Iggy's Week 9 College Football Rankings

[iggymcfly 0]

Didn't feel like writing a full paragraph for each team, but I do have some quick commentary/explanations for the rankings.

 

(previous week's ranking in parenthesis)

 

1. USC 9-0 (1)

In a virtual dead heat with the Longhorns, USC has to get the benefit of the doubt due to their 31 game winning streak.

 

2. Texas 9-0 (2)

The Miami/VT game has to come as a relief to Texas as the Longhorns are finally free to quit worrying about being caught from behind, and can now focus on winning their last three games and getting ready for the Rose Bowl.

 

3. Alabama 9-0 (4)

Alabama had some big wins earlier in the season, and deserves to be in the three spot, regardless of what the one-loss teams do. Well, at least until they lose to LSU next week.

 

4. Miami 7-1 (6)

The Hurricanes came up with about as big of a win as they could possibly come up with on Saturday against Virginia Tech. To think, if they'd made one more field goal in September, they could well be passing Texas in the BCS standings.

 

5. Penn State 9-1 (11)

The Nittany Lions finally established themselves as the top dogs in the Big Ten with their dominating win over Wisconsin, and move into the Top 5 as a result.

 

6. Ohio State 7-2 (7)

Despite playing the toughest schedule in the country, and playing two Top 5 teams, the Buckeyes never got embarrassed by 20 points at home. They deserve this spot.

 

7. Virginia Tech 8-1 (3)

The Hokies looked like one of the very best teams in the country going in, but they were dominated by Miami in every phase of the game. Oh well, at least VT can take comfort in the fact that they might well end up in the same position (second-tier BCS game) regardless.

 

8. LSU 7-1 (9)

LSU's schedule looks good on paper, (wins over Florida and Auburn), but they've been sloppy the entire year. Still though, one good solid performance against Alabama can make the year an unequivocal success.

 

9. Notre Dame 6-2 (10)

Notre Dame's looked great for most of the season, but they still have that home loss to Michigan State weighing around their neck like an anchor. Without that game, they'd easily be a Top 5 team.

 

10. Oregon 8-1 (15)

The Ducks showed that they don't need Kellen Clemens to make their offense go, picking up a big win over Cal, and reestablishing themselves as a top-tier program.

 

11. Florida 7-2 (13)

The Gators have more holes than Swiss cheese, but they're still one Georgia loss away from winning the SEC East.

 

12. Georgia 8-1 (14)

If DJ Shockley's back for the Auburn game, the Dawgs could still win the SEC and finish the season in the Top 5. If not, well have fun in the Outback Bowl.

 

13. West Virginia 7-1 (16)

OK, so the Hokies aren't the absolutely elite team we thought they were, but they're still not bad for your only loss. Especially when wins over Louisville and at Maryland are on the resume.

 

14. Florida State 7-2 (5)

One road loss to Virginia can be written off as a lack of focus, but a home loss to NC State? That shows the Noles just aren't a top ten team.

 

15. Michigan 6-3 (17)

The Wolverines may have three losses, but they're one of the most talented teams in the country, and if they'd been healthy, they could easily be 8-1 right now.

 

16. Wisconsin 8-2 (12)

The loss against PSU, while damaging, is more indicative of how good the Nittany Lions are than of any major flaw for the Badgers. Going 9-2 in the Big Ten this year is still a hell of a good season.

 

17. UCLA 8-1 (8)

What do you call a team who beats a bunch of mediocre teams by 3 or 4 points, and then loses to a bad team by 38? Oh that's right. FLUKE!

 

18. Auburn 7-2 (19)

The Tigers have looked great against mediocre teams, and looked very good in losses, but South Carolina still doesn't quite cut it as a signature win.

 

19. Texas Tech 8-1 (20)

Has any major conference team ever gotten a schedule this easy? Not only did the Red Raiders play two I-AA teams and another team that should be I-AA in FIU, they also managed to miss Colorado, Iowa State, and Missouri on the Big XII docket. Going 10-1 with this schedule really isn't much of an accomplishment.

