College Football Top Ten Wrap Up 4

I am writing this from the bunker beneath my shed. As I type, hordes of previously unrankable teams are roaming the college football landscape unchecked, pillaging and plundering the once-safe bastions of our great sport. Reports have come in from across the nation, and folks, they’re grim: Florida – gone. Oklahoma – gone. Texas – gone. The news doesn’t get any better after that, either. All told, seven of the top thirteen teams lost last weekend, most to unranked opponents. Two more held on to win by a field goal. I suggest to each and every one of you that you barricade your doors, stockpile water and canned foods, then hunker down and prepare for a long siege.

The barbarians are at the gate. Lord help us all.

Here’s the recap:

#1 – Louisiana State Tigers
Last Week: Tulane – win, 34-9. Overall this was a decent win. The Tigers found the geauxing rather tough in the first half, limping into the locker room with an uninspired 10-9 lead. Clearly this was a case of looking forward to their matchup against the Gators this week, and not too much to get concerned about. A strong second half iced this game, and the pollsters apparently found the combination of this win and the USC near-loss to be convincing enough to push LSU to the top spot.
Coming Up: Florida. It helps immensely that this game is in Baton Rouge. LSU can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they belong in the top spot with a win this week, and it doesn’t even have to be a blowout. I could be wrong, but I think this is going to be one of the more entertaining games of the college football season.

#2 – Southern California Trojans
Last Week: At Washington – win, 27-24. Sixteen penalties will catch the eyes of the pollsters nearly every time. So will a three-point win in which the #1 team in all the land had to recover an on-side kick attempt by a vastly overmatched opponent in the final 30 seconds of the game to cling to the victory. It’s tough to say USC deserved to drop from the top spot after this win against an arguably improving Washington team, but as has been the case all season long, the voters show they continue to be fickle.
Coming Up: Stanford. It is not impossible that USC could regain the top spot with a blowout victory coupled with a close win by LSU. The two teams are separated by only two points in the standings, less than one tenth of one percent of their totals.

 
NOTE – I considered ending the major recaps right here with USC and LSU. Why? Because I honestly can’t remember a time when I was less impressed with the remainder of the top ten. I cannot say with anything resembling conviction that there are only two teams I think could beat Cal, or only three teams I think could beat Ohio State, and so on. From #3 to #23, I see this as one of the weakest groups of ranked teams in my life, with a couple of teams who should not have put themselves in the positions they are in with bone-headed losses (See: Florida, Oklahoma), and several more who are simply ranked where they are because nobody else has, as yet, shown they belong higher. It is a sad commentary on the state of the game today when more than half of the teams ranked in the top ten legitimately do not belong here, but there they sit, largely by default. So here you go, folks, the rest of the “best”…

 
#3 – California Golden Bears
Last Week: At Oregon – win, 31-24. This was one heck of an entertaining game. I really thought that the Ducks would come away with the win, but an impressive 21-point fourth quarter and an extremely lucky break at the end sealed the win for Cal. Those of you who watched the game saw Oregon receiver Cameron Colvin stretch for the end zone for what would have been a game-tying touchdown with 22 seconds to go, only to have the ball pop out of his hands and roll out of the side of the end zone for a Cal touchback. Oregon certainly had plenty of chances to win, but a couple of interceptions by Dennis Dixon, including one late in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 24, proved too much to overcome.
Coming Up: Idle. The Bears have a chance to sit back and bask in the golden glow of their lofty ranking before playing Oregon State.

#4 – Ohio State Buckeyes
Last Week: At Minnesota – win, 30-7. Another week, another workman-like win for the Buckeyes. This game featured yet another fine performance by the Ohio State defense, who limited the Golden Gophers to 277 total yards, including only 45 yards on the ground. Todd Boeckman threw for two touchdowns and Chris Wells rushed for two more in the win.
Coming Up: At #23 Purdue. In the Big 10 anything can happen, so it’s not impossible that the Buckeyes could lose this road test against the Boilermakers. Could the top ten carousel continue to spin for one more week? I’m giddy with anticipation.

