19) Georgia (5-1, 3-1, +3)
20) West Virginia (5-1, 2-1, +3)
21) Boise State (5-1, 2-0, +3)
22) USC (5-1, 3-1, +3)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) Michigan (4-2, 2-0, +2)
25) Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1, +2)
Clemson (5-1, 2-1, +1)
Iowa State (4-2, 1-2, +1)
Northwestern (6-1, 2-1, 0)
Nevada (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Northern Illinois (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Toledo (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Tulsa (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Stanford (4-2, 2-1, 0)
Louisiana Tech (5-1, 0-0, -1)
Texas-San Antonio (5-1, 1-0, -1)
TCU (5-1, 2-1, -1)
Arizona State (5-1, 3-0, -1)
Kent State (5-1, 3-0, -1)
Washington (3-3, 1-2, -2)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Texas (4-2, 1-2, -3)
Arizona (3-3, 0-3, -3)
North Carolina State (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Duke (5-2, 2-1, -4)
San Jose State (4-2, 0-1, -4)
Nebraska (4-2, 1-1, -4)
Louisiana-Monroe (4-2, 3-0, -4)
Penn State (4-2, 2-0, -5)
Miami (FL) (4-3, 3-1, -6)
Iowa (4-2, 2-0, -6)
North Carolina (5-2, 2-1, -6)
Michigan State (4-3, 1-2, -7)
Utah State (5-2, 2-0, -7)
Wisconsin (5-2, 2-1, -7)
Minnesota (4-2, 0-2, -8)
Middle Tennessee State (4-2, 2-1, -8)
Oklahoma State (3-2, 1-1, -8)
Maryland (4-2, 2-0, -8)
San Diego State (4-2, 2-0, -8)
UCF (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Tennessee (3-3, 0-3, -9)
Baylor (3-2, 0-2, -9)
Brigham Young (4-3, 0-0, -9)
Ball State (4-3, 1-2, -9)
Mississippi (4-3, 1-2, -9
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1, -9)
Temple (3-2, 2-0, -9)
New Mexico (4-3, 0-1, -9)
Fresno State (4-3, 2-1, -10)
Houston (3-3, 3-0, -10)
Vanderbilt (2-4, 1-3, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-0, -11)
East Carolina (4-3, 1-1, -12)
Troy (3-3, 2-2, -13)
Missouri (3-4, 0-4, -13)
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2, -13)
Purdue (3-3, 0-2, -14)
Syracuse (2-4, 1-1, -14)
Bowling Green (4-3, 2-0, -14)
Virginia Tech (4-3, 2-1, -14)
Wake Forest (3-3, 1-3, -15)
North Texas (2-4, 1-2, -15)
Navy (3-3, 0-0, -15)
Air Force (3-3, 2-1, -15)
South Florida (2-4, 0-2, -16)
Central Michigan (2-4, 0-2, -17)
Connecticut (3-4, 0-2, -17)
Indiana (2-4, 0-3, -17)
California (3-4, 2-2, -17)
Washington State (2-5, 0-4, -18)
Pittsburgh (2-4, 0-3, -19)
Utah (2-4, 0-3, -20)
Auburn (1-5, 0-4, -20)
Miami (OH) (2-4, 1-1, -21)
Florida Atlantic (1-5, 0-2, -21)
Western Michigan (3-4, 1-2, -21)
Marshall (2-4, 0-1, -21)
SMU (2-4, 1-1, -22)
Georgia Tech (2-4, 0-3, -22)
Buffalo (1-5, 0-3,-23)
New Mexico State (1-5, 0-2, -24)
Colorado (1-5, 1-2, -25)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
UTEP (1-5, 0-1, -26)
Kansas (1-5, 0-3, -26)
Rice (2-5, 0-2, -26)
Kentucky (1-6, 0-4, -27)
South Alabama (1-5, 0-2, -27)
UAB (1-5, 0-2, -27)
Boston College (1-5, 0-3, -27)
Virginia (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Illinois (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Wyoming (1-5, 0-2, -29)
Army (1-5, 0-0, -29)
Memphis (1-5, 1-1, -29)
Tulane (1-5, 1-3, -29)
Akron (1-6, 0-2, -31)
Idaho (1-6, 1-0, -32)
Southern Miss (0-6, 0-2, -32)
Massachusetts (0-6, 0-2, -33)
Florida International (1-6, 0-3, -34)
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
UNLV (1-6, 0-2, -35)
Eastern Michigan (0-6, 0-2, -36)
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12)
3) Notre Dame (6-0, 0-0, +11)
4) Florida (6-0, 5-0, +11)
5) Rutgers (6-0, 3-0, +9)
6) Kansas State (6-0, 3-0, +9)
7) LSU (6-1, 2-1, +9)
8) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +8)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (7-0, 3-0, +7)
11) Louisville (6-0, 1-0, +6)
12) Mississippi State (6-0, 3-0, +6)
13) Oklahoma (4-1, 2-1, +6)
14) South Carolina (6-1, 4-1 , +5)
15) Texas Tech (5-1, 2-1, +9)
16) Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0, +5)
17) Florida State (6-1, 3-1, +4)
18) Western Kentucky (5-1, 2-0, +4)
19) Georgia (5-1, 3-1, +3)
20) West Virginia (5-1, 2-1, +3)
21) Boise State (5-1, 2-0, +3)
22) USC (5-1, 3-1, +3)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) Michigan (4-2, 2-0, +2)
25) Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1, +2)
Clemson (5-1, 2-1, +1)
Iowa State (4-2, 1-2, +1)
Northwestern (6-1, 2-1, 0)
Nevada (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Northern Illinois (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Toledo (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Tulsa (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Stanford (4-2, 2-1, 0)
Louisiana Tech (5-1, 0-0, -1)
Texas-San Antonio (5-1, 1-0, -1)
TCU (5-1, 2-1, -1)
Arizona State (5-1, 3-0, -1)
Kent State (5-1, 3-0, -1)
Washington (3-3, 1-2, -2)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Texas (4-2, 1-2, -3)
Arizona (3-3, 0-3, -3)
North Carolina State (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Duke (5-2, 2-1, -4)
San Jose State (4-2, 0-1, -4)
Nebraska (4-2, 1-1, -4)
Louisiana-Monroe (4-2, 3-0, -4)
Penn State (4-2, 2-0, -5)
Miami (FL) (4-3, 3-1, -6)
Iowa (4-2, 2-0, -6)
North Carolina (5-2, 2-1, -6)
Michigan State (4-3, 1-2, -7)
Utah State (5-2, 2-0, -7)
Wisconsin (5-2, 2-1, -7)
Minnesota (4-2, 0-2, -8)
Middle Tennessee State (4-2, 2-1, -8)
Oklahoma State (3-2, 1-1, -8)
Maryland (4-2, 2-0, -8)
San Diego State (4-2, 2-0, -8)
UCF (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Tennessee (3-3, 0-3, -9)
Baylor (3-2, 0-2, -9)
Brigham Young (4-3, 0-0, -9)
Ball State (4-3, 1-2, -9)
Mississippi (4-3, 1-2, -9
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1, -9)
Temple (3-2, 2-0, -9)
New Mexico (4-3, 0-1, -9)
Fresno State (4-3, 2-1, -10)
Houston (3-3, 3-0, -10)
Vanderbilt (2-4, 1-3, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-0, -11)
East Carolina (4-3, 1-1, -12)
Troy (3-3, 2-2, -13)
Missouri (3-4, 0-4, -13)
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2, -13)
Purdue (3-3, 0-2, -14)
Syracuse (2-4, 1-1, -14)
Bowling Green (4-3, 2-0, -14)
Virginia Tech (4-3, 2-1, -14)
Wake Forest (3-3, 1-3, -15)
North Texas (2-4, 1-2, -15)
Navy (3-3, 0-0, -15)
Air Force (3-3, 2-1, -15)
South Florida (2-4, 0-2, -16)
Central Michigan (2-4, 0-2, -17)
Connecticut (3-4, 0-2, -17)
Indiana (2-4, 0-3, -17)
California (3-4, 2-2, -17)
Washington State (2-5, 0-4, -18)
Pittsburgh (2-4, 0-3, -19)
Utah (2-4, 0-3, -20)
Auburn (1-5, 0-4, -20)
Miami (OH) (2-4, 1-1, -21)
Florida Atlantic (1-5, 0-2, -21)
Western Michigan (3-4, 1-2, -21)
Marshall (2-4, 0-1, -21)
SMU (2-4, 1-1, -22)
Georgia Tech (2-4, 0-3, -22)
Buffalo (1-5, 0-3,-23)
New Mexico State (1-5, 0-2, -24)
Colorado (1-5, 1-2, -25)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
UTEP (1-5, 0-1, -26)
Kansas (1-5, 0-3, -26)
Rice (2-5, 0-2, -26)
Kentucky (1-6, 0-4, -27)
South Alabama (1-5, 0-2, -27)
UAB (1-5, 0-2, -27)
Boston College (1-5, 0-3, -27)
Virginia (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Illinois (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Wyoming (1-5, 0-2, -29)
Army (1-5, 0-0, -29)
Memphis (1-5, 1-1, -29)
Tulane (1-5, 1-3, -29)
Akron (1-6, 0-2, -31)
Idaho (1-6, 1-0, -32)
Southern Miss (0-6, 0-2, -32)
Massachusetts (0-6, 0-2, -33)
Florida International (1-6, 0-3, -34)
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
UNLV (1-6, 0-2, -35)
Eastern Michigan (0-6, 0-2, -36)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Power Rankings - Oct. 07
1) Oregon State (4-0, 3-0, +13) - So I've decided to call that number after each team's record their PASS, or Performance Against Strength of Schedule. Oregon State's PASS is +13. You gain a lot of credit for beating good teams, a little credit for beating bad teams; you lose a little credit for losing to good teams, you lose a lot of credit for losing to bad teams. What I'm ranking is how good a team has performed up until this point, not who I think is "best" or who I think "deserves" to play for the BCS Championship. Oregon State has, up to this point, played a very tough schedule and has won 'em all. They looked a little flat against Washington St., with QB Sean Mannion throwing three interceptions and the team only rushing for 100 yards on 40 attempts in the 19-6 win. The defense came through though, causing five turnovers and holding the Cougars to 227 yards of total offense. Last Week: 1
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12) - I think it's a sign that you're a member of the community when you get on the bus after buying groceries on Sunday morning, and the first thing the bus driver says to you is, "Your Ducks looked pretty good last night." Yes they did, Mr. Bus Driver. Oregon's offense was clicking on all cylinders last night, or whatever cylinders do, in a 52-21 win over Washington. Marcus Mariota passed for 198 yards and 4 TDs, Kenjon Barner rushed 122 yards on 20 carries and De'Anthony Thomas had 75 on 10. The Ducks get a bye week before beginning the much more difficult second half of their schedule: at Arizona St., vs. Colorado, at AP #11 USC, at Cal, vs. #17 Stanford, at #10 Oregon State. Last Week: 3
3) Notre Dame (5-0, 0-0, +10) - "But my Irish looked pretty good too!" said Mr. Bus Driver. Yes, they did, beating Miami 41-3. The key difference between this Notre Dame team and past iterations is the defense. They held Miami to only 84 rushing yards, and had 34 first downs compared to Miami's 13. Like Oregon, Notre Dame has a brutal schedule ahead, starting with Stanford next week, at Oklahoma on Oct. 27 and at USC on Nov. 24. Unlike Oregon, however, I think a one-loss Notre Dame team makes it to the National Championship. Last Week: 4
4) Florida (5-0, 4-0, +10) - When was the last time somebody was able to run against the LSU Tigers? Florida RB Mike Gillislee ran between the tackles for 146 yards on 34 attempts and 2 TDs behind a suddenly dominant offensive line. Florida still has to run the gauntlet at home against South Carolina and at Georgia, but this win ought to give them a lot of confidence going forward. Last Week: 9
5) South Carolina (6-0, 4-0, +9) - Defense wins championships, especially in the SEC. In beating rival Georgia 35-7, South Carolina held the Bulldogs to 224 total yards, half their average, 115 yards rushing on 3.2 yards per rush, and 15 first downs. They head to LSU next week, and play at Florida on Oct. 20, with a possible trip to the SEC championship on the line. Last Week: 14
6) Rutgers (5-0, 2-0, +8) - Let's talk Big East. In what may be the conference's last season in football, it is doing quite well, with a 20-10 non-conference record and three teams in the AP top 25. Louisville seems to be the best team, but they have yet to play a conference game, and recently struggled against a terrible Southern Miss team. After that comes Rutgers and Cincinnati. All three still have to play one another, and each gets one at home and one away. But even though Rutgers hosts Louisville, they get Cincinnati and Pitt back-to-back on the road. I really doubt we'll know who the champion will be before the end of November, though. Last Week: 6
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7) - OK, I know that the voters will never deny the SEC champion a spot in the national championship. Nor should they, unless something weird happens and that team is, like, 8-5 or something. But I think Alabama should be concerned about how weak their schedule keeps getting. Arkansas and Auburn are terrible. Their "signature" win against 3-2 Michigan doesn't look great, although that could change if Michigan lights up the Big Ten like they did Purdue. And now LSU goes and loses! The Massey computer currently has Alabama 7th, behind one-loss Texas and Texas-Tech. Last Week: 7
8) West Virginia (5-0, 2-0, +7) - West Virginia showed that they could win in more than one way on Saturday, holding Texas scoreless in the 4th quarter until the final 15 seconds, and holding on for the win, 48-45. Things won't get easier for the Mountaineers, with Texas Tech, Kansas State, and TCU up next. Last Week: 19
BCS Nightmare scenario #1: West Virginia blitzes the Big 12, scoring 1,000 points, allowing 950, and finishing 12-0. Oregon makes a furious rally at home to beat USC 34-33, win the Pac-12, and finish 13-0. LSU upsets Alabama at home 7-6, crushes South Carolina in the SEC Championship 35-3, and finishes 12-1. Alabama finishes 11-1. Who do YOU put in the BCS???
