Before I get into this week's updated college rankings, I need to say a few words about baseball, since the only news from here on out will be about A-Rod's millions, what happens to Joe Torre, and who the Red Sox decide to overpay in this year's free agency.
First of all, I think it's ridiculous that the Red Sox would benefit from coming out lame against the Indians and then storming back to win the series in Game 7. The Rockies took care of business throughout the playoffs. Their reward? Sitting on their asses for ten days while the Red Sox sweat it out against the Indians. I can't think of a better way to kill a team's rally spirit then to sit in a hotel for a week and a half.
You could argue that the Rockies' arms were fresh and the team was rested, but you cannot discount the factor of momentum. Momentum is one of those abstract concepts, like clutch hitting, that cannot be accurately quantified.
For example, the immortal Jason Kendall and Matt Lawton rank as two of the top five clutch hitters of all time, according to MLB's own statistical analysis of clutch hitting. Most fans would disagree with that statement and throw out names like David Ortiz and Derek Jeter. Like clutch hitting, momentum is an important facet of the game, and the drawn-out playoff scheduling destroyed the slight edge the Rockies may have earned with their amazing run.
And sure, you could argue that the Rockies were doomed to lose, due to minor issues like overall talent and pitching depth. Or a Red Sox payroll that allows them to pay their top four players (Manny, JD Drew, Ortiz and Schilling) more than the Rockies' entire roster. Or that, at the start of September, the Rockies were only three games over .500 and all but forgotten. Or that the Game 1 demolition would have happened with or without the 10-day layover. BUT, all that said, I still would have liked to have seen a series between the BoSox and a momentum-carrying Rockies. Truthfully though, what I really would have liked to have seen is the Red Sox get their asses kicked...
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First of all, I think it's ridiculous that the Red Sox would benefit from coming out lame against the Indians and then storming back to win the series in Game 7. The Rockies took care of business throughout the playoffs. Their reward? Sitting on their asses for ten days while the Red Sox sweat it out against the Indians. I can't think of a better way to kill a team's rally spirit then to sit in a hotel for a week and a half.
You could argue that the Rockies' arms were fresh and the team was rested, but you cannot discount the factor of momentum. Momentum is one of those abstract concepts, like clutch hitting, that cannot be accurately quantified.
For example, the immortal Jason Kendall and Matt Lawton rank as two of the top five clutch hitters of all time, according to MLB's own statistical analysis of clutch hitting. Most fans would disagree with that statement and throw out names like David Ortiz and Derek Jeter. Like clutch hitting, momentum is an important facet of the game, and the drawn-out playoff scheduling destroyed the slight edge the Rockies may have earned with their amazing run.
And sure, you could argue that the Rockies were doomed to lose, due to minor issues like overall talent and pitching depth. Or a Red Sox payroll that allows them to pay their top four players (Manny, JD Drew, Ortiz and Schilling) more than the Rockies' entire roster. Or that, at the start of September, the Rockies were only three games over .500 and all but forgotten. Or that the Game 1 demolition would have happened with or without the 10-day layover. BUT, all that said, I still would have liked to have seen a series between the BoSox and a momentum-carrying Rockies. Truthfully though, what I really would have liked to have seen is the Red Sox get their asses kicked...
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In college football this past week, we had a number of games between ranked teams, and nearly all of them were as close as advertised. Oregon and Arizona State won statement games, Georgia shook the Gator off its back and Boston College finally got a win worth talking about.
1 – LSU (7-1)
Key Wins: Va Tech (48-7), Florida (28-24), Auburn (30-24)
Loss(es): @ Kentucky (43-37)
LSU had this past weekend off, which they undoubtedly used to start preparing for next week’s matchup against Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. An emphatic win would help solidify LSU’s position at the top of the rankings.
2 – Ohio State (9-0)
Key Wins: @ Purdue 23-7, @ Penn State (37-17)
Loss(es): None
An impressive performance against Penn State leaves the Buckeyes feeling great as they head into their final three games – Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan - an excellent opportunity to prove that they belong in the BCS title game after last year’s debacle.
