AP Poll Week 4

Another crazy week of College Football. The top 3 (Florida, Texas, and Alabama) are the only pre-season Top 25 teams that are still undefeated. After that it's anybody's guess. Here are this weeks rankings:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Previous
1.	Florida (55)	4-0	1490	1
2.	Texas (1)	4-0	1420	2
3.	Alabama (4)	4-0	1400	3
4.	LSU	4-0	1225	7
5.	Boise State	4-0	1203	8
6.	Virginia Tech	3-1	1190	11
7.	USC	3-1	998	12
8.	Oklahoma	2-1	979	10
9.	Ohio State	3-1	957	13
10.	Cincinnati	4-0	946	14
11.	TCU	3-0	896	15
12.	Houston	3-0	844	17
13.	Iowa	4-0	788	NR
14.	Oklahoma State	3-1	591	16
15.	Penn State	3-1	470	5
16.	Oregon	3-1	462	NR
17.	Miami (FL)	2-1	452	9
18.	Kansas	4-0	418	20
18.	Georgia	3-1	418	21
20.	Brigham Young	3-1	349	19
21.	Mississippi	2-1	340	4
22.	Michigan	4-0	271	23
23.	Nebraska	3-1	256	25
24.	California	3-1	206	6
25.	Georgia Tech	3-1	185	NR

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Thursday Night Preview: (4) Ole Miss at South Carolina

Stephen Garica and the Gamecocks are thinking upset

The nation's fourth-ranked team, the Ole Miss Rebels, are taking on the South Carolina Gamecocks in an SEC showdown tonight, with the kickoff scheduled for 7:30pm EST on ESPN. This looks to be a close game yet again, as last year the Gamecocks were able to knock off the Rebels 31-24 in Oxford. This year, South Carolina will play host, as the Rebels put their eight-game winning streak on the line.

Steve Spurrier has yet to reach the level of excellence he found in Florida, but South Carolina has been a sound football team under his direction. Their only loss this season came against Georgia. The Gamecocks' offense has been decent so far this season, putting up 27.3 points per game with just under 400 total yards per game.

Their leader is QB Stephen Garcia, who is averaging 228 yards per game in the air, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. His main target has been wide receiver Weslye Saunders, who has recorded 13 receptions for 153 yards. The passing game, which had 327 yards and 3 TDs last season again the Rebels, will be looking to build on their success from last year.

The Gamecocks defense has been very good this season in stopping the run, yielding only 87.3 yards per game. If they can continue with that trend, they can force the Rebels into passing more often.That would be a welcome treat to a defense that has already recorded 10 sacks in their first three games.

Ole Miss is returning a talented QB in Jevan Snead, who has led the Rebels to a 2-0 record against two inferior opponents in 2009. His top receivers are Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge, who have 17 receptions and 249 yards between them. Against a defense geared for the run, Snead will need to complete more than the 56 percent of passes he’s achieved so far this season.

The Rebels averaged an impressive 7.9 yards per rush against SE Louisiana, a statistic that is likely to change in this week’s game against a much stronger defensive front.

The Mississippi defense has been superb through their two contests, allowing only 10 points per game and 293 total yards per game. They are led by Safety Johnny Brown, who has 20 tackles and an interception so far this season. They are also expecting star defensive end Greg Hardy to be at 100 percent this week and put some pressure on Garcia. On third down so far, the Rebels have held opponents to an impressive four conversions out of 30 attempts, but Ole Miss hasn’t been tested against the caliber of athletes that SC will put on the field.

The Rebels are boasting their highest ranking in almost 40 years and have an overall 8-6 record against the Gamecocks in the series history. An interesting note is that Ole Miss has not won an SEC opener in the last five years.

Both defenses are solid and it may come down to which team can make the bigger plays. South Carolina has a great chance to play spoiler to the Rebels at home.

Prediction: South Carolina 24 Ole Miss 21
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New Poll Up!

Make sure you vote in this week's poll:

3 Top 5 Teams Have Lost So Far This Season, Which Current Top 5 Team Is Next?

Poll is located to the right of the page. It will close on Saturday, September 26 at 12:01 am.

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AP Poll Week 3

Here are the AP Poll rankings for week 3. After a loss to Washington, USC drops from 3 to 12. Washington enters the polls for the first time since the 2003 season at 24. Number 1 Florida and Number 2 Texas have held firm to their spots all season. (3) Alabama and (4) Ole Miss moved up one spot in the latest poll, giving the SEC three of the top four teams in the nation. Penn State remained at 5. BYU had the biggest drop of the week, dropping from 7 to 19.