9) Ohio (6-0, 2-0, +7) - If my PASS system were adopted as a legitimate way to determine the BCS, probably the best way to game would be what I call the "Boise State System." Pick a big name team you think you can beat, and schedule them very early in the season. Win that game, then steamroll your inferior conference en route to an undefeated season while the big guys beat up on each other. The Ohio Bobcats' win against Penn State looks much better after Penn State's win against Northwestern, but Ohio's last two wins (37-34 at winless UMass and 38-31 against Buffalo) do not engender much confidence. The only team left on their schedule better than .500 is 4-1 Kent State, although they could be destined to a MAC championship showdown against Northern Illinois that would boost their strength of schedule. Last Week: 10
10) Kansas State (5-0, 2-0, +6) - We now are starting to get a picture of the Big 12. West Virginia and Kansas State are the only remaining undefeated teams, and they play each other in Morgantown, WV on Oct. 20. But both teams have tough road games next week, with West Virginia at Texas Tech and Kansas State at Iowa State. The loser of the Red River Rivalry will have two losses, while the winner will be back in the Big 12 conversation. Hapless Kansas is 0-2, and everybody else has one conference loss. Last Week: 12
11) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +6) - Can we like, retroactively revoke Ohio State's bowl ban? Seriously, they are the only good team in the Big Ten, and if they were eligible, they would be in at least the Rose Bowl conversation, maybe even the BCS. For a clearer picture of how sorry the conference is, consider this: The only team left on Ohio State's schedule who is in the AP Top 25 is 3-2 Michigan, at No. 25. Last Week: 17
12) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5) Last Week: 16
13) Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0, +5) Last Week: 21
14) Oklahoma (3-1, 1-1, +5) - The Sooners get the credit for finally taking down Texas Tech, 41-20, and I think they ought to be favored in their showdown against Texas next week. They have some kinks to work out first though: QB Landry Jones was only 25/40 on Saturday, they gave up a key fumble, and they were only 8 for 14 on third downs. And, after Texas, the Sooners still have to play Notre Dame, West Virginia, and TCU. I'm picking under 10 wins for the season right now. Last Week: NR
15) Louisiana Tech (5-0, 0-0, +5) - Ohio may be my highest ranked non-BCS team, but I'm liking the WAC's Louisiana Tech Bulldogs as this year's potential BCS-buster. They already have road wins against Illinois and Virginia, and they get to host Texas A&M next week. A win there, and we should get to see a lot more of LaTech. Last Week: 24
16) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5) - Saturday, November 3rd. Two conference power-houses. Two teams with BCS hopes on the line. A rivalry renewed. USC-Oregon? LSU-Alabama? No. Louisiana Tech versus Texas-San Antonio! Experience the WACtion. Last Week: 18
17) Cincinnati (4-0, 1-0, +4) Last Week: 25
18) Texas Tech (4-1, 1-1, +4) Last Week: 2
19) Iowa State (4-1, 1-1, +4) Last Week: NR
20) LSU (5-1, 1-1, +3) Last Week: 13
21) Georgia (5-1, 3-1, +3) - Am I the only person not surprised by Georgia's 35-7 loss at South Carolina? They gave up 6.4 yards per play, which is about in line with the 5.6 they gave to Tennessee, 5.0 to Buffalo, and 4.5 to Florida Atlantic. The big difference was the fact that the Gamecocks could stop Georgia's rushing offense. The good news for Georgia is that they only have one tough game left on their schedule, home against Florida, whereas South Carolina still has at LSU, at Florida, and at Clemson. Seriously, who set these SEC schedules? Last Week: 11
22) Florida State (5-1, 2-1, +3) - Man, as soon as I get on the FSU bandwagon, they pull a stinker like this one. I was thinking of comparisons between this team and Pete Carroll's USC teams that would lose to Stanford or Oregon State, but here's the difference: FSU gave away the lead. Those 'SC teams would usually come in sleepwalking and then try to have to engineer a comeback. I don't they'd ever let a bad team back into the game like the Seminoles did. If FSU had lost to Clemson, I'd be saying that they could get back into the National Championship picture. But losing to the Wolfpack? Nope. Good-bye. Last Week: 5
23) Washington (3-2, 1-1, +4) - Here's another problem with my PASS plan. Washington has two losses: at LSU and at Oregon. You don't get punished for losing to those teams. Plus, they get a lot of credit for winning at home against Stanford, who is currently sitting with a bunch of other one-loss teams (Boise State, USC, Clemson) just outside my top 25. But the Huskies beat Stanford 17-13, and the combined score of their two losses was 24-93. I feel like I need some mechanism that could reflect that. Washington hosts USC next week, as both teams will try to climb their way back into the Pac-12 race. (On the other hand, I like that my system inherently rewards UW just for playing 4 of last year's top 10 teams in 6 weeks.) Last Week: 20
24) Western Kentucky (4-1, 1-0, +3) - Of course I think that Florida State is better than Western Kentucky. But have they actually performed better against their strength of schedule? The Hilltoppers have 1 loss - 35-0 at Alabama. They have wins at Kentucky (32-31) and at Arkansas State, whose only other losses are at Oregon and at Nebraska. By contrast, Florida State has a quality win against Clemson, two meaningless wins against FCS Savannah State and Murray State, and one bad loss, at North Carolina State, who was 1-2 against BCS teams before playing Florida State. Last Week: NR
PS: It would take too long to do this for every team, but I calculated Western Kentucky's Strength of Schedule to be -16, and Florida State's at -17.5. So, yes, Western Kentucky has done equally well against a more difficult schedule than Florida State.
25) Duke (5-1, 2-0, +2) - Duke! At football! Their sole loss is to Stanford, so, actually, by my own rules, they should not be ranked here. (Stanford also having one loss.) So, um, .... shit ... but still, Duke! At football! Last Week: NR
Dropped Out:
UCLA, Northwestern, Texas, TCU
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12) - I think it's a sign that you're a member of the community when you get on the bus after buying groceries on Sunday morning, and the first thing the bus driver says to you is, "Your Ducks looked pretty good last night." Yes they did, Mr. Bus Driver. Oregon's offense was clicking on all cylinders last night, or whatever cylinders do, in a 52-21 win over Washington. Marcus Mariota passed for 198 yards and 4 TDs, Kenjon Barner rushed 122 yards on 20 carries and De'Anthony Thomas had 75 on 10. The Ducks get a bye week before beginning the much more difficult second half of their schedule: at Arizona St., vs. Colorado, at AP #11 USC, at Cal, vs. #17 Stanford, at #10 Oregon State. Last Week: 3
3) Notre Dame (5-0, 0-0, +10) - "But my Irish looked pretty good too!" said Mr. Bus Driver. Yes, they did, beating Miami 41-3. The key difference between this Notre Dame team and past iterations is the defense. They held Miami to only 84 rushing yards, and had 34 first downs compared to Miami's 13. Like Oregon, Notre Dame has a brutal schedule ahead, starting with Stanford next week, at Oklahoma on Oct. 27 and at USC on Nov. 24. Unlike Oregon, however, I think a one-loss Notre Dame team makes it to the National Championship. Last Week: 4
4) Florida (5-0, 4-0, +10) - When was the last time somebody was able to run against the LSU Tigers? Florida RB Mike Gillislee ran between the tackles for 146 yards on 34 attempts and 2 TDs behind a suddenly dominant offensive line. Florida still has to run the gauntlet at home against South Carolina and at Georgia, but this win ought to give them a lot of confidence going forward. Last Week: 9
5) South Carolina (6-0, 4-0, +9) - Defense wins championships, especially in the SEC. In beating rival Georgia 35-7, South Carolina held the Bulldogs to 224 total yards, half their average, 115 yards rushing on 3.2 yards per rush, and 15 first downs. They head to LSU next week, and play at Florida on Oct. 20, with a possible trip to the SEC championship on the line. Last Week: 14
6) Rutgers (5-0, 2-0, +8) - Let's talk Big East. In what may be the conference's last season in football, it is doing quite well, with a 20-10 non-conference record and three teams in the AP top 25. Louisville seems to be the best team, but they have yet to play a conference game, and recently struggled against a terrible Southern Miss team. After that comes Rutgers and Cincinnati. All three still have to play one another, and each gets one at home and one away. But even though Rutgers hosts Louisville, they get Cincinnati and Pitt back-to-back on the road. I really doubt we'll know who the champion will be before the end of November, though. Last Week: 6
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7) - OK, I know that the voters will never deny the SEC champion a spot in the national championship. Nor should they, unless something weird happens and that team is, like, 8-5 or something. But I think Alabama should be concerned about how weak their schedule keeps getting. Arkansas and Auburn are terrible. Their "signature" win against 3-2 Michigan doesn't look great, although that could change if Michigan lights up the Big Ten like they did Purdue. And now LSU goes and loses! The Massey computer currently has Alabama 7th, behind one-loss Texas and Texas-Tech. Last Week: 7
8) West Virginia (5-0, 2-0, +7) - West Virginia showed that they could win in more than one way on Saturday, holding Texas scoreless in the 4th quarter until the final 15 seconds, and holding on for the win, 48-45. Things won't get easier for the Mountaineers, with Texas Tech, Kansas State, and TCU up next. Last Week: 19
BCS Nightmare scenario #1: West Virginia blitzes the Big 12, scoring 1,000 points, allowing 950, and finishing 12-0. Oregon makes a furious rally at home to beat USC 34-33, win the Pac-12, and finish 13-0. LSU upsets Alabama at home 7-6, crushes South Carolina in the SEC Championship 35-3, and finishes 12-1. Alabama finishes 11-1. Who do YOU put in the BCS???
