Week 6 Power Rankings: Mostly SEC

 1) Mississippi Rebels (5-0, 3-0, +504) - Last year, the SEC got 3 teams into the 12-team playoff (Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee).  That is probably the bare minimum that the conference will get this year, and it could be as many as 6.  But who will it be?  Any team that finishes 10-2 or better will probably be considered as a de facto auto bid, but is it possible that one or more 9-3 teams could make the field?  There are ten teams with 1 or 0 conference losses at the moment, with Mississippi leading as the only 3-0 team.  They still have upcoming trips to Georgia and to Oklahoma, but it’s possible that the Rebels could drop BOTH of those games and still make the playoffs. 

Mississippi had a bye week this week.  Next week they host Washington State.  It would be funny if they lost that. 

2) Texas A&M Aggies (5-0, 2-0, +437) - The Texas A&M Aggies had been living dangerously, with a 1-point win over Notre Dame and a 6-point win over Auburn.  They righted their ship in a 31-9 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, running away in a game that was close at only 7-3 at halftime.  Texas A&M is now co-leaders, along with Mississippi, atop the SEC, but, to be honest, I don’t trust either one of them.  Maybe I’m reading too much into the brand names, the names on the front of the jerseys.  The Aggies have six more SEC opponents, and none of them are Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, or Oklahoma. 

3) Miami (FL) Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0, +426) - Miami rushed out to a 28-3 lead against the Florida State Seminoles on Friday before they took their foot off the gas, letting FSU get back into the game, before finally holding on for the 28-22 win.  The Hurricanes were once again led by their elite defense.  Florida State was eventually able to total 404 yards of total offense, but more than half of that came in the fourth quarter, when they were trying to stage a massive quarterback.  Despite some serious game management concerns, Miami should be considered the ACC favorites for now, and they don’t play another AP ranked team for the rest of the season. 

4) Ohio State (5-0, 2-0, +408)

5) Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1, 2-0, +356) - Reports of Alabama’s demise have definitely been pre, once again.  The Crimson Tide outlasted the Vanderbilt Commodores 30-14 on Saturday, and have re-emerged as an SEC powerhouse even after their opening season loss to Florida State. I still have some major concerns about the Tide, especially their offensive line, which allowed four sacks and six tackles for loss against Vanderbilt.  However, their defense seems up to the task, as they forced three turnovers, and held Vanderbilt scoreless in the second half.  Alabama remains undefeated in SEC play, so they theoretically could take another loss and still make the conference championship game. 

6) Oklahoma Sooners (5-0, 1-0, +319) - After their 44-0 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes, the Oklahoma Twitter account started tweeting out team stats, including receiver Isaiah Sategna III having 97 punt return yards, the most by any Sooner since 2012.  Against Kent State.  In my opinion, the Sooners should lose scholarships for this.  They play some team called Texas next week. 

7) Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0, +319) - My opinion so far this season has been that the Big 12 has a lot of good teams in it, but no really elite teams. That opinion may be starting to change. The Red Raiders defeated the Houston Cougars 35-11 in Houston, their second consecutive 24-point road win over a previously undefeated Big 12 opponent.  Houston had been averaging 29 points per game, so Tech’s ability to relatively shut them down is impressive. The Red Raiders still have some significant challenges ahead, including a trip to Tempe in two weeks to play the Arizona State Sun Devils, but I’m considering them to be the best Big 12 team for now. 

8) Georgia Tech (5-0, 2-0, +315)

9) Iowa State (5-1, 2-1, +291)

10) Vanderbilt Commodores (5-1, 2-1, +282) - Despite their loss to Alabama, the Vanderbilt Commodores are still a very good football team who will continue to have an impact on the SEC title race.  Quarterback Diego Pavia had maybe the worst game of his career against the Crimson Tide, going 21/35 for 198 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and one costly fumble in the red zone.  To add insult to injury, Pavia got into a verbal altercation with an Alabama fan after the game, telling the fan “I do whatever the fuck I want.” Add this to the file of “Fans Behaving Badly.” 

