After a one week hiatus with the power rankings (in which I
realized how difficult my ranking process is when I have to take into account
two weeks worth of results), we’re back with a much-changed top 20 thanks to a
slew of great games and some highly regarded teams getting completely
trounced. This week’s rankings are just
me (so no point totals necessary), and I’m including some categories just
because.
The Championship
Contenders
1) Oregon (9-0)
The west-coast offensive juggernaut keeps
on chugging away and only three more games separate them from perfection. While anything can certainly happen, the
Ducks definitely have the inside track to the Championship game, and Nike
executives are probably preparing the most ridiculous looking uniforms
possible.
2) Auburn (10-0)
With a trip to Tuscaloosa and the SEC
Championship game standing in their way (as well as the mounting and widespread
allegations of certain improprieties against Cam Newton), the Tigers have a
decidedly more difficult path to the Championship game than the Ducks. While they have certainly earned this spot
for now, don’t be surprised if they stumble in the home stretch.
3) TCU (10-0)
After clobbering the Ute’s in Utah, TCU now
has the edge over Boise if the Ducks or Tigers do fall short. I for one would love to see this team take on
Oregon for the National Championship and think it would be a more preferable
outcome to Boise.
4) Boise State (8-0)
I feel like I’m the only person in the
country that is ambivalent towards the Broncos.
I don’t particularly care either way about what happens to them. While I think TCU is more deserving, I wouldn’t
be upset if Boise played for the Championship or if they play for the Champs
Sports Bowl (or wherever they end up if they miss out). Either way, this is definitely the most divisive
team in the country, and I guess that shows how far they’ve come.
Teams That Just
Fall Short
5) Stanford (8-1)
The Cardinal are an excellent team this
year, and definitely favored to go 11-1.
With their only loss being on the road against Oregon (a respectable
showing by the way), this team has to be considered the best one-loss team of
the bunch.
6) LSU (8-1)
Nobody was more surprised than I was to see
the fighting Les Mileses get a win against Alabama. I’ve been pretty critical of LSU in the past,
but their body of work (except an inexplicable game against McNeese State) is
very impressive. Their divisional loss
against Auburn, however, pretty much means they can’t win an SEC Championship
and won’t play for it all this year.
7) Wisconsin (8-1)
After a big win in Iowa, I really have no
choice to put the Badgers in the top ten.
While I do think their win against Ohio State is vastly overrated (did
anybody really think the Buckeyes were the best team in the country?),
Wisconsin has earned this position and could very well earn a trip to the Rose
Bowl if they win out.
Good, but not
Great
8) Mississippi State (7-2)
Hold your laughter and hear me out. After two early season losses to the now #2
and #6 teams in these rankings (they only lost to Auburn by a field goal), the
Bulldogs (I had to look up their mascot) have been on a tear. While I doubt they win in Tuscaloosa this
week, I do believe that this is the best Mississippi State team I can
remember. Just imagine if Cam Newton had
gone there (or if they had shelled out the cash his dad needed to save his
church).
9) Alabama (7-2)
The loss to LSU effectively eliminated the
defending champs from this year’s race and helped brings some much-needed
clarity. The Tide will now have the
chance (in a few weeks) to play spoiler and eliminate Cam Newton and company
(which could pave the way for the non-BCS teams).
10) Nebraska (8-1)
It’s shocking how bad that loss to Texas
looks now (UT, Woof), but it’s also shocking how good that win at Oklahoma
State looks (see below). The Huskers
have got to be the Big 12 Favorites right now (their remaining schedule
includes games against woeful Kansas and coachless Colorado), but won’t be
sniffing at the Championship game.
11) Oklahoma State (8-1)
43 year-old Mike Gundy has his team in
position to win the upside-down, inside-out Big 12 South, but they still have
to get through the traditional powerhouses (OU and UT) for a chance at a
rematch against Nebraska. Something
tells me they stumble.
12) Arkansas (7-2)
The Razorbacks still have two tough games (at
Mississippi State and against LSU) to close out their season (not to mention
UTEP), and have been floating around these rankings all season. I don’t really know what to make of the team
other than the fact that they play in the toughest division (the SEC West) in
the country.
Rolling My Eyes
13) Ohio State (8-1)
I long for the day when the Buckeyes aren’t
overrated by national voters. Look at
their schedule, it’s terrible. Their
best win is either Miami or Illinois (I just threw up a little in my
mouth). This is not a top ten team and I
wish I could rank them lower except. . .
14) Virginia Tech (7-2)
How high can we really rank a team that
lost to James Madison?? Sure they stupidly
scheduled the game five days after the Labor Day showdown with Boise State, but
it’s still James Madison.
15) MSU (9-1)
I don’t know if I’m sad or glad that the
Buckeyes and Spartans don’t play each other.
On one hand, the winner would be given a “quality win” but on the other
hand, it would give me an excuse to drop one completely out of the
rankings. This team got clobbered by
Iowa (the same Iowa that lost to Arizona).
My critics might say “but they beat Notre Dame.” So did Tulsa, and Michigan, and Navy, and
Utah. . . (oh wait).
16) Utah (8-1)
And just when we thought Notre Dame had one
last chance against a quality team, the Ute’s go out and lay a complete egg
against TCU. I have no idea what to
expect for ND-Utah on Saturday. None
whatsoever.
The Jury is Still
Out
17) Oklahoma (7-2)
The Big 12 South is a complete mystery to
me right now. I thought Oklahoma was a
good team, but then they go and lose to Texas A&M, a team that hasn’t won a
big game in something like a decade.
Will the Sooners bounce back?
Maybe. Are their final two games
at Baylor and Oklahoma State really difficult games? Maybe.
The Sooners still control their own destiny, so don’t be surprised to
see them stumble into the BCS.
18) Arizona (7-2)
The Wildcats pretty much are what we
thought they were. A mid-level Pac-10
team fighting for an appearance in the Holiday Bowl. With three games left
(USC, at Oregon, Arizona State), neither a 3-0 nor 0-3 finish would shock me.
19) Iowa (7-2)
This is where my rankings become internally
inconsistent. Iowa clobbered Michigan
State, but lost to Arizona. Iowa lost to
Wisconsin, but Wisconsin lost to Michigan State. I’ll rank them 19th and hope that
they expose Ohio State as a fraud later this month.
20) Nevada (8-1)
The pistol’s only loss came half an ocean
from home. I’ll give them this spot until
they lose a game.