9) Ohio (6-0, 2-0, +7) - If my PASS system were adopted as a legitimate way to determine the BCS, probably the best way to game would be what I call the "Boise State System." Pick a big name team you think you can beat, and schedule them very early in the season. Win that game, then steamroll your inferior conference en route to an undefeated season while the big guys beat up on each other. The Ohio Bobcats' win against Penn State looks much better after Penn State's win against Northwestern, but Ohio's last two wins (37-34 at winless UMass and 38-31 against Buffalo) do not engender much confidence. The only team left on their schedule better than .500 is 4-1 Kent State, although they could be destined to a MAC championship showdown against Northern Illinois that would boost their strength of schedule. Last Week: 10
10) Kansas State (5-0, 2-0, +6) - We now are starting to get a picture of the Big 12. West Virginia and Kansas State are the only remaining undefeated teams, and they play each other in Morgantown, WV on Oct. 20. But both teams have tough road games next week, with West Virginia at Texas Tech and Kansas State at Iowa State. The loser of the Red River Rivalry will have two losses, while the winner will be back in the Big 12 conversation. Hapless Kansas is 0-2, and everybody else has one conference loss. Last Week: 12
11) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +6) - Can we like, retroactively revoke Ohio State's bowl ban? Seriously, they are the only good team in the Big Ten, and if they were eligible, they would be in at least the Rose Bowl conversation, maybe even the BCS. For a clearer picture of how sorry the conference is, consider this: The only team left on Ohio State's schedule who is in the AP Top 25 is 3-2 Michigan, at No. 25. Last Week: 17
12) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5) Last Week: 16
13) Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0, +5) Last Week: 21
14) Oklahoma (3-1, 1-1, +5) - The Sooners get the credit for finally taking down Texas Tech, 41-20, and I think they ought to be favored in their showdown against Texas next week. They have some kinks to work out first though: QB Landry Jones was only 25/40 on Saturday, they gave up a key fumble, and they were only 8 for 14 on third downs. And, after Texas, the Sooners still have to play Notre Dame, West Virginia, and TCU. I'm picking under 10 wins for the season right now. Last Week: NR
15) Louisiana Tech (5-0, 0-0, +5) - Ohio may be my highest ranked non-BCS team, but I'm liking the WAC's Louisiana Tech Bulldogs as this year's potential BCS-buster. They already have road wins against Illinois and Virginia, and they get to host Texas A&M next week. A win there, and we should get to see a lot more of LaTech. Last Week: 24
16) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5) - Saturday, November 3rd. Two conference power-houses. Two teams with BCS hopes on the line. A rivalry renewed. USC-Oregon? LSU-Alabama? No. Louisiana Tech versus Texas-San Antonio! Experience the WACtion. Last Week: 18
17) Cincinnati (4-0, 1-0, +4) Last Week: 25
18) Texas Tech (4-1, 1-1, +4) Last Week: 2
19) Iowa State (4-1, 1-1, +4) Last Week: NR
20) LSU (5-1, 1-1, +3) Last Week: 13
21) Georgia (5-1, 3-1, +3) - Am I the only person not surprised by Georgia's 35-7 loss at South Carolina? They gave up 6.4 yards per play, which is about in line with the 5.6 they gave to Tennessee, 5.0 to Buffalo, and 4.5 to Florida Atlantic. The big difference was the fact that the Gamecocks could stop Georgia's rushing offense. The good news for Georgia is that they only have one tough game left on their schedule, home against Florida, whereas South Carolina still has at LSU, at Florida, and at Clemson. Seriously, who set these SEC schedules? Last Week: 11
22) Florida State (5-1, 2-1, +3) - Man, as soon as I get on the FSU bandwagon, they pull a stinker like this one. I was thinking of comparisons between this team and Pete Carroll's USC teams that would lose to Stanford or Oregon State, but here's the difference: FSU gave away the lead. Those 'SC teams would usually come in sleepwalking and then try to have to engineer a comeback. I don't they'd ever let a bad team back into the game like the Seminoles did. If FSU had lost to Clemson, I'd be saying that they could get back into the National Championship picture. But losing to the Wolfpack? Nope. Good-bye. Last Week: 5
23) Washington (3-2, 1-1, +4) - Here's another problem with my PASS plan. Washington has two losses: at LSU and at Oregon. You don't get punished for losing to those teams. Plus, they get a lot of credit for winning at home against Stanford, who is currently sitting with a bunch of other one-loss teams (Boise State, USC, Clemson) just outside my top 25. But the Huskies beat Stanford 17-13, and the combined score of their two losses was 24-93. I feel like I need some mechanism that could reflect that. Washington hosts USC next week, as both teams will try to climb their way back into the Pac-12 race. (On the other hand, I like that my system inherently rewards UW just for playing 4 of last year's top 10 teams in 6 weeks.) Last Week: 20
24) Western Kentucky (4-1, 1-0, +3) - Of course I think that Florida State is better than Western Kentucky. But have they actually performed better against their strength of schedule? The Hilltoppers have 1 loss - 35-0 at Alabama. They have wins at Kentucky (32-31) and at Arkansas State, whose only other losses are at Oregon and at Nebraska. By contrast, Florida State has a quality win against Clemson, two meaningless wins against FCS Savannah State and Murray State, and one bad loss, at North Carolina State, who was 1-2 against BCS teams before playing Florida State. Last Week: NR
PS: It would take too long to do this for every team, but I calculated Western Kentucky's Strength of Schedule to be -16, and Florida State's at -17.5. So, yes, Western Kentucky has done equally well against a more difficult schedule than Florida State.
25) Duke (5-1, 2-0, +2) - Duke! At football! Their sole loss is to Stanford, so, actually, by my own rules, they should not be ranked here. (Stanford also having one loss.) So, um, .... shit ... but still, Duke! At football! Last Week: NR
Dropped Out:
UCLA, Northwestern, Texas, TCU
My Top 25
1) Oregon State (4-0, 3-0, +13)
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12)
3) Notre Dame (5-0, 0-0, +10)
4) Florida (5-0, 4-0, +10)
5) South Carolina (6-0, 4-0, +9)
6) Rutgers (5-0, 2-0, +8)
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7)
8) West Virginia (5-0, 2-0, +7)
9) Ohio (6-0, 2-0, +7)
10) Kansas State (5-0, 2-0, +6)
11) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +6)
12) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5)
13) Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0, +5)
14) Oklahoma (3-1, 1-1, +5)
15) Louisiana Tech (5-0, 0-0, +5)
16) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5)
17) Cincinnati (4-0, 1-0, +4)
18) Texas Tech (4-1, 1-1, +4)
19) Iowa State (4-1, 1-1, +4)
20) LSU (5-1, 1-1, +3)
21) Georgia (5-1, 3-1, +3)
22) Florida State (5-1, 2-1, +3)
23) Washington (3-2, 1-1, +4)
24) Western Kentucky (4-1, 1-0, +3)
25) Duke (5-1, 2-0, +2)
San Jose State (4-1, 0-0, +2)
Boise State (4-1, 1-0, +2)
UCLA (4-2, 1-2, +1)
Michigan (3-2, 1-0, +1)
Stanford (4-1, 2-1, +1)
USC (4-1, 2-1, +1)
Clemson (5-1, 2-1, +1)
Texas (4-1, 1-1, 0)
Miami (FL) (4-2, 3-0, 0)
Northwestern (5-1, 1-1, -1)
Michigan State (4-2, 1-1, -1)
Nevada (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Northern Illinois (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Toledo (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Tulsa (5-1, 3-0, -1)
TCU (4-1, 1-1, -2)
Minnesota (4-1, 0-1, -2)
Arizona State (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Kent State (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Texas A&M (4-1, 2-1, -2)
Arizona (3-3, 0-3, -3)
North Carolina State (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Baylor (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Nebraska (4-2, 1-1, -4)
Fresno State (4-2, 2-0, -4)
Louisiana-Monroe (3-2, 2-0, -5)
Penn State (4-2, 2-0, -5)
Tennessee (3-2, 0-2, -6)
Iowa (3-2, 1-0, -7)
North Carolina (4-2, 1-1, -7)
Purdue (3-2, 0-1, -8)
Utah State (4-2, 1-0, -8)
Troy (3-2, 2-1, -8)Wisconsin (4-2, 1-1, -8)
Brigham Young (4-2, 0-0, -8)
Middle Tennessee State (3-2, 1-1, -9)
Oklahoma State (2-2, 0-1, -9)
UCF (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Maryland (3-2, 1-0, -9)
San Diego State (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Ball State (3-3, 0-2, -10)
Mississippi (3-3, 0-2, -10)
New Mexico (3-3, 0-1, -10)
Arkansas State (3-3, 1-1, -10)
Temple (2-2, 1-0, -10)
Vanderbilt (2-3, 1-2, -10)
Central Michigan (2-3, 0-2, -11)
Missouri (3-3, 0-3, -11)
Connecticut (3-3, 0-1, -11)
Houston (2-3, 2-0, -11)
Texas State (2-3, 0-0, -12)
Washington State (2-4, 0-3, -12)
Syracuse (2-3, 1-0, -12)
East Carolina (3-3, 0-1, -13)
Indiana (2-3, 0-2, -14)
Utah (2-3, 0-2, -14)
Arkansas (2-4, 1-2, -14)
Auburn (1-4, 0-3, -14)
Wake Forest (3-3, 1-3, -15)
North Texas (2-4, 1-2, -15)
Miami (OH) (2-3, 1-0, -15)
Florida Atlantic (1-4, 0-1, -15)
Western Michigan (3-3, 1-1, -15)
Bowling Green (3-3, 1-0, -15)
Pittsburgh (2-3, 0-2, -16)
Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1, -16)
South Florida (2-4, 0-2, -16)
Navy (2-3, 0-0, -16)
Air Force (2-3, 1-1, -16)
SMU (2-3, 1-0, -16)
Buffalo (1-4, 0-2,-17)California (2-4, 1-2, -18)