11) Duke Blue Devils (4-2, 3-0, +279) - I don’t know what to make of the Duke Blue Devils.  They’re 3-0 in the ACC, with quality wins against (62) North Carolina State, (61) Syracuse, and (50) Cal.  Their two losses are to (22) Tulane and (23) Illinois.  It’s that “No Scrubs” schedule that has them ranked this highly, excepting FCS Elon.  Could Duke make a run at the ACC championship?  I mean, yeah, in the sense that really anyone could.  A big showdown against undefeated Georgia Tech awaits them next week.

Meanwhile, another complete fucking mystery are the California Golden Bears.  They have shown big improvement this season by reaching 4-2, but to be fair, two of their wins are against probably the two worst Power teams, Boston College and Oregon State. (Yes, I’m still counting Oregon State.)  Cal also could make a run in the ACC, and they should be favored in their next two games against North Carolina and Virginia Tech. 

12) Virginia (5-1, 3-0, +277)

13) Arizona State (4-1, 2-0, +274)

14) Indiana (5-0, 2-0, +261)

15) Cincinnati (4-1, 2-0, +254)

16) LSU (4-1, 1-1, +237) 

17) Memphis (6-0, 2-0, +229)

18) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +227)

19) Missouri (5-0, 1-0, +224)

20) Washington (4-1, 1-1, +209)

21) TCU (4-1, 1-1, +203)

22) Tulane (4-1, 1-0, +201)

23) Illinois (5-1, 2-1, +201)

24) BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0, +200) - Brigham Young started the season not considered a contender in the Big 12 Conference, but BYU coach Kalani Sitake has done miracles with a roster that is mostly rebuilding.  They mostly dominated a (bad) West Virginia team on Friday night, winning 38-24 despite committing three turnovers, including one particularly egregious fumble that set up West Virginia with a first and goal right before halftime.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 has fined the University of Colorado $50,000 for their fans' inappropriate behavior towards BYU players last week.  According to Newsweek, the conference “publicly reprimanded the university (of Colorado) for a derogatory chant directed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by Buffaloes fans during the BYU game.” It will be interesting to keep tabs on this story, both for instances of fans behaving badly, and for any continued anti-LDS sentiments in college football. 

25) Houston (4-1, 1-1, +199) 

Week 5 Power Rankings: Don't Bet On Sports

 

1) Mississippi Rebels (5-0, 3-0, +504) - One of the persistent things of this week's power rankings is going to be that I am glad that I don't bet money on college football games.  Two weeks after going 8 for 9 in my picks, I probably went 1 for 9 this week.  Mississippi, in particular, has been a bad pattern for me, as I picked against them against Tulane, and then again against LSU.  Instead, the Rebels and their quarterback Trinidad Chambliss lit up what I thought was a pretty good Tiger defense for 314 passing yards and 484 total yards in a 24-19 victory. 

One of the disadvantages of my ranking system is that it has a tendency to over-weigh early season wins.  Mississippi is the benefactor of this system this season, as their wins against Arkansas, Tulane, and LSU have given them approximately a game and a half lead over the next group of teams (i.e., Texas A&M, Miami, Ohio State).  This means that the Rebels will probably have to lose not once but twice before they significantly drop in these rankings.  And maybe that will happen, but not for a while.  They do have back-to-back road games against Georgia and Oklahoma in October.  But do I dare pick against them in those games?  I'm not so sure anymore. 

2) Texas A&M Aggies (4-0, 1-0, +342) - Do I believe that Texas A&M is actually the second best team in the country?  No, not really.  But these rankings shouldn't be about what I believe, they should be about what I know, and I know that the Aggies are 4-0 with an SEC win, a win over a Power 5 team in Notre Dame, and 0 wins against FCS teams, and for now that's good enough to be my No. 2 team.  Their four wins are against No. 31 Auburn (+148), No. 40 Notre Dame (+106), No. 51 Utah State (+58), and No. 64 UTSA (+4).  Now, maybe they haven't looked particularly good at times against all (or any) of these opponents.  But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is it not?

3) Miami Hurricanes (4-0, 0-0, +330) - The Hurricanes were on a bye this week.  Unfortunately for them, their opponents next weekend, Florida State, lost 46-38 in overtime to the Virginia Cavaliers, thus taking a little bit of a shine off of their showdown.  On the other hand, FSU's loss should make Miami's path to the ACC Championship a little easier.  If the Hurricanes can win next week in Tallahassee, then they will have the tie-breaker over Florida State in the conference standings, and should be the presumed favorite to at least play in the conference championship game in Charlotte. 

