NCAA Top 25 (Week 8)

1.  Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0) LW 1
The Crimson Tide kept their roll going against an reeling Tennessee team.  QB AJ McCarron lead the way with 306 yards passing and 4 TDs.  McCarron continues to improve and is no longer simply a game manager.  They'll need McCarron to be at his best when they play host to undefeated Mississippi State this weekend.  Should be a good test for Alabama who hasn't really been tested so far.


2.  Oregon Ducks (7-0) LW 2
If you happened to turn the channel to watch the NFL game or ran a quick errand, you probably came back to the game being practically over.  Oregon jumped out to a quick 43-7 lead at halftime and cruised their way to the victory.  Oregon continues to roll and should until they face USC in two weeks.  Until then, Colorado is just another speed bump.


3.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) LW 3
There are some people that are freaking out about Notre Dame only beating BYU by 3 and having to come back to do so.  However people need to relax.  Notre Dame did win and they were able to rush for 270 yards on at top 5 rushing defense.  That's pretty impressive for an offense that has had it's struggles.  Now Notre Dame moves onto their game at Oklahoma.  This will be Notre Dame's toughest test and a win would really set them up for a run at the National Title.


4.  Florida Gators (7-0) LW 4
Any questions on whether Florida is for real or not have been answered.  With a win over LSU already, the Gators destroyed a South Carolina team many thought would be the favorite to win the SEC West.  Their 44-11 was even more impressive considering Florida's offense isn't very explosive.  But the Gators can't get too confident because they have to travel to Georgia this weekend.  A win there would lock them into the SEC Title Game.


5.  Kansas State Wildcats (7-0) LW 5
It's safe to say that Kansas State's win over West Virginia was  statement game.  Not only did KState beat West Virginia to remain unbeaten, they steam rolled the Mountaineers and established themselves at the team to beat in the Big 12.  QB Collin Klein was amazing.  He had over 300 total yards of offense and 7 TDs.  Klein is now the front runner for the Heisman and the Wildcats are contenders for the National Title Game.  But Texas Tech looms this weekend.  The Red Raiders are better than most people think and have the ability to knock off KState.


6.  LSU Tigers (7-1) LW 6
For most of the first half it looked like the Tigers were going to suffer their second loss of the season.  But 14 quick points at the end of the 1st half gave LSU the lead and they never looked back.  RB Jeremy Hill lead the way with 127 yards rushing and a TD.  But QB Zach Mettenberger continues to struggle.  The Tigers have a week off, but they then have to face Alabama.  Their going to need Mettenberger to step up if they want to win there.


7.  USC Trojans (6-1) LW 8
It was against Colorado, but it was still nice to see USC's offense break out.  Especially QB Matt Barkley who has had a pretty underwhelming year so far.  But against the Buffaloes Barkley completed 19/20 passes and threw 6 TDs.  The Trojans have to hope that this game was a sign of things to come because USC has some big games on the horizon.


8.  Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) LW 10
RB Roy Finch made an impact on special teams returning two kick offs 100 yards to get the Sooners going from the start.  Add in another great game by QB Landry Jones and the Sooners are ready to go for their huge match up against Notre Dame.  The Sooners could really use the win to get them back into the National Title race.  But they'll need to do it against one of the best defenses in the nation.


9.  Oregon State Beavers (6-0) LW 15
It's still amazing the season that Oregon State is having.  After beating Utah 21-7 the Beavers improve their record to 6-0 and have moved into the top 10 in the rankings.  But they can't get too comfortable because they have to travel to Washington this weekend.  This is the same Washington team that knocked Stanford out of the top 10.


10.  Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0) LW 9
After surviving a scare with Braxton Miller and an near upset by Purdue, the Buckeyes are ready for their showdown with Penn State.  It's amazing that these two teams are probably the best in the Big 10 and neither team is eligible for the post season.  If not, this could be a game that would be for the Leaders Title.  Instead it will just be one heck of a game to watch.


11.  Florida State Seminoles (7-1) LW 14
Looking to move their way back into the top 10, Florida State had to beat in state rival Miami.  The Seminoles started off slow and struggled throughout the first half, but were still able to take the lead and then took control in the second half.  Florida State better hope that they can get things figured out because they will face off against Duke this weekend and the Blue Devils are no longer a push over.



12.  Clemson Tigers (6-1) LW 11
Last year the Clemson Virginia Tech game would have been a must see game to help decided ACC supremacy.  Instead VaTech is struggling and the Tigers don't have a lot of hype around them.  But that didn't stop them from taking control in the second quarter and getting out with the victory.



