Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 8:57am

TAC College Football Rankings: Week 2

Last week we debuted our fearless college rankings here at TAC. This week saw chaos in the middle and back as our #11, 12, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, and 24 teams all lost. Some of the chaos is surely due to this man:

The first lesson we need to learn is that if we keep ignoring the Federalist Papers, Madison will strike down our football teams. The other lesson is that it’s great to not be an ACC fan.

This week the rankings take on two new additions: our own Dave Hartline and Evangelical Catholicism’s M.J. Andrew. If you’re a Catholic blogger, and you’re interested in writing rankings, shoot me an email at michaelrdenton”at” gmail. com. Let’s see those rankings now, shall we?

Comments are, once again, either mine or Jay’s (denoted w/ an M for mine, and J for Jay’s)

  1. Alabama (5) – After they beat (to put it gently) Penn St., to get to #1, other teams need to kee this in mind-to be the man, you gotta beat the man. WOOO!!!! (Yes, I did just reference Ric Flair on a Catholic blog. sue me. -M) (LAST WEEK: #1)
  2. Ohio State – “An impressive Ohio State win over Miami that should have been a blowout was marred by horrific special teams, as the Hurricanes scored on the Buckeyes on 2 kick returns for TDs. Of the 4 touchdowns given up by Ohio State this year, 3 of them have come on special teams, with the Buckeyes stellar defense only giving up 1 TD. They better figure this problem out quickly before it REALLY comes back and haunts them. (J) LAST WEEK: #3
  3. Boise State – Last week we wondered if they could leapfrog. Now I wonder if they can finish in the Top 5. They’re hurt not only by VT’s fall, but the rest of the ACC. Simply put, even if VT can rebound and win the ACC, the ACC itself looks only better than the Big East at this point. The ACC, and Boise’s sole hope to a title game, are only downhill from here. I think Boise will need other teams to lose twice to have a chance at rebounding-though this happened in 07. (M) LAST WEEK: #2
  4. TCU – TCU jumps over Texas because they just look like a more complete team.(J) LAST WEEK: #4
  5. Oregon – 48 points at Tenn. is pretty good, even in a down cycle for the Vols. In the PAC-10, that offense will just keep rolling. (M) LAST WEEK: #5
  6. Nebraska (1) – A quality win over Tito’s Idaho Vandals gets them another #1 vote from Tito. LAST WEEK: #6
  7. Oklahoma – Oklahoma slaughters Florida State. But since the Seminoles are also-rans in the ACC, so what?(J) LAST WEEK: #8
  8. Texas – struggling against Wyoming is not impressive, esp. when Nebraska and Oklahoma are putting on clinics.(M) LAST WEEK: #7
  9. Iowa – Looking strong and ready to challenge the Buckeyes for the Big 10 crown.(J) LAST WEEK: #9
  10. Florida – Another weak performance by the Gators, in which, once again, the final score does not reflect the level of play in the game, drops them a couple of spots from last week. Where would this team be without RB Jeff Demps? 0-2, that’s where.(J) LAST WEEK: #10
  11. LSU – There’s a QB controversy in Baton Rouge, but one wonders how much it matters. If LSU can run like it did in the 4th against Vandy, and the defense keeps shutting teams down completely, then LSU’s offense (QB included) doesn’t have to be amazing. They just have to eat up enough clock to give the D some rest. (M) LAST WEEK: #14
  12. Utah (TIE w/ LSU) – Utah just keeps winning. Especially at home.(J) LAST WEEK: #15
  13. Wisconsin – Watch out, Buckeyes and Hawkeyes!(J) LAST WEEK: #13
  14. Arkansas – I’m tempted to sell them. The offense was supposed to be amazing, but great offenses don’t struggle against ULM. What happens when they face Bama’s D? (M) LAST WEEK: #19
  15. Stanford – Stanford shuts out UCLA on the road. If things don’t work out as well for Rich Rod at Michigan as they currently appear to be doing, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh may be heading to Ann Arbor next season.(J) LAST WEEK: #NR
  16. South Carolina – absolutely shut Georgia down and now look to battle Florida for the SEC East crown.(M) LAST WEEK: #NR
  17. USC – A close shave over my underdog Virginia Cavaliers. The Trojans just don’t look all that daunting right now.(J) LAST WEEK: #18
  18. Auburn – hard fought win against Mississippi St, but should it have been that close?(M) LAST WEEK: #NR
  19. Miami (FL) – I give no credit to Miami for not being on the receiving end of a blowout. But for the Buckeye’s horrific special teams play, Miami would not have even been in the game.(J) LAST WEEK: #11
  20. Michigan-They have the leading Heisman candidate at QB, but at some point you have to bet a defense is going to be able to handle just one guy. If Michigan is going to contend they’ll need a little diversity to keep the better Ds they’ll face honest.
  21. California – Not sure about the quality of their opponents, but the Golden Bears have outscored them 105-10. That’s pretty impressive.(J) LAST WEEK: #NR
  22. Arizona – just taking care of business so far, but PAC-10 pride can be restored with an upset against Iowa this week (M) LAST WEEK: #23
  23. West Virginia – They needed overtime to beat Marshall. Either that blowout win over Marshall by Ohio State looks even better, or I’m just being generous by putting the Mountaineers in the top 25.(j) LAST WEEK: #NR
  24. Penn State (TIE w/ WVU) – What happens when a Big 10 team faces an SEC team on a field that doesn’t fly to pieces? The crowd chants “S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C!” and Penn St. served up this truth once again. (M)LAST WEEK: #21
  25. Fresno State – They did beat an BCS team in Cincy last week, and with the chaos served up this week, why not? (M) LAST WEEK: #24

