College Football Rankings Reaction

All rankings are based on the USA Today Coaches Poll

Last week’s rankings reaction was more of a general rundown of what was happening with the teams ranked in the Top 25. This week I will give more of an opinion on what I think about certain teams, questions that remain unanswered, and the general direction a team may or may not move in the rankings.

1. Florida 4-0 The Gators were off this past weekend. Tebow’s still out for now. Their first big…and I mean BIG test is this weekend at #4 LSU. Tebow or not, it’s going to be a war. LSU has three tough road wins already and while it hasn’t been pretty, they remain unbeaten. Florida has a ton of talent and a brilliant coach, so even if the golden boy can’t give it a go, I think Florida will win.

2. Texas 4-0 It’s hard to gage the early season success. Texas Tech has been the only remotely good team on their schedule. It only gets harder for Texas. The Horns face a beastly road slate with the neutral site Red River shoot-out, followed by trip to Mizzou and OK State. I think they drop at least one of the three.

3. Alabama 5-0 Honestly, they look like the best team right now. They clearly have a dominant D. They run the ball well and McElroy looks better than his predecessor John Parker-Sucks. By the way, how does SEC scheduling work? They miss Florida in the regular season for the second year in a row.

4. LSU 5-0 See above. They still have Bama and unbeaten Auburn theaux.

5. Virginia Tech 4-1 Interesting case. This ranking is probably a little high. Their only loss was to Alabama on a neutral site and they looked great against the U, but they squeaked by Nebraska late, and did not exactly blow out Duke.

6. Boise State 5-0 There’s not really a method for the voters apparently. The Broncos won easy and dropped a spot. They’ve proven they can win BCS games and win in the non-conference and they should not lose the rest of the way.

7. USC 4-1 They proved me wrong after a couple of ugly performances. The Trojans get a week off before a rivalry game with Notre Dame. They undoubtedly have the talent to beat anyone but I think they’ll trip up at least one more time.

8. Ohio State 4-1 I’m sold on the Buckeye defense, but not their offense. Wisconsin will give us a pretty good barometer of just how good they are. The Bucks should run the ball early and often to set up the play-action to make things easier for TP.

9. TCU 4-0 The Horned Frogs are sittin’ pretty so far but Mountain West melees lie ahead with BYU and Utah.

10. Cincinnati 5-0 The Bearcats rose quickly in the ranks and perhaps too fast. They have major issues on defense and let a bad Miami team hang around for awhile this past weekend.

11. Miami 3-1 The tough part of the schedule is over. Luckily Sammy B was out. I was in Ft. Lauderdale Saturday and the atmosphere was electric after the game. The schedule is pretty favorable from here on out.

12. Penn State 4-1 A win over Illinois doesn’t hold much weight anymore. They need to prove that their offensive line can hold up against a good team to show that they’re ready to contend for a BCS birth. They’ll get plenty of chances with Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State still on the docket.

13. Oklahoma State 3-1 Which Cowboy team will show up? The one that out manned Georgia or the won that couldn’t stop Houston? Hopefully we see the real deal in Big 12 play.

14. Iowa 5-0 It’s safe to say that Iowa wins ugly. Key word = WINS. Five and Oh is 5-0 no matter how you read or write it. No matter if it’s I-AAs…I mean FCS schools…or Sun Belt Southern Belles. The Hawkeyes can make believers out of everyone if they can squash Michigan’s spread attack Saturday.

15. Kansas 4-0 So far, so good. A spot in the Big XII title game is within reach but not without obstacles. Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas Tech litter the schedule. We won’t see them back in the BCS.

16. Ole Miss 3-1 The #4 ranking was a result of too much hype. This is a good team, not a great one. They have their toughest games at home and could pull an upset, but I think this is a Cotton Bowl team at best.

17. Oregon 4-1 The Ducks have a strong resume to date but they have four more road games in conference, USC at home, and the Civil War at home too. They’re going to have to bring it every week.

18. Missouri 4-0 Still unblemished. Off last week to prepare for the Huskers Thursday. Sill too early to tell with the Tigers.

19. Auburn 5-0 Back in familiar Top 25 territory. This likely won’t last long. Pollsters forgot about them and they beat a bad Tennessee team, so suddenly they vault to 19. Makes sense right? They have a brutal SEC slate to negotiate and the only gimme is a home date with Furman.

20. BYU 4-1 The FSU loss looks worse but Brigham Young will stay the course and focus on the conference. Maybe we’ll see some Holiday Bowl heroics again. No BCS for Max Hall and co.

21. Oklahoma 2-2 No team with two losses should be ranked right now. Now, granted they are two 1-point losses to good opponents without your QB…but losses are losses. All is not lost for OU though. Bradford is progressing and the Soooners could legitimately win out. Voters may take the injury into consideration. Stranger things have happened. Don’t sleep on Stoops!

22. Nebraska 3-1 Big Red moved up two spots despite not playing. Hopefully the Big 12 North will start sorting itself out with Mizzou-NU Thursday.

23. Georgia Tech 4-1 The Yellow Jackets bulldogged Mississippi State in Starkville and continue to impress since their downer against Miami.

24. South Florida 5-0 Last year, they garnered too much acclaim, too soon. This year may be their year. The landmark win over FSU put them on the map in Florida, but in the Big East, there are bigger fish to fry. UC is next.

25. Wisconsin 5-0 They have crept into the rankings with some good wins of late and have a big chance to leap frog a lot of teams with a win in C-Bus Saturday.