College Football Rankings: Overrated, Underrated Teams In AP Poll Week 1
The long awaited first week of college football season is in the books. While many teams opened up their season with easy-wins, some were surprised by the performance of "lesser teams" on the field and many did not live up to the hype of their preseason ranking.
As we enter week two of the college football season, let's take a look at the recently released AP Top-25 Poll and the teams who should be ranked higher or lower than they currently are.
AP Poll Top-25 For Week One
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Before we begin the speculation of this week's AP Preseason Poll, here is the full top-25 for week one:
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1. Alabama 11. Wisconsin 21. Auburn 2. Ohio state 12. Miami (FL) 22. Georgia 3. Boise State 13. Virginia Tech 23. West Virginia 4. TCU 14. Arkansas 24. South Carolina 5. Texas 15. Georgia Tech 25. Stanford 6. Nebraska 16. USC 7. Oregon 17. Florida State 8.Florida 18. Penn State 9. Iowa 19. LSU 10. Oklahoma 20. Utah
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No. 3 Boise State
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Boise State is still sitting pretty at the No. 3 spot in the AP Poll heading into week two.
Let's ponder on something.
The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide blew out San Jose State in their opener, while the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes beat Marshall in their week one debut. Both beat unranked teams.
The Boise State Broncos beat the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies in one of the most anticipated games of the season.
Based solely on week one's opponents and play, Boise State should be ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.
The Broncos did pick up eight first place votes (four more than No. 2 Ohio State), but it looks like voters are still not biting the Boise State bullet.
No. 4 TCU
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Two non-BCS schools are in the AP top five after week one; who would've thought?
The TCU Horned Frogs jump from No. 6 to No. 4 is a puzzling one after viewing the non-movement of Boise State in the rankings.
TCU took down the then No. 24 Oregon State Beavers 30-21, dominating them in almost every category.
So the question remains, why does TCU get a jump in the rankings for beating a No. 24 team when Boise State beats a No. 10 team and remains the same?
Both schools headed into the game as favorites playing ranked teams. Both TCU and BSU play in non-BCS conferences and beat BCS teams in week one.
TCU's two spot jump—placing them above Texas and Florida—may be the correct move, but the inconsistency for the non-BCS schools is suspect.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 8 Florida
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The Florida Gators dropped four spots in week one's AP Poll, moving from No. 4 to No. 8.
Although the move was necessary, it just wasn't enough of a slip for the Gators after a lackluster performance this past Saturday against Miami (OH).
A win is a win, but the Florida Gators did not play like a top-10 team. Florida amassed only 212 total offensive yards, matching Miami (OH)'s total yards.
Miami (OH) out-performed Florida in passing yards 208 to 113 and in first downs, 16 to 12.
Maybe it was an off day for the Gators, but nevertheless, after their week one performance they should be ranked just outside the top-10.
No. 10 Oklahoma
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Oklahoma dropped three spots to be ranked No. 10 in the AP after week one.
Like the Florida Gators, the Sooners should be placed just outside the top-10 after a close game against non-BCS team Utah State.
The Utah State Aggies gave the Sooners a run for their money, out-passing the Oklahoma crew by more than 120 yards, but falling short in the rushing category.
The Sooners, ranked No. 7 heading into this game, beat Utah State by just seven points in what should have been a blowout considering their previous ranking. Two Sooner turnovers and only converting 5 of 17 third down conversions is just not top-10 material.
No. 20 Utah
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It seems that almost every year the Utah Utes are underestimated due to their non-BCS conference status, well, until they join the Pac-10 next season.
Utah entered the season unranked, per usual, and defeated the then No. 15 Pittsburgh Panthers in an overtime battle.
The Utes, unlike many teams ranked higher than them, played and beat a ranked team—a Pitt team who is projected by many to win the Big East this season.
Utah should have been ranked between the No.'s 15 and 18 spots in the AP Polls.
No. 25 Stanford
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Stanford sneaked into the top-25 after being unranked in the AP Preseason Poll.
This is a case of the wrong Pac-10 team creeping into the top-25, as the Arizona Wildcats deserve it more after week one.
Stanford played a FCS team (Sacramento State), while Arizona played an FBS team (Toledo). Both had blowout wins, Stanford winning 52-17 and Arizona winning 41-2.
Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles completed 32 of 37 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns. Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck completed 17 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns.
While the performances of the two teams are somewhat equal, the votes should go to Arizona for scheduling an FBS team, although it was a non-BCS opponent.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