13.  South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2) LW 7
After beating Georgia it looked like the Gamecocks were going to be the team to beat in the SEC East.  Instead they dropped two straight games and are in a free fall.  QB Connor Shaw has struggled and even got benched against Florida.  Luckily the Gamecocks get a break and face off against a Tennessee team is is on their own losing streak.  Which one will come to an end?

14.  Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) LW 13
Kentucky was suppose to be an easy bounce back win for the Bulldogs.  They won, but it was too close for comfort.  But as they say a win is a win.  That's especially true since South Carolina lost again and that puts the Bulldogs right back into the SEC East Title race.  If they can beat Florida this weekend they will be in the lead.  But Georgia will need their defense to step up and stop the run.  No easy task. 


15.  Louisville Cardinals (7-0) LW 16

It took a Tedd Bridgewater TD pass with 1:35 left in the game to take the lead and win the game.  In a case of looking ahead, the Cardinals looked past South Florida to their showdown with Cincinnati and were lucky to escape with the win.  But unlike Cincinnati, they got the win.  Louisville now can focus on the Bearcats and a win would give them one of the two wins they need to win the Big East.

16.  Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-0) LW 17
With their victory over Middle Tennessee State, the Bulldogs got their easy part of the schedule out of the way.  Now the Bulldogs move into the hearth of their SEC schedule and we'll get to see how good this team really is.  First up in Alabama. 

17.  Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2) LW 21
Penn State went into their game against Iowa looking to continue their hot streak.  Not only did they win, they took the Hawkeyes behind the shed and whooped them.  They lead Iowa by 31 at one point.  Now Penn State moves on to host Ohio State in what could have been a game that would decide the Leaders Division.  Instead with both teams ineligible, it's just a game between two very good teams. 

18.  Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-0) LW 19
Trailing 10-0 at halftime it looked like Temple was going to spoil Rutgers perfect season.  But QB Gary Nova lead the Scarlet Knights to 35 straight points and the defense held the Owls scoreless and we ended with a blowout.  Now Rutgers has to try not to look past MAC foe Kent State or they could suffer the same fate that Cincinnati did against Toledo.

19.  West Virginia Mountaineers (5-2) LW 12
Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when West Virginia had just out dueled Texas and moved up to top 5 territory.  Geno Smith was the front runner for the Heisman.  All was good in Morgantown.  Then two straight losses and the Mountaineers are reeling.  Was it just games against two tough teams or was most of the season a fluke?  But West Virginia couldn't have a bye week at a better time.  Rest up and fix what has been going wrong.

20.  Ohio Bobcats (7-0) LW 20
After cracking the Top 25 for the first time in school history the Bobcats enjoy a weekend off before their game at Miami of Ohio.  This bye week will allow the Bobcats a chance the heal up and prepare for a possible undefeated season.  This is especially true for QB Tyler Tettleton who is a little banged up.


21.  Stanford Cardinal (5-2) LW 22
There wasn't any bands on the field nor did this game come down to the wire.  It was basically a butt whooping.  Even though the score (21-3) didn't indicate it, Stanford manhandled Cal and did whatever they wanted to.  And when you do that it's easy to win games.  Stanford will look to do that again when they host Washington State this Saturday.


22.  Michigan Wolverines (5-2) LW 23
Michigan hasn't beaten Michigan State in four straight years.  Nobody on Michigan's team has beat the Spartans.  So it must have felt pretty good when Brendon Gibbons' FG made it's way through the uprights and gave the Wolverines the win.  This is also quite the turnaround for Michigan who looked dead in the water earlier in there year.  Now all they have to is beat Nebraska and they have the Legends Division and a possible Big 10 Title within their grasps.

23.  Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1) LW NR
After Texas Tech lost big to Oklahoma many thought their early season success was nothing more than just feasting on inferior competition.  But wins against West Virginia and now TCU have people thinking that the Red Raiders are for real.  The biggest different in this years Red Raider teams is that they are playing defense.  That defense will be put to test this weekend as they travel to KState and face off against Collin Klein and the Wildcats.  A win there would really throw a monkey wrench into the Big 12 standings.


24.  Texas Longhorns (5-2) LW 25
Texas survived a shootout with Baylor to improve to 5-2 on the season.  The win was a good one in that it gets them back on track after their blowout loss to Oklahoma the week before.  Things only get better as the Longhorns get to travel to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks.  That should be an easy win.

25.  Texas A&M Aggies (5-2) LW 18
They have new coaches, new schemes and some new players, but the Aggies are suffering the same problems that they had last year.  Holding on to leads.  In both of the Aggies losses they had double digit leads only to let the game slip away.  Against LSU they were up 10 points but then gave up two quick TDs at the end of the second quarter and were never able to make up for it.  But they do catch a break this weekend as they face off against an Auburn team that might be one of the worst teams in a BCS conference.