3 – Oregon (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Michigan (39-7), Fresno State (52-21), USC (24-17)
Loss(es): Cal (31-24)
Oregon’s win over USC has thrust the Ducks into the National Championship picture. Quarterback Dennis Dixon has been nothing short of superb this season.
4 – ASU (8-0)
Key Wins: Colorado (33-14), Cal (31-20)
Loss(es): None
Arizona State answered Oregon’s impressive win with one of their own as they knocked off Cal, setting up a huge Pac-10 showdown next weekend, as ASU travels to Eugene, Oregon. The winner will have the inside track to the Pac-10 championship and perhaps a shot at the BCS championship.
5 – Oklahoma (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Texas (28-21), @ Missouri (41-31)
Loss(es): @ Colorado (27-24)
Oklahoma was idle this weekend, and dropped one spot as a result of ASU’s win over Cal. Assuming that the Sooners take care of business at home against Texas A&M, Oklahoma will probably slide back into the spot vacated by the loser of the Oregon-ASU matchup.
6 – Missouri (7-1)
Key Wins: Illinois (40-34), Nebraska (41-6), Texas Tech (41-10)
Loss(es): @ Oklahoma (31-41)
A win over 1-8 Iowa State did not give Missouri much of a chance to make a statement, but travel to Boulder this weekend to face a hungry Colorado team that just knocked off Texas Tech.
7 – BC (8-0)
Key Wins: @ Georgia Tech (24-10), VT (14-10)
Loss(es): None
With a win over Virginia Tech, BC has proven that it deserves to be undefeated. However, BC’s credentials aren’t significantly more impressive than ASU, or even Kansas, so I can’t match the #2 AP ranking until BC proves it can go the distance.
8 – WVU (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Rutgers (31-3)
Loss(es): USF (13-21)
West Virginia, led by Steve Slaton and Pat White, dominated Rutgers and showed that they are not yet out of the title hunt. Surprisingly, their late-season matchup with UConn could decide the Big East champion and subsequent BCS participant.
9 – Georgia (6-2)
Key Wins: Oklahoma St (35-14), Alabama (26-23), Florida (42-30)
Loss(es): South Carolina (12-16), @ Tennessee (14-35)
Up and down Dawgs were up in a big, big way this weekend as they put up 42 points against Florida while hounding Tim Tebow all afternoon. Even with two SEC losses, the Dawgs are still in the hunt for the SEC East crown.
10 – Kansas (8-0)
Key Wins: @Kansas St (30-24), @ Colorado (19-14), @ Texas A&M (19-14)
Loss(es): None
A week after traveling to Colorado and beating the Buffs, Kansas went into AggieLand and claimed another hard-fought Big 12 win. Kansas faces a struggling Nebraska team this week.
11 – Florida (5-3)
Key Wins: Tennessee (59-20), @ Kentucky (45-37)
Loss(es): Auburn (20-17), @ LSU (28-24), Georgia (30-42)
Tim Tebow’s shoulder injury severely limited the Gators’ offense and illustrated their lack of depth at RB. Florida still managed to put up 30 points, but the Gator defense was shredded by the ‘Dawgs. Even with a healthy shoulder, Tebow can’t play on both sides of the ball. Urban Meyer will need to address weaknesses in the secondary if the Gators hope to stop their slide.
12 – VT (6-2)
Key Wins: @ Clemson (41-23)
Loss(es): @ LSU (7-48), @ BC (10-14)
VT let an away win over BC slip through its fingers, but if the Hokies can run the table, they will set up a potential rematch with BC in the ACC Championship. You can bet that VT would love a second chance at Boston College.
13 – USF (6-2)
Key Wins: @ Auburn (26-23), W Virginia (21-13)
Loss(es): @ Rutgers (30-27), @ UConn (15-22)
Two consecutive losses have removed any BCS talk for this upstart program. The loss at UConn likely ended any chance that USF had of claiming the Big East title.
14 – Auburn (6-3)
Key Wins: Kansas State (23-13), Florida (20-17)
Loss(es): USF (23-26), Miss St (14-19), @ LSU (24-30)
Auburn won’t be tested in a late-season non-conference matchup against Tennessee Tech, but had better start prepping for SEC foes Georgia and Alabama. Auburn still has an outside shot an taking the SEC West crown, which means Auburn still has hopes for a BCS bid.
