College Football Rankings: Who Is Overrated in Coaches and AP Poll?
College Football preseason polls are based almost entirely on conjecture and uniformed speculation. After an exciting first week of the season, there is at least a small body of work for the voters to examine.
The polls are out and there are a handful of surprises. Oregon and Nebraska rose in the rankings, and Florida, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma slid down.
North Carolina slid down and out after a thrilling comeback against LSU fell just short.
Here's a look at 10 overrated teams in the Week 2 College Football Polls.
No. 10: Stanford, No. 25 In AP Poll
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It's much easier to formulate an opinion about borderline top 25 teams after seeing them in action. That said, the voters might have overreacted a bit to Stanford's win over Sacramento State.
Any team that allows over 300 yards passing to an opponent in one half probably isn't very good, which makes Andrew Luck's feat slightly less impressive.
It also makes a 52-17 Stanford win less impressive.
The Cardinal managed to jump both Pittsburgh and Oregon State, who suffered close losses to ranked foes, and sneak into the rankings.
Time will tell if they deserve a spot, but for the moment the body of work is just too incomplete.
No. 9: Georgia, No. 19 In USA Today Coaches Poll
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The Bulldogs moved up two spots in the Coaches Poll by virtue of losses suffered by Pittsburgh and North Carolina.
Now the question become just how long they will stay there.
Georgia dusted Louisiana Lafayette in the season opener, but remains a team based more on potential than proven performers.
The Bulldogs could fall out of the rankings entirely if they fall to South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia.
Star receiver A.J. Green's availability for the game remains up in the air.
No. 8: Oklahoma, No. 10 In Both Polls
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It doesn't seem like a great idea for voters to catapult a team that ended the previous season unranked immediately into the top 10 of the preseason polls.
But that's exactly what happened this season, when Oklahoma was anointed as one of the best teams in the country without even playing a game.
Now, after playing a game and struggling to outlast a fiesty Utah State team in Norman, the question still remains.
Why are the Sooners ranked so high?
There is plenty of star power, but also plenty of questions. Landry Jones might be a solid quarterback, but he lacks great mobility and needs protection from the offensive line to succeed.
Jones was sacked three times on Saturday and didn't play particularly well.
Given the solid state of teams like Wisconsin and Miami, it seems obvious Oklahoma is ranked too high.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7: Arizona, No. 23 In USA Today Coaches Poll
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Much like Stanford's win over Sacramento State, Arizona's 41-2 dusting of Toledo made a big impression on the voters.
The Wildcats simply did what they should have done against the Rockets. An appearance at No. 23 in the Coaches poll doesn't make a great deal of sense.
Arizona's status in the top 25 would certainly be validated with a win over Iowa in two weeks. Until then, there is no proof the Wildcats are better than BYU, Pittsburgh or South Carolina.
No. 6: USC, No. 16 In AP Poll
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Of course the media like USC better than teams with more than 70 scholarship players on the roster, including Utah, Auburn, and Florida State.
The Trojans looked good offensively against Hawaii, but that isn't saying much. USC got a couple big breaks in the game and the young defense looked confused at times.
There is no question USC has the potential to deserve to be a top 25 team as the season progresses, but they haven't done anything to warrant a spot just yet.
Tradition always seems to carry too much weight in the AP Poll.
No. 5: LSU, No. 16 In USA Today Coaches Poll
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LSU's No. 19 ranking in the AP Poll makes sense, but the No. 16 spot in the USA Today Poll is a bit of a puzzler.
The Tigers nearly blew a huge lead against a depleted North Carolina team, yet still find themselves ranked ahead of both Georgia Tech and Florida State.
The high preseason ranking dictates LSU's current spot in the polls. Tech and FSU both crushed inferior opponents and didn't deserve to surpass the Tigers. That could change in the next couple weeks when Florida State visits Oklahoma and Georgia Tech visits North Carolina.
LSU has easy wins coming up against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State and might not show it belongs in the top 20 until September 25 when West Virginia comes to Baton Rouge.
No. 4: Arkansas, No. 14 In AP Poll
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The Razorbacks moved up three spots thanks in part to Pittsburgh's loss. Arkansas also passed USC, a team that is probably ranked too high, but also a team that played a FBS opponent on the road a won relatively easily.
Go figure.
Arkansas' 44-3 over Tennessee Tech shouldn't have told the voters anything, certainly not enough to vault them ahead of both USC and Georgia Tech.
No. 3: Texas, No. 5 In AP Poll, No. 4 In USA Today Coaches Poll
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Alright, which esteemed member of the media gave Texas a first-place vote this week?
Please state your name and your line of thought behind the decision. We're waiting.
Despite the single first-place vote, TCU leapfrogged the Longhorns in the AP Poll. The Horned Frogs remain ranked behind the Longhorns in the USA Today Poll.
Texas hasn't showed it belongs in the top five yet.
No. 2: Nebraska, No. 6 In The AP Poll
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Nebraska might have finally found a quarterback, but an impressive performance against Western Kentucky probably doesn't justify Nebraska passing Florida in the AP Poll.
The Huskers were ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls, so they were the logical choice to move up when Oklahoma moved out.
However, they were not a logical choice to pass Florida, a team that defeated a Miami of Ohio opponent far superior to a Hilltopper squad that went 0-12 last season.
Stop the madness.
No. 1: Oregon, No. 7 In AP Poll
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The media must not have seen much New Mexico football in recent years. Frankly, who has?
The Lobos went 1-11 last season and were able to generate all of 107 yards of total offense against Oregon.
Meanwhile, the Ducks racked up more than 700 yards of offense and won 72-0.
Apparently, this performance was enough to vault Oregon from No. 11 in the preseason AP Poll all the way to No. 7. More importantly, the Ducks passed Iowa, who registered a 37-7 win, and Florida, who beat Miami of Ohio 34-12 and was ranked fourth in the preseason poll.
It's difficult to justify dropping the Gators four spots after a win over a legitimate FBS team, something New Mexico simply isn't at this point.
The only possible explanation for Oregon's rise is that the AP voters were impressed by style points.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
