College Football Rankings: 10 Teams Revealed in Week 1
The preseason polls are merely speculation and sometimes that fact shines through quite clearly.
Teams are exposed as underrated or overrated in this glorious first week of football. Some are undergoing a transitional or rebuilding period, while others have improved drastically and failed to get the respect that they deserve.
But fortunately, the voters each week have a way to change that by dramatically altering the polls.
The following slides show five teams that were glaringly overrated and another five that were drastically underrated.
Oklahoma: Overrated!
1 of 10
AP Top 25: No. 7 (1 first-place vote)
USA Today Poll: No. 8
As DeMarco Murray said, "No disrespect to Utah State, but they should have never been that close to us. We didn't help the defense out, going three-and-outs a couple times in a row, and offensively we should have put a lot more points out there. We're still young, we're still learning."
Linebacker Travis Lewis voiced similar feelings: "As players, we thought we were at the top of the world, ranked seventh, all that. A Utah State team comes in here and they almost beat us. So, it's a great humbling experience as a team, as a defense and as players."
There's a chance that Oklahoma was simply looking past this game to next week's showdown with Christian Ponder and the Florida State Seminoles. But there's also a chance that this team is simply not as good as people thought they were.
Both the offense and the defense were inconsistent throughout the lead. Landry Jones only managed to complete 17 of his 36 passes to go along with his two interceptions.
Things started out looking good for the Sooners, but they almost let the Aggies of Utah State tie the game up. Had a touchdown on a fake field goal not been called back by a penalty, the Aggies would have tied the game up instead of settling for a field goal and a four-point deficit.
If unheralded Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel can throw for 341 yards, just imagine what Ponder can do.
For a team that was supposedly a contender for the championship, the fall from grace could come quite fast.
Florida: Overrated!
2 of 10
AP Top 25: No. 4
USA Today Poll: No. 3
The transition from Tim Tebow to John Brantley was supposed to be a lot smoother than this.
As head coach Urban Meyer said after the game, "I didn't imagine the offense's incompetence that we experienced today." That's always a good sign in the first game, right?
Brantley managed to throw for only 113 yards against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks defense. He helped lead the Gators to eight fumbles, three of which were lost. The team as a whole gained only 212 yards, a whopping 187 of them in the game's final 13 minutes.
Deonte Thompson dropped an easy catch for a touchdown. Mike Pouncey couldn't even snap the ball correctly.
Even Florida's fans booed the team. It's not acceptable for a national championship contender to struggle against a team that went 1-11 last season.
USC: Overrated!
3 of 10
AP Top 25: No. 14
USA Today Poll: Unranked
Lane Kiffin's debut for the USC Trojans didn't go as expected. The offense was dominant, the defense... not so much.
"We didn't do it in the style that we wanted. We want to be tough, we want to be disciplined. I thought we were tough today. I thought that we played physical in parts of the game, but we weren't disciplined," said the new head coach.
Matt Barkley showed huge improvements from last season and threw for five touchdowns, but the defense was just awful.
Despite the Trojans' offensive prowess in the game, they were still out-gained, 588 yards to 524.
This is not the same Hawaii offense that had Colt Brennan a few years ago. The Warriors are no longer the same team that they were.
USC should be embarrassed by their performance on that side of the ball and needs to fix things fast to have any shot at competing in the Pac-10 this year.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
LSU: Overrated!
4 of 10
AP Top 25: No. 21
USA Today Poll: No. 16
It seems strange to call a team that beat another ranked team in the first week overrated, but that's exactly what the LSU Tigers are.
This wasn't just any ranked team that the Tigers faced, it was the UNC Tar Heels, or at least what was left of them. UNC was missing half of their starters, including many of their best players. But they still hung around and the game came down to the final play.
As Les Miles, the LSU head coach, said, "We won a football game tonight in very sloppy fashion. If we just play efficient football, this game is not even close. We've got to tie up some loose ends right now."
The Tigers almost let a huge lead slip away to UNC, who was led by T.J. Yates. Yates threw for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns against the supposedly vaunted LSU defense.
This was not a step in the right direction for a team trying to compete in a difficult SEC this year.
Mississippi: Overrated!
5 of 10
AP Top 25: Unranked
USA Today Poll: Unranked
Jacksonville State 49. Mississippi 48.
Enough said.
North Carolina: Underrated!
6 of 10
AP Top 25: No. 18
USA Today Poll: No. 18
This UNC Tarheels team was not supposed to even be able to hang with the LSU Tigers with half of their starters not able to play. Yet they somehow hung around long enough to have a shot to win on the final play of the game.
After the game, UNC coach Butch Davis said, "I don't know if I've ever been prouder of a group of kids. The way they fought to get themselves back into the ballgame. We didn't play very well in first half. We made so many mistakes in kicking game, we really put ourselves in a hole. But one thing that defines your character and your guts is your ability to compete."
When this team gets back their best players, they will be quite scary to face.
Michigan: Underrated!
7 of 10
AP Top 25: Unranked
USA Today Poll: Unranked
Against a tough Connecticut Huskies team, the Michigan Wolverines looked very good in a 30-10 win.
Denard Robinson didn't just look very good, he looked unbelievable. The quarterback affectionately known as "Shoelace" because he doesn't tie his shoes passed for 186 yards and ran for 197 more.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez needed this win to try to get off the hot seat and he was successful in that goal.
The Wolverines dominated the entire game in the opener of the new Big House. UConn was considered a experience team and a force to be reckoned with in the Big East.
This was a solid start, one that could possibly propel them into the polls. Expect a good game next week against Notre Dame.
South Carolina: Underrated!
8 of 10
AP Top 25: Unranked
USA Today Poll: Unranked
The Gamecocks of South Carolina thoroughly dominated their week one opponent, Southern Miss.
Stephen Garcia, the starting quarterback who many people throughout the country didn't like going into the game, made all the throws he needed to in the game. Garcia completed 16 of 23 passes and appeared to take a huge leap forward in his development as a quarterback.
Marcus Lattimore, one of the top running back prospects in the country last offseason, had two touchdowns and will be a force for the Gamecocks this season.
Any Steve Spurrier coached team is dangerous, but this one is underrated as well. How underrated remains to be soon though as they face the Georgia Bulldogs at home next weekend.
Utah: Underrated!
9 of 10
AP Top 25: Unranked
USA Today Poll: No. 24
They won't be unranked in the new AP Top 25 poll. It took a field goal in overtime, but the Utah Utes knocked off the No. 15 Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Utes dominated the first three quarterbacks, let the lead slip away in the fourth quarter, but held on for their 18th straight win.
Most impressively, the defense managed to shut down Pittsburgh star Dion Lewis. Lewis, considered a Heisman candidate by some, only managed 75 yards on 25 carries.
It took three tries to kick the game winning field goal but it eventually went through the uprights and one of the upsets of the week was sealed. Although according to the next set of rankings, this won't have been too big of an upset.
Houston: Underrated!
10 of 10
AP Top 25: Unranked
USA Today Poll: Unranked
The Houston Cougars eventually need to get some respect. They may have the best offense in the country.
Case Keenum, the Cougars' quarterback, is a true Heisman candidate. He showed it Saturday when he completed 17 of 22 passes for 274 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. Keenum didn't even need to play in the second half, the win was locked up by halftime.
The defense showed signs of improvement from last season, allowing just seven important points. The final 21 points for Texas State all came in garbage time.
Expect to see lots of games like this for the dangerous team from Houston. And remember the name Case Keenum.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