Dropped From the Rankings: Cincinnati

NCAA Top 25 (Week 5)

1.  Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) LW 1
Week after week it looks like it's Alabama and then everybody else.  Other teams struggle from time to time or have some question marks, while the Crimson Tide are rolling through opponents.  Other than Ole Miss getting an early 7-6 lead, it was easy working for Alabama.  QB AJ McCarron was unspectacular but he didn't need to with Alabama scoring an special teams TD and handing the ball off to two good running backs.  The defense forced 3 turnovers and this game was a lot bigger of a blowout than the score indicated.    Alabama gets the next weekend off before traveling to SEC newcomer Missouri to welcome them to the conference.


2.  Oregon Ducks (4-0) LW 2
After a lackluster 1st half against Washington State, Oregon really opened things up in the 3rd quarter in route to a 51-26 win.  Oregon was lead by RB Kenjon Barner who had 195 yards rushing and 3 TDs.  It was 2 of Barner's TDs in the 3rd that sparked the rally.  You do have to be concerned with QB Marcus Mariota throwing 2 picks, but with all the fire power on this team they are able to make up for it.  This weekend the Ducks face off against a Washington team that just came off an upset over Stanford.  Should be a good one for viewers.


3.  Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) LW 4
Yeah their defense gave up a ton of points, but Tennessee's offense is a lot better than most people think.  What was the most impressive part was that this offense continues to show that they can put up points.  Add in that LSU struggled with Towson for most of the night, clearly in my opinion the Bulldogs are the 2nd best team in the SEC.  It's too bad that these teams won't play against each other.  But we will see Georgia face off against our #5 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.  This could be the defacto SEC West Title game.


4.  LSU Tigers (5-0) LW 3
You could easily say that the Tigers were looking past FCS Towson to their game against Florida next weekend.  However if you look back to LSU's season so far, they haven't been too impressive.  Defensively they have a ton of talent, but how do they give up 22 points to a FCS school?  This is suppose to be the best defense in the nation.  Offensively the addition of QB Zach Metteberger was suppose to be the player to put the offense over the top.  But I guess we are seeing why he didn't see the field last year over Jefferson or Lee.  His inability to move within the pocket is really going to come back to hurt him once they face off against better teams.  We'll see how good the Tigers really are when they travel to the Swamp and face off against a Florida team that is playing very well.


5.  South Carolina Gamecocks (5-0) LW 5
Gamecocks fans really have to hope that this weekends game against Kentucky was just them looking past the Wildcats to their big time showdown with Georgia.  Because Kentucky is awful and South Carolina was trailing 17-7 at halftime before they reeled off 31 straight points in the 2nd half to pull ahead.  If the Gamecocks fall behind early to the Bulldogs, it could be game over.  Luckily South Carolina was able to rely on RB Marcus Lattimore to pick them up and provide a spark that they needed to get them over the top.  Now South Carolina can solely focus on Georgia and their showdown for SEC West supremacy 

6.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) LW 6
After a four week stretch that took them from Ireland to defeating three Big 10 schools, the Fighting Irish have a bye week to take a breathe and get ready for the rest of their season.  So far the biggest surprise has been the play of the Irish defense.  LB Manti Te'o has been playing at a different level and that's help this defense be one of the elite in the nation.  Offensively Notre Dame was lead by QB Everette Golson, but after a couple of picks against Michigan he gave way to Tommy Rees who wasn't spectacular but did enough to win.  If Notre Dame wants to continue this momentum they are going to need to get the offense going.  Because if they do, this could be a special season.


7.  Florida State Seminoles (5-0) LW 7
In their first road test for the year, the Seminoles struggled but ultimately pulled out win the win.  But 17 straight points in the 3rd quarter opened up the game and allowed Florida State some breathing room.  QB EJ Manuel was solid again 242 yards but spread the ball to 9 different receivers.  Florida State improves to 5-0 and takes on North Carolina State next weekend.  NC State just gave up a ton of points and yards to Miami, so that's a good sign for Manuel and the Seminole offense.


8.  Kansas State Wildcats (4-0) LW 8
There is something to say about having a bye week after a big win.  Having an extra week allows the players to rest up and get all the excitement out of the way without worrying having to get back into game mode.  After KState took out Oklahoma the Wildcats can rest up and get ready to refocus for the rest of conference play.  KState has a relatively easy start with games against Kansas, Iowa and Texas Tech before ending with Texas, Baylor, and TCU.  But if the Wildcats keep playing like they against the Sooners, they should be fine.


