THE 11 BEST 11s OF WEEK SIX
1. Oklahoma Sooners Rank Last Week–No. 2
Showed a great deal of strength against unbeaten TCU during a wild weekend of upsets.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions Rank Last Week–No. 7
Joe Paterno lost one time against Alabama in a national championship game (see picture above). If he can get back to the title game, he may have to face the same team again.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide Rank Last Week–No. 9
The most impressive first 30 minutes of football I can recall came in their first-half destruction of Georgia.
- B/R Ticket Guide
4. Louisiana State University Tigers Rank Last Week–No. 8
Give them the benefit of the doubt regarding a "come down week" from the great battle with Auburn. Awesome line play can equal the mighty Tide.
5. Missouri Tigers Rank Last Week–No. 5
If Chase Daniel does win the Heisman Trophy, he will have earned it against formidable opponents.
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders Rank Last Week–No. 6
So explosive, so well-coached, that it remains to be seen if the team can perform up to expectations. Rugged road games could spell doom for the complex hi-powered offense.
7. Texas Longhorns Rank Last Week–N/R
Impressive performances in each game, highlighted by an outstanding season from quarterback Colt McCoy, who has Heisman Trophy potential.
8. Southern California Trojans Rank Last Week–No. 1
If this mighty team destroys Oregon, they will be right back in the hunt for the national title. No one doubts they will be a player come Thanksgiving.
9. Ohio State Buckeyes Rank Last Week–No. 10
With Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor, this is an entirely different team than the one blown out by Southern Cal. Can they continue to build upon their confidence by beating Wisconsin?
10. Brigham Young Cougars Rank Last Week–No. 11
Quietly going about the business of proving they are the best team in the country even though they receive the least publicity.
T11. Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs Rank Last Week–Nos. 3 and 4
Why not? Let them face each other on the field and prove who is the best in their cocktail party.
On The Porch: South Florida, Boise State, Utah, and Tulsa
Conference Breakdown Of 11 Best 11s:
SEC—4, Big 12—4, Big 10—2, Pac-10—1, Mountain West—1 (extra team due to tie for No. 11)
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about 1 month ago
I agree near the top but I have Texas higher and OSU and USC lower..
So when do the Tide fall flat on their faces, my guess is it will come out of nowhere.
from about 1 month ago
Who is the best team Texas has beaten? Utep? Rice? Petrino's gang? They've got a ways to go.
I'll reserve further judgement on Sou Cal till I see how they handle adversity.
Ohio St will be fine.
Thanks Mitch!
from about 1 month ago
Same could be said for TTU. At least the horns looked better against piggies than alabama...
Sou cal may have actually been overrated. They have a loss, a win against injured and overrated OSU and a blowout against a team that Duke just blew out. They have serious work to do to to clean up their resume...
OSU is in trouble. The big ten looks pretty bad this season and I think the only meaningful win the Buckeyes have a shot at picking up is the Penn State game. Unfortunately I think there is a less than 50 50 shot of this happening....
about 1 month ago
I have reservations about Tech being ranked so high, but perhaps this is the year they buck trends and actually get things done.
Love old sports photography, and this Alabama - Penn State shot is great!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Sebastian, we could have that game repeated for the title this year, 30 years later.
about 1 month ago
Hi BabyTate, your poll has an old time feel to it: Oklahoma, Penn State, Alabama, LSU, Texas. . . and USC, Ohio State, and Georgia not too far behind. As an Alabama fan, I certainly didn't see them being near the top of the polls so soon- nor Penn State. But, each team has earned there place- it certainly didn't come because they started as preseason favorites.
from about 1 month ago
Gimme that ol' time religion when it comes to College Football. Ga, Fla, Sou Cal, Ohio St, they aren't finished yet, they can beat anyone else they face, they'll be back,
about 1 month ago
Good job BT. I agree with Daniel, I didn't expect to see Alabama or Penn State doing so well so early, but I'm lovin' it! I have Texas Tech lower along with USC, and Texas higher. This was a crazy week! ROLL TIDE!!!
from about 1 month ago
It would be a great thing for college football to have Alabama play Penn State for the National Title.
Thanks 12, and congratulations on the big victory.
about 1 month ago
BT. To much respect for the traditional powers after bad losses. Really bad losses! Your "On The Porch" teams should be ranked above FL and USC at this point in the year.
from about 1 month ago
Negatory there D. I'm with the traditional powers regardless. Seen plenty of fly by nights like East Carolina in my day. Folks here will tell you I never even put the Pirates on the porch. Only the traditional powers have ever won the BCS National Championship, so I don't put much stock in these non-traditional powers, and don't spend anytime talking about them.
from about 1 month ago
Well I guess the question is how many losses will you let the traditional powers have against subpar teams before you drop them. I guess if USC was 1-2 they would be out of your top 11? USC just laid the biggest egg for a number 1 ranked team in years. USC does not have the opportunity to get any big wins the rest of the year. I guess if Florida was 2-2 they would be out of your top 11? Who has Florida beaten this year to be in the top 11 at this point? I know they lost to a team at home that hasn't won a conference game since Nov of 2006. Sure they may beat some good teams this year but who have they beaten so far?
