College Football Rankings: 7 Teams Who Got Screwed in the Week 2 AP Top 25

The AP rankings were released around lunchtime today, and subsequently we are finally presented with a list of Top 25 teams based on actual on-field performance.

Though the list still begins with Oklahoma at No. 1, it no longer ends with USC at No. 25 and includes a dizzying array of re-shuffling, drops/additions and ultimately spawns plenty of question marks.

Overall four teams left completely, four new programs gained inclusion up top, 12 teams moved up, two dropped a few slots but are still in the game and six stayed in the same spot they held in the preseason rankings.

The following slideshow pinpoints seven teams that have a bone to pick with the AP voters because arguably they’ve been unscrupulously screwed by the gridiron’s oldest electorate.

Notre Dame

Preseason AP Ranking:  No. 16

Week 1 Result: Lost to unranked USF 20-23

Week 2 AP Ranking:  NR

There wasn’t anything pretty about the Irish’s turnover fueled loss to the South Florida Bulls in their home opener but it’s important to remember that Notre Dame lost to a BCS team.

Yes, it was a nasty little defeat and offered little solid evidence of future hopes and dreams, but the Irish were one of only six preseason Top 25 ranked teams to face a BCS opponent in Week 1, which means that the other 19 teams all played a non-AQ opponent or a FCS foe.

Yes, they should have dropped to the bottom of the rankings, but not completely out of sight (the Irish have enough Week 2 votes, 22, to be No. 36 ranked team in the AP poll).

Don’t think so?

Well, then you should be prepared to explain why TCU (who also staged a comeback against Baylor but also fell just a few mere points short) fell to No. 25 instead of completely out of the rankings.

Baylor is a Big 12 team who finished 2010 at 7-6 and the Horned Frogs were six-point favorites in the game, USF is a Big East team that finished last season at 8-5 and the Irish were 10-point favorites.

What’s the difference?

Georgia

Preseason AP Ranking:  No. 19

Week 1 Result: Lost to No. 5 Boise State 21-35

Week 2 AP Ranking:  NR

Though Georgia is not one of the five AP Top 25 preseason ranked squads that faced a BCS squad, they squared off against the second-highest ranked team of any school listed in the preseason polls.

Yes, they lost and yes, it was convincing, but Georgia’s defeat at the hands of Boise State (the favorite in the game) was the second most “acceptable loss” (if there is truly is such a thing) in the entirety of Week 1.

What hurt the Bulldogs is that they were ranked No. 19 preseason, a statistical fact that makes it difficult to find room for them to stay in the mere six slots existing below their feet.

But still, how does TCU stay IN the Top 25 (after losing to an unranked team) while Georgia is ousted for losing to the No. 5 team in the country?

LSU

Preseason AP Ranking:  No. 4

Week 1 Result: Beat No. 3 Oregon 40-27

Week 2 AP Ranking:  No. 2

Though I completely understand the concept of not bumping a team out of the No. 1 spot until they lose, how is LSU not the best team in the country?

The Tigers are the preseason ranked team that faced the toughest test in the nation during Week 1 and proved themselves completely by thwarting the No. 3 Ducks by 13 hard-earned points.

And, if the custom of not moving the No. 1 team out of the top spot unless they lose is logical how do you explain Alabama moving out of the No. 2 slot (to No. 3) after whipping up on FBS Kent State?

I realize that the AP poll is simply an amalgamation of votes, but the Week 2 ballot box clearly declares Oklahoma (who beat a good Tulsa team soundly) the best team in the country when LSU is squad who has most proved its worthiness on the field (thus far).

USC

Preseason AP Ranking:  No. 25

Week 1 Result: Beat unranked Minnesota 19-17

Week 2 AP Ranking:  NR

The Trojans are one of the six preseason AP ranked teams that faced a BCS opponent in Week 1. They won that opening contest and were subsequently dropped from the rankings.

No, it wasn’t a convincing victory, but 19-17 still counts as a win as far as I’m concerned and beating Minnesota trumps a win over FCS Indiana State which is exactly who Penn State bested to jump over USC into the rankings for Week 2.

Yes, previously unranked Penn State is No. 23 after beating the crap out of an FCS squad while the No. 25 team in the country is unranked (and technically ranked No. 28 based on votes) after beating (barely) a Big Ten team.

Seriously?

Boise State

Preseason AP Ranking:  No. 5

Week 1 Result: Beat No. 19 Georgia 35-21

Week 2 AP Ranking:  No. 4

The argument for Boise State deserving a higher spot than No. 4 is a combination of all the arguments listed thus far in this provocative “screwed” slideshow.

First, Boise State played a BCS opponent (a ranked one from the daunting SEC at that) which means that they played the second most difficult Week 1 contest of a preseason ranked team (trumped only by LSU and Oregon at No. 1) and they were one of the only six teams to face a BCS foe (and let’s not even mention that the Blue Turfers don’t play in an AQ league).

Second, the Broncos find themselves squarely ranked behind Oklahoma and Alabama who both played unranked non-AQ teams meaning that their victory is in reality undervalued by the pigskin constituency.

In reality you can make a fairly solid argument that, based on actual play, Boise State is the No. 2 team in the land and falls in line behind only LSU who beat a more formidable opponent.

Northwestern

Preseason AP Ranking:  NR

Week 1 Result: Beat Boston College 24-17

Week 2 AP Ranking:  NR

The last two squads in this presentation really have a weaker argument than the others, but both cases are worth mentioning for the sake of comparison and fairness.

The reasoning is really simple, Northwestern played a BCS team (on the road) and beat them and therefore deserves the same treatment that another rising team from the Big Ten might garner.

The Wildcats received enough votes in the preseason AP poll to technically be the No. 47 ranked team and are now (again based on votes) the No. 30 team in the land.

Though this might seem to be an adequate acknowledgement of the victory (which was scored without starting QB Dan Persa) if another Big Ten squad had beaten an ACC opponent on the road in Week 1 they would be ranked.

BYU

Preseason AP Ranking:  NR

Week 1 Result: Beat Ole Miss 13-10

Week 2 AP Ranking:  NR

The BYU argument is very similar to that of Northwestern (and really you could throw Maryland into the mix as well) as they are a team that knocked off a BCS squad in Week 1 and then received no love from the electorate.

BYU is newly independent and coming off a seven-win rebuilding campaign in 2010. Neither factor helps a squad that is easy to overlook on a national landscape edging ever closer to the age of the Super Duper Conference.

The Cougars were technically the AP’s No. 30 team in the preseason and their 13-10 comeback win over Ole Miss (an SEC West member on the road no less) actually moved them down to No. 32 in terms of AP votes.

If BYU can continue to win (they have Texas in Austin in Week 2) they will no doubt find the rankings soon enough but you could certainly argue that sooner should be right now.