9.  West Virginia Mountaineers (4-0) LW 11
If you went with the overs in this game you had to be a winner.  This game was amazing, unless you are a big fan of defense.  In West Virginia's debut to the Big 12 they went in with style.  Both teams traded scores throughout the first half, but it was the Mountaineers behind three straight second half TDs that took control and never looked back.  QB Geno Smith set West Virginia records for passing yards, TDs, and completions in route to 45 completions 656 yards and 8 TDs.  Not too bad for their debut.  West Virginia has a great shot to win the Big 12, mainly because with so little defense being played in the conference I don't know whose going to out score them.


10.  USC Trojans (3-1) LW 10
USC righted their ship after the Stanford loss, but it's clear that the Trojans aren't as good as we thought they were when the season began.  Injuries and depth concerns on defense have really hurt.  Plus QB Matt Barkley just hasn't been as spectacular as we thought he was going to be.  With an off weekend here, the Trojans can refocus and get their mojo back before getting into a stretch run that can still has them right in the mix for the Pac 12 Title.


11.  Florida Gators (4-0) LW 15
Florida has been playing so much better in their 2nd year under HC Will Muschamp, but we'll get to see how good they really are in a couple of weeks.  This weekend they have a bye, but it gives them an additional week to prepare for them to host the #3 ranked LSU Tigers.  LSU seems vulnerable, so it would be a great statement win for the Gators to knock them off.  They have the talent to do so, could be Muschamps signature win.


12.  Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) LW 14
It's too bad that Ohio State is ineligible for the post season, because this could be the Big 10's best team.  The Buckeye's aren't as explosive as they have been before, but QB Braxton Miller is probably the top QB in the conference.  Against Michigan State Miller had 315 combined yards despite playing on an injured knee suffered in the 2nd half.  Defensively the Buckeyes held Michigan State's only offensive weapon RB Le'Veon Bell to only 45 yards which cuts off most of their offense.  Ohio State looks to keep their momentum going next as they play host to Nebraska who knocked them off last year in Lincoln.


13.  Clemson Tigers (4-1) LW 12
Without WR Sammie Watkins playing (again) the Tigers bounced back after their loss to Florida State with a  win at Boston College.  But it was the "other" Clemson WR that took control.  DeAndre Hopkins stepped up and caught 11 balls for 197 yards and a TD.  But the big concern continues to be their defense.  Boston College isn't going to be mistaken for a offensive juggernaut, but still put up 41 points.  Sooner rather than later the Tigers are going to drop one they shouldn't because they can't stop anybody.  That game could be this weekend as they host Georgia Tech and their triple option offense.  Which is always difficult to prepare for.


14.  Oklahoma Sooners (2-1) LW 13
Oklahoma's loss to KState not only hurt their shot at getting to the National Title Game, but it raises some real big questions about their team.  The offense and mainly QB Landry Jones just hasn't been the same since the middle of last year when Ryan Broyles went down with an injury.  You really got to wonder how much this team misses former OC Kevin Wilson (current Indiana HC).  But with an off weekend the Sooners will look to get their stuff in order and get back to their winning ways.  Texas Tech is next after the bye, but then the Red River Shootout is on the horizon.


15.  Texas Longhorns (4-0) LW 17
In a controversial game, the Longhorns were able to prevail and remain undefeated.  Despite fumbling on the go ahead TD, the Longhorns were still awarded the TD and escaped Stillwater.  But the other big story out of this game was the play of QB David Ash.  Ash has been pretty solid all year, but in this game he was the big reason why they won.  Ash threw for 304 yards and 3 TDs to propel Texas to the victory.  His play on the Longhorns final drive was clutch.  However the Longhorns can't be too excited because they have to play host to West Virginia and their high powered offense.  The winner will come down to who can score the most.


16.  Stanford Cardinal (3-1) LW 9
Stanford erased a lot of questions people had about how they would do in the post Andrew Luck era with their win over USC.  Stanford shot up the polls and looked to be a serious contender in the Pac 12.  However a lot of those questions have come back after their crushing loss to Washington.  Sure Washington is a lot better than most people think.  But there is no explanation for the Cardinal giving up 14 straight points to lose the game.  Now we're back to square one, how good really are they?  My guess, they're average.


17.  Louisville Cardinals (5-0) LW 18
The weather was the great equalizer in their game against Southern Miss.  Southern Miss was win less on the season, but a monsoon can be a great equalizer.  With standing puddles on the field there wasn't a lot of passing going on and the Cardinals used their two headed rushing attack to eek out the victory.  Senorise Perry ran for 118 yards while teammate Jeremy Wright added another 84.  Style points don't really matter in this contest, winning in these conditions is all the counts.  Louisville has the week off and probably needs it get dry.  But they'll face Pittsburgh in two weeks to start Big East conference play.