Are the Pirates one of your "On The Porch" teams? I am not sure I implied anything about the Pirates?
about 1 month ago
Tate, I bet I can guess who will be number one in the south region of your Regional Recap article. The powers that be in college football are making some noise again. Man, I'm getting more nervous with each game!!
from about 1 month ago
It would be great if Alabama continues to perform at the same high level all season long. I can see the Crimson Tide-LSU game as being a classic of the season. Now, there's the 7-6 type score I like.
from about 1 month ago
We've got UK, BYE, Ole Miss, UT, and Arkansas State before LSU. So, they are all winnable games, but that doesn't always mean they will win them all. If they do, that game will be rockin! LSU still has to play Florida and UGA before they play us too, so a lot could change between now and then. I am just looking forward to playing one at a time and hoping Bama can keep the focus. So far it looks like Saban has them buying in to everything and direct focus on each game.
I can tell already that this week is going to seem much shorter than last week. That had to be the longest week of my life!
about 1 month ago
What?!!!! Where are the Dawgs?!!! How could you.......Oh, wait a minute...that was last weeks argument.
I knew that Saban had Bama on the right track, but I did not think that they were quite there yet. I was wrong. Nick Saban is as good a coach as there is in the nation, and Alabama is an excellent ball team. In my book they are #1 in the nation.
Their QB is so much better than he has been given credit for, and, in my opinion, he was the star of the game.
Our secondary is weak, our play calling was pathetic, and we were out-coached and out-played by a Crimson Tide team that could be in the big dance in Miami. That is not negative thinking, and I am not giving up on the Dawgs. I am just stating cold fact.
Nuff said.
from about 1 month ago
Well, they are just too big for you. And practically everybody else but LSU. Standing and fighting people known as "Man Mountain So and So" is never a good idea. Ga made adjustments at halftime and did very well in the 2nd half. Georgia is not going to lose to many people in the country.
Win the East, get to the title game, anything can happen. Georgia will be tough the rest of the way.
Thanks for the comment Ghost!
about 1 month ago
Tigers at 4? Thank You for being kind to us BT!
Though we didn't necessarily play bad, we definitely didn't dominate like we should have. We came this close to getting "Croomed" and capping off the most exciting night in the history of the great state of Mississippi.
from about 1 month ago
Shoot, LSU can match 'Bama man for man in that line. When they play it's gonna be awesome, my kind of football 7-6 !
One thing to remember: Last week Ga Tech rushed for 438 yards on Miss State.
about 1 month ago
I'd like to see USF in the top 10. Leavitt has those guys focused. The thrashing of an improved NC State team was big.
Swap them out for BYU, I say...
from about 1 month ago
Swap them out for USC or Florida.
from about 1 month ago
I like USF this season, picked them to win the Big East in my bowl projections in August when everyone was talkin' about West Va.
BYU has won their last 2 games by 103-0. The USF Bulls are on the porch and they must be considered along with Tulsa and Utah as top contenders to break the 11 best 11s next week.
Thanks for the comments Tim, at least we've got Garcia playing now. Got to take out Tenn and Arkansas this season, now is the time, and don't think we're forgetting about Clemson either.
I haven't given up hope on the Liberty Bowl! January 2nd, we can do it.
about 1 month ago
This was week 5 not week 6
from about 1 month ago
Might be week #5 for you pal but this is the 6th week I've prepared the 11 best 11s.
from about 1 month ago
no team has a record that equals 6 games. you must be counting a preseason list.
about 1 month ago
My dad tells me all the time about how Penn State had it on the goal line for the win against Bama and they ran it 4 times up the middle and got stuffed. I WANT REVENGE!!! I want Bama vs PSU in the Championship...NOW! I don't care if they are faster, stronger, and more talented than we are, (which they're not...just making a statement) I wanna play them and we will win. I will be in Miami in January and we will get our revenge because: WE ARE...PENN STATE!!! Great article BT.
from about 1 month ago
Paterno was too young to handle Bear in '78. You'll have the advantage on Saban in '08 if it plays out that way.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah. However, I think OU has a better shot at going undefeated then Bama. The SEC is too competitive to go undefeated. Bama has a long road ahead.
about 1 month ago
Hey, WE ARE… PENN STATE. You might be in Miami, but before your team books its flight, it might want to win a game in Columbus… which it has NEVER done as a member of the Big Ten. In In fact it has never scored MORE THAN 10 POINTS in any single game against the Buckeyes in Columbus. HD offense of not, they still have to play the best defense in the big ten, and will not have any answer for Beanie Wells or Terrelle Pryor.
from about 1 month ago
1964, when ol' Rip Engle was head coach at Penn State and Paterno was an assistant, Ohio State was #1 in the country and the Lions went to Columbus and annihilated the Buckeyes 27-0. Doesn't matter that Penn St was independent then, they put the whuppin' on the Buckeyes. You can look for a competitive game in Columbus but, I don't see anyone in the country defeating Penn State this year.
from about 1 month ago
I agree with BT here.
about 1 month ago
I'll tell ya a matchup I don't want in the NC: OU and Penn State. Why? If it is indeed JoePa's last season, everyone in the world will be pulling for him to get a national championship on his way out. If OU squashed that script, everyone would hate the Sooners. That said, if they're in, and the Sooners are not, I'll root for the Nittany Lions to get it done.