#5 – Wisconsin Badgers
Last Week: Michigan State – win, 37-34. Last week I said the only reason I suspected the Badgers would win this game was its location. I triple-dog guarantee you that had this been a road game, the Badgers would have lost. As it was they needed every mistake the Spartans could muster to win – and they mustered several. If it wasn’t holding or roughing the passer penalties on the defense, it was a very questionable play call late in the fourth quarter when the Spartans were driving to tie or take the lead that did them in. On that play Michigan State chose to run Javon Ringer up the middle rather than throw on third-and-long. Ringer was stuffed and the Spartans had to settle for a field goal attempt from the 35 yard line, which missed. Badger Fan, I know you’re getting tired of hearing me say this team is overrated, but trust me – it’s only a matter of time before this team loses.
Coming Up: And that could come as early as this week, when Wisconsin hits the road to take on Illinois, who are fresh off their upset of formerly-ranked (and formerly top ten, if you can believe it) Penn State. If Wisconsin even thinks of looking ahead to PSU in two weeks they’ll lose this game.

#6 – South Florida Bulls
Last Week: #13 West Virginia – win, 21-13. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It was refreshing to see a team play with heart and conviction, something I fail to see in several other top ten teams I could mention. The Bulls shoot down the Mountaineers for the second straight year, only this time their win earns them their first-ever top ten ranking. It is sometimes difficult to remember that only one dozen years ago they didn’t even have a football team at South Florida, and as recently as eight years ago they weren’t even a Div. I-A team. But today the Bulls are the bullies of the Big East, and they have not one, but two impressive wins under their belts after knocking off the Mountaineers – the other being their win at Auburn.
Coming Up: At Florida Atlantic. I thought of coming up with a clever “victim” name for UFA, but the fact is they beat Minnesota, a Big Ten team, so I’ll give them a pass. Too bad for the Owls they won’t get a pass from South Florida. Expect to see the Bulls in the top ten for a while, folks.

#7 – Boston College Eagles
Last Week: Massachusetts – win, 24-14. Why do I find this win totally unimpressive? After all, UMass entered this game a perfect 4-0, so why shouldn’t we be impressed? I’ll tell you why – the Minutemen’s four victories have come against Holy Cross, Colgate, Towson, and Maine. Winning unimpressively at home against a Colonial Conference foe is so unworthy of a top ten team that I feel soiled just writing about it. How does Boston College deserve to be ranked seventh when their most impressive win was against a 3-2 Georgia Tech team?
Coming Up: Bowling Green. If I were a betting man I’d wager $20 that the margin of victory in this game is less than two touchdowns. If I were really a betting man I’d bet that the winning margin will be held by Boston College, but I’m not willing to take that risk. BC – you’re officially on upset watch.

#8 – Kentucky Wildcats
Last Week: Florida Atlantic – win, 45-17. Something had to give. Andre Woodson held an ongoing NCAA record for passes without an interception. Tavious Polo leads the nation in interceptions. The two hooked up Saturday, much to Woodson’s chagrin, to end the record streak at 325. This was probably the highlight of an otherwise hum-drum game, in which the Owls simply were not contenders. I don’t know what to make of Kentucky – they’re 5-0, but their marquee victory came against an Arkansas team that features Darren McFadden and not much else. Sure you can point to the Louisville win, but there’s no way Louisville should ever have been near the top ten anyway. Odds are good the Wildcats are only visiting the top ten – they play South Carolina, LSU, and Florida in the next three weeks. From #8 to unranked. Sounds like Penn State.
Coming Up: at #11 South Carolina. Basically I think you flip a coin to see who wins this game. Arguments could be made for either team, especially SC since the game is there.

#9 – Florida Gators
Last Week: Auburn – loss, 17-20. Ah yes, the classic trap game. I called it last week, but still I thought Florida would pull this out. It was at home, it was against an overmatched opponent, and the Gators had just dropped in the polls after a narrow win the week before. I figured those factors would provide enough motivation to keep Florida’s focus squarely on the task at hand. But I was wrong. The Gators came out lethargic, made some critical penalties and ended up trailing at halftime 14-0, and 17-3 after three quarters. Finally realizing that they were in a major tussle, the Gators regrouped and tied the game back up with two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, but a late field goal cost them dearly. With the relative weakness in the next several spots above them the Gators could very easily still be in the mix for the Mythical National Championship, but the road is now that much more difficult thanks to this costly – and unnecessary – loss.
Coming Up: At #1 LSU. A young team, facing the nation’s best defense, on the road, at night, still smarting from an upset loss? Yeah, that’s a tough bunch of factors to overcome. I think Florida keeps this game close enough, but I don’t see them pulling off the upset.