18.  TCU Horned Frogs (4-0) LW 19
After winning their first game as a member of the Big 12, the TCU Horned Frogs finished out their non-conference schedule defeating in state SMU.  In another rainy game TCU struggled to adjust and it almost cost them the game.  It could have been a big disaster when they botched a FG hold and almost had a punt blocked because the punter couldn't get a grip on the ball.  But TCU was able to prevail and gets the necessary points to extend their winning streak to 12 straight games.  Also doesn't hurt that CB Jason Verrett had two INTs.  Next up for TCU is for them to resume Big 12 play against Iowa State.  The Cyclones aren't world beaters, but they always knock a team every year.  If TCU can't get the offense going, it could be them.


19.  Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1) LW 21
With the way this game started it looked like Nebraska was going to lay an egg and get blown out by Wisconsin for a 2nd straight year.  The Huskers fumbled on two early possessions and got down to an early 17 point defect   But the offense started taking care of the ball and the defense stepped up in run support and were able to chip away at the lead.  Nebraska forced a Monte Ball fumble on Wisconsin's last drive to seal the win and start Big 10 play off with a win.  Now all the Huskers have to do is travel to Columbus and play the Ohio State Buckeyes.  This will be a tough task for the Husker defense that struggles with mobile QBs.  Plus Braxton Miller was torching Nebraska last year before he got hurt.  A win there would be huge for the Huskers and give them an early lead in the Legends division.  But a loss would further muddy the Big 10 waters.


20.  Oregon State Beavers (3-0) LW NR
I'm not ready to jump on the Oregon State bandwagon.  Yeah they're 3-0, but they really haven't beaten anybody to worthwhile.  UCLA is a little overrated, Wisconsin is down, and Arizona recently got blown (shut) out by Oregon.  They definitely aren't worth the #14 ranking they got in the AP vote.  Here is more like it for the Beavers whose 3 wins this season equals their win total from last year.  The Beavers won a hard fought game against Arizona with a TD with 1:09 left on the clock to take the final lead.  The Beavers were lead by QB Sean Mannion who threw for a career high 433 yards and 3 TDs.  Look for Oregon State's run to continue as they face off against Washington State next weekend.


21.  Michigan State Spartans (3-2) LW 16
Everybody always talks about the Spartans missing QB Kurt Cousins, but what Michigan State really misses is BJ Cunningham and Keshawn Martin more than anything.  Maxwell didn't play bad, but his receivers have struggled with drops throughout the year.  Those struggles have made it impossible for Le'Veon Bell to get any room to run.  This was evident against Ohio State whose defense suffocated the Spartans and only allowed Bell 45 rushing yards and the Spartans to only 16 points.  Michigan State needs to get things figured out on offense or their hopes of winning the Legends Division for the second straight year will fall short.


22.  Northwestern Wildcats (5-0) LW 24
Northwestern set a school record with 704 yards in their win over Indiana.  The star of the game was QB/WR/RB Kain Colter who ran for 161 yards and 4 TDs, he had another 131 yards receiving to top it off.  Colter also threw three passes but for only two yards.  Come on Kain, just kidding.  But Colter has proved to be one of the biggest weapons in the Big 10 and has a lot of coaches stressed out on how to defend him.  With the win the Wildcats improve to 5-0.  But they have to travel to Penn State this weekend and face off against the hottest team in the Big 10.  A win for the Wildcats would be huge for a team that is trying to sneak their way into winning the Legends Division.  It's a long shot, but the way Northwestern is playing you never know.


23.  Washington Huskies (3-1) LW NR
The Washington Huskies make their debut in the rankings after an impressive upset of Stanford on this previous Thursday Night.  Other than a loss at LSU (it's extremely hard to win there) the Huskies have actually been playing very well.  They are lead by QB Keith Price who you may know for that epic shoot out last year with Baylor in the Alamo Bowl.  It was Price who threw the game winning TD that helped put the Huskies on top for good against Stanford.  But things don't get any easier as Washington now travels to Oregon to face off against the #2 ranked Ducks.


24.  Baylor Bears (3-1) LW 22
It would have been very easy to drop the Bears from the rankings after their loss to West Virginia.  They did give up 70 points.  However they also scored 63 themselves and could have just as easily won that game.  But also add in that there really isn't another team knocking on the door to get into the rankings that is much better than the Bears.  Baylor gets a week off to try and patch up some holes on defense, but then get a nasty two game stretch against TCU and Texas.  After those two games we'll get to see how good this team really is.

25.  Tennessee Volunteers (3-2) LW 23
To be honest I'm not down on the Volunteers as much as most people are.  Sure they lost two games straight and probably shouldn't be ranked.  But they lost to #3 Georgia and #11 Florida.  Both of those games the Vols were able to score on their vaunted defenses.  Both of those games the Vols probably could have won and were in a position to do so.  So it's not like they lost to two Sun Belt or MAC schools.  This weekend we get to see the Vols face off against an undefeated Mississippi State team that hasn't played the same schedule as Tennessee.  The winner likely will be ranked, where the loser will not.