Colorado (1-4, 1-1, -19)
Hawaii (1-4, 0-2, -20)
UTEP (1-4, 0-1, -20)
Kansas (1-4, 0-2, -20)
Marshall (2-4, 0-1, -21)
Kentucky (1-5, 0-3, -21)
South Alabama (1-4, 0-1, -21)
UAB (1-4, 0-1, -21)
Georgia Tech (2-4, 0-3, -22)
Virginia (2-4, 0-2, -22)
Illinois (2-4, 0-2, -22)
Boston College (1-4, 0-2, -22)
Wyoming (1-4, 0-1, -23) Army (1-4, 0-0, -23)
Memphis (1-4, 1-0, -23)
New Mexico State (1-5, 0-2, -24)
Idaho (1-5, 1-0, -26)
Southern Miss (0-5, 0-1, -26)
Florida International (1-5, 0-2, -28)
Akron (1-5, 0-1, -29)
Colorado State (1-5, 0-2, -29)
Rice (1-5, 0-2, -29)
UNLV (1-5, 0-1, -29)
Tulane (0-5, 0-3, -30)
Eastern Michigan (0-5, 0-1, -30)
Massachusetts (0-6, 0-2, -33)
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12)
3) Notre Dame (5-0, 0-0, +10)
4) Florida (5-0, 4-0, +10)
5) South Carolina (6-0, 4-0, +9)
6) Rutgers (5-0, 2-0, +8)
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7)
8) West Virginia (5-0, 2-0, +7)
9) Ohio (6-0, 2-0, +7)
10) Kansas State (5-0, 2-0, +6)
11) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +6)
12) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5)
13) Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0, +5)
14) Oklahoma (3-1, 1-1, +5)
15) Louisiana Tech (5-0, 0-0, +5)
16) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5)
17) Cincinnati (4-0, 1-0, +4)
18) Texas Tech (4-1, 1-1, +4)
19) Iowa State (4-1, 1-1, +4)
20) LSU (5-1, 1-1, +3)
21) Georgia (5-1, 3-1, +3)
22) Florida State (5-1, 2-1, +3)
23) Washington (3-2, 1-1, +4)
24) Western Kentucky (4-1, 1-0, +3)
25) Duke (5-1, 2-0, +2)
San Jose State (4-1, 0-0, +2)
Boise State (4-1, 1-0, +2)
UCLA (4-2, 1-2, +1)
Michigan (3-2, 1-0, +1)
Stanford (4-1, 2-1, +1)
USC (4-1, 2-1, +1)
Clemson (5-1, 2-1, +1)
Texas (4-1, 1-1, 0)
Miami (FL) (4-2, 3-0, 0)
Northwestern (5-1, 1-1, -1)
Michigan State (4-2, 1-1, -1)
Nevada (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Northern Illinois (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Toledo (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Tulsa (5-1, 3-0, -1)
TCU (4-1, 1-1, -2)
Minnesota (4-1, 0-1, -2)
Arizona State (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Kent State (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Texas A&M (4-1, 2-1, -2)
Arizona (3-3, 0-3, -3)
North Carolina State (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Baylor (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Nebraska (4-2, 1-1, -4)
Fresno State (4-2, 2-0, -4)
Louisiana-Monroe (3-2, 2-0, -5)
Penn State (4-2, 2-0, -5)
Tennessee (3-2, 0-2, -6)
Iowa (3-2, 1-0, -7)
North Carolina (4-2, 1-1, -7)
Purdue (3-2, 0-1, -8)
Utah State (4-2, 1-0, -8)
Troy (3-2, 2-1, -8)Wisconsin (4-2, 1-1, -8)
Brigham Young (4-2, 0-0, -8)
Middle Tennessee State (3-2, 1-1, -9)
Oklahoma State (2-2, 0-1, -9)
UCF (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Maryland (3-2, 1-0, -9)
San Diego State (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Ball State (3-3, 0-2, -10)
Mississippi (3-3, 0-2, -10)
New Mexico (3-3, 0-1, -10)
Arkansas State (3-3, 1-1, -10)
Temple (2-2, 1-0, -10)
Vanderbilt (2-3, 1-2, -10)
Central Michigan (2-3, 0-2, -11)
Missouri (3-3, 0-3, -11)
Connecticut (3-3, 0-1, -11)
Houston (2-3, 2-0, -11)
Texas State (2-3, 0-0, -12)
Washington State (2-4, 0-3, -12)
Syracuse (2-3, 1-0, -12)
East Carolina (3-3, 0-1, -13)
Indiana (2-3, 0-2, -14)
Utah (2-3, 0-2, -14)
Arkansas (2-4, 1-2, -14)
Auburn (1-4, 0-3, -14)
Wake Forest (3-3, 1-3, -15)
North Texas (2-4, 1-2, -15)
Miami (OH) (2-3, 1-0, -15)
Florida Atlantic (1-4, 0-1, -15)
Western Michigan (3-3, 1-1, -15)
Bowling Green (3-3, 1-0, -15)
Pittsburgh (2-3, 0-2, -16)
Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1, -16)
South Florida (2-4, 0-2, -16)
Navy (2-3, 0-0, -16)
Air Force (2-3, 1-1, -16)
SMU (2-3, 1-0, -16)
Buffalo (1-4, 0-2,-17)California (2-4, 1-2, -18)
Colorado (1-4, 1-1, -19)
Hawaii (1-4, 0-2, -20)
UTEP (1-4, 0-1, -20)
Kansas (1-4, 0-2, -20)
Marshall (2-4, 0-1, -21)
Kentucky (1-5, 0-3, -21)
South Alabama (1-4, 0-1, -21)
UAB (1-4, 0-1, -21)
Georgia Tech (2-4, 0-3, -22)
Virginia (2-4, 0-2, -22)
Illinois (2-4, 0-2, -22)
Boston College (1-4, 0-2, -22)
Wyoming (1-4, 0-1, -23) Army (1-4, 0-0, -23)
Memphis (1-4, 1-0, -23)
New Mexico State (1-5, 0-2, -24)
Idaho (1-5, 1-0, -26)
Southern Miss (0-5, 0-1, -26)
Florida International (1-5, 0-2, -28)
Akron (1-5, 0-1, -29)
Colorado State (1-5, 0-2, -29)
Rice (1-5, 0-2, -29)
UNLV (1-5, 0-1, -29)
Tulane (0-5, 0-3, -30)
Eastern Michigan (0-5, 0-1, -30)
Massachusetts (0-6, 0-2, -33)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Power Rankings - Oct. 01
1) Oregon State (3-0, 2-0, +12) Results: W @ Arizona, 38-35. Next Game: vs. Washington State. Good Wins: vs. Wisconsin, @ UCLA, @ Arizona.
I almost jinxed the Beavers last night. I was at the Pygmalion Music Festival with Robyn, when I checked my phone and saw that the Beavers were up on Arizona 17-0. "Don't tell anyone," I said, "But the Beavers might actually be very good." As soon as I said that, Arizona scored a touchdown, and started a comeback that would see them up 35-31 with 1:09 left in the game. Oregon State bounced back, though, when QB Sean Mannion threw his third touchdown pass of the game, and then Rashaad Reynolds intercepted Arizona to seal the win 30 seconds later.
2) Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0, +10) Results: W @ Iowa State, 24-13. Next Game: vs. Oklahoma. Good Wins: vs. Texas State*, vs. Iowa State
I want you to think of TT as the Big 12's "placeholder." We're pretty sure that there is an elite team or two in the Big 12, but we're not sure who it is, so we'll just say it's Tech until evidence proves us otherwise, which may happen next week when the Oklahoma Sooners come to town. (* Texas Tech got extra credit for beating this WAC team because Texas State had just beaten Houston, who last year finished 11-1, but this year kind of stinks.)
3) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +10) Results: W @ Washington State, 51-26. Next Game: vs. Washington. Good Win: vs. Arizona
The Ducks are doing that thing where they have flashes of brilliance interrupted by long periods of mediocre football. Against the Cougars, they let an early 20-3 lead shrink to 23-19 at halftime, before turning on the engines and winning by 25. They also may have been the greatest beneficiaries of Stanford's loss, but let me ask you this: Will the Civil War game end up having more Rose Bowl implications this year than Stanford-Oregon?
4) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9) Results: Bye. Next Game: vs. Miami (FL). Good Wins: vs. Michigan, @ Michigan State
Catholics versus Convicts next week. (I hate that saying. Kind of racist, right?) Don't look now, but supposedly hapless Miami is coming to South Bend at 4-1, on top of their division, and their only loss coming against K-State. Their schedule is about to get more difficult, though, with Notre Dame, Florida State, and Virginia Tech all on the docket. Still, how awesome would it be if Miami and Duke (4-1, 1-0) were playing for the division title in their season finale on Nov. 24?
5) Florida State (5-0, 2-0, +9) Results: W @ South Florida, 30-17. Next Game: @ North Carolina State Good Win: vs. Clemson
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7) Results: Bye Next Game: vs. Connecticut Good Wins: Getting to beat South Florida before FSU got there; Arkansas after they got steamrolled by Alabama.
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7) Results: W vs. Mississippi, 33-14. Next Game: @ Missouri Good Win: vs. Michigan.
Alabama looked mortal for about 15 seconds yesterday, when they trailed Ole Miss 7-6 at home in the second quarter. Christion Jones then returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. The Tide were one of a few elite teams who looked off their game on Saturday, allowing Ole Miss to get 16 first downs, 10 of which came on third or fourth down. Still, I see no reason to panic in Tuscaloosa.
8) UCLA (4-1, 1-1, +7) Results: W vs. Colorado 42-14. Next Game: @ California. Good Win: vs. Nebraska
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6) Results: Bye. Next Game: vs. LSU Good Win: @ Tennessee
Next week is going to be an epic one in the SEC, with Florida hosting LSU and Georgia visiting South Carolina. The winners of both those games will get huge boosts here, probably up to the top 5, and even the losers should have enough cache to remain in the top 25. I'm going to want to think about this longer, but if I had to pick right now, I'd go with LSU over Florida and South Carolina over Georgia.
10) Ohio (5-0, 1-0, +6) Results: W @ Massachusetts, 37-34. Next Game: vs. Buffalo Good Win: We gave them too much credit for beating Penn State in the first week.
11) Georgia (5-0, 3-0, +6) Results: W vs. Tennessee, 51-44. Next Game: @ South Carolina Good Win: vs. Tennessee
Another week, another opportunity to be underwhelmed by the Georgia Bulldogs. Tennessee scored 44 points against Georgia, which means that the Bulldogs did better against Tennessee than both Akron (47) and Georgia State (51). Georgia's defense is 6th in the SEC and 47th in the FBS in points allowed per game, tied with Maryland and Vanderbilt but just behind UCF and Western Kentucky. In other news, how unfair is it that Tennessee has to play at Georgia, at Mississippi State, vs. Alabama, and at South Carolina while Georgia gets to trade in Alabama and Mississippi State for Mississippi and Auburn?
12) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5) Results: Bye. Next Game: vs. Kansas. Good Wins: @ Oklahoma, vs. Miami (FL)(?)
13) LSU (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Towson Next Game: @ Florida Good Win: vs. Washington
Uh-oh. For the second straight week, LSU looked vulnerable against an inferior opponent. They fumbled 5 times, losing it 3 times. They allowed four sacks. They gave up 4.7 yards per rush. Against Towson.
14) South Carolina (5-0, 3-0, +5) Results: W @ Kentucky, 38-17. Next Game: vs. Georgia Good Wins: Still waiting. They got four future opponents in the AP Top 25, though.
15) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Indiana 44-29. Next Game: @ Penn State Good Wins: umm... Syracuse? ....
Northwestern's victory means that Indiana passes them as the losingest FBS team of all time, with a record 633 losses. I'm afraid that this might be Northwestern's high point of the season, though, as they still have to play at Penn State, at Michigan, and at Michigan State.
16) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5) Results: W @ Southern Miss 21-17. Next Game: Oct. 13 @ Pittsburgh Good Wins: vs. Kentucky, vs. North Carolina. If we were playing basketball. But the Big East as a conference is 19-10 against all other conferences, and 4-2 against that lyin', cheatin', stealin' ACC.
17) Ohio State (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W @ Michigan State 17-16. Next Game: vs Nebraska Good Win: @ Michigan State
Alright, I've finally figured out the Big Ten divisions: You've got the Mnimnm Division and the P-Powii! Division. The problem is that two of the teams from P-Powii! are banned from the Big Ten Championship: Ohio State, for having players trade BCS swag for tattoos, and Penn State, for decades of institutionally sanctioned child rape. Because those two are totally equivalent crimes. So that means that one of Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1), Purdue (3-1, 0-0), Indiana (2-2, 0-1), or Illinois (2-3, 0-1) will be playing in the Big Ten Championship in December, with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.
We are also facing the first time in 8 years that the Big Ten will only have one BCS representative, and the first time since the BCS expanded from 8 teams to 10 in 2006.
18) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W @ New Mexico State, 35-14. Next Game: Oct. 13 @ Rice. Good Wins: Give 'em a break, they just got here, OK?
The Fightin' Roadrunners! UTSA got their first ever FBS victory over New Mexico State. QB Eric Soza passed for 269 yards and 3 TDs, and has a season QB rating of 159.1, with 10 TDs and 1 INT on the season.
19) West Virginia (4-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Baylor 70-63. Next Game: @ Texas. Good Win: vs. Baylor
West Virginia QB Geno Smith's stat line from the Baylor game: 45/51, 656 yards, 8 TDs, 0 INTs. The man had 8 touchdown passes and 6 incomplete passes.
20) Washington (3-1, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Stanford 17-13. Next Game: @ Oregon. Good Win: vs. Stanford
Of my four Pac-12 teams in the Top 25, this is the one that I feel least comfortable with. The Huskies played really well in upsetting Stanford at home, but I just can't shake that shaky win against San Diego State or that blowout loss to LSU out of my mind. Washington gets the "trifecta" treatment in the Pac-12, playing at Oregon next week and hosting USC the week after. If they're 4-2, then I'll start treating them as a serious Top 25 team.
21) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4) Results: Bye. Next Game: @ Kentucky Good Wins: None.
22) Texas (4-0, 1-0, +4) Results: W @ Oklahoma State, 41-36. Next Game: vs. West Virginia. Good Win: @ Oklahoma State
How many games were there on Saturday where the favored team looked like they were in trouble until pulling it out to win the end? I was rooting hard for OkSt., but, in the end, Texas was able to rally back from down 33-28 in the fourth quarter and get a big conference road win. They host West Virginia next week, and the winner of that game will get a big boost in the race for the Big 12 championship.
23) TCU (4-0, 1-0, +4) Results: W @ SMU 24-16. Next Game: vs. Iowa State. Good Wins: None, really. In fact, you could make the case that each game for TCU gets progressively harder this year, from Week 1 against Grambling State to Week 14 against Oklahoma.
24) Louisiana Tech (4-0, 0-0, +4) Results: W @ Virginia 44-38. Next Game: vs. UNLV. Good Wins: None.
25) Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0, +3) Results: W vs. Virginia Tech, 27-24. Next Game: vs. Miami (OH). Good Wins: None.
I almost jinxed the Beavers last night. I was at the Pygmalion Music Festival with Robyn, when I checked my phone and saw that the Beavers were up on Arizona 17-0. "Don't tell anyone," I said, "But the Beavers might actually be very good." As soon as I said that, Arizona scored a touchdown, and started a comeback that would see them up 35-31 with 1:09 left in the game. Oregon State bounced back, though, when QB Sean Mannion threw his third touchdown pass of the game, and then Rashaad Reynolds intercepted Arizona to seal the win 30 seconds later.
2) Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0, +10) Results: W @ Iowa State, 24-13. Next Game: vs. Oklahoma. Good Wins: vs. Texas State*, vs. Iowa State
I want you to think of TT as the Big 12's "placeholder." We're pretty sure that there is an elite team or two in the Big 12, but we're not sure who it is, so we'll just say it's Tech until evidence proves us otherwise, which may happen next week when the Oklahoma Sooners come to town. (* Texas Tech got extra credit for beating this WAC team because Texas State had just beaten Houston, who last year finished 11-1, but this year kind of stinks.)
3) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +10) Results: W @ Washington State, 51-26. Next Game: vs. Washington. Good Win: vs. Arizona
The Ducks are doing that thing where they have flashes of brilliance interrupted by long periods of mediocre football. Against the Cougars, they let an early 20-3 lead shrink to 23-19 at halftime, before turning on the engines and winning by 25. They also may have been the greatest beneficiaries of Stanford's loss, but let me ask you this: Will the Civil War game end up having more Rose Bowl implications this year than Stanford-Oregon?
4) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9) Results: Bye. Next Game: vs. Miami (FL). Good Wins: vs. Michigan, @ Michigan State
Catholics versus Convicts next week. (I hate that saying. Kind of racist, right?) Don't look now, but supposedly hapless Miami is coming to South Bend at 4-1, on top of their division, and their only loss coming against K-State. Their schedule is about to get more difficult, though, with Notre Dame, Florida State, and Virginia Tech all on the docket. Still, how awesome would it be if Miami and Duke (4-1, 1-0) were playing for the division title in their season finale on Nov. 24?
5) Florida State (5-0, 2-0, +9) Results: W @ South Florida, 30-17. Next Game: @ North Carolina State Good Win: vs. Clemson
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7) Results: Bye Next Game: vs. Connecticut Good Wins: Getting to beat South Florida before FSU got there; Arkansas after they got steamrolled by Alabama.
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7) Results: W vs. Mississippi, 33-14. Next Game: @ Missouri Good Win: vs. Michigan.
Alabama looked mortal for about 15 seconds yesterday, when they trailed Ole Miss 7-6 at home in the second quarter. Christion Jones then returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. The Tide were one of a few elite teams who looked off their game on Saturday, allowing Ole Miss to get 16 first downs, 10 of which came on third or fourth down. Still, I see no reason to panic in Tuscaloosa.
8) UCLA (4-1, 1-1, +7) Results: W vs. Colorado 42-14. Next Game: @ California. Good Win: vs. Nebraska
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6) Results: Bye. Next Game: vs. LSU Good Win: @ Tennessee
Next week is going to be an epic one in the SEC, with Florida hosting LSU and Georgia visiting South Carolina. The winners of both those games will get huge boosts here, probably up to the top 5, and even the losers should have enough cache to remain in the top 25. I'm going to want to think about this longer, but if I had to pick right now, I'd go with LSU over Florida and South Carolina over Georgia.
10) Ohio (5-0, 1-0, +6) Results: W @ Massachusetts, 37-34. Next Game: vs. Buffalo Good Win: We gave them too much credit for beating Penn State in the first week.
11) Georgia (5-0, 3-0, +6) Results: W vs. Tennessee, 51-44. Next Game: @ South Carolina Good Win: vs. Tennessee
Another week, another opportunity to be underwhelmed by the Georgia Bulldogs. Tennessee scored 44 points against Georgia, which means that the Bulldogs did better against Tennessee than both Akron (47) and Georgia State (51). Georgia's defense is 6th in the SEC and 47th in the FBS in points allowed per game, tied with Maryland and Vanderbilt but just behind UCF and Western Kentucky. In other news, how unfair is it that Tennessee has to play at Georgia, at Mississippi State, vs. Alabama, and at South Carolina while Georgia gets to trade in Alabama and Mississippi State for Mississippi and Auburn?
12) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5) Results: Bye. Next Game: vs. Kansas. Good Wins: @ Oklahoma, vs. Miami (FL)(?)
13) LSU (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Towson Next Game: @ Florida Good Win: vs. Washington
Uh-oh. For the second straight week, LSU looked vulnerable against an inferior opponent. They fumbled 5 times, losing it 3 times. They allowed four sacks. They gave up 4.7 yards per rush. Against Towson.
14) South Carolina (5-0, 3-0, +5) Results: W @ Kentucky, 38-17. Next Game: vs. Georgia Good Wins: Still waiting. They got four future opponents in the AP Top 25, though.
15) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Indiana 44-29. Next Game: @ Penn State Good Wins: umm... Syracuse? ....
Northwestern's victory means that Indiana passes them as the losingest FBS team of all time, with a record 633 losses. I'm afraid that this might be Northwestern's high point of the season, though, as they still have to play at Penn State, at Michigan, and at Michigan State.
16) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5) Results: W @ Southern Miss 21-17. Next Game: Oct. 13 @ Pittsburgh Good Wins: vs. Kentucky, vs. North Carolina. If we were playing basketball. But the Big East as a conference is 19-10 against all other conferences, and 4-2 against that lyin', cheatin', stealin' ACC.
17) Ohio State (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W @ Michigan State 17-16. Next Game: vs Nebraska Good Win: @ Michigan State
Alright, I've finally figured out the Big Ten divisions: You've got the Mnimnm Division and the P-Powii! Division. The problem is that two of the teams from P-Powii! are banned from the Big Ten Championship: Ohio State, for having players trade BCS swag for tattoos, and Penn State, for decades of institutionally sanctioned child rape. Because those two are totally equivalent crimes. So that means that one of Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1), Purdue (3-1, 0-0), Indiana (2-2, 0-1), or Illinois (2-3, 0-1) will be playing in the Big Ten Championship in December, with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.
We are also facing the first time in 8 years that the Big Ten will only have one BCS representative, and the first time since the BCS expanded from 8 teams to 10 in 2006.
18) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W @ New Mexico State, 35-14. Next Game: Oct. 13 @ Rice. Good Wins: Give 'em a break, they just got here, OK?
The Fightin' Roadrunners! UTSA got their first ever FBS victory over New Mexico State. QB Eric Soza passed for 269 yards and 3 TDs, and has a season QB rating of 159.1, with 10 TDs and 1 INT on the season.