Others receiving votes:  Air Force, Arizona St., Nevada, Houston, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Idaho, Notre Dame, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Missouri, BYU, Oregon State, Clemson, and Virginia.

For more info, this is how everyone voted:

ADDENDUM:

It ought to be noted that while the debates between field and turf, snow or sun are fun, all football fans ought to be able to understand that this :

is not acceptable under any circumstances. There are mounds in the middle of the “field.” While fields don’t have to be dry and they can be muddy, it’s simply disgraceful for the field to be in the above condition (caused by the fact that they laid sod too late, therefore it never took root, and there was a game on the same field 3 days before). If you play on a team accustomed to playing on actual fields that are flat and have grass that don’t come up like peeled bananas, then you have a right to complain.

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Big Tex
Big Tex
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 6:19pm

Tito, sir, you are a gentlemen. Gig ’em!

jh
jh
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 6:40pm

#25 I thought Air Force was one of the more interesting wins that seemed to go under the radar this weekend. COming off their Last season they could very well be legit

#24 Fresno – I agree why not

#22 WV I agree skeptical but it was one those game. 40th Annv of Marshal Plane Crash,Marshal feeling the heat to win because of the politics of keeping game going.

#19 Miami(Fl) Your being generous

#14 Arkansas- ULM did not play a game before this one so there was no game film. Also ULM has New Coach, so unknowns for Arky. Further believe it or not ULM has played them close before. So we shall see this week

#13 Wisconsin Yall are on Crack. At the very least I would Wis change places with S.C

#11 LSU I WISH!! The QB situation is just too unstable now

#7 Oklahoma- Agree. Jimbo was running the show at Florida State last year. Why would this year be different. SO we don’t learn much

#6 Nebraska I am a believer too

#1 Alabama Yack Yack Yack!! but at this point true

jh
jh
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 7:00pm

I guess I just see SC wins more quality than Wisconsin. Of course with South Carolina one has a feeling that Garcia could implode at any moment

Jay Anderson
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 8:55pm

JH,

If Air Force wins this week, I assure you that I’ll bump ’em all the way up into the top 15 in my voting. Maybe even top 10.

For what it’s worth, I think they have a real shot at beating the Sooners.

Jay Anderson
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 9:01pm

Big Tex,

If I’m not mistaken, one of the voters in this poll is an A&M alum, and he didn’t even give the Ags any love. I think the Aggies may be another one of Tito’s Idaho Vandal type picks.

😉

Tito Edwards
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 9:58pm

A&M is grossly underrated.

This is the year they get over the hump and finally beat Kansas State, Colorado, and TU-Austin.

As for Idaho and Jay’s ‘comment’, Idaho played Nebraska pretty damn hard up until kickoff. That and their schedule get’s pretty easy so hopefully they’ll run the table and knock off WAC powers Boise State and Fresno State and prove me right!

Tito Edwards
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 10:04pm

I overlooked Houston (in my own backyard no less) and if they man-handle UCLA like they should, they’re getting my vote (assuming anyone in my top-25 loses).

West Virginia won against Marshall because of a coaching decision of putting in a freshman RB when they had a seasoned back ready to go. The freshman fumbled inside the red-zone. If they would have scored there is no way WV would have had time enough to score 18-22 points.

Fresno State takes on all-comers. They still have Mississippi and Illinois in their schedule.

Not to mention WAC powers Boise State, Nevada, and Hawaii.

If they can just win those close games watch them reek havoc in the polls!

Tito Edwards
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 10:16pm

I agree with WV. It doesn’t help that they’re in an overrated conference (thank goodness the Big Least is around, it makes the ACC look like the Black&Blue Division of the NFC North).

LSU will walk all over them like a cheap rug.

Tito Edwards
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 10:28pm

I just noticed Jay putting in UVA at #25.

They almost took out the University of Spoiled Children though.

Tough cross-country road trip for the Cavaliers.

Jay Anderson
Monday, September 13, AD 2010 10:40pm

Yeah, that was a stretch, but I had to give some love to my alma mater for a late-night trip to the Colliseum that almost ended in an upset of USC.

What does that say about the ACC that arguably the most impressive performance of the weekend came in a loss?

c matt
c matt
Tuesday, September 14, AD 2010 11:41am

Sorry to dissappoint you Tito, but the A&M Gaggies will not beat The University.