4) Iowa State (5-0, 2-0, +326)

5) Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0, +320) - So I'm not going to say that I went so far as to pick the Washington Huskies to upset Ohio State in Seattle on Saturday, but I definitely thought it would be closer than 24-6.  Washington was one of my sleeper picks to contend in the Big Ten, but they Dawgs shat the bed against the Buckeyes.  I knew Washington was in trouble even when they were up 3-0 in the first half, because they had had a 1st and Goal at the Ohio State 2-yard line, and then went:

    -1-yard run

    False Start

    -2-yard run

    0-yard run

    Field goal

That is how you lose a football game, especially as an underdog. 

Meanwhile, Ohio State's run defense is elite.  Washington only gained 61 yards on 30 rushing attempts, for 2 yards per carry.  This is a week after the Ohio Bobcats gained 68 yards rushing against the Buckeyes on 34 carries for ... 2 yards per carry.  Next week they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who beat Rutgers 31-28 in a game in which they rushed 17 times for 38 yards, for 2.2 yards per carry.  This will be ugly. 

6) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-0, 2-0, +315) - Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good, and it seems like the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are out to prove that every week.  They rallied from down 20-3 against Wake Forest, and needed a failed 2-point conversion to win 30-29 in overtime, one of a record six different overtime games over the weekend.  Georgia Tech now has 3 wins by one score or less, and all three of those wins have come down to the last minute.  But let me tell you this right now: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is going to have playoff implications this year, and it just might be for the team you least suspect. 

7) Vanderbilt Commodores (5-0, 2-0, +295) - Nerd Alert! Nerd Alert! The Vanderbilt Commodores have improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2008 behind the stellar play of quarterback Diego Pavia, who has completed 76.4% percent of his passes and thrown for 13 touchdowns and rushed for 2 more so far this season.  Vanderbilt defeated Utah State 55-35, and have scored 245 total points through their first five games, the most by any SEC team since 1933. 

Trap game next week for the Commodores at Alabama. 

And, for what it's worth, here is Utah State's schedule so far this year:

W vs (133) UTEP 28-16

L @ (2) Texas A&M 22-44

W vs (128) Air Force 49-30

W vs FCS McNeese 48-7

L @ (7) Vanderbilt 35-55

8) Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0, +292)

9) Arizona State (4-1, 2-0, +274)

10) Indiana Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0, +261) - I don't know what to make of the Indiana Hoosiers.  They're a mystery.  One week, they look like the best team in the country as they dismantle a top-10 opponent at home.  The next, they struggle on the road, and escape with a 20-15 win against the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are once again the most Iowa-y of all football teams.  Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been having a great season, but had his toughest outing yet, throwing his first interception of the year, and completing "only" 56 percent of his passes for "only" 233 yards and 2 touchdowns.  But Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti got the job done, and now get a bye week before a road game at Oregon. 

11) LSU Tigers (4-1, 1-1, +237) - The team that I might have been the most wrong about this season - and I wasn't alone - was the LSU Tigers, who suffered their first loss of the season, 24-19 at Mississippi.  As I mentioned above, the Rebels were able to light up LSU's vaunted defense.  However, more concerning is LSU's seeming ineptitude on offense.  Against Mississippi, the Tigers rushed for 59 yards, and were 2 for 11 on their third down conversions.  Against Florida, LSU rushed for 96 yards, and against Clemson they rushed for 108 yards.  Things are not trending in the right direction.  However, for the time being, LSU still benefits from being a one-loss team in the SEC.  They get a bye week next week to try to get things right before they host a similarly one dimensional South Carolina Gamecocks.

12) Oregon Ducks (5-0, 2-0, +227) - I went to Oregon this weekend for my mother's 71st birthday, and so was, ironically, not able to watch most of the Oregon-Penn State game.  I watched most of the first half with my family before we went out for dinner, and then we returned with about two minutes left in regulation.  And when Penn State scored a touchdown to tie the game with 30 seconds left, I was certain that we had gotten back just in time to watch Oregon choke the game away.  However, the Ducks rallied, with quarterback Dante "The Inferno" Moore running 3 yards to convert on 4th and 1, and throwing to Gary Bryant Jr. for a 25-yard touchdown to put Oregon up 30-24 in the second overtime.  And on the next play from scrimmage, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw an interception into the leaping arms of Dillon Thieneman to seal the victory, and my whole family went berserk in our living room.

