Tuesday, September 16, 2008

NCAA Football top 25 (Games Ended 9/13)

Now that we have made it through the first three weeks of the season, I will publish my first top 25 of the season, free from the bias of preseason polls:

1. USC (2-0)- Trojans have outscored their first two opponents, both of BCS conferences, 87-10. The scariest part is that they made Ohio State look almost as bad as UVA.
2. Florida (2-0)- My preseason national championship pick is only not ranked #1 because of USC's sheer dominance. Florida has looked impressive in holding their first two opponents to a combined 13 points. The secondary looks much improved from last season despite playing two very weak offensive teams.
3. Georgia (3-0)- Handled South Carolina, which they hadn't been able to do for the past three seasons. Offense doesn't appear to be explosive against SEC level defenses, but it may be enough to get them to a BCS bowl with their stellar defense.
4. Oklahoma (3-0)- Sam Bradford and the offense have put up ridiculous numbers against inferior competition, and contributed to sealing Ty Willingham's fate at Washington. The Big XII title game could be a real shootout because...
5. Missouri (3-0)- No player in the nation has looked better than Chase Daniel in the early season, who is putting up staggering numbers and becoming the early favorite in the Heisman race. Missouri is a real threat to reach the BCS title game, with a fairly soft Big XII schedule that doesn't include OU or Texas Tech. They do play Texas in Austin, however.
6. Texas (2-0)- Completes a trifecta of Big XII teams in the top 6. We dont know too much about them after two blowouts of inferior opponents, but they appear to be bouncing back from a disappointing season last year. The brutal Big XII South schedule makes an appearance in the title game unlikely, however.
7. LSU (2-0)- Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch has won his first two games at LSU, and now the going gets tough against a great Auburn defense which held Mississippi State to under 130 total yards and no points if not for their offense. LSU also has a great defense which will keep them in every game, as well as the fastest player in the SEC Trindon Holliday.
8. Alabama (3-0)- I hesitated to move the Tide up this far from what I thought of them in the preseason, which was a fringe top 25 team, but there arent too many more impressive wins out there than Alabama's 31-10 rout of Clemson in Atlanta. They have shown a more capable offense than Auburn as well as a defense capable of shutting down perhaps the nations best backfield.
9. Wisconsin (3-0)- Props to the Badgers for going out to Fresno and taking on the Bulldogs, and for coming away with a hard-fought 13-10 win. I don't know if Wisconsin is better than Ohio State, but after OSU's debachle in LA, it certainly appears they are the current Big Ten favorites
10. BYU (3-0)- Wow. Raise your hand if you saw BYU 59, UCLA 0 coming? After UCLA's defeat of Tennessee I actually thought they had a better than average chance of winning, but Max Hall threw for 6 TDs in the first half to emerge as a legit Heisman candidate, and BYU emerged as a legit BCS buster with the rout.
11. Auburn (3-0)- Well, we know that the Tigers have a great defense, but their offense looked as if it was extremely confused the first time running the spread against an SEC defense. Can they ride that great defense to an SEC title?
12. South Florida (3-0)- A great game Friday night against Kansas ended with a game winning FG as time expired. USF's defense has taken a hit since last year, and DE George Selve's sack numbers are down, but Matt Grothe and the offense are explosive for the clear Big East favorites.
13. East Carolina (3-0)- The comeback win against Tulane was equally as impressive as their wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, because it shows that this team is disciplined and won't let an inferior opponent sneak up on them at least for a whole game. They should be favored for the remaining games on their schedule, including games vs ACC bottom feeders NC State and Virginia.
14. Ohio State (2-1)- I guess I have to put them here somewhere, right? A total thud in LA followed up a bad performance against Ohio U a week earlier, and it is not all because Beanie Wells is hurt. OSU could very well run the table, but I really hope the voters will keep them out of the title game if they do.
15. Penn State (3-0)- The signs have been encouraging on offense for PSU, and the Oregon State rout was nice, but I wont be convinced until they do it against a decent defense. Theyll have their chance playing games at Wisconsin and OSU. This is a dark horse candidate to reach the Rose Bowl
16. Texas Tech (3-0)- The offense, though it is putting up decent numbers, isnt up to last years level right now. Harrell, Crabtree and company showed some signs of waking up vs. SMU, and their defense also played well which is cause for optimism, but in the Big XII South they will need consistent offense and defense to stay afloat.
17. Utah (3-0)- It is very possible that one of the biggest games of the year will be the Holy War between Utah and BYU, which could be for a berth in a BCS game. If Brian Johnson stays healthy, Utah has a very good chance of being 11-0 at that point, with their biggest test being TCU. Dominated Michigan for three quarters before almost letting it slip away.
18. Wake Forest (2-0)- Escaped with a last second FG against Ole Miss and now goes to Tallahassee for huge ACC Atlantic showdown. A win, and Wake is the clear favorite to appear in Jacksonville. Kicker Sam Swank may be the ACC player of the year if that happens.
19. Kansas (2-1)- Todd Reesing is probably not 6 feet, but he certainly is a top NCAA quarterback. He nearly orchestrated a great comeback Friday night at USF, and should be in the Heisman conversation.
20. Fresno State (2-1)- If not for three missed FGs, Fresno might be in the top 15 if not the top 10 after beating Wisconsin...instead theyll have to win out, which includes a trip to the Rose Bowl as well as a season ending game on the Blue Turf in Boise, for an outside BCS shot.
21. West Virginia (1-1)- Were blown out at East Carolina, but still this team has so much talent its hard to not have them in the top 25. Pat White and Noel Devine in the backfield make them a threat to score on every play, and all they have to do is defeat USF to reach another BCS game.
22. Oregon (3-0)- Nice come from behind win at Purude, but injury issues at QB continue to haunt the Ducks. At this point they may be the second best team in the weaker-than-expected Pac-10 however, meaning that they could be ticketed for Pasadena after USC takes its spot in the title game.
23. TCU (3-0)- A solid win over a much improved Stanford team gives the MWC 3 teams in the top 25. They must go to Norman to face OU in two weeks.
24. North Carolina (2-0)- Butch Davis has quickly turned UNC around and made them a legit contender for the ACC title. They get Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill this week and a win perhaps makes them the favorites in thge Coastal division.
25. Florida State (2-0)- It's hard to imagine that FSU has a key game against Wake Forest in which they hope to overtake the Deacons as the favorite in the Atlantic division. How things have changed in three years. FSU is lucky to be here, but they have dominated their first two opponents and are now starting to get some of their suspended players back.

-Chris

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