Iggy's Week 6 College Football Rankings

[iggymcfly 0]

Not much to do tonight, (don't really feel like celebrating the Cougar loss), so I figured I'd go all out and give commentary for the Top 25. Feel free to comment in any manner you find appropriate.

 

(Previous week's ranking in parenthesis)

 

1. USC 6-0 (1)

They gave Notre Dame a real chance to beat them, but in the end, Bush and the Trojans came through with yet another big road win. Penalizing the Trojans for almost losing at this point would be ridiculous given that they've played probably the toughest road schedule in the country, and have come through it with three big wins.

 

2. Texas 6-0 (3)

Texas finally played up to their potential, absolutely dismantling Colorado on Saturday. Vince Young had the performance that we all wondered if he was capable of, going 25-29 for 336 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs. If he can play like that consistently, the Longhorns definitely belong in the Rose Bowl.

 

3. Virginia Tech 6-0 (2)

The Hokies still have big games on their schedule against Miami and in the ACC Championship (likely against Florida State), so they will have a chance to regain the #2 spot. However, at this point, their schedule is actually weaker than Texas's, as West Virginia is the only team they've beaten that is currently in the Top 25.

 

4. Georgia 6-0 (5)

The Bulldogs didn't exactly light the world on fire against Vanderbilt, but they picked up another SEC win and move to 6-0 on the season. While they continue to look sloppy against inferior competition, they've found another gear this year when facing ranked teams, and there's no reason to think they couldn't run the table and end up SEC champions at 12-0.

 

5. Alabama 6-0 (4)

Yes, the Tide have also played down to the level of their opposition all year, but the game against Ole Miss was different. Without the deep threat of Tyrone Prothro, the offense struggled to gain any ground, only putting 13 points on the board. The defense may be the best in the country, but unless Brodie Croyle finds another go-to receiver in a hurry, the BCS won't be in Bama's future.

 

6. Miami 5-1 (8)

The Canes have been extremely sharp following the opening road loss to the Noles, picking up nice wins over Clemson, Colorado, and South Florida. However, until they go to Blacksburg on November 5th, we won't really know if this team is a legitimate BCS contender.

 

7. Florida State 5-1 (6)

It might seem unfair to drop Florida State below a team they already beat early in the season, but it's not for two reasons. One, the FSU/Miami game was extremely close, and the small edge of having the game in Tallahassee could easily have been enough to tip the scales in the Noles' favor. Secondly, if you look at it objectively, losing to Virginia on the road is a worse loss than losing to FSU on the road, and represents poorer performance on the season. However, Florida State is still a one-loss team with two wins over Top 15 opponents which is more than can be said for anyone else in the country.

 

8. Ohio State 4-2 (9)

The Buckeyes picked up a big win over Michigan State on Saturday, and once again look to be the frontrunners in the Big Ten race. If they'd followed the lead of so many other major conference teams and scheduled three cupcakes, they could easily be a one-loss team so it's fair to put them in the Top Ten, even with the two losses.

 

9. LSU 4-1 (14)

LSU is probably the most talented team in the SEC, but they just can't stop making unforced errors. They did just manage to overcome the five turnovers against Florida, but they won't be able to do the same against a more disciplined opponent like Alabama or Georgia.

 

10. UCLA 6-0 (10)

Perhaps trying to imitate their famous LA brethren, the Bruins continue to dig themselves huge deficits only to come back and win late in the fourth quarter. The performances they've had against the Washington schools have to make one extremely skeptical, but until they actually lose, they'll continue to get the benefit of the doubt.

 

11. Notre Dame 4-2 (13)

The Irish played USC tougher than anyone has all year, but still came up one play short of pulling off the huge upset. Unlike ASU and Oregon who wilted in the second half, Notre Dame continued to play well and showed they're on the same level as the Trojans, if just a hair behind them. Despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Irish are still two plays from being undefeated, and deserve the 11 spot, even with two losses.

 

12. Penn State 6-1 (7)

The Nittany Lions lost a heartbreaker against a Michigan team that's finally catching its stride, but they really have no reason to hang their heads. This was an extremely well-played game, and it took Chad Henne's best performance all season to put away Penn State, even in the Big House. The Nittany Lions are still tied for the Big Ten lead, and have the crucial tiebreaker over OSU so if they don't let this loss get to them, a BCS berth is still a definite possibility.

 

13. Wisconsin 6-1 (21)

It took a miracle blocked punt with :30 remaining, but the Badgers won at Minnesota, and remain in the forefront of the Big Ten race. Showing they could get the job done on the road was crucial, both for nationwide respect and self-confidence, especially with a visit to Happy Valley remaining on the schedule.

 

14. Boston College 6-1 (15)

The win over Wake Forest combined with FSU's loss moves BC into a tie for first in the Atlantic division and gives them a shot to reach the ACC championship game. While Wake definitely exposed some weaknesses, BC did do the important thing by making up the 17 point deficit and living to fight another day. Also, FSU's loss on Saturday makes BC's 11 point win over Virginia look that much better and solidifies BC's spot in the Top 15.

