For starters, here is my week 8 ballot. You'll notice tremendous changes from last week to this one. I took a step back and said, "I've got some rankings that just make zero sense." So I tried to fix them.
Week 9: Last Week in ( )
1. Southern Cal (1)- I agree with Lee Corso in that Texas may be a more complete team. But I'm still keeping USC #1 on my ballot.
2. Texas (2) - I'm not in love with Texas because they beat an overrated Texas Tech team. It's just because they look so damn good on defense.
3. Virginia Tech (3) - a sloppy turnover filled affair with NCSU didn't do much to move VT up anyone's board.
4. Georgia (4) - Getting Tony Taylor (MLB) and Gerald Anderson (DT) back for this game is almost as big as losing Shockley. Ok...not really...but it's very big. I just hope Gerald can hold up without another concussion relapse. Arkansas was able to move the ball so well on UGA because we were so thin and tired up the middle. I thought Gant and Jackson were going to fall over dead from exhaustion late in the 4th quarter.
5. Alabama (5) - They get cupcake Utah State this week.
6. UCLA (8) - I decided to leap frog them over Miami and LSU because they are still undefeated. I have a feeling this is going to be fairly fluid.
7. Louisiana State (7) - Beating Auburn because the Plainsmen can't kick wasn't enough for me to move them up.
8. Miami (6) - The loss to FSU looks less impressive. The win over Clemson looks less impressive. Their best win looks like Colorado right now.
9. Penn State (13) - I'm not sure in retrospect why I had PSU below OSU. It escapes me now. Regardless, I fixed it. Their wins vs. Northwestern and Ohio State look better daily.
10. Notre Dame (11) - up one.
11. Wisconsin (16) - I just don't get why the mainstream pollsters still have these guys so low. Is it because of the loss to Northwestern? I know they don't have a magestic signature win yet. But 15th is too low.
12. Ohio State (9) - I gave their win over Michigan State too much credit.
13. Oregon (14) - I'm still trying to decide where I like these guys. But 16 was too low. Beating Cal this week won't impress me as I think Cal is still grossly overrated.
14. Florida State (17) - How did these guys lose to UVA? I leap frogged them over Boston College to correct that error. Earlier in the season, I kept them below Miami b/c I thought if they played again Miami that the Canes would win. If these guys played BC again, they would beat BC again. Thus the adjustment.
15. Boston College (15) - I considered dropping them a few slots.
16. West Virginia (18) - These guys are more physical than Northwestern or UF.
17. Northwestern (UN) - You take away a disasterous 2nd quarter vs. Arizona State in Tempe early in the year in which they gave up 31 points and this team has looked pretty good. They only lost to Penn State by 5.
18. Florida (20) - This is probably too high, but Texas Tech deserves to be punished for losing to the ONLY quality team they've faced this year.
19. Texas Tech (10) - I loathe Mike Leach. If you listed every coach in the Top 25 and said "Which one would you least like to have a beer with?" I'd list Fulmer, Leach then Tressel. You know...that would make a great blog poll roundtable question.
20. Auburn (12) - If you can't kick field goals, you're going to lose some games. Thus and therefore.
21. Louisville (21) - I could just as easily not rank these guys.
22. Colorado (24) - They could go 9-2, and it would still be hard to find reasons to move them up. They lost to the only quality teams that they have faced this year.
23. Minnesota (23) - Another team that seems bound for 20-25 purgatory.
24. TCU (UN) - I struggle to rank a team that lost to SMU.
25. Missouri (UN) - If your QB puts up 480 yards of offense and half of that is on the ground, you get people's attention. Brad Smith for Heisman! (Kidding)
In the On Deck Circle:
If Georgia Tech beats Clemson, they are back in.
Dropped Out
Michigan State, Tennessee, Virginia
New:
Northwestern, TCU and Missouri
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4 comments:
Brad Smith has to play KU this weekend, and they've been his Kryptonite to this point in his career. KU has one heck of a salty defense, but their offense is flat out the worst in a BCS conference.
By the way, as a survivor of a number of GT v. UGA rivalry games - they have nothing on KU v. MU (The Border War). When members of the other state murdered and burned your school's town to the ground 150 years ago - lots of people still keep grudges. It'd be like if Georgia got to play "The Shermans" once a year in a rivalry game. The Civil War started here, and in some way it still lives on. It's too bad neither school is a very good football program, because this is flat out nasty.
(in 2002, a really bad KU team lost in Columbia. The MU PLAYERS helped tear down the goalposts. Players.)
Smith and MU will dismantle KU this weekend. MU is smelling a bowl birth, and maybe even a shot at the Big XII north title. Heck, what does MU need to win, 10 points?
Brad Smith rushed for -41 yards last year in Columbia against KU. -41.
For whatever reason (mostly due to a set of really fast and really good LB's) he has absolutely no success in his career against KU and the Jayhawks have won two in a row against them.
KU's defense is as good as UT's, UGA's or tOSU's. I've watched them in person 4 times this season now, and each time have been blown away with how fast and physical they are. Since they are strapped with possibly the worst offense in the country and play for a school with absolutely 0 football tradition (quick - name an KU NFL player other than Stubblefield, Riggins, Hadl or Gale Sayers) they are completely ignored this year, but they are absolutely for real.
As long as KU's offense doesn't turn it over on their own end of the field, that defense gives them a pretty good chance to win the game.
I moved out here a couple of years ago, and this has quickly become one of my favorite sporting events of the year.
My blog feature this week will be on Kansas having the best defense in the country. They are absolutely incredible, and will be #1 in overall rush defense after this week - despite being almost dead last in time of possession.
Charlton Keith, Nick Reid and Charles Gordon would be superstars if they played in the SEC or ACC, there are some phenomenal players in Lawrence.
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