Florida received 55 of 60 first-place votes. Texas had two and Alabama received three.

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Previous
1.	Florida (55)	3-0	1488	1
2.	Texas (2)	3-0	1428	2
3.	Alabama (3)	3-0	1390	4
4.	Mississippi	2-0	1213	5
5.	Penn State	3-0	1212	5
6.	California	3-0	1169	8
7.	LSU	3-0	1120	9
8.	Boise State	3-0	1038	10
9.	Miami (FL)	2-0	920	20
10.	Oklahoma	2-1	862	12
11.	Virginia Tech	2-1	852	13
12.	USC	2-1	825	3
13.	Ohio State	2-1	810	11
14.	Cincinnati	3-0	739	17
15.	TCU	2-0	674	15
16.	Oklahoma State	2-1	478	16
17.	Houston	2-0	455	21
18.	Florida State	2-1	363	NR
19.	Brigham Young	2-1	349	7
20.	Kansas	3-0	347	22
21.	Georgia	2-1	318	23
22.	North Carolina	3-0	271	24
23.	Michigan	3-0	247	25
24.	Washington	2-1	194	NR
25.	Nebraska	2-1	132	19

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USC Losses to Washington

Fans stormed the field after the Huskies upset third ranked USC 

As predicted here, (3) USC would go into Seattle and struggle. USC has now lost to an unranked team each of the last four years.

As I stated here, the key to the game would be USC's QB play. And with 110 passing yards yesterday (the lowest in Pete Carroll's tenure at USC) it was obvious that this team has issues at that position. They need a healthy Matt Barkley if they want to contend with Cal (who USC plays in 2 weeks) in the Pac 10.

USC opened with a 10-0 advantage, but was never able to build on their lead. Washington responded to take a 13-10 lead before the Trojans tied the game.

That led to the final scoring drive by Washington that ended with a game-winning field goal.

Jake Locker looked real good, passing for 237 yards. Chris Polk, who had 71 rushing and 22 receiving yards, was instrumental in leading the Huskies into FG range on the final drive.

Congrats to Washington! But remember, the upset was called here first!

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Who Should Be On "Upset Alert" Week 3

Jake Locker has his team ready for (3) USC

This is my weekly post on which 3 teams should be on "Upset Alert". Last week I was 3 for 3 on my calls! Let's see if we can have the same results.

Again these are the 3 teams that are favored to win their game, but I think will have a lot of trouble, won't cover the spread, or could possibly lose.


Arkansas (-2.5) against Georgia

Although Arkansas has a dynamic passing offense, led by transfer QB Ryan Mallett, and Georgia, recently, has not been playing like a top 25 team, you still have to go with the Dawgs here.

The game is in Fayettevile which is a cause for some concern. BUT this is still a very good Georgia team. Arkansas did win there opener, but that was against Missouri State. Georgia played at Stillwater and just last week hosted a pesky South Carolina team.

The Hogs are at the beginning of a tough 6 game stretch that includes:

Georgia, at Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn, at Florida, at Ole Miss.

Also to consider, Mark Richt has never lost more than one game in an opponent’s stadium in a single season.

Look for Georgia's defense to step up big time in this game. Also, look out for AJ Green. He will have a monster game for the Dawgs.

Georgia wins big here.


Cincinnati (-1) against Oregon St

The beavers were killed by Cincy in their last meeting in '07, but this is a different Beavers team. In that game Oregon St QB Sean Canfield threw 3 INTs. This Saturday he will be looking for redemption.

Canfield will need help, and I believe the Rodgers brothers must be at their best, because it’s probably going to take a lot of points to win this game.

Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football, and his fast paced no-huddle offense has been magnificent so far. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have an experienced senior QB like Tony Pike, who stands 6-6 225 pounds, and is throwing the ball about as good as anyone in the country.

This week is a big week for the Big East, see also West Virginia at Auburn. With a win here they can establish themselves as a league that belongs with the other big boys.

I think this will be a close game that can go either way, as the spread points out. But I like OSU's chances at home. Look for Jacquizz Rodgers to have a big game as well.


USC (-19.5) against Washington

Here is an interesting game. USC will be without Freshman phenom Matt Barkley. Which means Aaron Corp will be starting for the Trojans. USC's offense last week did not look impressive to me at all, I know they played a stout Ohio St defense but this is USC. Either way a very impressive win for USC last week.

Maybe the reason why the offense didn't look that great to me is because the Offensive Coordinator from last season, Steve Sarkisian, is now the Head Coach at Washington.

Washington looked very good in their first two games so far. Jake Locker has looked great in those two games. So far this season he has 574 passing yards and 5 TDs (also 1 rushing TD). 321 of those yards came against a very good LSU D.

The key here: USC is starting a new QB. Don't be suprised if Washington hangs in this game for 4 quarters. The spread, to me, is way to high. USC will NOT cover.

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Thursday Night Preview: (14) Georgia Tech at (20) Miami

The ACC will take center stage again tonight when two of the frontrunners showdown for conference bragging rights. Actually, more than just conference bragging rights will be on the line for these ACC Title hopefuls when No. 20 Miami host No. 14 Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech overcame a nailbiter last week over Clemson 30-27 to keep them towards the top of the ACC Coastal Division.

However, neither team can afford to lose a game in the stacked Coastal Division that houses the likes of Virginia Tech, Miami, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina who are all ranked as the AP Top 25 this week.

Georgia Tech, led by QB Joshua Nesbitt and RB Jonathon Dwyer, operated an efficient if not explosive triple option offense, which only one year ago gashed this same Miami team for 472 yards of total offense.

Dwyer accounted for the biggest difference in the rushing attack and the Yellow Jackets' defense picked off three 'Canes passes, one of which was returned for a TD.

However, it was the talent of junior tailback Anthony Allen that stepped out of the shadow in the Yellow Jackets victory over Clemson. Allen carried the ball just five times in route to a 127 yard performance including an 82-yard touchdown run. All three of these guys will hold the key to the Georgia Tech rushing offense.

Rest assured the Hurricanes defense will zone in on the run until Nesbitt is able to make a play with his arm. A lot could ride on the arm of Nesbitt, especially if the Hurricanes are to establish the passing game as they did against Florida State.

The Hurricanes got a huge victory over rival Florida State in their opener 38-34. Miami had a breakout performance from quarterback Jacory Harris who completed 21-of-34 passing equaling a career high 386 yards.

The sophomore QB took advantage of the Seminoles secondary that flat out could not defend the pass. Considering the way the Yellow Jackets secondary looked against Clemson freshman QB Kyle Parker, Harris could have another big game.

The Yellow Jackets gave up 261 yards last week through the air and must be more disciplined in their pass defense. Miami has plenty of guys that can catch the football from Travis Benjamin, Leonard Hankerson, and even Graig Cooper who caught a big pass late in the game last week.

The Hurricanes will test the Georgia Tech defense through the air frequently until they prove they can stop the pass in hopes to take down another big opponent in the ACC. If the Hurricanes can notch the victory, they could finally start making claims at getting back towards the top of the ACC.

The Yellow Jackets have won the last four out of six meetings between the two teams.

If Georgia Tech is to continue that trend they must be able to get pressure on the young Miami quarterback with their strong defensive front. If that happens, perhaps they can force some turnovers and keep the Hurricanes offense off the field.

Miami on the other hand just needs to air the ball out. The Hurricanes passing game should find success against the Yellow Jackets questionable secondary. If they can keep the Yellow Jackets ground game from breakout plays, they match-up well to get off to a 2-0 start in the ACC.

Prediction: Miami 38 Georgia Tech 24
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Five Things We Learned In College Football: Week 2

Credit does go to USC QB Matt Barkley, who managed the game

and led USC on a long final drive despite a bad shoulder. 

After a pretty wild week in college football, some of the contenders for the national title are starting to show why they belong.

Meanwhile, some of the top teams at the start of the year, Oklahoma State and Ohio State, have fallen out of the top ten after crushing home defeats. And Michigan has made its return to the AP top 25 for the first time since 2007.

All that said, here are five things that we have learned after a second week of college football:

1.) Offensive inconsistencies will hamper the Buckeyes

In an instant classic in Columbus, the Ohio State defense made a spectacular showing against the Trojans. USC had over 300 yards rushing against San Jose State, but struggled to get over 100 against the Buckeyes.

The Buckeye offense, however, made a disappearing act after a high-powered first quarter, when they moved down the field on their second series. Terrelle Pryor looked timid and tried to beat USC by throwing, which he did not do a great job of in the second half.

Buckeye fans are demanding that Jim Tressel must give up the playcalling to put OSU among the best, because the defense looks so much better at this point. Luckily for the Buckeyes, the defensive line looks like the real deal.