 

20. Northwestern 6-3 (21)

A tremendous comeback win keeps the Cats alive in the race for the Big XII Title. Of course, the chances of Michigan State knocking off PSU are pretty slim, but just the fact that they're in the race at this point of the season speaks very highly of this Wildcat ballclub.

 

21. TCU 9-1 (23)

The one truly legitimate mid-major team keeps it rolling with a huge 33-6 win over Colorado State. With wins over OU, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, and now CSU, the Horned Frogs have played a much tougher schedule than the boys from Lubbock.

 

22. Minnesota 6-3 (22)

The Big Ten is extremely tough this year, and going 6-3 is a lot harder than it looks. The Gophers have played four teams in the Top 16 this year.

 

23. Louisville 6-2 (24)

The Cardinals are probably one of the ten most talented teams in the country, but losses in their only real test (WVU), and an embarrassing game against USF have them locked out of the Top 20.

 

24. Georgia Tech 6-2 (25)

Outside of the Auburn win, the Jackets have been completely unspectacular this year, but they've won most of the games they were supposed to win, and 6-2 in November playing in the ACC is a good record indeed.

 

25. Colorado 7-2 (NR)

The Buffaloes don't have any bad losses as Miami and Texas are their only slip-ups to this point, but they don't have any big wins either. They'll get a huge test next week against an Iowa State team that's the best in the Big XII North when healthy.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Iggy, your rankings look lonely here.

 

The LSU/Alabama game will be huge for how the top 5 shakes out. If LSU wins, they probably deserve to be ahead of Penn State, certainly Ohio State. If 'Bama wins, they'll really solidify that 3-spot. And, slightly unrelated, but if any of the one-loss teams in the top 10 drop another, they should probably fall behind Notre Dame.

 

With Shockley, I think Georgia is a top-10 team, but I always forget how light on SEC powers their schedule's been this year.

 

And, though West Virginia is the supposed class of the Big East, I would be hard-pressed to place them any higher than 16. They have played pretty well and are playing pretty well, but until Wisconsin, FSU, Michigan, and even UCLA drop another game, I'd have all of them ahead of the Mountaineers.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

And, though West Virginia is the supposed class of the Big East, I would be hard-pressed to place them any higher than 16.  They have played pretty well and are playing pretty well, but until Wisconsin, FSU, Michigan, and even UCLA drop another game, I'd have all of them ahead of the Mountaineers.

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WHY? UCLA lost to Arizona by a significant margin. WVU lost to VT when they were still undefeated.

[Guest Leelee]

21. TCU 9-1 (23)

The one truly legitimate mid-major team keeps it rolling with a huge 33-6 win over Colorado State. With wins over OU, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, and now CSU, the Horned Frogs have played a much tougher schedule than the boys from Lubbock.

 

So, why did you rank them below Tech...

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

And, though West Virginia is the supposed class of the Big East, I would be hard-pressed to place them any higher than 16.  They have played pretty well and are playing pretty well, but until Wisconsin, FSU, Michigan, and even UCLA drop another game, I'd have all of them ahead of the Mountaineers.

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WHY? UCLA lost to Arizona by a significant margin. WVU lost to VT when they were still undefeated.

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I haven't been terribly impressed by WVU's victories, with the exception of this week's absolute shitkicking of Connecticut. So WVU is on the way up, but the general level of competition in the Pac-10 is miles above the Big East. I'd probably have UCLA around 15 or 16, and WVU one spot behind them.

 

When UCLA proves that they definitely weren't that great by getting mauled by USC, then I'll drop them below West Virginia--if West Virginia gets by USF, that is.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

You cannot convince me losing to Arizona by a lot is better than losing to VT by some points.

