NCAA Top 25

Haven't done this the last couple of years, but I've decided to do my own Top 25 poll this year. I didn't do it the first couple of weeks because it's so meaningless until there's a body of work to show. Unfortunately, starting high in the rankings gives teams an advantage because many pollsters are loathe to drop someone unless they lose. It really has nothing to do with the actual games played. However, that is starting to change with more voters actually watching the games and taking this seriously.

Anyway, here we go, with notes on some teams.

1. Ohio St.--many would pick Alabama, but I believe they are the best team in the country. And they just hammered Miami. Very impressive. Pryor is my pick for the Heisman.
2. Alabama--on the other hand, Alabama looks great too. But I also think Penn St. just isn't any good.
3. Oregon--completely dominant at Tennessee, best offense in the country.
4. TCU--very tough team, but it's just hard to know what to think of them now. A win over Oregon St. is great, but how much does it tell us? Too soon to say.
5. Boise St.--I don't really want to punish them for Virginia Tech's loss to James Madison. After all, it was Boise who sucked the life out of the Hokies to the extent they couldn't even get up the energy to beat a team like JMU. But it clearly hurts their national championship hopes with only Oregon St. an interesting game ahead.
6. Oklahoma--this is why one game means nothing. They looked horrible against Utah St., just pulling out the win. Then they bludgeoned Florida St.
7. Iowa
8. Wisconsin
9. Nebraska
10. LSU
11. Arkansas
12. Michigan--Denard Robinson has been amazing. I don't think the Wolverines can really keep it up, but with Robinson the best player in the country the first two weeks, who knows how far they can go. While I have Ohio St., Iowa, and Wisconsin above the Wolverines, I remain somewhat unconvinced by the latter two.
13. Texas--the classic example of being ranked too high in an early poll. They are still #6 despite looking like crap against two inferior teams. Yet someone still has them ranked #1. That voter has obviously not watched football this year.
14. Florida--exact same comment as Texas, minus the #1 vote. Both teams have slipped some, showing that some voters are paying attention.  But neither has slipped enough. And Florida just has no running game.
15. Utah--great win over Pitt, could make a run for the national championship game. I'm serious.
16. South Carolina--nice win over Georgia. Marcus Lattimore is a sick beast.
17. Arizona--nation's most underrated team. Wouldn't be a bit surprised to see them upset Wisconsin this week.
18. Stanford
19. Houston
20. California--also underrated--watch out for the resurgent Golden Bears.
21. Miami (FL)--the only ACC team in my top 25 and they have a loss. Pathetic.
22. Auburn--I know they are ranked much higher by most, but uninspired and boring wins over Mississippi St. don't suggest much to me.
23. West Virginia--lucky to escape Marshall. The Big East sucks this year. Not as bad as the ACC though.
24. USC--have looked terrible against Hawaii and Virginia. Feel like the season is already about the come off the wheels. Yet they are 2-0.
25. Oregon St.

3 Best Games of Next Week
Very poor week ahead with few interesting matchups.

1. Iowa at Arizona. Clearly the game of the week. Will say a lot about both teams.
2. Air Force at Oklahoma. Seriously. Air Force just pounded BYU. Oklahoma has been inconsistent. Obviously the Sooners should be favored.  But I considered Air Force for this list. And I think this could be a very good game.
3. Arkansas at Georgia. Key SEC matchup. Is Arkansas really that good? Is Georgia as bad as they looked against South Carolina? This game should answer both questions.