College Football Rankings 2011: Ranking All FBS Conferences Heading into Week 2

Well, Week 1 has come and gone, leaving a trail of dominating performances, exciting finishes and head-scratching losses.

I have chosen a game from each conference that best represents its opening week and where each conference stands heading into Week 2, followed by individual rankings within that conference.

6. Pac-12: Sacramento State 29, Oregon State 28…TIMBER!

The big bad Hornets came into Corvallis, Ore. and amazingly upended the Beavers.

OSU starting QB Ryan Katz struggled mightily in the first half and was replaced by true freshman Sean Mannion in the second half.

While Malcolm Agnew was fantastic (223 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries), the Beavers defense was not, as it proved unable to come up with key stops—evidenced by the Hornets' two-point conversion in overtime to win the game.

Pac-12 Rankings

1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. Arizona State
4. Arizona
5. Cal
6. USC
7. Utah
8. Washington
9. UCLA
10. Washington State
11. Colorado
12. Oregon State

5. Big East: South Florida zaps Notre Dame 23-20

The Bulls went into South Bend and, with the help of costly Notre Dame turnovers—and maybe Mother Nature—stunned the 16th-ranked Irish.

South Florida provided one of the few bright spots for the Big East during Week 1.

Big East Rankings

1. South Florida
2. West Virginia
3. Pittsburgh
4. Cincinnati
5. Rutgers
6. Syracuse
7. Connecticut
8. Louisville

4. ACC: Virginia Tech 56, Appalachian State 13; Order Is Restored

After big problems in their last three season openers, the Hokies blew out a pretty good Appalachian State team.

The running game dominated and the defense stuffed the ASU spread attack.

Virginia Tech appears to be the ACC front-runner.

ACC Rankings

1. Virginia Tech
2. Florida State
3. Clemson
4. Georgia Tech
5. North Carolina
6. Maryland
7. Miami
8. Virginia
9. Boston College
10. North Carolina State
11. Wake Forest
12. Duke

3. Big 12: Baylor 50, TCU 48…whew!

In easily the most exciting game of Week 1, the surprising Baylor Bears jumped all over the Horned Frogs and then held on for dear life.

QB Robert Griffin III was a one-man wrecking crew who has vaulted himself into the Heisman periphery.

TCU's renowned defense must have left Waco in a complete daze.

Big 12 Rankings

1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Baylor
4. Texas
5. Texas A&M
6. Texas Tech
7. Kansas
8. Missouri
9. Iowa State
10. Kansas State

2. Big 10: Minnesota nearly derails the Trojans, losing 19-17

You don’t necessarily have to win in order to give your conference bragging rights.

USC led at halftime 19-3, but the Golden Gophers shut out the Trojans during the second half and almost pulled off a huge upset on the road against a ranked team.

If this is how a Big Ten bottom-dweller plays, the conference should be a real dogfight.

Big 10 Rankings

1. Wisconsin
2. Ohio State
3. Iowa
4. Nebraska
5. Penn State
6. Michigan State
7. Michigan
8. Northwestern
9. Illinois
10. Minnesota
11. Purdue
12. Indiana

1. SEC: LSU plucks the Ducks

Probably the most anticipated game of Week 1, LSU proved the old adage "a dominant defense wins over a dominant offense."

Oregon’s Heisman candidate LaMichael James had 18 carries for only 54 yards, and LSU forced four Duck turnovers to claim a relatively easy 40-27 victory.

Coach Les Miles definitely pulled this win out of his Mad Hat.

SEC Rankings

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. Florida
5. South Carolina
6. Mississippi State
7. Georgia
8. Auburn
9. Tennessee
10. Mississippi
11. Kentucky
12. Vanderbilt

Conclusion

Now, as any seasoned sports fan knows, these rankings will dramatically change week to week.

And for the Pac-12, it darn well better—not that I have my fingers crossed or anything!