Here's my take on how the Top 25 should be ranked. Unlike other polls, expect major shifts from week to week. I'm ranking teams by hand, with each team ranked based on current performance and preseason speculation. The conferences that have the most teams ranked are the Big East and Pac-10 with five each.
1 - LSU (2-0)
2 - USC (1-0)
3 - Oklahoma (2-0)
4 - Georgia Tech (2-0)
5 - California (2-0)
6 - West Virginia (2-0)
7 - Oregon (2-0)
8 - Florida (2-0)
9 - Wisconsin (2-0)
10 - Boston College (2-0)
11 - Nebraska (2-0)
12 - Clemson (2-0)
13 - Missouri (2-0)
14 - Louisville (2-0)
15 - South Carolina (2-0)
16 - Rutgers (2-0)
17 - Penn St (2-0)
18 - UCLA (2-0)
19 - Texas (2-0)
20 - South Florida (2-0)
21 - Ohio St (2-0)
22 - Arkansas (1-0)
23 - Cincinnati (2-0)
24 - Washington (2-0)
25 - Hawaii (2-0)
This week's schedule has three games between ranked opponents: 2 USC at 11 Nebraska, 10 Boston College at 4 Georgia Tech, and 21 Ohio St at 24 Washington.
Other teams that could move up a lot with a win this week are Florida (vs. Tennessee), Louisville (at Kentucky), and Arkansas (at Alabama).
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Week 3 Thursday / Friday Predictions
Thursday, September 13
West Virginia at Maryland
TCU at Air Force
Friday, September 14
Oklahoma St at Troy
West Virginia at Maryland
TCU at Air Force
Friday, September 14
Oklahoma St at Troy
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Week 2 Wrapup
My picks:
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Season 110-21 (83.97%)
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* South Carolina pulled off the upset over #11 Georgia, the first of several big wins for the Gamecocks this year.
* Now I'm willing to call Oklahoma the real thing. They look like one of the best teams in the country. On the other hand, Miami looked bad. This may be another .500 year for them.
* South Florida did pull off the upset at Auburn. Blame the Auburn coach, who chose to run out the clock at the end of the fourth quarter rather than try to get into field goal range. They had the ball on the 36-yard line with 42 seconds left and two timeouts. They let the clock run out instead of trying to get 30-35 yards and bring in their kicker, who was 2-2 on the night already.
* LSU made their argument for best team in the country with their dominant win over Virginia Tech. USC needs to answer back when they play at Nebraska next week.
* Michigan looked bad again this week. So did Notre Dame. Someone has to win their matchup next week, but it might be a really ugly game.
* Washington pulled off a huge win over Boise St, and may be a better team than I originally thought. It will be interesting to see how they play against Ohio St at home next week. It will also be interesting to see if they can avoid a late-season collapse like the one that happened last year.
* Utah lost to Air Force, showing their offensive problems due to the loss of their top two playmakers in Week 1.
* Iowa St and Northern Illinois both lost to FCS teams, bringing the total to four FCS over FBS wins this season.
* I hit four out of six of the points spreads, missing the Washington upset of Boise St and Texas' huge fourth quarter over TCU.
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Season 110-21 (83.97%)
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* South Carolina pulled off the upset over #11 Georgia, the first of several big wins for the Gamecocks this year.
* Now I'm willing to call Oklahoma the real thing. They look like one of the best teams in the country. On the other hand, Miami looked bad. This may be another .500 year for them.
* South Florida did pull off the upset at Auburn. Blame the Auburn coach, who chose to run out the clock at the end of the fourth quarter rather than try to get into field goal range. They had the ball on the 36-yard line with 42 seconds left and two timeouts. They let the clock run out instead of trying to get 30-35 yards and bring in their kicker, who was 2-2 on the night already.
* LSU made their argument for best team in the country with their dominant win over Virginia Tech. USC needs to answer back when they play at Nebraska next week.
* Michigan looked bad again this week. So did Notre Dame. Someone has to win their matchup next week, but it might be a really ugly game.
* Washington pulled off a huge win over Boise St, and may be a better team than I originally thought. It will be interesting to see how they play against Ohio St at home next week. It will also be interesting to see if they can avoid a late-season collapse like the one that happened last year.
* Utah lost to Air Force, showing their offensive problems due to the loss of their top two playmakers in Week 1.
* Iowa St and Northern Illinois both lost to FCS teams, bringing the total to four FCS over FBS wins this season.
* I hit four out of six of the points spreads, missing the Washington upset of Boise St and Texas' huge fourth quarter over TCU.
Friday, September 7, 2007
More on Week 2
Games I'm looking forward to:
* South Carolina at Georgia -- Upset Special -- South Carolina starts their run to the top of the East here.
* TCU at Texas -- Last week TCU shut down Baylor and Texas looked vulnerable against Arkansas St. A TCU win here would have them thinking about an undefeated season.
