(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The BCS, AP, Coaches Poll, Harris, and USA Today Polls are all alike; they always find a way to mess things up. Keeping Boise State ahead of Virginia Tech when VT blows out top opponents, and then decides after a 34-26 shootout win against Duke that it was the perfect time to place VT ahead of Boise. Kicking Georgia out of the top 25, because of a touchdown loss to the No.4 LSU is another example.
What about Wisconsin? They're 5-0 and not in the top 25 either. You might think it's because they haven't beaten a top 25 opponent. Neither has Oklahoma, South Florida, Auburn, Texas, Mississippi, and several others, and they're all in the top 25. It's bias, and it needs to stop.
No.1 Florida is the obvious choice for No.1. They head to LSU this week, so they'll have to prove themselves.
No. 2 Alabama—It's a controversial call whether to put them at No.1, 2, or 3—but they have definitely come out explosive. The AP give Alabama more votes than Texas to be the top team in the country.
3. Texas deserves to be in the top four, but because they have yet to play a team ranked in the top 30, they fall short of being the second ranked team. They'll have their hands full this weekend.
4. LSU—Speaking of having their hands full, how about welcoming in the No.1 Florida Gators this week? Maybe on upset alert this week, Florida better keep their eyes open.
5. Virginia Tech pops into the top five, moving ahead of Boise State, but not because of their shootout win over Duke. VT is the best one-loss team, and when it's all said and done, this team could be right at the top looking at a possible BCS Title.
6. USC blew out Cal with conviction this past weekend. But watch out for the Oregon Ducks to match USC.
7. Ohio State—You know they deserve to be at No 7. They've played extremely tough since losing to USC, and they're a force to be reckoned with.
8. Boise State—Their toughest games are behind them.
9. Cincinnati just keeps proving everyone wrong. Watch out for their powerhouse offense, as they look to keep their streak alive against conference rival South Florida.
10. Oregon rounds out the top 10. The Boise loss in the season opener was no fluke. Both teams are very talented, and the game was in Boise State. Quack Attack is back!
No. 11 Iowa shouldn't be overlooked. Already defeated Penn State looks to manhandle Ohio State, if they're able. Iowa can perform when the game is on the line but barely survives against weak opponents.
No.1 2 Miami (FL)—I'm not even sure if they know how good they are. After a win over Florida State and Georgia Tech, they looked superb. Then Virginia Tech taught them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget. Maybe that game prepared them to knock off Oklahoma a week later. This team has charisma and most importantly—swagger.
No. 13 TCU just stays under the radar. The wins over Virginia and Clemson look less impressive, since William & Mary defeated Virginia, and Maryland knocked off Clemson. But don't ignore TCU. They have a great defense—they just need to live up to their top ten ranking (AP Poll), and they haven't yet.
No. 14 Nebraska—Their only loss came to Virginia Tech by one-point. Very under-estimated at No. 23 (AP Poll), this team looks to prove to everyone that they are one of the elite.
No. 15 South Carolina—Why is this team ranked below Ole Miss? S. Car pulled out the win and it wasn't a fluke. This team is very solid. At No. 25, this team has earned little respect.
No. 16 Oklahoma State is a hard team to figure out. How good are they? They lost to Houston by one-point, in a shoot out. Houston then lost to UTEP. Since they've defeated Georgia and manhandled Grambling State like there was no tomorrow—I get the impression that overall, they're a good team.
No. 17 Kansas is still undefeated, but they have yet to play a worthy opponent. They'll face their first "real" opponent on Oct. 24 against Oklahoma. Their last three matchups against Nebraska, Texas, and Missouri will make or break their season.
No. 18 Penn State is comfortable with "comfortable" wins. 31-7 over Temple, 28-7 over Syracuse, 31-6 over Temple, a fourth quarter loss to Iowa 21-10, and a 35-7 victory over Illinois is inevitable.
No. 19 Auburn is undefeated and finally has some "respect." They need to prove they can compete with the rest of the SEC, otherwise they'll fall apart like a $2 suitcase. Congrats, on a 5-0 record.
No. 20 Mississippi would like to know why they fell 17 spots, after a six-point loss to South Carolina. South Carolina also stayed ranked below Ole Miss.
No. 21 Wisconsin—That's right, they're undefeated. And not ranked in the AP Poll? You have Oklahoma, who is 2-2, whose two wins consist of shutouts over Tulsa and Idaho State, and they're still ranked. "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
No. 22 Georgia Tech—It's clear at 4-1, Georgia Tech is a pretty good team.
No. 23 Stanford has absolutely no respect from the pollsters. They blew Washington State and San Jose State out of the water. Their only misfortune was a heart-breaking loss to Wake Forest. They defeated Washington and UCLA. At 4-1, this team could create havoc for Cal, USC, and perhaps even Oregon.
No. 24 Michigan lost to Michigan State in overtime last week. I picked them on upset alert last week as the Spartans prevailed. Give Michigan credit, they still deserve a top 25 ranking. Be on the lookout for Michigan to break lose and challenge Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin.
No. 25 BYU—Still hesitant about this team, I give them enough stock to remain a top 25 team. But with TCU in a few weeks, this team will need to manage every game.
Knocking on the door:
Oklahoma, Boston College, Utah, Missouri, Notre Dame
I understand the polls won't get it perfectly—but too many errors have occurred in so little time.
Thanks for reading—appreciate your feedback!
We're going to send you the most entertaining South Carolina Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
16 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete