The Contenders and Pretenders of College Football

With week one of college football almost over, some things are very clear—crystal clear.

There are some very good football teams out there who deserve their lofty ranking.

There are also some teams who not only don't deserve their ranking or perceived status—they should be taken to the back shed and beaten to within an inch of their lives.

Virginia Tech

When you lose two kickers, a long snapper, and your two best punt/kick returners, and you rely on your special teams to make big plays and win games, the truth hurts.

Va Tech is overrated.  Sean Glennon proved why Beamer went to the dual-QB system last year and will probably resort to it again this year, despite innuendo that Tyrod Taylor will be redshirted.

Verdict: Pretender

Ohio State

Sure, they played cupcake Youngstown State, and they limited the Pens to only five first downs.  (Beanie Wells ran for 111 yards before injuring his foot in the third quarter, and hopefully it's not serious.)

Here's the thing though: The Buckeyes beat an FCS team by only 43 points—15 of which were on field goals.  They get Ohio next week, and unless they beat the Bobcats by 50, they will be in serious trouble against the Trojans' D in two weeks.

Verdict: Pretender

Clemson

Nice job Bowden.  Alabama just rolled over the Tigers and proved once again that the Tigers are really a bunch of pussycats.

The ACC looks very weak this year—Va Tech, NC State, Clemson, and Virginia all lost, while Maryland had to struggle to beat FCS team Delaware, who didn't have Joe Flacco at the controls.  Clemson had to win this game due to their soft schedule, and they failed to live up to the expectations.  Fire up Tommy Bowden's hot seat.

Verdict: Pretender

Penn State

Another cupcake for the Big Ten, but the Nits showed up and dinked 66 points on the hapless Chanticleers.  While it doesn't prove how good the Nits really are, it does prove the QB situation has been resolved and Penn State has a productive offense.  When you play cupcakes, you had better beat them bad.  Penn State did just that.

Verdict: Contender

Oklahoma

Hanging 50 points in the first half—on what looked like a JV team who never learned tackling skills—is just what the Sooners needed to do to answer their critics—so far.

Bradford passed for 183 yards and two TDs before the Sooners put it in cruise control.  It's hard to really say how good the Sooners are since they manage to erase all the regular season hype in BCS Bowl performances, but so far, so good.

Verdict: Contender

Florida

The Gators had to struggle a bit early in the game but got their chomp together and beat the Warriors, 56-10.  The D played very well, and while Tim Tebow's stats were low, it was mainly due the running attack finally jelling.

A note of concern is the Gators O-line, as Tebow has to scramble to get out of some pressure.  However, the Gators were missing some key players due to injuries, and the Warriors were totally dominated.

Verdict: Contender

Oregon

After losing star QB Dennis Dixon to the NFL and starter Nate Costa to a knee injury, things were looking a little scary for the Ducks.  No problem.  Just reload with Justin Roper, and then Jeremiah Masoli.

While they played cellar dweller Washington, they managed to overcome the uncertainty of Roper's status, as he sat on the sidelines wrapped in a blanket.

Verdict: On the fence

Georgia

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in both polls, and frankly, they don't deserve it.  They "cruised" through their cupcake game against Georgia Southern, winning 45-21, but some questions remain.

For one, the Bulldogs let an FCS team score a TD in the third quarter and two in the fourth.  Sure, two TDs were against the Dogs' scrubs, but the Dogs' scrubs are twice as good as Georgia Southern's first team.

Moreover, eight Georgia Southern players were suspended from the game—two of them projected starters—and Georgia Southern squandered opportunities in the Dawgs' red zone twice.  The Dawgs are good, but they are beatable.

Verdict: Probable pretender

LSU

The defending champs just rolled over Appalachian State despite a serious storm approaching the Gulf Coast, completely shutting down Mountaineers QB Armanti Edwards and proving to everyone that they are not in rebuilding mode—it's reloading mode.

Harvard-transfer Andrew Hatch looked like the perfect leader for the Tigers, and LSU's D looked stingy.  All in all, LSU makes a case for why defending champs should be ranked No. 1 until someone beats them.

Verdict: Contender

USC

On the road across the country, starting an inexperienced O-line and a QB seemingly recovered from a dislocated knee cap, and having to replace four first-round NFL draft picks seems a bit daunting for some teams.  Not for this team.

Except for two big penalties that led to the Hoos' only TD and a fumble by McKnight on a punt return, the Trojans looked perfect.  Mark Sanchez threw for 340 yards and finished 27 of 37 while the stable of running backs rushed for 218 yards, and the D held the Cavaliers to 32 total yards rushing.

Verdict: Contender

West Virginia

OK, I'll be the first to repeat this—a Big East or ACC champ will not go to the title game.  This conference looks watered-down, and while the Mountaineers look to be the projected champ, it won't matter.

They led Villanova—a basketball school—34-7 before eventually winning 48-21, as Pat White threw for five TDs.

But can anyone explain how the Wildcats managed to outgain the Mountaineers, 399 to 354 yards?  At one point, with 6:47 left in the second quarter, West Virginia led 14-7.  Sorry Mountaineer fans, you didn't impress me.

Verdict: Pretender

Missouri

It was a wild game in St. Louis, but the Tigers managed to beat the Illini 52-42.  Where the heck was the D?  Jeremy Maclin proved he's worthy of Heisman consideration—come to think of it, if it weren't for him, Mizzou would have lost.

Chase Daniel was 26 of 43, but the Tigers' secondary got torched by Juice Williams four times on deep balls.  The Tigers look vulnerable, and the high-flying offense of Oklahoma State on Oct. 11 looks scary all of a sudden.

Verdict: On the fence

Auburn

Tommy Tuberville opened up against one of those cupcakes that has a tendency to upset unsuspecting teams—Alabama found that out last year.  No problem for the Tigers, as they smoked the Warhawks (yep, the name change didn't help them) and kept them out of the end zone.

The running game was solid, and the D and special teams both scored TDs.  The Tigers look solid in every unit, and suddenly, the West looks stronger than the East in the SEC.

Verdict: Contender

Finally, here's a look at the conferences as a whole.

ACC

Stinky, overrated, and a huge disappointment.  Four teams losing, and two of them upsets, is not a great way to start.  And the sexy pick for the ACC crown, the Tar Heels, barely beat McNeese State, 35-27.  The only teams that looked good were Wake Forest (playing the bad news Baylor Bears) and Miami (they beat Charleston-Southern 52-7).

SEC

Mixed bag.  Alabama, LSU, and Florida looked great, while Georgia, South Carolina, and Vandy looked above average.  The rest?  Mississippi State lost to La. Tech, Arkansas barely beat an FCS team (scored the winning TD with 1:49 remaining in the game against Western Illinois), and Ole Miss beat a 7-6 CUSA team that scored 24 points on them.

Big Ten

Uh-oh.  Bring on the boo-birds.  Illinois and Michigan lost, while Wisconsin had problems against the Akron Zips.  That's three of the five biggies in the Big Ten looking mediocre at best.  Penn State made the strongest statement, while Ohio State looked very good—but like Georgia, beatable.

Pac-10

Mixed bag.  USC, Oregon, and Arizona (beat Idaho 70-0!) looked great, and Cal looked very good.  But Arizona State beat Northern Arizona only 30-13, Oregon State lost to Stanford, Wazzu lost to Oklahoma State, and UCLA will lose to the Vols.

Big 12

Slightly below expectations.  Oklahoma and Texas looked great.  Texas A&M lost to Arkansas State, Nebraska and Texas Tech both let cupcakes score 24 points on them, and Kansas let the worst team in FBS football—Florida International—score 10 on them.  Baylor lost, of course.

Big East

Status quo.  South Florida looked great, and West Virginia didn't impress.  Pitt stunk up the place losing to BGSU, Cincy and UConn beat cupcakes, and Rutgers will lose to Fresno State.  Oh, and Syracuse lost to Northwestern.  Sounds about right.

Here's what the top 10 rankings should be.

1. LSU

2. USC

3. Florida

4. Oklahoma

5. Penn State

6. Auburn

7. Ohio State

8. Mizzou

9. Oregon

10. West Virginia