#10 – Oklahoma Sooners
Last Week: At Colorado – loss, 27-24. What the heck happened, Oklahoma? Let me get this straight – facing one of the weakest teams in your conference, you gave up 17 unanswered fourth-quarter points? You’ve got to be kidding me. Several things went wrong in the final minutes, including a muffed punt, penalties, an interception by Sam Bradford, and simple lack of conditioning on the part of the Sooners defense, all of which culminated in a 45-yard Kevin Eberhart field goal as the clock expired to give the Buffs the win. This has to be considered the most shocking loss of what was a day filled with shocking losses, and perhaps the most shocking loss of the season this side of Appalachian State/Michigan. Oklahoma is not out of the title hunt, not the way this season is shaping up, but this critical loss in what should have been a laugher makes their road much, much more difficult.
Coming Up: At Texas. The Red River Shootout just took on a lot less prestige as both the Sooners and Longhorns suffered boneheaded losses this week. What should have been a struggle between two undefeated, top ten teams has devolved into just another rivalry game. Before the Colorado game I couldn’t imagine how the Sooners could lose this game. Today, I can imagine several ways. Let’s just hope it’s an entertaining game.

The Rest of the Ranked:
#11. South Carolina – It’s nice to see South Carolina jump back over the team they beat (Georgia). If the Cocks can pull out a win against visiting #8 Kentucky this will be a top ten team. Amazing.
#12. Georgia – Think the SEC isn’t strong? Five of the top twelve teams hail from this conference – four of them from the East Division. Must be that gulf coast bias we hear so much about.
#13. West Virginia – Pretender, thou hast been exposed. With a series of games that amount to little more than pillow fights left on their schedule, don’t be surprised to see WVU back in the top ten when the SEC dust settles.
#14. Oregon – That was a tough, tough loss, UO. It may not be much solace to realize you only dropped three spots, but that’s all there is to be thankful for after letting that game slip away.
#15. Virginia Tech – VT can continue their comeback towards the top ten with a strong showing against Clemson. South Carolina and Georgia are the weak sisters of their division and should fall back down soon.
#16. Hawaii – Yawn. Look at the nine teams below. Which one of these guys would not beat Hawaii?
#17. Missouri – You had two weeks to prepare for Nebraska. Gary Pinkel should be run out of town on a rail if you choke this one away.
#18. Arizona State – Enjoy your ranking, Sun Devils. November is going to be a very cruel month for you.
#19. Texas – I hate to say, “I told you so.” Kansas State isn’t a weak team. They’re not a great team, mind you, but they are sure good enough to surprise a team looking ahead of them.
#20. Cincinnati – It’s been nice having you here, Cincinnati, but Rutgers is going to smoosh you.
#21. Rutgers – It’s been nice having you here, Rutgers, but Cincinnati is going to smoosh you. (This is called waffling. I really don’t know or care who wins this game, honestly).
#22. Clemson – That was an exceedingly ugly loss to Georgia Tech. Look for the losing streak to continue against VA Tech.
#23. Purdue – It is a sad commentary on the state of the game when a win against an awful Notre Dame team on national TV is still enough to vault a mediocre team like the Boilermakers into the rankings.
#24. Kansas State – That was a nice win, K-State, but special teams can’t win every game for you. Good luck against Kansas. You may need it.
#25. Nebraska – Time of Possession: Nebraska – 20 minutes, ISU 40 minutes. The Cyclones ran a school-record 102 offensive plays. And this was an improvement over Nebraska’s last few defensive efforts.

Heisman Hopefuls
Almost there. Let’s get another game or two in before we talk about the guys who should be contending for the top trophy.

Hope you enjoyed the column. See you next week.

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