Picture this:

Team A steamrolls team B.  Team B gets a dominate win over Team C.  And Team C knocks off Team A.  Who’s the better team?

The BCS, AP, and USA Today Poll, among others, took it upon themselves to award team B.

Let the bias begin (or continue)…

 

No. 1 Alabama - It’s a very difficult decision trying to justify who deserves to be No. 1, but you can’t go wrong with Alabama. The Tide has one of the best defenses in all of college football and they keep playing explosive football. 

No. 2 Florida barely escaped Tennessee and got the win against Arkansas with obtained momentum from some “questionable” calls on the field.  Florida is an elite team, but a "trap game" could be in store in the upcoming weeks. 

No. 3 Texas remains unbeaten, but they have some tough opponents in the road ahead.  The Longhorns could make a case for being the No. 1 team, but Oklahoma is 3-3 and not the team they used to be.

No. 4 USC entered the top five this week by default.  The Trojans’ road wins over Ohio State, Cal, and Notre Dame are seemingly impressive.  USC heads to Oregon in two weeks for Pac-10 matchup we’ve all been waiting for.

No. 5 Iowa struggled against Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, who are cupcake opponents, at best. But the Hawkeyes still came through against Michigan in a shootout. Iowa also secured a win over Arizona, passed through Iowa State with ease, took down the Nittany Lions, and rallied over Wisconsin.  

No. 6 Cincinnati is on everyone’s radar.  This is usually a disadvantage.  It's a tough call to make—if they’ll be able to control their own destiny, or even if they’ll remain undefeated.  But I like the way things are going so far this season.

No. 7 Boise State is still moving up in the polls because of their win over Oregon in Week One.  Boise State moved to No. 4 this week (BCS Poll), after a 28-21 win over Tulsa (who was shutout to Oklahoma, 45-0).

No. 8 Oregon has absolutely erupted since losing to Boise State in the season opener. This team is legit. They can compete with the rest of the elite.  Quack Attack heads to Washington this week, hoping to avoid a potential "trap game."

No. 9 LSU - How good is this team? The Tigers have a blowout win over UL Lafayette and a comfortable win over Vanderbilt.  The rest were shootouts (against Washington, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Florida).  LSU lost to Florida in a defensive slugfest. The Tigers have yet to live up to their true potential.

No. 10 TCU showed they can rally this past weekend, as they put a beating on Colorado State, 44-6. TCU gets their first “real” test this season as they head to Brigham Young. 

No. 11 Miami (FL) (Team B)

No. 11 Georgia Tech (Team C)

No. 11 Virginia Tech (Team A)

Who deserves to be higher ranked?

It’s bias to declare anyone ahead of the other. 

This is a rare occasion.  But of course, it happens in the ACC.  Most of the polls this week had Virginia Tech at No. 15 and a couple of the polls (such as the AP Poll) had Miami (FL) at No. 8.

That’s ridiculous.  In a couple of weeks, we should know enough to give one team more credit than the other, but for now, it’s a TBA situation.

No. 14 Penn State could be stuck in a "trap game" this week heading to Michigan.

No. 15 Houston - You may be in complete shock to learn that Houston is at No. 15.  But when you look below the surface, you notice Houston beat Oklahoma State 45-35 (in Stillwater) and obliterated NW State and Tulane by a combined score of 99-23.  The Cougars did have a mishap, losing to UTEP 58-41. But it appears that it’s all water under the bridge. Inevitably, Houston knocked off Miss State and Texas Tech in a couple of shootouts. 

No. 16 Texas Tech has a couple of minor blemishes to Texas and Houston.  Both games were on the road and came down to the wire.  The other games were a breeze.  Texas Tech manhandled Kansas State (in what was supposed to be a good game), 66-14.  ‘Tech then ripped apart No. 15 Nebraska, 31-10.  (“Guns Up!)” 

No. 17 Ohio State is still in the hunt.  Iowa is clearly a few steps ahead of the Buckeyes, but don’t count this team out. The Buckeyes still face some tough opponents ahead, so they’ll have the opportunity to make up for their loss at Purdue. 

No. 18 Oklahoma State is having trouble with some cupcake games.  They’re still winning, but we’re not seeing that flashy, powerhouse offense we’re used to seeing. 

No. 19 Brigham Young - I’m still not completely sold on this Brigham Young team. I’ll put some “stock” in Brigham Young—if they show up against TCU and give them a tough time. 

No. 20 Utah's only blemish is a loss to the Ducks in a shootout at Oregon.  The Utes are consistent, but they’re only playing opponents on a cupcake level.  Look for Utah to put on a show in the upcoming weeks. 

No. 21 Nebraska was ripped limb from limb last week against Texas Tech.  Nebraska is still a good team, but they’re no longer top 10 worthy.  A slip-up against Iowa State, Baylor, or Kansas would ruin their season. The Cornhuskers host the Sooners in three weeks and it will be, by all means—a must-win. 

No. 22 Michigan wasn’t just a team that I pulled out of a hat.  Although that could be an easy thing to do since eight teams ranked from 15th-30th (in the AP Poll) lost last week.  At 5-2, the Wolverines lost on the road to the Hawkeyes in a shootout and the Spartans of Michigan State in overtime.  Michigan hosts Penn State this week, with an upset in mind.

No. 23 Wisconsin has won four shootouts already this season.  The Badgers lost to Ohio State and Iowa—the leaders in the Big Ten.  Wisconsin gave Iowa some trouble, but the Hawkeyes rallied in the second half.  Wisconsin hosts Purdue this week, hoping not to be another victim of the Boilermakers. 

No. 24 Oklahoma has a 3-3 record.  In most instances, for a team to be at .500 and still be ranked would be ridiculous, especially this early in the season.  But to their credit, their three losses combine for only five points (margin of victory). The Sooners lost to No. 20 Brigham Young (14-13), No. 17 Miami (FL) (21-20), and No. 3 Texas (16-13).  Oklahoma heads to Kansas this week, and regardless of the margin of victory, if the Sooners lose, they’ll be officially out of contention.

No. 25 Pittsburgh rounds out the top 25, and is ranked No. 3 in the Big East.  PITT is ranked at No. 20 (in both the AP and BCS Poll).  But they don’t deserve that high of a ranking, at least, at this point in the season. 

Knocking on the Door:

Arizona, West Virginia, Kansas, South Florida, Notre Dame

Unranked Sleepers:

Central Michigan, Georgia, Idaho, Clemson, Michigan State

What are you thoughts on the Team A, B, and C Situation?

Thanks for reading—appreciate your feedback!