This was one of the few games that I picked correctly, because I'm an Oregon fan.  And even though the final score reflects what most people thought - that the game was a toss-up, or a slight edge to Penn State - the box score shows that Oregon was considerably better, outgaining the Nittany Lions 424 to 276, and winning the time of possession 33:52 to 26:08.  Oregon now gets a bye week before they host another top 10 team in Indiana. 

13) Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1, 1-0, +226) 

14) Missouri (5-0, 1-0, +224)

15) Houston (4-0, 1-0, +216) 

16) Tulane (4-1, 1-0, +201)

17) Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0, +197)

18) Tennessee (4-1, 1-1, +191)

19) Memphis (5-0, 1-0, +188)

20) Duke (3-2, 2-0, +188)

21) South Florida (3-1, 0-0, +183)

22) Utah (4-1, 1-1, +180)

23) Louisville (4-0, 1-0, +175)

24) Louisiana Tech (4-1, 3-0, +174)

25) North Texas (5-0, 1-0, +172)

My Top 25: She's Like A Rainbow

 Week 3 of the college football season is in the books!  For those of you keeping track at home, my Top 25 this week contains: 

• 10 teams from the SEC

• 3 from the Big Ten

• 5 from the ACC

• 3 from the Big 12

• 3 from the American

• 1 from C-USA???

• 3 Bulldogs

• 3 Tigers

• 1 Cougar

• 2 Officially sanctioned Native American tribes

• 0 Unofficial

• 5 Colors (Yellow, Golden, Crimson, Green X2)

• 4 weatherbased systems

1. Miami (FL) (3-0, 0-0, +268) - The Miami Hurricanes did not FAFO on Saturday, jumping right on their opponents, the Cinderella South Florida Bulls, and dominating them from beginning to end en route to a 49-12 win.  The most impressive stat of the night was Miami holding USF to only 40 total rushing yards for the game on 27 attempts for an average of 1.5 yards per rush.  The Hurricanes now have two impressive home wins, over Notre Dame (formerly coached by Lou Holtz) and South Florida (formerly coached by Lou’s son, Skip).  They’ll get a chance to add to their resumé in the coming weeks, with big games scheduled ahead versus Florida and at Florida State.  

2. Mississippi (3-0, 2-0, +251) - It’s best to think of this spot in the Power Rankings as reserved for the number one SEC team.  For now, that team is the Mississippi Rebels, who outlasted the Arkansas Razorbacks 41-35, and now have two SEC wins, both by one score.  Next week, the Rebels will be putting it all on the line against the Tulane Green Wave, in a game that has a lot more playoff implications now than I think anyone believed it would at the beginning of the season. 

3. Iowa State (4-0, 1-0, +241) - One of the themes of Week 3 was power teams fucking around and looking a little sus against supposedly inferior competition.  One of these culprits was the Iowa State Cyclones, who defeated the Arkansas State Red Wolves 24-16.  Iowa State needed all four quarters to put away Arkansas State, as they went into the 4th quarter only up 17-13.  Nevertheless, the Cyclones are off to their second consecutive 4-0 start to the season, which is something they have never done before in their 133 years of playing football. They also maintain (for now) the inside track to the Big 12 Championship, as they have a favorable conference schedule ahead. 

4. LSU (3-0, 1-0, +237) - Aside from maybe Miami, the LSU Tigers have been the most impressive team to me during the early stages of the season.  They outlasted the Florida Gators in Baton Rouge 20-10, notably causing Florida quarterback DJ Lagway to throw five interceptions, and now get a warm-up game against Southeastern Louisiana before they travel to play Ole Miss. 

And what about Florida?  I honestly almost feel bad for the Gators (almost! I do not like the Gators!) with the absolutely brutal schedule that they have to play this year (rankings are my own, but the official rankings will tell you a similar story): 

W vs FCS Long Island

L vs (10) South Florida

L at (4) LSU

At (1) Miami (FL)

Vs (57) Texas

At (6) Texas A&M

Vs (24) Mississippi St

Vs (17) Georgia

At (49) Kentucky

At (2) Mississippi 

Vs (48) Tennessee 

Vs (18) Florida St 

It’s not a good sign when the easiest team left on your schedule is Texas. 

5. North Carolina State (3-0, 1-0, +232) -

Follow me on Twitter @UmpDump2005 

6. Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0, +225) - Is Texas A&M the best college football team in the state of Texas?  The Aggies got their signature win on Saturday night, winning a 41-40 barnburner against Notre Dame in the Game of the Year of the Week (Part Deux).  I have tremendous respect for Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, who had his team go for it on 4th and 1 from the Texas A&M 18-yard line to set up the go-ahead touchdown instead of settling for the field goal.  However, the Irish then had a bad snap/hold and missed their extra point kick, allowing the Aggies to drive 74 yards in 13 plays to score the winning touchdown AND extra point.

Notre Dame might now be the greatest 0-2 team in history.  They have lost by 3 points on the road to a Top-5 team, and by 1 point at home to at least a Top-10 team.  Their schedule gets significantly easier from here on out, but it may be too late for them in terms of the playoff race.

7. Ohio State (3-0, 0-0, +215) - Ohio State was another team that dicked around for a while on Saturday before finally putting away an inferior opponent.  They beat the Ohio Bobcats of the MAC 37-9, but led at one point in the Third Quarter by only 13-9, and didn’t really put the game away until the 4th.  Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was decent, going 25 /32 for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns, but also threw 2 interceptions.  This might become an issue later on in the season.  Just sayin’. 

Ohio, meanwhile, have themselves in an interesting position.  They didn’t embarrass themselves against Ohio State, they beat West Virginia, and they only lost to Rutgers by 3 points.  I would expect Ohio to be contenders this year in the MAC, and keep your eye on them for some potentially hilarious late-season victory-by-transitive-property scenarios, since they’ve already beaten West Virginia, who just beat Pittsburgh.

8. Houston (3-0, 1-0, +198) - Is Houston the best college football team in the state of Texas?  Probably not, but they looked very good in their Big 12 opener, a 36-20 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.  Curiously, this is only the second ever meeting between Houston and Colorado, the other being a 29-17 Colorado victory in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.  The Cougars turned what was a close game into a laugher in the second half, when they outscored the Buffaloes 20-6, and caused two interceptions and a turnover on downs.  Houston gets a bye next week before they travel to Corvallis to take on the sadsack Oregon State Beavers, followed by a key Texas showdown against rivals Tech!

9. Georgia Tech (3-0, 1-0, +186) - One of the great things about college football is definitely the “Any Given Sunday” factor; that even a week of games that might look a little boring on paper can turn out and give you a slate of great games.  This was true of the Georgia Tech-Clemson game, in which Tech managed to pull out a 24-21 win over the Tigers.  And in a season that has had us see more than our fair share of botched end-of-game clock management, a special shout-out ought to go out to Georgia Tech coach Brent Key.  After Clemson scored a touchdown to tie the game with 3:26 left, the Yellow Jackets executed a 10-play, 38-yard drive that ended with kicker Aidan Birr hitting a 55-yard field goal - the longest game winning field goal in Georgia Tech history.  Tech also ran an incredibly clean game, especially for their style of play, committing 0 turnovers and only 3 penalties for 26 yards. 

10. South Florida (2-1, 0-0, +182)

11. Auburn (3-0, 0-0, +167)

12. Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0, +166)

13. Utah (3-0, 0-0, +162) 

14. Vanderbilt (3-0, 1-0, +161)

15. Tulane (3-0, 0-0, +158) 

16. California (3-0, 0-0, +156) - Pac-12 After Dark is alive and well in Berkeley!  Yes, the California Golden Bears of the Atlantic Coast Conference defeated their hated tawny mammalian rivals, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 27-14, in a game that kicked off at 7:30 local time, or 10:30 P.M. at the ACC headquarters in Charlotte.  Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele went 24/38 for 279 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, and he could start getting a little Heisman buzz.  By me.  I hereby buzz. Call could also be a dark horse (a black bear?) in the ACC title race, as they do not have to play Clemson, Miami, or Florida St. this year.