15 – Michigan (7-2)
Key Wins: Penn State (14-9), Purdue (48-21), @ Illinois (27-17)
Loss(es): App St (32-34), Oregon (7-39)
I never thought I would see the day where a pre-season #5 loses its opener to a I-AA team, falls out of the top 25, and then manages to climb back into the top 15. With two upcoming games against ranked opponents, including AP #1 Ohio State, it isn’t inconceivable that Michigan could get back to its original ranking.
16 – Alabama (6-2)
Key Wins: Tennessee (41-17)
Loss(es): Georgia (23-26), @ FSU (14-21)
Nick Saban and Alabama have had an extra week to prepare for the LSU Tigers. And you can bet that Little Nicky will have some devilish schemes cooked up for his opponent.
17 – USC (6-2)
Key Wins: @ Nebraska (49-31)
Loss(es): Stanford (23-24), @ Oregon (17-24)
USC battled tough against Oregon, but came up just short. Perhaps USC's reign atop the Pac-10 has finally come to a close: USC was the underdog in its game at Oregon and the final score proved that Vegas had it right.
18 – Texas (7-2)
Key Wins: None
Loss(es): Kansas State (21-41), Oklahoma (21-28)
Rivalry game or not, I can't give Texas any credit for its close win over Nebraska, especially after the way the Huskers have been gashed by the likes of Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
1 – LSU (7-1)
Key Wins: Va Tech (48-7), Florida (28-24), Auburn (30-24)
Loss(es): @ Kentucky (43-37)
LSU had this past weekend off, which they undoubtedly used to start preparing for next week’s matchup against Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. An emphatic win would help solidify LSU’s position at the top of the rankings.
2 – Ohio State (9-0)
Key Wins: @ Purdue 23-7, @ Penn State (37-17)
Loss(es): None
An impressive performance against Penn State leaves the Buckeyes feeling great as they head into their final three games – Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan - an excellent opportunity to prove that they belong in the BCS title game after last year’s debacle.
3 – Oregon (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Michigan (39-7), Fresno State (52-21), USC (24-17)
Loss(es): Cal (31-24)
Oregon’s win over USC has thrust the Ducks into the National Championship picture. Quarterback Dennis Dixon has been nothing short of superb this season.
4 – ASU (8-0)
Key Wins: Colorado (33-14), Cal (31-20)
Loss(es): None
Arizona State answered Oregon’s impressive win with one of their own as they knocked off Cal, setting up a huge Pac-10 showdown next weekend, as ASU travels to Eugene, Oregon. The winner will have the inside track to the Pac-10 championship and perhaps a shot at the BCS championship.
5 – Oklahoma (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Texas (28-21), @ Missouri (41-31)
Loss(es): @ Colorado (27-24)
Oklahoma was idle this weekend, and dropped one spot as a result of ASU’s win over Cal. Assuming that the Sooners take care of business at home against Texas A&M, Oklahoma will probably slide back into the spot vacated by the loser of the Oregon-ASU matchup.
6 – Missouri (7-1)
Key Wins: Illinois (40-34), Nebraska (41-6), Texas Tech (41-10)
Loss(es): @ Oklahoma (31-41)
A win over 1-8 Iowa State did not give Missouri much of a chance to make a statement, but travel to Boulder this weekend to face a hungry Colorado team that just knocked off Texas Tech.
7 – BC (8-0)
Key Wins: @ Georgia Tech (24-10), VT (14-10)
Loss(es): None
With a win over Virginia Tech, BC has proven that it deserves to be undefeated. However, BC’s credentials aren’t significantly more impressive than ASU, or even Kansas, so I can’t match the #2 AP ranking until BC proves it can go the distance.
8 – WVU (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Rutgers (31-3)
Loss(es): USF (13-21)
West Virginia, led by Steve Slaton and Pat White, dominated Rutgers and showed that they are not yet out of the title hunt. Surprisingly, their late-season matchup with UConn could decide the Big East champion and subsequent BCS participant.