19) West Virginia (4-0, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Baylor 70-63. Next Game: @ Texas. Good Win: vs. Baylor
West Virginia QB Geno Smith's stat line from the Baylor game: 45/51, 656 yards, 8 TDs, 0 INTs. The man had 8 touchdown passes and 6 incomplete passes.
20) Washington (3-1, 1-0, +5) Results: W vs. Stanford 17-13. Next Game: @ Oregon. Good Win: vs. Stanford
Of my four Pac-12 teams in the Top 25, this is the one that I feel least comfortable with. The Huskies played really well in upsetting Stanford at home, but I just can't shake that shaky win against San Diego State or that blowout loss to LSU out of my mind. Washington gets the "trifecta" treatment in the Pac-12, playing at Oregon next week and hosting USC the week after. If they're 4-2, then I'll start treating them as a serious Top 25 team.
21) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4) Results: Bye. Next Game: @ Kentucky Good Wins: None.
22) Texas (4-0, 1-0, +4) Results: W @ Oklahoma State, 41-36. Next Game: vs. West Virginia. Good Win: @ Oklahoma State
How many games were there on Saturday where the favored team looked like they were in trouble until pulling it out to win the end? I was rooting hard for OkSt., but, in the end, Texas was able to rally back from down 33-28 in the fourth quarter and get a big conference road win. They host West Virginia next week, and the winner of that game will get a big boost in the race for the Big 12 championship.
23) TCU (4-0, 1-0, +4) Results: W @ SMU 24-16. Next Game: vs. Iowa State. Good Wins: None, really. In fact, you could make the case that each game for TCU gets progressively harder this year, from Week 1 against Grambling State to Week 14 against Oklahoma.
24) Louisiana Tech (4-0, 0-0, +4) Results: W @ Virginia 44-38. Next Game: vs. UNLV. Good Wins: None.
25) Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0, +3) Results: W vs. Virginia Tech, 27-24. Next Game: vs. Miami (OH). Good Wins: None.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
My Top 25 - Sep. 30
1) Oregon State (3-0, 2-0, +12)
2) Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0, +10)
3) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +10)
4) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9)
5) Florida State (5-0, 2-0, +9)
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7)
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7)
8) UCLA (4-1, 1-1, +7)
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6)
10) Ohio (5-0, 1-0, +6)
11) Georgia (5-0, 3-0, +6)
12) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5)
13) LSU (5-0, 1-0, +5)
14) South Carolina (5-0, 3-0, +5)
15) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0, +5)
16) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5)
17) Ohio State (5-0, 1-0, +5)
18) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5)
19) West Virginia (4-0, 1-0, +5)
20) Washington (3-1, 1-0, +5)
21) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4)
22) Texas (4-0, 1-0, +4)
23) TCU (4-0, 1-0, +4)
24) Louisiana Tech (4-0, 0-0, +4)
25) Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0, +3)
Arizona (3-2, 0-2, +3)
Western Kentucky (4-1, 1-0, +3)
Iowa State (3-1, 0-1, +2)
San Jose State (4-1, 0-0, +2)
Boise State (3-1, 1-0, +1)
Miami (FL) (4-1, 3-0, +1)
Duke (4-1, 1-0, +1)
Michigan (2-2, 0-0, 0)
USC (3-1, 1-1, 0)
Stanford (3-1, 1-1, 0)
Clemson (4-1, 1-1, 0)
Nebraska (4-1, 1-0, 0)
Oklahoma (2-1, 0-1,-1)
Minnesota (4-1, 0-1, -2)
Michigan State (3-2, 0-1, -2)
Purdue (3-1, 0-0, -2)
Arizona State (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Utah State (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Nevada (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Northern Illinois (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Toledo (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Tulsa (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Baylor (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-1, 2-0, -3)
Kent State (3-1, 2-0, -3)
Middle Tennessee State (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Texas A&M (3-1, 1-1, -3)
Ball State (3-2, 0-1, -4)
Mississippi (3-2, 0-1, -4)
Central Michigan (2-2, 0-1, -5)
Missouri (3-2, 0-2, -5)
Texas State (2-2, 0-0, -6)
Tennessee (3-2, 0-2, -6)
Fresno State (2-2, 0-0, -6)
Louisiana-Monroe (2-2, 1-0, -6)
East Carolina (3-2, 0-0, -7)
Iowa (3-2, 1-0, -7)
Indiana (2-2, 0-1, -8)
Utah (2-2, 0-1, -8)
Auburn (1-3, 0-2, -8)
Northern Iowa (0-2, 0-0, -8)
Troy (3-2, 2-1, -8)
North Carolina (3-2, 0-1, -8)
Virginia Tech (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Wake Forest (3-2, 1-2, -9)
Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1, -9)
North Carolina State (3-2, 0-1, -9)
Oklahoma State (2-2, 0-1, -9)
Missouri State (0-2, 0-0, -9)
Brigham Young (3-2, 0-0, -9)
Connecticut (3-2, 0-0, -9)
North Texas (2-3, 1-1, -9)
Penn State (3-2, 1-0, -9)
UCF (2-2, 0-0, -10)
South Florida (2-3, 0-1, -10)
Maryland (2-2, 0-0, -10)
San Diego State (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Miami (OH) (2-2, 1-0, -10)
Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Air Force (2-2, 1-1, -10)
New Mexico (2-3, 0-1, -11)
Arkansas State (2-3, 0-1, -11)
Washington State (2-3, 0-2, -11)
Temple (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2, -11)
Houston (1-3, 1-0, -12)
Syracuse (1-3, 0-0, -13)
Hawaii (1-3, 0-1, -14)
UTEP (1-3, 0-0, -14)
Marshall (2-3, 0-0, -15)
Buffalo (1-3, 0-1,-15)
Arkansas (1-4, 0-2, -15)
Florida Atlantic (1-4, 0-1, -15)
Georgia Tech (2-3, 0-2, -16)
Virginia (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Illinois (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Boston College (1-3, 0-2, -16)
Western Michigan (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Kentucky (1-4, 0-2, -16)
Bowling Green (2-3, 0-0, -16)
SMU (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Navy (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Kansas (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Akron (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Wyoming (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Tulane (0-3, 0-2, -18)
New Mexico State (1-4, 0-1, -18)
Colorado (1-4, 1-1, -19)
Southern Miss (0-4, 0-1, -20)
South Alabama (1-4, 0-1, -21)
Florida International (1-4, 0-1, -22)
UAB (0-4, 0-1, -22)
California (1-4, 0-2, -23)Colorado State (1-4, 0-1, -23)
Rice (1-4, 0-1, -23)
UNLV (1-4, 0-1, -23)
Army (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Memphis (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Eastern Michigan (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Idaho (0-5, 0-0, -27)
Massachusetts (0-5, 0-1, -27)
2) Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0, +10)
3) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +10)
4) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9)
5) Florida State (5-0, 2-0, +9)
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7)
7) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +7)
8) UCLA (4-1, 1-1, +7)
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6)
10) Ohio (5-0, 1-0, +6)
11) Georgia (5-0, 3-0, +6)
12) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5)
13) LSU (5-0, 1-0, +5)
14) South Carolina (5-0, 3-0, +5)
15) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0, +5)
16) Louisville (5-0, 0-0, +5)
17) Ohio State (5-0, 1-0, +5)
18) Texas-San Antonio (5-0, 1-0, +5)
19) West Virginia (4-0, 1-0, +5)
20) Washington (3-1, 1-0, +5)
21) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4)
22) Texas (4-0, 1-0, +4)
23) TCU (4-0, 1-0, +4)
24) Louisiana Tech (4-0, 0-0, +4)
25) Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0, +3)
Arizona (3-2, 0-2, +3)
Western Kentucky (4-1, 1-0, +3)
Iowa State (3-1, 0-1, +2)
San Jose State (4-1, 0-0, +2)
Boise State (3-1, 1-0, +1)
Miami (FL) (4-1, 3-0, +1)
Duke (4-1, 1-0, +1)
Michigan (2-2, 0-0, 0)
USC (3-1, 1-1, 0)
Stanford (3-1, 1-1, 0)
Clemson (4-1, 1-1, 0)
Nebraska (4-1, 1-0, 0)
Oklahoma (2-1, 0-1,-1)
Minnesota (4-1, 0-1, -2)
Michigan State (3-2, 0-1, -2)
Purdue (3-1, 0-0, -2)
Arizona State (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Utah State (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Nevada (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Northern Illinois (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Toledo (4-1, 1-0, -2)
Tulsa (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Baylor (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-1, 2-0, -3)
Kent State (3-1, 2-0, -3)
Middle Tennessee State (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Texas A&M (3-1, 1-1, -3)
Ball State (3-2, 0-1, -4)
Mississippi (3-2, 0-1, -4)
Central Michigan (2-2, 0-1, -5)
Missouri (3-2, 0-2, -5)
Texas State (2-2, 0-0, -6)
Tennessee (3-2, 0-2, -6)
Fresno State (2-2, 0-0, -6)
Louisiana-Monroe (2-2, 1-0, -6)
East Carolina (3-2, 0-0, -7)
Iowa (3-2, 1-0, -7)
Indiana (2-2, 0-1, -8)
Utah (2-2, 0-1, -8)
Auburn (1-3, 0-2, -8)
Northern Iowa (0-2, 0-0, -8)
Troy (3-2, 2-1, -8)
North Carolina (3-2, 0-1, -8)
Virginia Tech (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Wake Forest (3-2, 1-2, -9)
Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1, -9)
North Carolina State (3-2, 0-1, -9)
Oklahoma State (2-2, 0-1, -9)
Missouri State (0-2, 0-0, -9)
Brigham Young (3-2, 0-0, -9)
Connecticut (3-2, 0-0, -9)
North Texas (2-3, 1-1, -9)
Penn State (3-2, 1-0, -9)
UCF (2-2, 0-0, -10)
South Florida (2-3, 0-1, -10)
Maryland (2-2, 0-0, -10)
San Diego State (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Miami (OH) (2-2, 1-0, -10)
Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Air Force (2-2, 1-1, -10)
New Mexico (2-3, 0-1, -11)
Arkansas State (2-3, 0-1, -11)
Washington State (2-3, 0-2, -11)
Temple (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2, -11)
Houston (1-3, 1-0, -12)
Syracuse (1-3, 0-0, -13)
Hawaii (1-3, 0-1, -14)
UTEP (1-3, 0-0, -14)
Marshall (2-3, 0-0, -15)
Buffalo (1-3, 0-1,-15)
Arkansas (1-4, 0-2, -15)
Florida Atlantic (1-4, 0-1, -15)
Georgia Tech (2-3, 0-2, -16)
Virginia (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Illinois (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Boston College (1-3, 0-2, -16)
Western Michigan (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Kentucky (1-4, 0-2, -16)
Bowling Green (2-3, 0-0, -16)
SMU (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Navy (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Kansas (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Akron (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Wyoming (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Tulane (0-3, 0-2, -18)
New Mexico State (1-4, 0-1, -18)
Colorado (1-4, 1-1, -19)
Southern Miss (0-4, 0-1, -20)
South Alabama (1-4, 0-1, -21)
Florida International (1-4, 0-1, -22)
UAB (0-4, 0-1, -22)
California (1-4, 0-2, -23)Colorado State (1-4, 0-1, -23)
Rice (1-4, 0-1, -23)
UNLV (1-4, 0-1, -23)
Army (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Memphis (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Eastern Michigan (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Idaho (0-5, 0-0, -27)
Massachusetts (0-5, 0-1, -27)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Power Rankings - Sept. 23
1) Oregon State (2-0, 1-0, +10) - I swear, you guys, these rankings are completely unbiased. Oregon State's #1 because they have two wins over ranked opponents. They held star UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin to 45 rushing yards on 12 attempts in their 27-20 win in the Rose Bowl. I always chuckle whenever commentators are surprised at the speed of Oregon State's defense. You know they play the Ducks every year, right? Next game: at Arizona.
2) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9) - The biggest difference between this Notre Dame team and their past teams is the current version's ability to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Against Michigan, they sacked Denard Robinson three times, had five interceptions, and forced two fumbles. Remember, Michigan is not actually that good. But the Irish may be at the point to upgrade their expectations from 8 wins to 10. Next game: Oct. 06 vs. Miami (FL)
3) Oregon (4-0, 1-0, +9) - It's always strange to watch your team in the local bar after the home team has just lost to Louisiana Tech by four touchdowns. It tends to end up with you bar-hopping with a group of folks from out of town, running into former co-workers, finding a ride home for the drunken bartender, going to the house of a guy who just graduated from your program and drinking - I don't know, like, amaretto and Dr. Pepper? - and then walking home the wrong way for about a mile before you give up and call a cab. All-in-all, a good night. Also, um, Oregon has a good defense. Next game: at Washington State.
4) Texas Tech (3-0, 0-0, +8)
5) Florida State (4-0, 2-0, +8) - Florida State-Clemson was probably the game of the night. I really wanted Clemson to win, but still came away genuinely impressed with Florida State. They had 667 yards of offense in their 49-37 victory, averaging 8.9 yards per play. However, I am still unimpressed with their defense, which probably won't get tested again until the season finale against Florida. In terms of non-SEC teams, right now I would go: 1) Oregon, 2) Notre Dame, 3) Florida State. I've got them all losing to Alabama. Next game: at South Florida.
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7) - Please raise your hand if you put down on money at the beginning of the season on Arkansas losing at home to UL-Monroe AND Rutgers. The Big East is better than advertised this year, and may go out with a bang on November 29th when Rutgers hosts Louisville, with a potential Orange Bowl berth on the line. Next game: Oct. 06 vs. Connecticut.
7) Stanford (3-0, 1-0, +6)
8) Alabama (4-0, 1-0, +6)
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6)
10) UCLA (3-1, 0-1, +6) - One thing I noticed in UCLA's loss was the speed of their receiving corps. This, combined with a pretty good defense, has me thinking that the Bruins are one or two gimpy Trojan linemen away from winning their division. Next game: at Colorado. (As the Buffaloes go for two in a row!)
11) Ohio (4-0, 0-0, +5)
12) Georgia (4-0, 2-0, +5)
13) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5) - The Sports Illustrated headline this morning reads: "Kansas State stuns Oklahoma." Who, precisely, was stunned? Despite being outgained by Oklahoma 386-362, the Fightin' Snyders forced three timely turnovers in their 24-19 win. They still have tough trips to West Virginia and TCU on the docket, but Kansas State would be selling themselves short if their ultimate goal were not a Big 12 championship. Next game: Oct. 06 vs. Kansas.
14) LSU (4-0, 1-0, +4) - LSU's defense pitched a second half shutout against Auburn to win 12-10, meaning that they are definitely better than Louisiana-Monroe. LSU's offensive shakiness continues to make Alabama's march to the BCS seem inevitable. But remember, that's what I was saying last year about LSU. The Tigers are at Florida on Oct. 06, and then host South Carolina the week after. If they reach 7-0, then we can start talking championships again. Next game: vs. Towson. NB: Don't let me use mixed sports metaphors. Ever.
15) South Carolina (4-0, 2-0, +4) - I still don't have a grasp on what the SEC pecking order is. Alabama is clearly top elephant, with LSU second tiger. (We're the Republican Party and Tammany Hall!) But then what? Florida's pretty good, and I've still got South Carolina ahead of Georgia, because I am afraid of Jadeveon Clowney. We'll find out soon enough, as the Gamecocks get Georgia, LSU, and Florida in October. Next game: at Kentucky.
16) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4)
17) Northwestern (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Northwestern hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1996, a 41-32 loss to USC. Next game: vs. Indiana.
18) Louisville (4-0, 0-0, +4)
19) Minnesota (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Minnesota hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1962, a 21-3 win over UCLA. Next game: at Iowa.
20) Ohio State (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Another week, another disastrous outing for the Big Ten. After trailing early, Ohio State was able to pull away from winless Alabama-Birmingham. Michigan State was able to squeak past winless MAC team Eastern Michigan, but Iowa was not so lucky, falling to powerhouse Central Michigan 32-31. Michigan and Illinois also suffered non-conference losses. Overall, the Big Ten is 33-13 in non-conference games. Against the BCS+Notre Dame, however, they are 5-9. Next game: at Michigan State. If Ohio State were bowl eligible, this would be a big game.
21) Texas-San Antonio (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Congratulations UTSA Roadrunners! In their first year in the FBS, the Roadrunners have notched wins against fearsome opponents South Alabama, Texas A&M-Commerce, Georgia State, and Northwestern Oklahoma State. They open WAC play next week at New Mexico State.
22) Arizona (3-1, 0-1, +4)
23) Texas (3-0, 0-0, +3) - My problem with the Big 12 is that they pad their stats by playing patsies in their non-conference schedule, which leads to a necessary agnosticism about their conference strength. In non-conference play, the Big 12 is an astounding 26-2. But against BCS opponents, they are 5-1. (By contrast the Pac-12 is 23-9, 6-3, and the SEC is 28-7, 4-5. Which is why the SEC isn't getting much love in these pages.) So what do we know about the Big 12? We think that West Virginia is pretty good, based on their wins against Maryland and James Madison. Texas is better than the 11th or 12th best team in the SEC. Oklahoma State is not as good as Arizona, which means they're double ungood when compared to Oregon, unless, of course, they turn around and beat Texas next week. Iowa State beat Iowa, so they're at least as good as Central Michigan. And Oklahoma, the pre-season Top 5, just lost to Kansas State. Anyone else want to get on the TCU Fiesta Bowl bandwagon? Next game: at Oklahoma State.
24) Iowa State (3-0, 0-0, +3)
25) Baylor (3-0, 0-0, +3)
2) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9) - The biggest difference between this Notre Dame team and their past teams is the current version's ability to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Against Michigan, they sacked Denard Robinson three times, had five interceptions, and forced two fumbles. Remember, Michigan is not actually that good. But the Irish may be at the point to upgrade their expectations from 8 wins to 10. Next game: Oct. 06 vs. Miami (FL)
3) Oregon (4-0, 1-0, +9) - It's always strange to watch your team in the local bar after the home team has just lost to Louisiana Tech by four touchdowns. It tends to end up with you bar-hopping with a group of folks from out of town, running into former co-workers, finding a ride home for the drunken bartender, going to the house of a guy who just graduated from your program and drinking - I don't know, like, amaretto and Dr. Pepper? - and then walking home the wrong way for about a mile before you give up and call a cab. All-in-all, a good night. Also, um, Oregon has a good defense. Next game: at Washington State.
4) Texas Tech (3-0, 0-0, +8)
5) Florida State (4-0, 2-0, +8) - Florida State-Clemson was probably the game of the night. I really wanted Clemson to win, but still came away genuinely impressed with Florida State. They had 667 yards of offense in their 49-37 victory, averaging 8.9 yards per play. However, I am still unimpressed with their defense, which probably won't get tested again until the season finale against Florida. In terms of non-SEC teams, right now I would go: 1) Oregon, 2) Notre Dame, 3) Florida State. I've got them all losing to Alabama. Next game: at South Florida.
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7) - Please raise your hand if you put down on money at the beginning of the season on Arkansas losing at home to UL-Monroe AND Rutgers. The Big East is better than advertised this year, and may go out with a bang on November 29th when Rutgers hosts Louisville, with a potential Orange Bowl berth on the line. Next game: Oct. 06 vs. Connecticut.
7) Stanford (3-0, 1-0, +6)
8) Alabama (4-0, 1-0, +6)
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6)
10) UCLA (3-1, 0-1, +6) - One thing I noticed in UCLA's loss was the speed of their receiving corps. This, combined with a pretty good defense, has me thinking that the Bruins are one or two gimpy Trojan linemen away from winning their division. Next game: at Colorado. (As the Buffaloes go for two in a row!)
11) Ohio (4-0, 0-0, +5)
12) Georgia (4-0, 2-0, +5)
13) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5) - The Sports Illustrated headline this morning reads: "Kansas State stuns Oklahoma." Who, precisely, was stunned? Despite being outgained by Oklahoma 386-362, the Fightin' Snyders forced three timely turnovers in their 24-19 win. They still have tough trips to West Virginia and TCU on the docket, but Kansas State would be selling themselves short if their ultimate goal were not a Big 12 championship. Next game: Oct. 06 vs. Kansas.
14) LSU (4-0, 1-0, +4) - LSU's defense pitched a second half shutout against Auburn to win 12-10, meaning that they are definitely better than Louisiana-Monroe. LSU's offensive shakiness continues to make Alabama's march to the BCS seem inevitable. But remember, that's what I was saying last year about LSU. The Tigers are at Florida on Oct. 06, and then host South Carolina the week after. If they reach 7-0, then we can start talking championships again. Next game: vs. Towson. NB: Don't let me use mixed sports metaphors. Ever.
15) South Carolina (4-0, 2-0, +4) - I still don't have a grasp on what the SEC pecking order is. Alabama is clearly top elephant, with LSU second tiger. (We're the Republican Party and Tammany Hall!) But then what? Florida's pretty good, and I've still got South Carolina ahead of Georgia, because I am afraid of Jadeveon Clowney. We'll find out soon enough, as the Gamecocks get Georgia, LSU, and Florida in October. Next game: at Kentucky.
16) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4)
17) Northwestern (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Northwestern hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1996, a 41-32 loss to USC. Next game: vs. Indiana.
18) Louisville (4-0, 0-0, +4)
19) Minnesota (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Minnesota hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1962, a 21-3 win over UCLA. Next game: at Iowa.
20) Ohio State (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Another week, another disastrous outing for the Big Ten. After trailing early, Ohio State was able to pull away from winless Alabama-Birmingham. Michigan State was able to squeak past winless MAC team Eastern Michigan, but Iowa was not so lucky, falling to powerhouse Central Michigan 32-31. Michigan and Illinois also suffered non-conference losses. Overall, the Big Ten is 33-13 in non-conference games. Against the BCS+Notre Dame, however, they are 5-9. Next game: at Michigan State. If Ohio State were bowl eligible, this would be a big game.