Also of note in the ACC: Stanford got their first win of the season, 30-20, over Boston College which means, according to Google AI, that this was the first time that both Stanford and Cal won home football games on the same night since September 3, 2022, when Stanford beat Colgate and Cal beat UC Davis.  This also means that you had the Golden Bears, the Golden Gophers, and the Cardinal all playing football at the same time within 40 miles of each other.  And I was going to say the Golden Eagles, but I guess that BC is just the Eagles.  I fucking hate the Eagles, man.  

17. Georgia (3-0, 1-0, +152) - In the Game of the Year of the Week, the Georgia Bulldogs came back to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 44-41 in overtime to secure their ninth consecutive win in that series.  Although there are still some questions about them, I do think that Georgia will become an elite team, and at this point I would pick them to eventually win the SEC.  Now, about that game … 

After squandering a 21-7 first half lead, Tennessee actually fought back to tie the game 41-41, and was driving with the ball and a chance to win the game in regulation.  After they got into field goal range, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel did something curious.  The Volunteers had just ran the ball 4 yards to set up a field goal attempt at the Georgia 20-yard line with seven seconds left.  But then Heupel sent the offense back out on the field to do - what, exactly?  The ball was already where they wanted it.  Did he feel like they needed another extra yard?  He didn’t have enough time to take a shot at the endzone.  What was he trying to do?  As it turned out, the offense got called for a false start, and ended up being pushed back 5 yards.  They then attempted the field goal, and Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert pushed it wide right.  Now, the kick had enough distance, so maybe the last second penalty didn’t matter.  But we’ll never know …

18. Florida State (2-0, 0-0, +137)

19. Missouri (3-0, 0-0, +130)

20. North Texas (3-0, 0-0, +122) - Is North Texas the best college football team in the state of Texas?  No, no they are not.  However, the Mean Green from Denton, Texas looked like it in 59-10 destruction of the Washington State Cougars, a game in which they caused five total turnovers and outgained Wazzu 410 yards to 275.  If nothing else, UNT should be able to throw their hats into the ring for the American Conference championship, and, therefore, for the Furious Five at-large bid for the playoff. 

21. Oregon (3-0, 1-0, +119) - Oregon looked less than overwhelming in their Big Ten opener against the Northwestern Wildcats.  In fact, they looked exceptionally whelming.  The Ducks “only” outgained Northwestern 373 yards to 313, and there were moments when it looked like the Wildcats offensive line was able to push the Oregon defenders off their marks.  However, Oregon was able to hold Northwestern scoreless until the 4th quarter, and Oregon quarterback Dante “The Inferno” Moore finished 16/20 for 178 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

This game kicked off at 11:00 a.m. Central Time (9:00 a.m., PT) and was played in front of 12,023 fans at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.  Martin Stadium is actually Northwestern’s field for their soccer and lacrosse teams, and is only temporarily hosting their football team while their football stadium is being renovated.  This means that Oregon got to be only one of 13 visiting teams that will ever play there. 

22. Alabama (2-1, 0-0, +111) - Alabama is going to be just fine.  Their defense was dominant against a Wisconsin team that I thought could have given them some troubles, allowing only 92 rushing yards on 34 attempts and causing 2 turnovers en route to a 38-14 win.  However, questions remain about the Crimson Tide’s offense, and they don’t have a lot of time to figure it out.  They get a bye next week before they have to play at Georgia on Sep. 27th. 

23. Louisiana Tech (2-1, 1-0, +96) - I don’t know what the fuck Louisiana Tech is doing here, either.  Congratulations on reading this far.  

24. Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0, +91) 

25. USC (3-0, 1-0, +91) 

Most Impactful Games of the Upcoming Weekend

 

1) (5) North Carolina State (2-0, 0-0, +159) at (64) Wake Forest (2-0, 0-0, +6) - Early season ACC match-up, and test to see if NC State belongs in the conversation for conference champs.  Wake Forest beat Kennesaw State 10-9 in Week One.  Current spread is NCSU (-6.5).  They'll win by more than that.

2) (28) Oregon (2-0, 0-0, +73) at (91) Northwestern (1-1, 0-0, -44) - Oregon is currently 27.5 point favorites at Northwestern.  So far, it seems like the Wildcats haven't done or said anything to piss off Dan Lanning.  I'd still bet on Oregon to cover the spread before they pull their starters.  Even with a win, though, they probably won't crack my Top 25.  (Because Northwestern is very bad.) 