9 – Georgia (6-2)
Key Wins: Oklahoma St (35-14), Alabama (26-23), Florida (42-30)
Loss(es): South Carolina (12-16), @ Tennessee (14-35)
Up and down Dawgs were up in a big, big way this weekend as they put up 42 points against Florida while hounding Tim Tebow all afternoon. Even with two SEC losses, the Dawgs are still in the hunt for the SEC East crown.
10 – Kansas (8-0)
Key Wins: @Kansas St (30-24), @ Colorado (19-14), @ Texas A&M (19-14)
Loss(es): None
A week after traveling to Colorado and beating the Buffs, Kansas went into AggieLand and claimed another hard-fought Big 12 win. Kansas faces a struggling Nebraska team this week.
11 – Florida (5-3)
Key Wins: Tennessee (59-20), @ Kentucky (45-37)
Loss(es): Auburn (20-17), @ LSU (28-24), Georgia (30-42)
Tim Tebow’s shoulder injury severely limited the Gators’ offense and illustrated their lack of depth at RB. Florida still managed to put up 30 points, but the Gator defense was shredded by the ‘Dawgs. Even with a healthy shoulder, Tebow can’t play on both sides of the ball. Urban Meyer will need to address weaknesses in the secondary if the Gators hope to stop their slide.
12 – VT (6-2)
Key Wins: @ Clemson (41-23)
Loss(es): @ LSU (7-48), @ BC (10-14)
VT let an away win over BC slip through its fingers, but if the Hokies can run the table, they will set up a potential rematch with BC in the ACC Championship. You can bet that VT would love a second chance at Boston College.
13 – USF (6-2)
Key Wins: @ Auburn (26-23), W Virginia (21-13)
Loss(es): @ Rutgers (30-27), @ UConn (15-22)
Two consecutive losses have removed any BCS talk for this upstart program. The loss at UConn likely ended any chance that USF had of claiming the Big East title.
14 – Auburn (6-3)
Key Wins: Kansas State (23-13), Florida (20-17)
Loss(es): USF (23-26), Miss St (14-19), @ LSU (24-30)
Auburn won’t be tested in a late-season non-conference matchup against Tennessee Tech, but had better start prepping for SEC foes Georgia and Alabama. Auburn still has an outside shot an taking the SEC West crown, which means Auburn still has hopes for a BCS bid.
15 – Michigan (7-2)
Key Wins: Penn State (14-9), Purdue (48-21), @ Illinois (27-17)
Loss(es): App St (32-34), Oregon (7-39)
I never thought I would see the day where a pre-season #5 loses its opener to a I-AA team, falls out of the top 25, and then manages to climb back into the top 15. With two upcoming games against ranked opponents, including AP #1 Ohio State, it isn’t inconceivable that Michigan could get back to its original ranking.
16 – Alabama (6-2)
Key Wins: Tennessee (41-17)
Loss(es): Georgia (23-26), @ FSU (14-21)
Nick Saban and Alabama have had an extra week to prepare for the LSU Tigers. And you can bet that Little Nicky will have some devilish schemes cooked up for his opponent.
17 – USC (6-2)
Key Wins: @ Nebraska (49-31)
Loss(es): Stanford (23-24), @ Oregon (17-24)
USC battled tough against Oregon, but came up just short. Perhaps USC's reign atop the Pac-10 has finally come to a close: USC was the underdog in its game at Oregon and the final score proved that Vegas had it right.
18 – Texas (7-2)
Key Wins: None
Loss(es): Kansas State (21-41), Oklahoma (21-28)
Rivalry game or not, I can't give Texas any credit for its close win over Nebraska, especially after the way the Huskers have been gashed by the likes of Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
19 – Cal (5-3)
Key Wins: Tennessee (45-31), @ Oregon (31-24)
Loss(es): Oregon St (28-31), UCLA (21-30), @ ASU (20-31)
Three straight losses have completely erased the memories of Cal's big early season wins over Oregon and Tennessee. The rest of the nation seems to have figured out how to stop the Golden Bears' high-powered offense, and it has certainly looked ordinary as of late.
Key Wins: Tennessee (45-31), @ Oregon (31-24)
Loss(es): Oregon St (28-31), UCLA (21-30), @ ASU (20-31)
Three straight losses have completely erased the memories of Cal's big early season wins over Oregon and Tennessee. The rest of the nation seems to have figured out how to stop the Golden Bears' high-powered offense, and it has certainly looked ordinary as of late.
