College Football Top 25 Poll: How Do the Teams Stack Up After Two Weeks?
Forget the coaches!
Forget the media!
We need a poll without Florida favoritism, without Boise State silliness, and without all the nonsense.
We need a college football Top 25 that is a true assessment identifying the worth of the best teams in the country.
If you're wondering who the best college football teams in America are after two weeks of play—here's your answer.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
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Sophomore running back Trent Richardson has filled in admirably for 2009 Heisman Winner Mark Ingram, who has missed both of the Tide’s games trying to recover from preseason knee surgery.
The defense, led by safety Mark Barron and linebacker Dont’a Hightower, has been suffocating, allowing just a field goal in each of the first two games.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th-October 9th when the Tide take part in a three game stretch that includes match ups with Arkansas, Florida, and South Carolina in consecutive weeks.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
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The Buckeyes have a win over a top fifteen team secured under their belt already even though star quarterback Terrelle Pryor has yet to even play up to his potential.
The Buckeyes can win the Big Ten with a steady dose of Brandon Saine, stifling defense, and a few occasional breakouts of amazingness from Pryor, but if they want to win the whole thing, they’re going to need more out of the 6‘6" junior.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: October 16th when the Buckeyes head to Madison to try and stop big John Clay and the Wisconsin Badgers.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
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Quarterback Landry Jones looked phenomenal, completing 30 of his 40 throws for 380 yards and four TDs, in a 47-17 blowout of Florida State.
People were worried after Oklahoma was tested by Diondre Borel and a surprisingly strong Utah State team in the season opener, but Jones and the rest of the crew seemed to calm those concerns with a dominating showing against the Seminoles.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: October 2nd when the Sooners head to Dallas to take on the Texas Longhorns in the annual Red River Shootout.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
4. Oregon Ducks
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LaMichael James looked like he still had his freshman legs in his first game of the season as he rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in Oregon’s 48-13 blowout of Tennessee in Knoxville.
The Pac 10 has some challengers this year, but Oregon’s offense has been extraordinary in the first two weeks, averaging 60 points a game so far.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: October 2nd when the Ducks host Stanford. The Cardinal put up 51 points in last year’s upset.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
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It’s hard to evaluate just how good this Cornhusker crew really is considering they’ve only played Western Kentucky and Idaho thus far in the season.
Quarterback Taylor Martinez has looked sharp and the defense has been stiff. They've done what they've had to do but the verdict is still out on this team.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: October 7th when Nebraska has to go to Manhattan and take on a dangerous Kansas State Wildcats team on a Thursday night. Hopefully, the Cornhuskers aren’t looking ahead to the next weekend’s match up with the Texas Longhorns.
6. TCU Horned Frogs
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Gary Patterson’s bunch looked efficient in an opening night win over Oregon State in Cowboys Stadium, and they followed that up with a 62-7 shellacking of Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
Quarterback Andy Dalton looks like a slightly less athletic and slightly less angry Tim Tebow. Dalton has thrown for 357 yards and two touchdowns while totaling 87 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: next weekend when the Horned Frogs try and stop speedy quarterback, Robert Griffin of Baylor
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
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Running back Adam Robinson has been a workhorse for the Hawkeyes, carrying the ball 38 times for 265 yards and four TDs.
The defense has been good so far, allowing only two touchdowns in two games, but they’ve yet to go up against an offense that has truly dangerous weapons.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: next weekend when the Hawkeyes travel to Arizona to try and slow down QB Nick Foles and an emerging Arizona team.
8. Boise State Broncos
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The Broncos won the award for most exciting “team performance” in the first two weeks with their 33-30 comeback victory over Virginia Tech in front of a prime time audience last Monday night.
The win seems a bit diminished now that the Hokies fell to James Madison in their follow up game. But this Boise State team is still poised to make a run at an undefeated season behind the leadership of quarterback Kellen Moore and head coach Chris Peterson.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when the Broncos try and bring down their second BCS opponent of the season in a match up with the Oregon State Beavers.