Dropped From the Rankings: Virginia Tech

NCAA Top 25 (Week 3)

1.  Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) LW 2
It's easy to say now, but even if USC were to have beaten Stanford Alabama would have moved up into the #1 spot.  Even though they lost so many elite players off their team, they have dominated.  Just look at the Arkansas game.  Alabama was favored, but nobody would have guessed that they would roll to a 52-0 win.  The way that the Crimson Tide are playing they should roll into the LSU game undefeated and face a familiar situation as they did last year.

2.  LSU Tigers (3-0) LW 3
It was what it was suppose to be against Idaho.  A complete butt kicking.  Idaho never stood a chance in this one.  LSU jumped on them early and besides a 14 point 2nd quarter the Vandals didn't have much to show for it (except a check to come play there).  QB Zach Mettenberger continues to improve, completing 77% of his passes and throwing for 222 yards and 2 TDs.  As he continues to get better, the Tigers chances of getting back to the National Title game keep rising.  Their game against Auburn this weekend shouldn't be too tough, but at least tells us more of how good this team is.

3.  Oregon Ducks (3-0) LW 4
Oregon is finally done with their weak non-conference schedule which did nothing more than glorified scrimmages.  The Ducks have to hope that all these games against WAC, Sun Belt, and FCS schools where nothing more than dress rehearsals for the Pac 12 season.  All three games were blow outs with the offense putting up video game numbers.  But there has to be some concern that the defense, which is suppose to be the best Chip Kelly has had, has give up more than 20 points twice.  That could become problematic with their match up this weekend against Arizona whose offense is running on all cylinders under Rich Rod.  It could be a track meet between these two teams.

4.  Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) LW 5
To say Georgia dominated is an understatement.  Not only did Georgia win by 36, but they amassed over 700 yards of offense against FAU.  They must have felt bad for the Owls to only put up 56 points in the win.  But the game gave the Bulldogs a chance to get ready for a stretch run that will be pretty tough.  Vanderbilt is their next opponent who will give them everything they have.  That is followed up by Tennessee and South Carolina.  Georgia cannot afford a slip up, because they have a shot at a really good season.

5.  South Carolina Gamecocks (3-0) LW 6
The Gamecocks got the big win many expected by defeating UAB 49-6, however they may have been the true losers here.  Instead of sitting QB Connor Shaw against an easy win, they forced the issue and it came back to bite them.  Shaw left the game in the 2nd quarter after re injuring his shoulder.  I have no idea why they would play him in this game with the SEC starting soon.  Especially after backup Dylan Thompson played so well last weekend.  Now Shaw is likely out next week against Missouri and could be even rustier against Georgia in three weeks which could decide the SEC East.  I hope it was worth it.

6.  Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) LW 7
Oklahoma enjoyed a weekend off before their match up against #14 Kansas State.  The game against KState will be a true test to see how good both teams are.  Has Oklahoma improved from their struggles last year that had them finishing out of the top 2 spots in the conference?  Are they back to the juggernaut and regular BCS Bowl team we are use to?  What Oklahoma team are we going to see?  The team that struggled at UTEP?  Or the team that rolled over Florida A&M?  Because Kansas State is no slouch, especially if Colin Klein gets going.  We'll have to watch to find out.

7.  Clemson Tigers (3-0) LW 8
Not that Furman stood much of a chance, but the Clemson Tigers avoided a trap game in anticipation of their huge game against Florida State.  What's even better is that stud sophomore WR Sammie Watkins returned from his two game suspension and got his feet wet before facing off against the Seminole defense.  QB Tajh Boyd continued his steller play throwing for 310 yards and 2 TDs.  They'll need a big game from Boyd if they want their chance at a possible National Championship.

8.  Stanford Cardinal (3-0) LW 21
Stanford makes a huge jump here moving up 13 spots from 21 to 8.  The biggest reason is that the Cardinal had to prove that they were still the real deal after losing Andrew Luck and company.  Their narrow win over San Jose State in week 1 didn't help things out.  But they proved the doubters wrong with their big upset victory over our previous #1 USC.  Stanford's defense was especially impressive shutting down the potent Trojan offense that had so many weapons.  Stanford has the week off, which is probably a good thing after this big win.  But they still have some big games coming up and their next game, against Washington, isn't a push over.