21) Texas-San Antonio (4-0, 0-0, +4) - Congratulations UTSA Roadrunners! In their first year in the FBS, the Roadrunners have notched wins against fearsome opponents South Alabama, Texas A&M-Commerce, Georgia State, and Northwestern Oklahoma State. They open WAC play next week at New Mexico State.
22) Arizona (3-1, 0-1, +4)
23) Texas (3-0, 0-0, +3) - My problem with the Big 12 is that they pad their stats by playing patsies in their non-conference schedule, which leads to a necessary agnosticism about their conference strength. In non-conference play, the Big 12 is an astounding 26-2. But against BCS opponents, they are 5-1. (By contrast the Pac-12 is 23-9, 6-3, and the SEC is 28-7, 4-5. Which is why the SEC isn't getting much love in these pages.) So what do we know about the Big 12? We think that West Virginia is pretty good, based on their wins against Maryland and James Madison. Texas is better than the 11th or 12th best team in the SEC. Oklahoma State is not as good as Arizona, which means they're double ungood when compared to Oregon, unless, of course, they turn around and beat Texas next week. Iowa State beat Iowa, so they're at least as good as Central Michigan. And Oklahoma, the pre-season Top 5, just lost to Kansas State. Anyone else want to get on the TCU Fiesta Bowl bandwagon? Next game: at Oklahoma State.
24) Iowa State (3-0, 0-0, +3)
25) Baylor (3-0, 0-0, +3)
My Top 25
1) Oregon State (2-0, 1-0, +10)
2) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9)
3) Oregon (4-0, 1-0, +9)
4) Texas Tech (3-0, 0-0, +8)
5) Florida State (4-0, 2-0, +8)
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7)
7) Stanford (3-0, 1-0, +6)
8) Alabama (4-0, 1-0, +6)
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6)
10) UCLA (3-1, 0-1, +6)
11) Ohio (4-0, 0-0, +5)
12) Georgia (4-0, 2-0, +5)
13) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5)
14) LSU (4-0, 1-0, +4)
15) South Carolina (4-0, 2-0, +4)
16) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4)
17) Northwestern (4-0, 0-0, +4)
18) Louisville (4-0, 0-0, +4)
19) Minnesota (4-0, 0-0, +4)
20) Ohio State (4-0, 0-0, +4)
21) Texas-San Antonio (4-0, 0-0, +4)
22) Arizona (3-1, 0-1, +4)
23) Texas (3-0, 0-0, +3)
24) Iowa State (3-0, 0-0, +3)
25) Baylor (3-0, 0-0, +3)
West Virginia (3-0, 0-0, +3)
TCU (3-0, 1-0, +3)
Louisiana Tech (3-0, 0-0, +3)
Cincinnati (2-0, 1-0, +2)
Michigan State (3-1, 0-0, +2)
Ball State (3-1, 0-0, +2)
Western Kentucky (3-1, 0-0, +2)
Central Michigan (2-1, 0-0, +1)
San Jose State (3-1, 0-0, +1)
Michigan (2-2, 0-0, 0)
Washington (2-1, 0-0, 0)
Boise State (2-1, 0-0, 0)
USC (3-1, 1-1, 0)
Texas State (2-1, 0-0, 0)
Miami (FL) (3-1, 2-0, 0)
Duke (3-1, 0-0, 0)
Clemson (3-1, 0-1, -1)
Oklahoma (2-1, 0-1,-1)
Nebraska (3-1, 0-0, -1)
Mississippi (3-1, 0-0, -2)
Purdue (2-1, 0-0, -3)
Tennessee (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Arizona State (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Utah State (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Wake Forest (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Nevada (3-1, 1-0, -3)
North Carolina State (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Northern Illinois (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Toledo (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Tulsa (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Indiana (2-1, 0-0, -4)
Oklahoma State (2-1, 0-0, -4)
UCF (2-1, 0-0, -4)
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1, 1-0, -4)
Kent State (2-1, 1-0, -4)
Middle Tennessee State (2-1, 1-0, -4)
Marshall (1-1, 0-0, -4)
Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1, -4)
New Mexico (2-2, 0-0, -5)
Arkansas State (2-2, 0-0, -5)
Fresno State (2-2, 0-0, -6)
Missouri (2-2, 0-2, -6)
Louisiana-Monroe (1-2, 0-0, -7)
East Carolina (2-2, 0-0, -8)
Hawaii (1-2, 0-1, -8)
Utah (2-2, 0-1, -8)
Auburn (1-3, 0-2, -8)
Northern Iowa (0-2, 0-0, -8)
UTEP (1-2, 0-0, -8)
South Florida (2-2, 0-1, -9)
Buffalo (1-2, 0-1,-9)
Troy (2-2, 1-1, -9)
Arkansas (1-3, 0-1, -9)
Florida Atlantic (1-3, 0-0, -9)
Missouri State (0-2, 0-0, -9)
North Carolina (2-2, 0-0, -9)
Brigham Young (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Georgia Tech ( 2-2, 0-2, -10)
Maryland (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Virginia (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Illinois (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Iowa (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Connecticut (2-2, 0-0, -10)
North Texas (1-3, 0-1, -10)
San Diego State (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Washington State (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Boston College (1-2, 0-1, -10)
Penn State (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Miami (OH) (2-2, 1-0, -10)
Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Western Michigan (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Air Force (1-2, 0-1, -11)
Temple (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2, -11)
SMU (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Navy (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Tulane (0-2, 0-1, -12)
New Mexico State (1-3, 0-0, -13)
Syracuse (1-3, 0-0, -13)
Kentucky (1-3, 0-1, -13)
Houston (0-3, 0-0, -13)
South Alabama (1-3, 0-0, -15)
Southern Miss (0-3, 0-1, -16)
Florida International (1-3, 0-0, -16)
UAB (0-3, 0-0, -16)Kansas (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Akron (1-3, 0-0, -17)
California (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Bowling Green (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Colorado State (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Rice (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Colorado (1-3, 1-0, -17)
UNLV (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Wyoming (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Army (0-3, 0-0, -18)
Idaho (0-4, 0-0, -21)
Memphis (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Eastern Michigan (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Massachusetts (0-4, 0-0, -24)
2) Notre Dame (4-0, 0-0, +9)
3) Oregon (4-0, 1-0, +9)
4) Texas Tech (3-0, 0-0, +8)
5) Florida State (4-0, 2-0, +8)
6) Rutgers (4-0, 1-0, +7)
7) Stanford (3-0, 1-0, +6)
8) Alabama (4-0, 1-0, +6)
9) Florida (4-0, 3-0, +6)
10) UCLA (3-1, 0-1, +6)
11) Ohio (4-0, 0-0, +5)
12) Georgia (4-0, 2-0, +5)
13) Kansas State (4-0, 1-0, +5)
14) LSU (4-0, 1-0, +4)
15) South Carolina (4-0, 2-0, +4)
16) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +4)
17) Northwestern (4-0, 0-0, +4)
18) Louisville (4-0, 0-0, +4)
19) Minnesota (4-0, 0-0, +4)
20) Ohio State (4-0, 0-0, +4)
21) Texas-San Antonio (4-0, 0-0, +4)
22) Arizona (3-1, 0-1, +4)
23) Texas (3-0, 0-0, +3)
24) Iowa State (3-0, 0-0, +3)
25) Baylor (3-0, 0-0, +3)
West Virginia (3-0, 0-0, +3)
TCU (3-0, 1-0, +3)
Louisiana Tech (3-0, 0-0, +3)
Cincinnati (2-0, 1-0, +2)
Michigan State (3-1, 0-0, +2)
Ball State (3-1, 0-0, +2)
Western Kentucky (3-1, 0-0, +2)
Central Michigan (2-1, 0-0, +1)
San Jose State (3-1, 0-0, +1)
Michigan (2-2, 0-0, 0)
Washington (2-1, 0-0, 0)
Boise State (2-1, 0-0, 0)
USC (3-1, 1-1, 0)
Texas State (2-1, 0-0, 0)
Miami (FL) (3-1, 2-0, 0)
Duke (3-1, 0-0, 0)
Clemson (3-1, 0-1, -1)
Oklahoma (2-1, 0-1,-1)
Nebraska (3-1, 0-0, -1)
Mississippi (3-1, 0-0, -2)
Purdue (2-1, 0-0, -3)
Tennessee (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Arizona State (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Utah State (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Wake Forest (3-1, 0-1, -3)
Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Nevada (3-1, 1-0, -3)
North Carolina State (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Northern Illinois (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Toledo (3-1, 0-0, -3)
Tulsa (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Indiana (2-1, 0-0, -4)
Oklahoma State (2-1, 0-0, -4)
UCF (2-1, 0-0, -4)
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1, 1-0, -4)
Kent State (2-1, 1-0, -4)
Middle Tennessee State (2-1, 1-0, -4)
Marshall (1-1, 0-0, -4)
Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1, -4)
New Mexico (2-2, 0-0, -5)
Arkansas State (2-2, 0-0, -5)
Fresno State (2-2, 0-0, -6)
Missouri (2-2, 0-2, -6)
Louisiana-Monroe (1-2, 0-0, -7)
East Carolina (2-2, 0-0, -8)
Hawaii (1-2, 0-1, -8)
Utah (2-2, 0-1, -8)
Auburn (1-3, 0-2, -8)
Northern Iowa (0-2, 0-0, -8)
UTEP (1-2, 0-0, -8)
South Florida (2-2, 0-1, -9)
Buffalo (1-2, 0-1,-9)
Troy (2-2, 1-1, -9)
Arkansas (1-3, 0-1, -9)
Florida Atlantic (1-3, 0-0, -9)
Missouri State (0-2, 0-0, -9)
North Carolina (2-2, 0-0, -9)
Brigham Young (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Georgia Tech ( 2-2, 0-2, -10)
Maryland (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Virginia (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Illinois (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Iowa (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Connecticut (2-2, 0-0, -10)
North Texas (1-3, 0-1, -10)
San Diego State (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Washington State (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Boston College (1-2, 0-1, -10)
Penn State (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Miami (OH) (2-2, 1-0, -10)
Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1, -10)
Western Michigan (2-2, 0-0, -10)
Air Force (1-2, 0-1, -11)
Temple (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2, -11)
SMU (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Navy (1-2, 0-0, -11)
Tulane (0-2, 0-1, -12)
New Mexico State (1-3, 0-0, -13)
Syracuse (1-3, 0-0, -13)
Kentucky (1-3, 0-1, -13)
Houston (0-3, 0-0, -13)
South Alabama (1-3, 0-0, -15)
Southern Miss (0-3, 0-1, -16)
Florida International (1-3, 0-0, -16)
UAB (0-3, 0-0, -16)Kansas (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Akron (1-3, 0-0, -17)
California (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Bowling Green (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Colorado State (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Rice (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Colorado (1-3, 1-0, -17)
UNLV (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Wyoming (1-3, 0-0, -17)
Army (0-3, 0-0, -18)
Idaho (0-4, 0-0, -21)
Memphis (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Eastern Michigan (0-4, 0-0, -24)
Massachusetts (0-4, 0-0, -24)
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