| Harris Poll | USA Today | Computer Avg. |
1.Oklahoma (6-0) | 4 | 3 | 1 |
2. Oregon (6-0) | 1 | 1 | 8 |
3. Boise State (6-0) | 2 | 2 | 7 |
4. Auburn (7-0) | 5 | 5 | 3 |
5. TCU (7-0) | 3 | 4 | 5 |
6. LSU (7-0) | 6 | 6 | 2 |
7. Michigan State (7-0) | 8 | 8 | 4 |
8. Alabama (6-1) | 7 | 7 | 12 |
9. Utah (6-0) | 9 | 9 | 11 |
10. Ohio State (6-1) | 10 | 10 | 14 |
11. Missouri (6-0) | 16 | 16 | 6 |
12. Stanford (5-1) | 13 | 14 | 10 |
13. Wisconsin (6-1) | 11 | 11 | 16 |
14. Oklahoma St. (6-0) | 15 | 15 | 9 |
15. Iowa (5-1) | 12 | 12 | 17 |
16. Nebraska (5-1) | 14 | 13 | 20 |
17. Florida State (6-1) | 17 | 17 | 13 |
18. Arizona (5-1) | 18 | 18 | 15 |
19. Texas (4-2) | 22 | 22 | 18 |
20. West Virginia (5-1) | 19 | 19 | 23 |
21. South Carolina (4-2) | 21 | 20 | 24 |
22. Kansas State (5-1) | 25 | NR | 19 |
23. Arkansas (4-2) | NR | 21 | 28 |
24. Mississippi St. (5-2) | NR | 24 | 21 |
25. Virginia Tech (5-2) | NR | 23 | 28 |
Fell from poll: N/A
Voters get it right..? The voters seem like they got things right this week. Oregon feels like a strong No. 1, even with having a bye this week. The Ducks have wrecked everything in their path this season and migrated on to the next opponent with as much enthusiasm as the week before. For now, Boise can be a No. 2. Their Oregon State win is still lingering as impressive, while their Virginia Tech win gets better with each win the Hokies continue to bring in. Ohio Stat’s drop to No. 10 feels OK. The Buckeyes looked pretty bad against the Badgers and a couple more spots below the top 10 would have been alright, but 10 is OK. I would have liked to see Auburn, however, jump above TCU rather than sitting at No. 5. Right now, looking at the teams the Tigers have beat – Clemson, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas – it feels like Auburn has the most impressive resume of any team in the top five. Iowa continues to climb and impress in Big Ten play and with a No. 12 human ranking, the Hawkeyes are sitting at a nice place to surprise in the polls.
Computer Malfunctions..? Of course there were some malfunctions. This is the BCS were talking about. If only a computer could actually watch the college football games, rather than just crunch a few unknown numbers. The most clear and obvious has to do with the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. Oklahoma, who has been squeezing by opponents like Rose O’Donnell in a tube top, takes the top spot. The computers seem to salivate over the FSU win. Someone needs to bang on that computer letting it know this isn’t 1999 FSU. Oregon takes a No. 8 ranking from the computers? Maybe the biggest question I’m still looking for the answer to. Computers can’t calculate the difficulty of traveling 2,500 miles across the country playing in front of 100,000 fans at Neyland Stadium or obviously calculate the difference between the old Stanford and the new Harbaugh led Stanford. I know it’s the first batch of rankings, but this ranking makes me sick. A couple others I wanted to bust my computer over were LSU with a No. 2 ranking – apparently the computers think offense isn’t that important just like the Tigers, Missouri at No. 6 – I’m still not a Tiger believer and far from a No. 6 ranking for them, Wisconsin at No. 16 – Anyone who watched Wisconsin beat up on Ohio State knows there are not 15 teams better than the Badgers in the country. Half of that number might be about right.
Biggest Movers…Since it was the first week of the BCS rankings, there weren’t any movers this week. In the Harris and USA Today polls, however, there were. Texas obviously made a move back into the top 25, and at good timing. Michigan State glided into the top 10 with a win over Illinois. If the Spartans can get past Iowa later in the season, an undefeated regular season should be in-store for MSU. The Spartans could punch their ticket to the Rose Bowl, as they do not have Ohio State on the schedule this season. This is about the time West Virginia will continue to climb in the poll, as well.
Welcome to the Top 25…Mississippi State takes a seat in the top 25, according to the USA Today poll. The Bulldogs have used a stiff defense this season to start the year on a 5-2 mark. Virginia Tech continues to win following two early season losses. At 5-2, the Hokies look like a team with seldom losses to come. Kansas State jumped back into the Harris Poll after a Nebraska loss the week before.
We were snubbed..! Obviously I feel like the Ducks were subbed of the top spot, but No. 2 still gets Oregon into the big dance if things continue on the pace they’re at, however, we all know that probably won’t be the case with these rankings. It never is. I think Iowa’s No. 17 ranking in the Computer averages is a little low. The Hawkeyes only loss came to Arizona in the desert.
There’s always next week…A few teams have a chance to make some moves this week. A week after we saw eight ranked teams fall to losses in week seven, week eight offers up four Top 25 matchups. Two teams in particular have a chance to make me a believer in Missouri and LSU. Maybe I’ve got something against Tigers? Missouri has a chance to knock off Oklahoma, no easy task, while LSU travels to No. 4 Auburn. Now Auburn is a Tiger I like. Nebraska brings its powerful offense, or powerful before last week, to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have quite the potent attack of their own and carry a clean slate so far. The before mentioned Iowa vs. Wisconsin is another big matchup to watch for. A few teams that need to be weary of an upset: Michigan State needs to look out for Northwestern on the road this week. Somehow, Northwestern seems to pull off a win that’ll make you scratch your head each season. This could be it. TCU has faced bare competition so far this season, apart from Oregon State, and should be weary of Air Force. The Falcons are a disciplined team and angry off a loss to San Diego State. Kansas State, fresh to the rankings once again, needs to look out for Baylor on the road this week.
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