9.  USC Trojans (2-1) LW 1
The big talk going into this season was USC possibly winning the National Title in their first year off suspension.  QB Matt Barkley was returning and the addition of Silas Redd was going to put them over the top.  However there was always questions about their run defense and that was exactly what was exposed against Stanford.  The Trojans allowed the Cardinal to rush for 202 yards which was the difference in the wni.  Add in a couple of miscues by QB Matt Barkley in the final drive and there is no wonder why they dropped the game.  But this isn't the end for the Trojans.  They still have games against 4 ranked opponents and as long as they take care of business they still have a shot to win the Pac 12 and just maybe sneak back into the National Championship picture.

10.  West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) LW 13
It hasn't necessarily been the fact that they've beaten any "big names" that has caused the Mountaineers from rising up the rankings, but more of how they've beaten the two teams they've played.  Both games so far have been complete blowouts and the Mountaineer offense is running on all cylinders.  Add in that there isn't a lot of defense played in the Big 12 and West Virginia is going to be tough to beat.  This weekend should be no different.  They play host to a poor Maryland program that has struggled under head coach Randy Edsall.  It should be another easy win for the Mountaineers.

11.  Florida State Seminoles (3-0) LW 14
There isn't a lot to say about their win over Wake Forrest.  They were suppose to blow out a bad team.  I've yet to fully trust this Florida State team.  Many voters and "experts" have proclaimed them back and have a top 5 ranking in both the Coaches Poll and AP.  However the Seminoles haven't shown me anything yet.  Yeah they've won a few games by a wide margin, but they haven't played anybody yet (Suppose to play West Virginia last week).  Remember this is still the program that lost four games last year.  We'll find out how good they really are this weekend against Clemson.  A win there would be huge because their remaining schedule isn't very daunting (Only Virginia Tech and Florida will be ranked when they play). 

12.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0) LW NR
Much like Florida Sate I'm not too quick to call Notre Dame back.  Beating Navy and Purdue are nothing to get excited about.  However their win against Michigan State was.  The Fighting Irish was able to shut down the Michigan State offense and not allow a single TD.  Everybody talks about how good of an offensive mind HC Brian Kelly is, but it's the Irish defense that is the bread and butter of this team.  If the Irish keep playing like they have, they should find their way back to a BCS game.  However they have a tough test this weekend against Michigan.  Dennard Robinson will give them fits, if they can shut him down like Alabama did, then we might be talking about the Irish in the top 10 for the first time in a while.

13.  Michigan Wolverines (2-1) LW 12
The nice thing about the non-conference games is that if you suffer a bad loss at the beginning of the season, you can get your confidence back back quickly.  That's exactly what Michigan has done this year.  This weekend they got to run up the score on UMass and get the team pumped up for a top 15 match up with the surging Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  This is exactly what the Wolverines need to show everybody that their game against Alabama was a fluke.  But they'll have to face off against a very strong Notre Dame defense that is going to pose a lot of problems for QB Dennard Robinson.

14.  Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) LW 15
You can't help but wonder if the Wildcats were looking past North Texas to their game against Oklahoma.  That could explain the dud that they put up.  If it wasn't for QB Colin Klein we could be talking about KState suffering a big time loss right before the start of conference play.  Instead we have another clutch performance from Klein that has thrust him right in the middle of the Heisman Race.  If KState wants to beat Oklahoma they are going to have to have a big game from their defense (mainly Arthur Brown) and have some offensive players not named Klein step up. 

15.  Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) LW 11
Maybe this whole transition to Urban Meyer isn't going to happen overnight after all.  Sure they're 3-0 and Braxton Miller is looking like the perfect Urban Meyer QB.  But there is still a reason for concern.  Mainly the fact that a bad Cal team took Ohio State to the wire and gave them a real scare.  The defense was suppose to be the strong suit with a ton of talent.  Instead they give up 28 points to Cal.  What's going to happen when they face off against offenses like Michigan or Nebraska?  Luckily they have time to figure that out before conference starts.  Their game against UAB should be nothing but a blowout. 

16.  Florida Gators (3-0) LW 16
The Florida Gators are starting to really hit a stride under new HC Will Muschamp.  After welcoming Texas A&M into the conference, the Gators had the task of facing off against a surging Tennessee team.  For most of the game it looked like Tennessee was going to get the win, but the Gators exploded for 24 straight points and pulled away with the win.  RB Mike Gillislee continues to be the star of the team giving the Gators a consistent runner which has done wonders to help QB Jeff Driskel become more acclimated to the offense.  With Kentucky being their opponent this weekend it should give them a easy win before the meat of the SEC comes.

17.  Michigan State Spartans (2-1) LW 9
They had their chance to really make an early impact on the season.  Sitting at #9 a win over Notre Dame would have jolted the Spartans closer to the top 5 and we may have heard some talk about them being a National Title contender.  But then they went out and layed an egg against Notre Dame.  Actually more like they got dominated by Notre Dame.  The Irish exposed QB Andrew Maxwell and the Spartans inability to throw the ball.  That lead to them stacking the box against Le'Veon Bell and taking the Spartan offense out of the game.  However on the bright side, the Spartans are still the favorites in the Big 10 and still have the best shot of getting to the Rose Bowl.