9. Stanford Cardinal
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Andrew Luck has looked like the best quarterback in college football, throwing for 467 yards and six touchdowns in two blowout wins.
Luck has proved he can lead this Cardinal team to success without the help of running back Toby Gerhart. And the team as a whole seems like they have what it takes to contend for a Pac 10 conference title.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when Jim Harbaugh’s team heads to South Bend to try and best Notre Dame for the second year in a row.
10. Wisconsin Badgers
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Every time they run a play, this Badgers team demonstrates what it’s like to punch someone in the mouth. When big John Clay gets going behind what could be the best offensive line in America, it’s almost impossible to stop Wisconsin.
With a defense that can match their running back’s toughness, it’s hard to see a lot of people coming away with a victory over Wisconsin this year.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: October 2nd when the Badgers head to East Lansing to take on Michigan State. The visiting team has dropped five straight games in the series.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks
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They said this year was going to be the best opportunity for head coach Steve Spurrier to contend for an SEC Championship. So far they seem to have been right.
New freshman running back Marcus Lattimore has proved that his recruiting hype was warranted as he’s carried the Gamecocks offense in the first two games of the season.
A big win over Georgia was the momentum starter this team needed.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when Spurrier takes his team down to Auburn to try and stop the versatile Cam Newton.
12. Texas Longhorns
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Quarterback Garrett Gilbert is going to be a good one, but there are some growing pains to be expected throughout the 2010 season.
Luckily for Gilbert, this Longhorns defense is one of the most talented in the country. With players like DE Sam Acho, CB Curtis Brown, and LB Keenan Robinson leading the way, it’s going to be hard to put up a lot of points on the boys from Austin this season.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when Texas welcomes UCLA for the most anticipated non-conference game since Ohio State came to town back in 2006.
13. Auburn Tigers
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Quarterback Cam Newton has Auburn fans dreaming of an SEC Championship, but there are still some tough tests that the 6‘6", 250 lb. junior has to pass.
Newton has emerging talent like running back Michael Dyer surrounding him, and an experienced and strong offensive line in front of him.
There’s no reason to think Gene Chizik can’t have the Tigers contending with Alabama for the SEC West title this year.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: next weekend when Clemson comes to town sporting a fierce pass rush.
14. Florida Gators
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The Gators have been the letdown team of the early part of the 2010 season.
The offense has looked out of sync with quarterback John Brantley at the helm, and the team as a whole seems to lack the championship personality they had when quarterback Tim Tebow was leading the way.
If they don’t get their heads right soon, the could be in for a very disappointing campaign.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when the Kentucky Wildcats, who are loaded with talent this year, come to Gainesville looking to avenge last year’s 41-7 embarrassment.
15. Michigan Wolverines
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Quarterback Denard Robinson is college football’s absolute star right now. And it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for head coach Rich Rodriguez, who can now feel his butt starting to cool off a bit.
The sophomore sensation finished with over 500 yards of total offense and scored the last second game winning touchdown in Michigan’s 28-24 victory over Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame team on Saturday.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: October 16th when the Wolverines play host to the smashmouth Iowa Hawkeyes.
16. Arkansas Razorbacks
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Quarterback Ryan Mallett is currently on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards this season.
Yes, he’s gone up against lightweight opponents—Tennessee Tech and Louisiana Monroe—early on, but the point is that the junior signal caller looks sharp, completing 49 passes and throwing six touchdown strikes in the first two games.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when the Razorbacks try to knock off the defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
17. Arizona Wildcats
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Quarterback Nick Foles seems to get lost in the shuffle behind guys like Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, and Jake Locker when the conversation about the best Pac 10 quarterbacks pops up. But there’s no doubt that the 6‘5" 245 lb. junior can go toe to toe with any of them.
Arizona has blasted its way through two easy opponents—Toledo and The Citadel. And both the offensive and defensive units look like they are playing smart and inspired football right now.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: next weekend when the Iowa Hawkeyes make a trip out to the desert.