Tito Edwards
Tuesday, September 14, AD 2010 1:11pm

…of Arizona?

I agree, because Arizona isn’t on the schedule.

😉

Tito Edwards
Tuesday, September 14, AD 2010 1:53pm

A&M would be a great addition to the SEC.

I could see a great rivalry forming between A&M and LSU.

Along the lines of the Red River Classic, games could rotate between Houston (Reliant Stadium) and New Orleans (Super Dome) every year!

Big Tex
Big Tex
Tuesday, September 14, AD 2010 2:01pm

Jay, at A&M, we don’t have alumni. We have former students.

cmatt & others… I didn’t realize A&M had the Volunteers on their schedule? UT is in Tennessee. If that was a typo, and you meant t.u., then yes, I think the Aggies have a better than good shot and sawing varsity’s horns off. Remember back a couple years ago, McGhee ran all over that horn defense… in Austin. Anything can happen, especially with the skill players the Aggies have on offense. Watch out for Johnson, Michael, Gray, Fuller, and Nwachukwu.

Tito Edwards
Tuesday, September 14, AD 2010 2:03pm

Michael,

Everything’s on the table!

A player for either school could play one game in College Station, one game in Baton Rouge, one game in the Super Dome, and one game in Reliant.

During the course of the players four year career he would get the opportunity to play in all those great venues!

Nick
Nick
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 2:57pm

What a load of dung. Once again, southerners who seem to need to justify just how important they are to the world of sports spout on obnoxiously about how superior they are to the Big Ten. A careful study of Penn State history vs. the SEC will demonstrate they do pretty well thank you very much. In fact, since joining the league in ’93, PSU is 5 and 2 vs. the SEC in bowl games. In fact, only a closely contested match against Auburn and a game against Florida where PS was without Curtis Enis and Joe Jurivicius resulted in PS losses. In the SEC land, only the Bear owned Penn State and he owned everyone else too! I will take our record against the vaunted and mighty SEC any day of the week.

Nick
Nick
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 2:58pm

Oh and by the way, do you know the differnce between the SEC and the NFL? The SEC does not have a salary cap!

Mike Petrik
Mike Petrik
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 3:04pm

I follow the Big Ten and prefer it to the SEC. But the SEC is a stronger football conference. Obnoxiousness has nothing to do with it. The Big Ten has disappointed me for too long and I refuse to be in denial. That said, I still prefer the Big Ten. Overall I think they run somewhat cleaner programs more consonate with the stated ideals and objectives of college athletics. To be clear, I do not think the SEC was necessarily the stronger (let alone strongest) conference in the 90s; but it is today and has been for a while I think.

Jay Anderson
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 3:28pm

I’m a Southerner who now lives in Big 10 country, and who has been an Ohio State and Big 10 fan for most of my life. I also like Penn State and LOVE Joe Pa.

Believe me, there is a lot of respect for the Big 10 reflected in this poll (Michael’s whiny comments about having to play on anything other than pristine field conditions in anything other than sunny 75-degree weather or inside a dome notwithstanding).

Jay Anderson
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 3:32pm

Speaking of respect for the Big 10, I just noticed that Michigan is missing from this poll, despite the fact that the Wolverines appear to have received votes from all the voters.

What gives?

Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 3:45pm

“Speaking of respect for the Big 10, I just noticed that Michigan is missing from this poll,”

I think all Illinis would say Michael that whenever you wish to forget Michigan, that is fine with us. 😉

Tito Edwards
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 3:57pm

That would make Michigan come in at #20.

Bumping the three-way tie at #25 into ‘honorable mention’ territory.

Tito Edwards
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 5:51pm

@Michael Denton, @Jay, et al,

It’s hilarious that Michael is complaining on what definition of the word “field” should be, since most Louisianan’s call the northern seabed of the Gulf of Mexico “New Orleans”.

So I take his comments with a ginormous grain of salt.

“You call it dinner, I call it roadkill.”
–Tito driving through the Louisiana portion of I-10 circa 2002.

Nick
Nick
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 10:06pm

Mike-

Granted, I am a bit sheepish about the Cap One Bowl victory last January but not because of the field. I am a bit embarrased about the horrible unsportsmanlike conduct penaltly at the end of the game that should have been called against PSU instead of LSU. I don’t apologize for our ability to play in crappy weather. In fact, that’s my beef against the SEC outside of Bama whom we have a history with. I think Bama is the only school SEC we have ever seen in Happy Valley and I am looking forward to the battle in 2011. I sort of bristle when we are lumped in with the rep the rest of the Big Ten has. Penn State has always held its own vs. the SEC.

I do not doubt that year in and year out the SEC is the deepest conference in football but let us just agree that the SEC with the exception of Vandy operates froma different set of rules than the SEC when it comes to “student” athletes, OK?

Nick
Nick
Wednesday, September 15, AD 2010 10:08pm

Note: should read “from the Big Ten”.

It’s late.

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