* Virginia Tech at LSU -- Two top defenses will slug it out. LSU comes out with the win with a better offense and the home crowd behind them.
* South Florida at Auburn -- I was really close to calling this game my upset special. Let's just say the Tigers better be prepared or the Bulls will walk out of Jordan-Hare with a win.
* Oregon at Michigan -- This game may be the most important one Michigan will play all year, as it will probably determine how the rest of their season will go.
* Miami at Oklahoma -- Everyone was heaping too much praise on OU after trouncing UNT. I want to see what their offense does against the Miami defense before I give them the same amount of credit.
* Alabama at Vanderbilt -- Vandy has a great chance for an upset and a statement game here.
* Bowling Green at Michigan St -- Can the Falcons do it again?
* Indiana at Western Michigan -- A game that could go either way, because it's difficult to get a good read on either team based on their Week 1 performances.
* Toledo at Central Michigan -- I just want to see if this Central Michigan team is really as bad as they looked in Week 1.
Point Spreads:
I'm not a betting man, but the following lines look interesting to me.
* West Virginia (-24.5) over Marshall
* Buffalo (+3.5) over Temple
* Bowling Green (+18) over Michigan St
* Missouri (-6) over Mississippi
* Boise St (-3) over Washington
* TCU (+9) over Texas
* South Carolina at Georgia -- Upset Special -- South Carolina starts their run to the top of the East here.
* TCU at Texas -- Last week TCU shut down Baylor and Texas looked vulnerable against Arkansas St. A TCU win here would have them thinking about an undefeated season.
* Virginia Tech at LSU -- Two top defenses will slug it out. LSU comes out with the win with a better offense and the home crowd behind them.
* South Florida at Auburn -- I was really close to calling this game my upset special. Let's just say the Tigers better be prepared or the Bulls will walk out of Jordan-Hare with a win.
* Oregon at Michigan -- This game may be the most important one Michigan will play all year, as it will probably determine how the rest of their season will go.
* Miami at Oklahoma -- Everyone was heaping too much praise on OU after trouncing UNT. I want to see what their offense does against the Miami defense before I give them the same amount of credit.
* Alabama at Vanderbilt -- Vandy has a great chance for an upset and a statement game here.
* Bowling Green at Michigan St -- Can the Falcons do it again?
* Indiana at Western Michigan -- A game that could go either way, because it's difficult to get a good read on either team based on their Week 1 performances.
* Toledo at Central Michigan -- I just want to see if this Central Michigan team is really as bad as they looked in Week 1.
Point Spreads:
I'm not a betting man, but the following lines look interesting to me.
* West Virginia (-24.5) over Marshall
* Buffalo (+3.5) over Temple
* Bowling Green (+18) over Michigan St
* Missouri (-6) over Mississippi
* Boise St (-3) over Washington
* TCU (+9) over Texas
Week 2 Saturday Predictions
West Virginia at Marshall
Maine at Connecticut
Nevada at Northwestern
Bowling Green at Michigan St
Miami Ohio at Minnesota
Nebraska at Wake Forest
Akron at Ohio St
Miami at Oklahoma
Grambling St at Pittsburgh
Duke at Virginia
Eastern Illinois at Purdue
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Buffalo at Temple
Louisiana Monroe at Clemson
Rhode Island at Army
Samford at Georgia Tech
California at Colorado St
Utah St at Wyoming
NC State at Boston College
Northern Arizona at Arizona
Ball St at Eastern Michigan
Oregon at Michigan
Fresno St at Texas A&M
Boise St at Washington
UAB at Florida St
Cal Poly at Idaho
South Carolina at Georgia
Troy at Florida
Kent St at Kentucky
Missouri at Mississippi
North Carolina at East Carolina
Notre Dame at Penn St
Air Force at Utah
BYU at UCLA
Northern Iowa at Iowa St
Rice at Baylor
TCU at Texas
San Diego St at Washington St
Ohio at Louisiana Lafayette
Western Illinois at Illinois
Memphis at Arkansas St
Toledo at Central Michigan
Maryland at FIU
Southeastern Louisiana at Kansas
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
Southern Miss at Tennessee
UTEP at Texas Tech
Mississippi St at Tulane
FAU at Oklahoma St
San Jose St at Kansas St
Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois
North Texas at SMU
Indiana at Western Michigan
Syracuse at Iowa
South Florida at Auburn
Virginia Tech at LSU
New Mexico St at New Mexico
Wisconsin at UNLV
Colorado at Arizona St
Maine at Connecticut
Nevada at Northwestern
Bowling Green at Michigan St
Miami Ohio at Minnesota
Nebraska at Wake Forest
Akron at Ohio St
Miami at Oklahoma
Grambling St at Pittsburgh
Duke at Virginia
Eastern Illinois at Purdue
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Buffalo at Temple
Louisiana Monroe at Clemson
Rhode Island at Army
Samford at Georgia Tech
California at Colorado St
Utah St at Wyoming
NC State at Boston College
Northern Arizona at Arizona
Ball St at Eastern Michigan
Oregon at Michigan
Fresno St at Texas A&M