3) (40) Clemson (1-1, 0-0, +52) at (18) Georgia Tech (2-0, 0-0, +89) - Clemson is 2.5 point favorites, so it's barely considered "upset watch".  Do you trust Dabo Swinney to fix what ails the Tigers?  My heart wants Georgia Tech, but my brain says Clemson.

4) (43) Wisconsin (2-0, 0-0, +48) at (59) Alabama (1-1, 0-0, +15) - Alabama three touchdown favorites at home?  Bet on Wisconsin to #CoverTheSpread .

5) (47) Georgia (2-0, 0-0, +39) at (24) Tennessee (2-0, 0-0, +83) - I have no idea what to expect.  Georgia is 3.5 point favorites on the road at Tennessee.  We really haven't seen anything from the Bulldogs yet this season, and Tennessee did beat Syracuse, but then Syracuse needed a miracle to beat UConn, so what does that mean? I don't know.  Flip a coin and go with Georgia.  But don't surprised if both of these teams are in the playoff picture near the end of the year.

6) (2) South Florida (2-0, 0-0, +191) at (9) Miami (FL) (2-0, 0-0, +132) - Game of the Century of the Week.  Probably the biggest game in the history of the USF Bulls.  Hard Rock Stadium will be rockin'. The winner of this game will probably be my No. 1 going into Week 4.  I like South Florida, but I also think that Miami is legit a title contender this year.  I predict something crazy happening (Gramatica missing game winning FG), and the Hurricanes escaping with a win, 32-30.

7) (76) Florida (1-1, 0-0, -5) at (3) LSU (2-0, 0-0, +176) - LSU is 7.5 point favorites at home against Florida. They will win by more than that.  By a lot more than that.

8) (4) Texas A&M (2-0, 0-0, +168) at (80) Notre Dame (0-1, 0-0, -14) - This is another game where I have no clue what will happen. Texas A&M has two decent wins (scores of 42-24 and 44-22) over two decent programs (Texas-San Antonio and Utah State).  Notre Dame has one tough loss on the road against a Top 5 Team, 24-27 at Miami.  The Aggies are 6.5 point underdogs on the road in South Bend, so let's pick them to win, just for fun.  Texas A&M 27, Notre Dame 21

9) (96) Duke (1-1, 0-0, -54) at (12) Tulane (2-0, 0-0, +117) - This was going to be my upset special, except I just found out that Tulane is 1.5 point favorites at home against Duke.  Pick the Green Wave to cover the spread.

My Top 25 - Sept. 21

1) Penn State (4-0, 1-0, +9)

2) Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0, +8)

3) Oregon (4-0, 1-0, +8)

4) Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0, +7)

5) Florida State (3-0, 1-0, +5)

6) Brigham Young (4-0, 0-0, +5)

7) Arkansas (3-1, 0-1, +5)

8) Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0, +4)

9) Alabama (4-0, 1-0, +4)

10) Washington (4-0, 0-0, +4)

11) Arizona State (4-0, 2-0, +4)

12) Duke (4-0, 0-0, +4)

13) Nebraska (4-0, 0-0, +4)

14) Marshall (4-0, 0-0, +4)

15) Georgia Tech (4-0, 1-0, +4)

16) North Carolina State (4-0, 0-0, +4)

17) Arizona (4-0, 1-0, +4)
18) UCLA (3-0, 0-0, +3)

19) Notre Dame (3-0, 0-0, +3)

20) Mississippi (3-0, 0-0, +3)

21) Baylor (3-0, 0-0, +3)

22) TCU (2-0, 0-0, +3)

23) Auburn (3-0, 1-0, +3)

24) Oregon State (3-0, 0-0, +3)

25) Utah (3-0, 0-0, +3)

South Carolina (3-1, 2-1, +3)

Rutgers (3-1, 0-1, +2)

Wyoming (3-1, 1-0, +2)

Cincinnati (2-0, 0-0, +2)

Boston College (3-1, 0-1, +2)

USC (2-1, 1-0, +1)

Stanford (2-1, 0-1, +1)

Oklahoma State (2-1, 0-0, +1)