[AboveAverage484 0]

At least your rankings make more sense than the AP polls. Miami ahead of Bama, what a fucking crock of stupid shit. I swear everyone is against Alabama. It's not like it's TCU or even Utah; it's fucking Alabama.

 

Just bullshit.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Nor do I intend to. UCLA got their asses whooped. They've played well enough the rest of the season that I still wouldn't drop them below WVU just yet, though. I really think very, very little of the Big East.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Fair enough.

[Art Sandusky 0]

At least your rankings make more sense than the AP polls.  Miami ahead of Bama, what a fucking crock of stupid shit.  I swear everyone is against Alabama.  It's not like it's TCU or even Utah; it's fucking Alabama.

 

Just bullshit.

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BUT THEY AREN'T PUTTING UP 80 POINTS ON THEIR OPPONENTS SO WHY SHOULD I GIVE A FUCK

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I think pollsters putting Miami above Alabama are subject to two things:

 

-seeing that Miami put an absolute nationally-televised whooping on media-golden-children and previously ass-whooping team Virginia Tech at Blacksburg

-seeing that Alabama is still playing well, but not as well as when they still had Prothro, and anticipating an LSU win next week

 

Which isn't necessarily the right thing to do, but isn't that out of nowhere.

[AboveAverage484 0]

That's true, though if they are still behind after beating LSU next week, then I'll be pissed.

[Guest]

If they beat LSU, they won't be.

[iggymcfly 0]

Thanks for commenting Edwin.

 

Anyway, WVU's win over Louisville this year is actually better than anything UCLA's done, not to mention the fact that their loss is nowhere near as bad. Also, given that WVU's acquitted themselves well this year against mid-range teams I have to put them ahead of a FSU team that's lost to both Virginia and NC State.

 

As far as Michigan goes, they're a tremendously talented team, and they're much better with Mike Hart, but I don't feel comfortable putting a three loss team ahead of a team with a Top 25 win whose only loss was to the #7 team in the country. Maybe if the Wolverines beat Ohio State, I'll change my mind.

[iggymcfly 0]

Well, after I wrote the last reply, the internet went off, and I see that about 8 more people responded.

 

Anyway, the reason that TCU's below Texas Tech is that even though their wins have been much better than those of Texas Tech, the loss to SMU is absolutely terrible. SMU's 3-6 playing in Conference USA, and they beat the Horned Frogs by 11.

 

Also, back on UCLA, they really haven't played that well this year. They haven't played USC or Arizona State yet, and they get to skip Oregon altogether, so really what they've done is pick up narrow wins over the bottom portion of the Pac-Ten. The best team they've beaten is probably Cal, and I'd only consider them the fifth best team in the Pac-Ten. I think the Arizona win was a result of a systematic flaw more than a cheap victory.

 

As far as Alabama goes, yes there's a very good chance that they'll lose to LSU this week, but I still don't think the mediocre performances are enough to drop them for three reasons:

 

1) They've played bad against bad teams all year. Even before Prothro got hurt, they fucked around and played close games with the likes of Southern Miss and Arkansas.

 

2) Defense. Their defense is still one of the best, if not the very best in the nation. That will keep them in any game, regardless of how depleted the offense is.

 

3) The Tennessee game. The Vols were playing much better football before they gave up on the season, they were dangerous enough to beat LSU on the road, and Alabama still used defense to pull out the victory. Furthermore, when they absolutely had to get some offense going to win that game, they drove down the field for the winning field goal.

 

Is Alabama actually the third best team in the country without Prothro? Probably not. But they've accomplished enough that until they pick up a loss, I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

[LooseCannon25 0]

At least your rankings make more sense than the AP polls.  Miami ahead of Bama, what a fucking crock of stupid shit.  I swear everyone is against Alabama.  It's not like it's TCU or even Utah; it's fucking Alabama.

 

Just bullshit.