 

15. Michigan State 4-2 (11)

The Spartans have faced a real murderer's row of a schedule over the last month, following up the huge win over Notre Dame with a game against a freshly healthy Michigan team and a trip to the Horseshoe. While today's loss may have killed their Big Ten title hopes, MSU can still have a very successful season and should finish up somewhere in the 8-3 range.

 

16. Florida 5-2 (12)

The Gators continued to disappoint against LSU, as the Tigers gave them every opportunity to win the game, and Florida just couldn't pull it out. Urban Meyer's "revolutionary" spread option has been anemic with Chris Leak at the helm, and unless the Gators turn it around quick, they might give the creators of fireRonZook.com an idea for a new domain name.

 

17. Tennessee 3-2 (16)

The Vols are still clinging to that win over LSU to keep respectablity, but they're going to need at least a split with Notre Dame and Alabama if they want to remain in the Top 20. To be fair, they did have two of their three big games on the road, and 1-2 against Top 16 teams isn't exactly shameful in that situation. However, with Florida looking worse by the week, the Vols are going have to do something soon to avoid being seen as a second-tier team in the SEC.

 

18. Oregon 6-1 (22)

The Ducks are looking to be a good sleeper for the Holiday Bowl, as they have a big conference road win over ASU, and they're undefeated against teams that aren't the undefeated defending national champions. Furthermore, the schedule breaks well the rest of the way, as home dates against fading Cal and arch-rival Oregon State are the only major tests standing between them and a 10-1 record.

 

19. West Virginia 6-1 (22)

The Mountaineers took the driver's seat in the Big East, winning a 3OT thriller against Louisville on Saturday. The loss to Virginia Tech is nothing to be ashamed of, and in this down year for the Big East, West Virginia might be the conference's only hope of fielding a respectable champion.

 

20. Texas Tech 6-0 (20)

Florida International. Kansas. Nebraska. Kansas State. This is a complete list of the Division I-A teams that the Red Raiders have faced this year. When you factor in that they would have lost to Nebraska if Le Kevin Smith knew how to fall down, it's pretty easy to see why the 6-0 Red Raiders are this far down the list.

 

21. Virginia 4-2 (NR)

The Cavaliers turned their season around Saturday night, picking up an absolutely huge victory over the previously undefeated Seminoles. The Cavs picked up both losses on the road against good teams, and have gone from looking like an early-season disappointment to a program that just might be turning the corner.

 

22. Auburn 5-1 (25)

The Tigers got the job done against Arkansas, but they haven't faced a truly legitimate opponent since the opener against Georgia Tech. We'll find out whether that opening loss was a fluke or not when the Tigers play the other Tigers next Saturday in Death Valley.

 

23. Minnesota 5-2 (19)

The Gophers looked to be on the way to another huge win against Wisconsin behind 260 yards from Laurence Maroney when the roof caved in. Giving up two late TDs to lose the game is the kind of crushing loss that can just destroy what was previously a promising season. However, they do still have the big road win over Michigan, and going 2-2 in four big conference games is still not that bad of a result.

 

24. Michigan 4-3 (NR)

Michigan made a statement that they're back in a big way knocking off previously unbeaten Penn State on a Chad Henne touchdown with no time remaining. Perhaps most encouraging for Michigan was the fact that they're finally limiting their mistakes, as they only turned it over once against PSU. They have played better since Hart came back, and with games remaining against NW and OSU, the Wolverines still have a chance, albeit a small one, to come back and win the Big Ten title.

 

25. Arizona State 3-3 (NR)

Arizona State was off this week, but that didn't stop their prestige from rising. The critique that the Sun Devils really haven't beaten anyone is starting to go out the window as Oregon State and Northwestern are loooking more impressive by the week. Given that their losses are all to Top 20 teams, ASU deserves this spot at the bottom of the Top 25.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I agree with all but the last two, but I don't know who I'd put in those spots myself.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Yeah. Iowa? Maryland? Northwestern? All teams that look to be steadily improving, but I'd say they need one more win next week (all are playing quality opponents) to squeeze in there.

[iggymcfly 0]

Yeah, I was considering Northwestern for the last couple spots, but Michigan had done a little better in Big Ten play, and Arizona State had a 30 point win over them. Oregon State got consideration as well after the big win over Cal, but I went back to the fact that they lost to ASU by 18 at home, and decided that the Sun Devils should probably take the spot instead.

 

Iowa and Maryland both look like teams that might end the year well, but Iowa's best win is over 2-4 Purdue, and Maryland's 1-2 against good teams (Clemson, WVU, and Virginia), despite getting all three games at home. Maryland's going to get plenty of chance to prove themselves the next couple weeks however, as they follow up a Thursday night game against Va. Tech with a road trip to Tallahassee.