East Carolina (3-1, 0-0, +1)

Florida (2-1, 1-1, 0)

Georgia (2-1, 0-1, 0)

Illinois (3-1, 0-0, 0)

Iowa (3-1, 0-0, 0)

Indiana (2-1, 0-0, 0)

LSU (3-1, 0-1, -1)

California (2-1, 0-1, -1)

Tennessee (2-1, 0-0, -1)

Michigan State (2-1, 0-0, -1)

Memphis (2-1, 0-0, -1)

West Virginia (2-2, 0-1, -2)

Louisiana-Monroe (2-1, 1-0, -2)

Kansas (2-1, 0-0, -2)

Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0, -2)

Missouri (3-1, 0-0, -3)

Northern Illinois (3-1, 0-0, -3)

Pittsburgh (3-1, 1-0, -3)

Virginia (2-2, 1-0, -3)

Nevada (2-1, 0-0, -3)

Minnesota (3-1, 0-0, -3)

Maryland (3-1, 0-0, -3)

Louisville (3-1, 1-1, -3)

Old Dominion (3-1, 1-0, -3)

Boise State (3-1, 1-0, -3)

Akron (1-2, 0-0, -4)

North Carolina (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Kansas State (2-1, 1-0, -4)

Syracuse (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Texas Tech (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Kentucky (2-1, 0-1, -4)

Ohio State (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Colorado State (2-1, 0-1, -4)

UAB (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Air Force (2-1, 0-0, -4)

UTEP (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Temple (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Western Michigan (2-1, 0-0, -4)

Louisiana Tech (2-2, 1-0, -6)

Virginia Tech (2-2, 0-1, -6)

Clemson (1-2, 0-1, -6)

Houston (2-2, 0-0, -6)

Navy (2-2, 0-0, -7)

San Jose State (1-2, 0-0, -7)

Tulsa (1-2, 1-0, -7)

Iowa State (1-2, 0-1, -7)

Toledo (2-2, 1-0, -7)

Purdue (2-2, 0-0, -7)

Southern Miss (2-2, 0-0, -7)

Miami (FL) (2-2, 0-1, -8)

Texas (1-2, 0-0, -8)

Colorado (2-2, 0-1, -8)

Michigan (2-2, 0-0, -9)

UCF (1-2, 0-0, -9)

New Mexico (1-2, 0-0, -9)

Northwestern (1-2, 0-0, -9)

UTSA (1-2, 0-0, -10)

Central Michigan (2-2, 0-0, -10)

New Mexico State (2-2, 1-0, -10)

Middle Tennessee (2-2, 1-0, -10)

Bowling Green (2-2, 0-0, -10)

Utah State (2-2, 0-0, -10)

Ohio (2-2, 1-0, -10)

Buffalo (2-2, 0-0, -10)

Arkansas State (2-2, 0-0, -10)

South Florida (2-2, 1-0, -10)

North Texas (2-2, 0-1, -10)

Wake Forest (2-2, 0-0, -10)

Georgia Southern (2-2, 1-0, -10)

Texas State (1-2, 0-0, -11)

South Alabama (1-2, 0-1, -11)

Army (1-2, 0-0, -11)

San Diego State (1-2, 0-0, -11)

Appalachian State (1-2, 0-0, -11)

Western Kentucky (1-2, 0-1, -11)

Washington State (1-3, 0-1, -12)

Rice (0-3, 0-1, -13)

Florida Atlantic (1-3, 0-0, -13)

Georgia State (1-3, 0-1, -13)

SMU (0-3, 0-0, -13)

Tulane (1-3, 0-1, -14)

UNLV (1-3, 0-0, -15)

Hawaii (1-3, 0-0, -15)

Fresno State (1-3, 0-0, -15)

Louisiana-Lafayette (1-3, 0-0, -16)

Connecticut (1-3, 0-1, -17)

Ball State (1-3, 0-1, -17)

Eastern Michigan (1-3, 0-0, -17)

Florida International (1-3, 0-0, -17)

Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2, -17)

Idaho (0-3, 0-1, -18)

Kent State (0-3, 0-1, -18)

Massachusetts (0-4, 0-0, -19)

Troy (0-4, 0-0, -22)

Miami (OH) (0-4, 0-0, -24)