Boise St at Washington
UAB at Florida St
Cal Poly at Idaho
South Carolina at Georgia
Troy at Florida
Kent St at Kentucky
Missouri at Mississippi
North Carolina at East Carolina
Notre Dame at Penn St
Air Force at Utah
BYU at UCLA
Northern Iowa at Iowa St
Rice at Baylor
TCU at Texas
San Diego St at Washington St
Ohio at Louisiana Lafayette
Western Illinois at Illinois
Memphis at Arkansas St
Toledo at Central Michigan
Maryland at FIU
Southeastern Louisiana at Kansas
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
Southern Miss at Tennessee
UTEP at Texas Tech
Mississippi St at Tulane
FAU at Oklahoma St
San Jose St at Kansas St
Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois
North Texas at SMU
Indiana at Western Michigan
Syracuse at Iowa
South Florida at Auburn
Virginia Tech at LSU
New Mexico St at New Mexico
Wisconsin at UNLV
Colorado at Arizona St
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Week 2 Thursday / Friday Predictions
Thursday, September 6
MTSU at Louisville
Oregon St at Cincinnati
Friday, September 7
Navy at Rutgers
* The Oregon St-Cincinnati game is one of the more underrated matchups this week
MTSU at Louisville
Oregon St at Cincinnati
Friday, September 7
Navy at Rutgers
* The Oregon St-Cincinnati game is one of the more underrated matchups this week
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Week 1 Wrapup
My Picks
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Season 58-12 (82.86%)
Most surprising wins
* Appalachian St over Michigan (Nothing more to add here, it has been discussed plenty)
* Kansas over Central Michigan (Is Kansas that good or Central Michigan that bad? I really don't know yet)
* Wyoming over Virginia (Wow, the Cavaliers looked bad with only 5 first downs and 110 total yards)
* UTEP over New Mexico (How do you have 383 yards of total offense, go 3-3 on fourth down conversions, never turn the ball over, and only manage to score six points?)
My Ramblings
* Utah looks to be in trouble with injuries sustained to the starting QB and RB in the Oregon St game. QB Brian Johnson is out for at least three weeks and RB Matt Asiata is out for the season. Looking at the next five games, the Utes should still be able to beat Air Force, UNLV, and Utah St. The games against UCLA and Louisville will be extremely hard to win short-handed.
* Washington is going to be a little overrated after a dominating win at Syracuse. I expect them to lose the next four games, starting with Boise St on Saturday.
* The Georgia Tech - Notre Dame game wasn't nearly as surprising as everybody is making it out to be,
* Is it too early to call Marlon Lucky and Matt Ryan under-the-radar Heisman candidates? Probably, but you should keep your eye on them.
* Western Michigan should win the MAC even if they did give up 62 points to West Virginia.
* Don't write off trendy-pick Oklahoma St just because they lost to Georgia. That game reminded me a lot of last year's USC-Arkansas matchup. Everyone forgot about Arkansas after they were blown out, but they still wound up with a 10 win season and a trip to the SEC Championship Game. So don't forget about the Cowboys based on this one game.
* Week 2 Predictions and Previews coming up tomorrow...
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Season 58-12 (82.86%)
Most surprising wins
* Appalachian St over Michigan (Nothing more to add here, it has been discussed plenty)
* Kansas over Central Michigan (Is Kansas that good or Central Michigan that bad? I really don't know yet)
* Wyoming over Virginia (Wow, the Cavaliers looked bad with only 5 first downs and 110 total yards)
* UTEP over New Mexico (How do you have 383 yards of total offense, go 3-3 on fourth down conversions, never turn the ball over, and only manage to score six points?)
My Ramblings
* Utah looks to be in trouble with injuries sustained to the starting QB and RB in the Oregon St game. QB Brian Johnson is out for at least three weeks and RB Matt Asiata is out for the season. Looking at the next five games, the Utes should still be able to beat Air Force, UNLV, and Utah St. The games against UCLA and Louisville will be extremely hard to win short-handed.
* Washington is going to be a little overrated after a dominating win at Syracuse. I expect them to lose the next four games, starting with Boise St on Saturday.
* The Georgia Tech - Notre Dame game wasn't nearly as surprising as everybody is making it out to be,
* Is it too early to call Marlon Lucky and Matt Ryan under-the-radar Heisman candidates? Probably, but you should keep your eye on them.
* Western Michigan should win the MAC even if they did give up 62 points to West Virginia.
* Don't write off trendy-pick Oklahoma St just because they lost to Georgia. That game reminded me a lot of last year's USC-Arkansas matchup. Everyone forgot about Arkansas after they were blown out, but they still wound up with a 10 win season and a trip to the SEC Championship Game. So don't forget about the Cowboys based on this one game.
* Week 2 Predictions and Previews coming up tomorrow...
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