Credit does go to USC QB Matt Barkley, who managed the game and led them on a long final drive despite a bad shoulder. If these teams should meet again, the third rematch in two years could be very interesting.

2.) Oklahoma State was not who we thought they were

Many people thought that Oklahoma State was ready to contend for the Big 12 title, and they looked in line to do so after beating Georgia the week before.

After giving up 45 to Houston and QB Case Keenum at home, the Cowboys suffered a setback that they might not recover from.

Oklahoma St fell behind early and had to play catchup, and when they could take the game, they had nothing left.

If nothing else, this game proved that the Cowboys still have a long way to go before being considered one of the best in the Big 12.

3.) Michigan should be the wild card in the Big Ten

Rich Rodriguez's second year in Michigan seems like something out of a movie, with two high-scoring performances led by freshman QBs Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.

A last-minute win over Notre Dame put the Wolverines back in the AP Top 25, and they should have very few challenges until welcoming Penn State to the Big House on October 24th.

Forcier doesn't look like a freshman, as he has played very well in his first two games, using his legs to open the field for his arm. Greg Robinson's 3-4 defense has already been much improved over the Michigan defense a year ago.

Ohio State and Penn State are the class of the Big Ten at this point. But by October 24, the Wolverines might have something to say about that.

What gives them a darkhorse chance at winning the Big Ten? They host both Penn State and Ohio State and they only have four road games all season.

4.) The flu could be the biggest x-factor this season

This week, we saw two teams, Wisconsin and Ole Miss, deal with the flu bug which affected their teams dramatically.

In Oxford, both WR Dexter McCluster and QB Jevan Snead were among over a dozen Rebels that had caught the flu. Luckily for the Rebels, they were on an early bye week so they didn't have a game to play.

The Badgers, however, were not so lucky. They reportedly had close to 40 players sick and had a solid Fresno State team coming in to Camp Randall.

Wisconsin did win in a double-overtime game where they showed a lot of heart.

At the rate the flu seems to be affecting college teams, it might only be a matter of time before it becomes the factor in a big top-ten matchup.

5.) The cupcakes make it hard to judge much of the top ten

Florida and Texas have remained the top two teams because they really haven't had much competition in the first two weeks. The same can be said for Penn State, who has not allowed a first half point all season.

 

With some of the top teams not having been challenged, it's hard to see how they really stand. USC and Alabama have both aced difficult tests in Ohio State and Virginia Tech respectively.

Florida does not play a tough game until October 10 when they travel into Death Valley to play LSU, while the Horns have a decent opponent this week when they open conference play against Texas Tech.

Lower down in the top ten, BYU has a decent challenge against Florida State to prove they really belong among the best in the nation. If they win and run the table, they could be a very trendy pick for the National Championship Game.

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AP Poll - Week 3

Tate Forcier has Michigan in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2007 season

Here are the new AP rankings for week 3. After huge wins, Houston (21) and Michigan (25) enter the top 25. Florida remains atop the polls with 56 first place votes. Texas and USC each have one, while Alabama has two. Ole Miss and Penn State are tied and round out the top 5. BYU moves up from 9 to 7. Cal, LSU, and Boise St round out the top 10. Oklahoma St drops out of the top 5 to 16 after a devistating loss to Houston.

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Previous
1.	Florida (56)	2-0	1491	1
2.	Texas (1)	2-0	1404	2
3.	USC (1)	2-0	1396	3
4.	Alabama (2)	2-0	1328	4
5.	Mississippi	1-0	1145	6
5.	Penn State	2-0	1145	7
7.	Brigham Young	2-0	1122	9
8.	California	2-0	1058	10
9.	LSU	2-0	951	11
10.	Boise State	2-0	945	12
11.	Ohio State	1-1	840	8
12.	Oklahoma	1-0	835	13
13.	Virginia Tech	1-1	749	14
14.	Georgia Tech	2-0	683	15
15.	TCU	1-0	609	16
16.	Oklahoma State	1-1	445	5
17.	Cincinnati	2-0	407	23
18.	Utah	2-0	405	17
19.	Nebraska	2-0	365	22
20.	Miami (FL)	1-0	364	20
21.	Houston	2-0	341	NR
22.	Kansas	2-0	271	24
23.	Georgia	1-1	260	21
24.	North Carolina	2-0	250	19
25.	Michigan	2-0	169	NR

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3 for 3 on Upset Calls

Wow! What a week 2 in College Football. Here is a look at my "Upset Alert" picks.

