BlogPoll: Week 3

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PREVIOUS	SOS	NEXT GAME
1.		3-0	1	144	at Kentucky
2.		3-0	2	104	v. UTEP
3.		3-0	4	79	v. Arkansas
4.		3-0	5	82	at Oregon
5.		3-0	6	148	v. Iowa
6.		3-0	7	59	at Mississippi State
7.		2-1	3	21	v. Washington State
8.		2-1	8	35	v. Illinois
9.		2-1	9	88	at (11)Miami (10/3)
10.		2-0	12	1	at (14)Virginia Tech
11.		2-0	10	177	at South Carolina (9/24)
12.		3-0	18	71	v. Fresno State
13.		2-1	13	87	v. Grambling State
14.		2-1	14	25	v. (11)Miami
15.		3-0	20	118	v. Indiana
16.		2-1	16	28	v. Arizona State
17.		3-0	17	111	at Nevada (9/25)
18.		3-0	21	154	v. Southern Miss.
19.		3-0	23	54	at Bowling Green
20.		2-0	24	135	at Clemson
21.		2-1	NR	3	v. South Florida
22.		3-0	NR	78	v. Ball State
23.		2-1	22	61	at Purdue
24.		2-1	NR	13	at Stanford
25.		2-1	19	73	v. Louisiana-La.

Annual USC Letdown Spectacular: One Day Only in the Pacific Northwest!  It seems like every year the Trojans take it on the chin from a mediocre conference team, and heavy underdog.  And, that loss is increasingly taking place in Oregon and/or Washington (four of their last six).

No one wins in this scenario, except for the heavy underdog.  USC is ostensibly eliminated from the National Title chase unless and until every team in front of the loses.  A team like Ohio State receives collateral damage because their hard fought loss is now view as something less than a last minute defeat to the nation’s premier program.  Fans will now say, “USC lost to a team that just ended the nation’s longest losing streak one week prior.”

So, why do I have them in the Top 10?  Because history has shown that this is a one-time deal.  USC will likely win the majority, if not all of their games, go to the Rose Bowl, and many college football pundits will declare them worthy of a berth in the national champion game.  Whether they deserve to be there or not is a different debate.

Room at the top?: There were not a ton of impressive performances at the top this weekend.  Florida played well in fits and starts against an outmanned Tennessee and Jahvid Best, I mean, Cal looked pretty good during their breakfast battle with Minnesota.  Otherwise, Penn State, LSU, Alabama played Sallys and went through the motions.  Ohio State actually remains in the same spot despite USC’s loss.  There is no real argument that can be made to place Ohio State ahead of them.

Other comings and goings: While Miami rounds out the Top 10, Cincinnati makes the biggest move of the week and Michigan has climbed back into the Top 15.  Mercifully, BYU legged an egg and removed themselves from any BCS discussion.  Utah did the same but we had not bothered to rank them in the interim.  Boise, are you listening?