18.  Texas Longhorns (3-0) LW 17
Texas scored early and often in their 66-31 route of Mississippi.  Ole Miss isn't a good team, but this win gave the Longhorns some road experience before they start Big 12 conference play.  QB David Ash continues to shine.  Against the Rebels Ash threw for 326 yards and 4 TDS on 19/23 passing.  Now Texas can enjoy a nice weekend off before their 1st game of conference play against Oklahoma State. But they'll need to sure up their defense, because if they gave up 31 points to Mississippi Okie State will put up double that.

19.  Louisville Cardinals (3-0) LW 18
It looked like Louisville was going to cruise to an easy win over North Carolina.  At halftime it was 36-7.  However the Cardinal offense stalled and the North Carolina offense caught fire.  It took a deflected pass in the endzone to help preserve the victory and help the Cardinals stay perfect on the season.  A close call, but something the Cardinals don't want to repeat anymore.  But the good news is that Bridgewater continues to be so efficient.  Another game another solid performance.  23/28 (82%) for 279 yards and 3 TDs.  Add in 114 yards rushing from Jeremy Wright and it was a good day.  Now if the defense would have held up their end of it.  Next week the Cardinals look to avenge a loss to the FIU Panthers from last year. 

20.  TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) LW 20
Conventional wisdom would suggest that when a new team to a conference makes their debut, they would bring everything they got.  Especially when that team is coming from a lower conference and wanting to show that they are the real deal.  So when TCU drew Kansas as their 2st opponent in the Big 12 everybody was assuming we would see a blow out.  Instead we saw an uninspired performance and only a 14 point victory over a Kansas team that is flat out awful.  If TCU wants to have a good first year, they are going to need to step it up.

21.  Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1) LW 10
After Pittsburgh lost to Youngstown State and Cincinnati (in blowout fashion) it seemed that the highly ranked Hokies would breeze past the Panthers.  Well the Hokies must have thought that too and Pittsburgh caught them.  Oh boy did they catch them.  Pitt got on VaTech early and never let up.  Jumping out to a 14 points lead, the Hokies who have started out slow never could catch up.  This loss ends the Hokies shot as a dark horse candidate for a National Championship and it also ruins QB Logan Thomas' shot at the Heisman.  But at least it wasn't a conference game (yet) and the Hokies still are right in the thick of things with Clemson.

22.  UCLA Bruins (3-0) LW 23
The combination of QB Brett Hundley and RB Jonathan Franklin have struck again.  Both players were dynamic in their 37-6 win over Houston.  The win avenges the Bruins loss to the Cougars last year.  Hundley was the star of the game.  The redshirt freshman QB continues to shine throwing for 320 yards and 2 TDs.  With their easy schedule the Bruins should continue to roll and will probably come close to the top 10 before their showdown with Arizona on November 3rd.  But they can't look past Oregon State who knocked off Wisconsin two weeks ago.

23.  Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) LW 25
After the debacle that was their defense against UCLA, the Huskers bounced back to take care of things against a dangerous Arkansas State team.  Even with head coach Bo Pelini being taken to the hospital (for precautionary reasons) at halftime, the Huskers made quick work and cruised to a 42-13 victory.  This was a much need victory in the sense that it got the Huskers back on the field and has the momentum going the right way.  But the Big 10 season could get long if the Huskers revert back to their poor tackling ways.

24.  Baylor Bears (2-0) LW 22
Baylor was one of the many schools who took their bye week this wee after only two weeks into the season.  Sometimes it just works that way, but you would think teams would better manage their off weeks to better utilize them, rather than just having them randomly.  But maybe they did that because the Bears face off against one of the peskiest teams in college football.  Lousiana Monroe comes to down just off of beating Arkansas and almost beating Auburn.  Baylor better be on top of things, or they could suffer the same fate as the Razorbacks.  But the thing the Bears have going for them is their explosive offense.  Something that Arkansas and Auburn don't have this year.

25.  Tennessee Volunteers (2-1) LW 19
It looked like the Volunteers were finally going to knock off their long time rival Florida and continue this great start to the year, but they just couldn't hold onto the lead and gave up 24 straight points to let the game slip through their fingers.  If Tennessee can learn from this game they still have a shot to have a great season, but if they stay too down on this game they could really go south.  Luckily they face off against Akron this weekend and can get back on track before their game against Georgia.

Dropped From the Rankings:  Arkansas Razorbacks