18. LSU Tigers
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This is an LSU team that is loaded with talent all over the place, the only question is whether they can make something out of all of it?
You could make the case that the Tigers have three of the most dominant players in the conference in cornerback Patrick Peterson, offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale, and defensive tackle Drake Nevis.
Can head coach Les Miles keep this team focused and ready to play on a weekly basis?
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when the West Virginia Mountaineers, who have a lot of faith in quarterback Geno Smith, try and bear the imposing decibel levels of Death Valley.
19. CAL Golden Bears
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California is the sneaky team of the Pac 10 conference right now as they continue to fly under the radar even after a 52-7 blowout victory over Colorado on Saturday.
Quarterback Kevin Riley is a battle tested senior and running back Shane Vereen is a dynamic runner.
Is this the year head coach Jeff Tedford finally brings the program to the national stage?
We’ll find out what they’re made of: September 25th when the Golden Bears take their act on the road to pay a visit to the Arizona Wildcats.
20. Houston Cougars
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Quarterback Case Keenum is well on his way to breaking almost every major college football passing record know to man. The 6‘2" senior has thrown for over 550 yards and five touchdowns in the team’s first two games.
Houston’s offense has put 122 points already and they don’t show any signs of slowing down soon.
We’ll find out what they’re made of: next weekend when the Cougars head out to Los Angeles to battle it out with the Bruins of UCLA.
21. Miami Hurricanes
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You can never be ashamed of losing to a superior team, and that's exactly what happened to Miami when they lost to Ohio State in a valiant yet definitely not mistake free effort.
The Canes are going to need to have Jacory Harris stay focused, but the talent is certainly there for this team to win the ACC in 2010.
We'll find out what they're made of: September 23rd after a bye week to prepare for the Thursday night match up with Pittsburgh.
22. West Virginia Mountaineers
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For the first three quarters of their Friday night game at Marshall, West Virginia certainly didn't play like a team worthy of being ranked.
The Mountaineers struggled staying consistent until freshman quarterback Geno Smith put the team on his back and carried them to an improbable victory in overtime.
This West Virginia team is capable of contending in the conference, but they can't have too many showings like Friday night's mess if they want to make a Big East Championship a reality.
We'll find out what they're made of: September 25th when the Mountaineers head down to Baton Rouge to take on LSU.
23. Utah Utes
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The injury to starting quarterback Jordan Wynn is concerning, but the Utes showed that they can win without the sophomore as they thoroughly outplayed UNLV on Saturday.
Kyle Whittingham's fundamentally sound squad has what it takes to run with TCU in the Mountain West conference race.
We'll find out what they're made of: November 6th when the Utes meet up with TCU in what could be considered the championship game for the Mountain West Conference.
24. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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If it weren't for Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson deciding he wanted to be the hero of the day, Brian Kelly's Notre Dame team would be sitting at 2-0 heading into an important road game at Michigan State.
Instead, Kelly's group is 1-1 in a season that is capable of heading south really quickly if the Irish don't toughen up on defense.
QB Dayne Crist, RB Armando Allen, and WR Michael Floyd will put up the points, but it's up to the Irish defense to prevent opponents from the doing the same.
We'll find out what they're made of: next weekend when the Irish travel to East Lansing to play Michigan State in a pivotal game in their season.
25. UCONN Huskies
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The Huskies suffered the same fate as the Irish, losing to the Denard Robinson show in Week 1. The only difference is that the Huskies have had a chance to bounce back since then.
Connecticut slaughtered Texas Southern 62-3 behind the outstanding running of junior Jordan Todman, who finished with 151 yards and three TDs on 15 carries.
Todman has a chance to lead the Big East in rushing this year, and he has the chance lead his team to a championship if he keeps things up.
We'll find out what they're made of: October 29th when West Virginia comes to town for a crucial Big East showdown.
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