I understand why no one really wants to see the Sooners in the national championship (see BCS bowl record last 5 years), but I'd kinda like to see a battle of crimson for the championship: Crimson Tide v. Crimson & Cream. Plus it would be a rematch against Nick Saban. But we've got a long, LONG season ahead. Should be a lot of fun seeing how things shake out.
from about 1 month ago
Makes very good sense. Good input.
about 1 month ago
good top 11. It does feel like earler times considering who's ranked in the top 10. it's still early and there will be plenty of twists and turns between now and then, but penn state and alabama have been the most impressive teams to me thus far. i sure as hell hope that USC doesn't win, especially since they take on my ducks on saturday, but they sure as hell can get right on track with a victory over us. i'm not as sold on ohio state though... i believe that while they look much better than they did against USC, they are playing a cream puff schedule. they'll prove something to me if they can deal with the night game in madison and beat penn state at the shoe. i was a little disappointed with the SEC as a whole this week (the exception being the tide of course) especially with florida choking against ole miss at the swamp and georgia forgetting how to play football in the first half.
from about 1 month ago
Scott, you know California was the most impressive team through Sept. last season with wins over Tenn and Oregon, then they fell off the map so we have to see how the long season plays out.
Great comment. Appreciate it.
about 1 month ago
Again, still drinking the Texas Tech koolaid. It will be sad to see such a nice guy look like such an idiot when they end up the same team as they are EVERY YEAR.
from about 1 month ago
You should respect the genius of Leach !
about 1 month ago
Plus anyone who doesn't have Alabama as #1 is just afraid to think on their own.
from about 1 month ago
Alabama might get beat by Kentucky.
You're just jealous because Oklahoma is #1!
That Boomer Sooner is coming for you!
from about 1 month ago
Michael I think you need to read the piece by Gray Ghost called "Country Serves Up A Piece Of Humble Pie." Don't be so cocky. It's great your excited about the team (as all Alabama fans are) but jsut remember that anything can happen in SEC football as Georgia saw last week.
ROLL TIDE!
Bama Chick
from about 1 month ago
Cameon I am not a Bama fan. In fact, if I had to choose I'd say I root against them. I just think that their body of work is far and away better than anyone else's and the only reason they aren't #1 is because of the current voting system which encourages sticking to preseason rankings whenever possible. Sometimes it's good (I don't actually think Texas is the fifth best team, but I'd be offended if they weren't there based on the way voting goes) and sometimes it's bad (Alabama should be #1). I'm rooting for Bama to fall, I'm not being cocky about their success.
from about 1 month ago
Oklahoma might get beat by Colorado like they did last year? Or Texas Tech. What's your point? Anyone can go down, it doesn't mean that Alabama doesn't deserve #1.
I called you a nice guy, don't taunt me with Sooner talk and make me take it back. I can unleash a lot of hate towards Sooner Supporters.
about 1 month ago
i wouldn't put Ohio St. so high, BYU's probably better than 10th
from about 1 month ago
They might just be.
Thanks for the input!
about 1 month ago
Hey there BT,
here's my Top 11 if you're interested (this is the first week I'm posting it as an article instead of in my comments):
1. LSU
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. Penn State
6. Utah
7. BYU
8. Florida
9. USC
10. Missouri
11. Ohio State
On the porch: Georgia, Auburn, Texas Tech.
Being here in Lawrence, I distrust the Johnny-come-latelies in the North (Missouri and Kansas... I don't have the Jayhawks in the Top 25) that high, and I'm not sold on Texas Tech being up there either. Until the meat of the Big XII conference schedule is served, I'll keep OU and UT, the traditional big boys, ahead of the "newbies".
Though I also might be giving too much credit to Utah and BYU... 1 through 5 are more or less interchangeable at this point--meaning it really doesn't matter where they are, it's like what Mao said when someone asked him what he thought of the French Revolution.
from about 1 month ago
Fascinating. I can't disagree with LSU as #1, they are impressive and are the defending national champion.
I understand your take on Missouri and Kansas but, they did win the Cotton and Orange Bowls last season.
You dropped Florida to #8, Sou Cal to #9, those are reasoned responses to upset losses.
Very good work!
This is the 1st time we've had Mao mentioned in a football article! Ph.D. candidate flexing his muscles!
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