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What is so hard to believe about that. Alabama struggled against 2-7 team this past week and have no fuckin offense whatsoever. Do they have a very good defense? yeah...but guess what, Miami's defense is better and is ranked #1 in the entire nation. The canes are a better team, playing a tougher shedule. Not to mention they just layed the fuckin hammer down on the #3 team in the country, in THEIR home.

 

 

I'll say this. If Alabama wins out the rest of the way, that would be 3 straight wins over top 25 teams, then they deserve to not only be ahead of Miami, but maybe even be ahead of Texas and play for the national championship.

[iggymcfly 0]

What is so hard to believe about that.  Alabama struggled against 2-7 team this past week and have no fuckin offense whatsoever.  Do they have a very good defense?  yeah...but guess what,  Miami's defense is better and is ranked #1 in the entire nation. The canes are a better team, playing a tougher shedule.  Not to mention they just layed the fuckin hammer down on the #3 team in the country, in THEIR home.

 

Don't forget that Alabama did the same thing against #3 Florida earlier in the season, actually leading 31-0 in the fourth quarter and beating them WORSE than Miami beat Va. Tech. If you're going to use the rankings to determine a national champion (and the AP still crowns one every year), then you need to base the rankings on merit and accomplishment and not just how the teams are playing right now.

 

Besides, Miami lost Tyrone Moss for the season against Virginia Tech. Who's to say that injury won't affect their season the same way. If Miami plays a close game against Wake Forest next week, should we drop them below a two loss Ohio State team?

 

Don't laugh. CFN already did it. They've got Notre Dame at 3, Alabama at 5, and Miami at 8.

[LooseCannon25 0]

What is so hard to believe about that.  Alabama struggled against 2-7 team this past week and have no fuckin offense whatsoever.  Do they have a very good defense?  yeah...but guess what,  Miami's defense is better and is ranked #1 in the entire nation. The canes are a better team, playing a tougher shedule.  Not to mention they just layed the fuckin hammer down on the #3 team in the country, in THEIR home.

 

Don't forget that Alabama did the same thing against #3 Florida earlier in the season, actually leading 31-0 in the fourth quarter and beating them WORSE than Miami beat Va. Tech. If you're going to use the rankings to determine a national champion (and the AP still crowns one every year), then you need to base the rankings on merit and accomplishment and not just how the teams are playing right now.

 

Besides, Miami lost Tyrone Moss for the season against Virginia Tech. Who's to say that injury won't affect their season the same way. If Miami plays a close game against Wake Forest next week, should we drop them below a two loss Ohio State team?

 

Don't laugh. CFN already did it. They've got Notre Dame at 3, Alabama at 5, and Miami at 8.

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First of all, anyone who puts ND at #3 loses all credibility in my book to begin with, so i wont go into that anymore.

 

Are you telling me that beating Florida at home is just as impressive as beating VT in Blacksburg? Give me a break

[iggymcfly 0]

No, not quite; but it's not as far off as people think now. They were the #3 team and Alabama destroyed them. I'm just pointing out that their accomplishments aren't that different and it's really not fair to put the team with one loss ahead of the undefeated.

[LooseCannon25 0]

No, not quite; but it's not as far off as people think now. They were the #3 team and Alabama destroyed them. I'm just pointing out that their accomplishments aren't that different and it's really not fair to put the team with one loss ahead of the undefeated.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

The Florida win was impressive, no doubt about it. The thing is they haven beaten any tough teams outside of Tuscaloosa. If they run the table the rest of the way including the SEC championship they deserve to play for the national championship, imo.

[teke184 0]

As far as Alabama goes, yes there's a very good chance that they'll lose to LSU this week, but I still don't think the mediocre performances are enough to drop them for three reasons:

 

1) They've played bad against bad teams all year. Even before Prothro got hurt, they fucked around and played close games with the likes of Southern Miss and Arkansas.

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Puh-lease... don't lump Southern Miss in with Arkansas.

 

Arkansas = ass this year while Southern Miss is at least somewhat respectable.