20 – UConn (7-1)
Key Wins: S. Florida (22-15)
Loss(es): @ Virginia (16-17)
UConn enters the Top 25 for the first time ever, knocking off fellow upstart South Florida in the process. The 'meat' of the Big East schedule looms ahead, as UConn squares off against Rutgers and Cincinnati before the regular season finale at West Virginia.
21 - South Carolina (6-3)
Key Wins: @ Georgia (16-12), Kentucky (38-23)
Loss(es): @LSU (16-28), Vanderbilt (6-17), @ Tennessee (24-27)
South Carolina was a missed field goal away from taking the lead in the SEC East. With Florida looming in two weeks, South Carolina is once again looking like an SEC East also-ran.
22 – Kentucky (6-3)
Key Wins: Louisville (40-34), LSU (43-37)
Loss(es): @ South Carolina (38-23), Florida (45-37), Mississippi State (14-31)
Kentucky is heading in the wrong direction after its stunning OT upset of LSU, losing at home to Mississippi State. Long the SEC doormat of the West, MSU is perhaps turning its own corner, with away wins at Auburn and Kentucky.
23 – Boise State (7-1)
Key Wins: Louisville (40-34), LSU (43-37)
Loss(es): @ South Carolina (38-23), Florida (45-37), Mississippi State (14-31)
Kentucky is heading in the wrong direction after its stunning OT upset of LSU, losing at home to Mississippi State. Long the SEC doormat of the West, MSU is perhaps turning its own corner, with away wins at Auburn and Kentucky.
23 – Boise State (7-1)
Key Wins: @ Fresno State (34-21)
Loss(es): @ Washington (10-24)
Boise State knocked off fellow WAC contender Fresno State to continue its six game win streak. If not for an early season loss to Washington, perhaps Boise State would be getting all the hype now reserved for Hawaii. Provided Boise State can win out, the regular season finale against Hawaii will settle the WAC score once and for all.
24 – Tennessee (5-3)
Key Wins: Georgia (35-14), South Carolina (27-24)
24 – Tennessee (5-3)
Key Wins: Georgia (35-14), South Carolina (27-24)
Loss(es): @ Cal (31-45), @ Florida (20-59), @ Alabama (17-41)
Thrilling win over South Carolina does not hide the fact that this season has been a huge disappointment for the Vols. Strong at home, the Vols have had a tendency to lay down on the road, letting close games turn into routs. Perhaps the tight win over Spurrier and South Carolina will spark this team to the SEC championship, as they currently hold the edge in the SEC East standings.
25 – Hawaii (8-0)
Key Wins: None
Loss(es): None
Different week, same story: Hawaii beats up on another hapless foe, this time New Mexico State. Wake me up on 11/30, if Hawaii is still undefeated after taking on Fresno State.
25 – Hawaii (8-0)
Key Wins: None
Loss(es): None
Different week, same story: Hawaii beats up on another hapless foe, this time New Mexico State. Wake me up on 11/30, if Hawaii is still undefeated after taking on Fresno State.
Others given consideration: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Troy
Kentucky was this week's big loser as I dropped them 11 spots after a surprising home loss to Mississippi State. Georgia was the big winner and climbed from #24 all the way to #9. For the record, I still think Texas is extremely overrated.
I have noticed that several teams are ranked in the polls now after doing absolutely nothing, ala Wake Forest. I doubt it was Wake's win over ACC cellar-dweller UNC that vaulted them into the polls, but rather the pollsters' obsession with records and automatically dropping teams after a loss. The only team with a winning record that Wake Forest has beaten is Florida State, and FSU hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire. Oh, and that win was about a month ago. But now voters feel that Wake Forest is a top 25 team.
And don't get me started on Wisconsin. Recently blown out by Penn State, most voters now have the Badgers ranked ahead of Penn State in the wake of Penn State's loss to Ohio State. Of course Penn State was going to lose - they were barely ranked while OSU is AP #1! I personally don't think much of either Wisconsin or Penn State, but it's that kind of short-sightedness that led us to the BCS in the first place.
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