| Harris Poll | Coaches Poll | Computer Avg. |
1. Auburn (8-0) | 3 | 3 | 1 |
2. Oregon (7-0) | 1 | 1 | 8 |
3. Boise State (6-0) | 2 | 2 | 6 |
4. TCU (8-0) | 4 | 4 | 4 |
5. Michigan State (8-0) | 5 | 5 | 3 |
6. Missouri (7-0) | 8 | 8 | 2 |
7. Alabama (7-1) | 6 | 6 | 12 |
8. Utah (7-0) | 7 | 7 | 10 |
9. Oklahoma (6-1) | 11 | 11 | 5 |
10. Wisconsin (7-1) | 9 | 9 | 9 |
11. Ohio State (7-1) | 10 | 10 | 11 |
12. LSU (7-1) | 12 | 13 | 6 |
13. Stanford (6-1) | 13 | 14 | 14 |
14. Nebraska (6-1) | 14 | 12 | 15 |
15. Arizona (6-1) | 15 | 16 | 13 |
16. Florida State (6-1) | 16 | 15 | 16 |
17. Oklahoma St. (6-1) | 20 | 20 | 17 |
18. Iowa (5-2) | 17 | 19 | 19 |
19. Arkansas (5-2) | 18 | 18 | 21 |
20. South Carolina (5-2) | 19 | 17 | 23 |
21. Mississippi St. (6-2) | 23 | 23 | 18 |
22. Miami (FL) (5-2) | 22 | 22 | 20 |
23. Virginia Tech (6-2) | 21 | 21 | 28 |
24. Nevada (6-1) | 24 | NR | 22 |
25. Baylor (6-2) | 25 | 24 | 25 |
Fell from poll: Texas, West Virginia, and Kansas State
Voters get it right…? The voters put together a nice poll this week. Oregon still feels like a No. 1 team without a doubt. I think Auburn is currently a stronger No. 2 than the voter’s No. 2, Boise State, though. Auburns resume of wins at this point stacks up against anyone’s in the country. They’ve passed their early gauntlet of SEC games and even if many were close, they’ve beat four teams currently ranked within the BCS top 25. I don’t agree with Alabama receiving a No. 6 ranking over Utah. The Utes are a team being overlooked by the voters, in favor of the other top non-AQ teams in Boise and TCU. The Utes will have their chance to prove themselves in a couple weeks though, when they face off against TCU. Arkansas still dangling around the lower teens seems too high for me at this point. The offense hasn’t looked as dominant as it can be and the defense continues to struggle. The Razorbacks are a team moving down in my mind.
Computer Malfunctions…? Computer Malfunctions doesn’t seem harsh enough, someone may want to check these things for viruses. Again, the Oregon Ducks go overlooked by the computer polls. The Ducks beat UCLA 60-13 last week. They weren’t playing SMU; this was a Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow UCLA team coming off of a bye week. I’m not sure really what the Ducks are going to need to do. The Oregon offense operates faster than a professional pick-pocket, while the defense brings in turnovers every week like they’re facing a Mike Martz led system. Not even a win against USC will look great because the Trojans, although a very dangerous team, still sit unranked. Let’s hope the computers don’t turn out to hurt the Ducks in the end. Both Michigan State and Missouri were helped out by the computers again this week with No. 3 and No. 2 rankings respectively. Rankings I still think both teams need to earn in big games on the road this week. I’m still scratching my head over one loss Oklahoma and LSU bringing in top six rankings. But hey, if the computers calculate they could beat Oregon, then they must be able to. It appears the computers are holding the James Madison loss for the Hokies like a piece of evidence in a murder case. They’re currently the only team not ranked in the Top 25 by the computers.
Biggest Movers…Obviously LSU and Oklahoma had some big moves that were expected. Iowa took a hard fall, as well as Oklahoma State following their weekend losses. Believe it or not, the biggest move of the week I feel comes from Nevada. Their move back to the top 25 has implications for bigger things later in the season. Not only do they play Boise State later in the year, but if Nevada can hold on to their BCS ranking and the Broncos beat the Wolfpack later in the year, the win would give Boise State another win over a ranked team, pushing their total to three. If Virginia Tech continues to win as well, it may just give Boise enough push to get into the title game. So it’s the little moves like that, which may turn into bigger moves for the future.
Welcome to the Top 25…Three teams made it back to the AP rankings this week and made it to the BCS rankings for the first time this season. Miami (FL) beat North Carolina 33-10 at home, looking as if the Hurricanes had found their on-field confidence and leadership the team had been lacking throughout the year. Nevada, as discussed moved into the poll for the first time following a bye week, kind of a surprise there. The Baylor Bears moved into the BCS poll for the first time ever and became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 with their win over No. 22 Kansas State. The Bears have a chance to continue to rise, facing Texas this week, then both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the future.
We were snubbed...! Ahh the snub card, a team only gets to use so many before they may be overlooking the fact that they are, well, snubs. That is unless you play for Oregon, then the BCS has given your team an unlimited number of cards. The current top 25 team that has used the most snub cards to date, has to be Michigan State. The Spartans have brought in an 8-0 record in one of college football’s better conferences, but still find themselves looking in at TCU and Boise State. Their signature win, against No. 10 Wisconsin, looks good, but it may mean nothing if the Spartans don’t bring in a win against Iowa this week. This may be the game Michigan State finally tosses their snub cards to the curb. Another team that may be looking to use their card this week is the Syracuse Orange. That’s not a typo; the Orange may be a team on a mission this season, shown last week with their win over No. 22 West Virginia on the road. It may be a week or two, however, before we see the Orange in the poll, if ever.
There’s always next week…Week nine of college football doesn’t offer up as many marquee top 25 games as previous weeks but it does stand as the biggest test yet for two top 10 programs. Michigan State heads on the road to take on a sure to be upset Iowa team. One week after knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma at home, Missouri heads to Lincoln to face Nebraska. The Cornhuskers will be a tougher test to the Tigers defense than the Sooners were and the black shirt defense will surely place Tigers quarterback Blaine Gabbert under more pressure. Florida State needs to be weary of North Carolina State on the road this week in a Thursday night matchup. Stanford is also on upset alert against Washington. The Huskies have won every other game this season, and are due for a win against the Cardinal. Having the backdrop of Husky Stadium behind them should help.
No comments:
Post a Comment