Before I launch into the rankings, let me just say...wow. I never would have guessed this weekend would have shaped up the way it did. Three teams dropped from my rankings due to major upsets. This is why they play the games, folks. Right now only 2 teams look like the obvious picks.
#1 OU (2-0) 63 Houston (0-2) 13
Okay, Houston clearly did not present a challenge for the first or second team of Oklahoma. 49-7 at the half, and the second/third string scored twice. Total domination is the only real term for what happened in Norman this weekend, and it is a strong indicator that OU is going to put up a lot of the same big numbers that they did last season. Jason White was 14/18 for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns, and his replacement, Tommy Grady, was 8/9 for 50 yards and a touchdown. Add to that Adrian Peterson's 25 carries for 117 yards (his second straight 100 yard performance), and you have a rather successful outing for the Sooners. Still my team to beat.
#2 USC (2-0) 49 Colorado State (0-2) 0
USC looked poised and polished in their home opener, thoroughly dominating the Rams on both sides of the ball. Matt Leinart went 20/31 for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns and LenDale White rushed 14 times for 123 yards. The Trojans have won 16 straight times in the Colliseum, the longest streak since 19 from 1931-1933.
#3 Miami (1-0) 16 Florida State (0-1) 10
Miami looked much better than I thought they would. Aside from all the turnovers, this was a typical Miami-Florida State defensive battle won on what? The kicking game, of course. If you are a Noles fan, that naturally means that the game was lost on the kicking game (specifically, a blocked kick -- or did he just hit the back of his own player? -- that was never resolved).. FSU looked terrible in this game. Even though they held the advantage most of the game, they (Chris Rix especially) committed an ungodly amount of mistakes. This was not the great game it was billed to be, but it was a close one. FEARLESS PREDICTION: Florida State pulls itself together and climbs back into the Top 10 before all this is said and done.
#4 Georgia (2-0) 20 South Carolina (1-1) 16
This was a great game that went down to the wire. I honestly expected South Carolina to pull something out at the end, but Georgia showed why the Dawgs and not the Cocks are in my Top 10. This could be Holtz' turn around year at USC, but the Cocks don't deserve a fearless prediction just yet.
#5 Texas (2-0) 22 Arkansas (1-1) 20
Cedric Benson gained 188 yards on the ground and Vincent Young had a solid game, but it was a late fumble recovery that saved this game for the Longhorns. If they play like this October 9, they will get stomped.
#6 LSU (2-0) 53 Arkansas State (0-2) 3
LSU looked every bit the defending champs against powderpuff opponent Arkansas State, but the SEC slate is right around the corner and the Tigers will not look quite so good if their ducks are not in a row by then.
#7 Ohio State (2-0) 24 Marshall (0-2) 21
What a huge shock. Ohio State wins...at home...in the last seconds...with a field goal. This cardiac kid stuff is getting a little tired, don't you think? In a game the Buckeyes were expected to dominate, MAC stalwart Marshall thought otherwise. A 53 yard field goal with 2 seconds on the clock was all that kept Ohio State in my top 10 this week.
#8 Purdue (2-0) 59 Ball State (0-2) 7
How can I ignore Kyle Orton and Purdue any longer? They are putting up huge numbers on offense and their defense looks about as good. FEARLESS PREDICTION: Okay, this may sound brash, but if Purdue can keep it up, they will be the Big 10 Champs this year. None of the other Big 10 schools have looked this good so far.
#9 Cal (2-0) 41 New Mexico State (0-2) 14
See number 8, but substitute Aaron Rogers of Cal for Orton. Cal is the next up and comer in the Pac 10.
#10 Notre Dame (1-1) 28 Michigan (1-1) 20
Even though it was at Notre Dame, with all the ghosts of the Irish legend narrowing their gaze down in South Bend, I can't not give Notre Dame kudos for their performance against Michigan. This was a huge game, and it might be exactly what ND needs to get rolling. Either this week or last week are the anomaly. I'll save the fearless prediction for now, but it may be on the way. This much talent, coached this well, with this kind of fanbase will see something big in the near future.
|