Oklahoma St (-15) against Houston

Correct - Houston scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to upset 5th ranked Oklahoma St 45-35

Notre Dame (-4 1/2) against Michigan

Correct - Tate Forcier's 5 yd TD pass to Greg Matthews with 11 seconds left lifted the Wolverines to a 38-35 win over rival Notre Dame

LSU (-14 1/2) against Vanderbilt

Correct - Vanderbilt trailed by only 1 TD in the 4th quarter, but LSU's Keiland Williams late TD gives LSU the 23-9 victory


I will have my top 3 teams that should be on "Upset Alert" posted each Friday. Let's see how we do next week!
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Who Should Be On Upset Alert

Every week, I'll be giving my top 3 teams that I thnk should be on "Upset Alert." These are the 3 teams that are favored to win their game, but I think will have a lot of trouble, won't cover the spread, or could possibly lose.

Here are this weeks teams that should be on alert:

Oklahoma St (-15) against Houston

Here is an interesting match. Oklahoma St is at their best ranking since the Barry Sanders days. There were a lot of questions about their D coming into the season, but last week showed that they can play at a level that can help them contend for a Big 12 Championship.

Houston has scored over 40 points in 7 of their last 9 games. Also in last years bout, they put up 37 on OK St. They also have Case Keenum, who was the leading passer in the FBS (D1A) last season.

Oklahoma St's D is going to have to step up to cover this spread. Let's hope that they are still not high over last week's win against Georgia.


Notre Dame (-4 1/2) against Michigan

Where to start. Michigan's offense looked really good last week against Western Michigan. The 2 Freshman QB's, Forcier and Robinson, will have to step up big time this week as Notre Dame's defense will be a little tougher to contend with than a Broncos D who had to replace some key parts this off season. Michigan had 439 yds of total offense last week. Last season they only averaged 290 yds a game. A big improvement.

Notre Dame, also for that matter, also looked really good on offense last week. Clausen looked as good as any QB last week, but it was Neveda.

This game could go either way. But with the spread low, my gut tells me Michigan will win this one at the Big House. The last time my gut told me Michigan would beat ND, Michigan won 38-0.


LSU (-14 1/2) against Vanderbilt

The Tigers have a young quarterback and a younger defense, both of which are only going to get better with more game reps. Last week though, not so much. The defense gave up 478 yards against a Washington team that won 0 games last season. 157 of those yards were on the ground.

The only way Vanderbilt has a chance in this game is to keep the ball on the ground, keep the clock and chains moving, and slowly try to suck the life out of Tiger Stadium.

LSU should win this game easily, but the way the D played last week tells me Vandy has a small chance. LSU wins, Vanderbilt covers. Read more!

Week 2 Predictions

Here are my predictions on some of the big games during week 2 of the College Football season.

No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0) vs. Connecticut Huskies (1-0)

North Carolina blocked three punts in a 38-12 win over the Huskies last season. UConn is trying to re-establish its Donald Brown-less offense under new coordinator Joe Moorhead. UNC returns eight starters as well.

North Carolina isn't in the top 20 for no reason. I think the Tar Heels' eight returning starters will be the factor in this game.

Pick: North Carolina

No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) vs. Michigan Wolverines (1-0)

The Wolverines overcame distractions to thump a Western Michigan team, who many believed would upset Michigan, in the Big House.

Notre Dame also impressed with a shutout victory over Nevada, who some believed would upset the Irish.

While both coaches have been under fire, it's Charlie Weis and the favored Irish who have non-negotiable expectations of a BCS berth, making this game more valuable to the Irish.

This game could be decided by only a touchdown or two, but I do believe that Michigan will pull off the upset and the downward spiral that has been Charlie Weis' coaching career at Notre Dame slowly begins to fade.

Pick: Michigan

UCLA Bruins (1-0) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)

Tennessee looked great in last years opener against the Bruins, but UCLA stormed back to upset the Vols in overtime. This year's UCLA team is lacking at the skill positions, but has the defense to compete in Knoxville.

The Vols showed that they know how to put up some big points last week, beating Western Kentucky 63-7. Regardless of who their opponent was last week, Tennessee proved to me that they are ready to surprise some other teams on their schedule. There offense could be very good in the near future. Lane Kiffin, as of right now, has this team going in the right direction.

I'm looking for RB Montario Hardesty, 160 yds and 1 TD last week, to have another big game. This game could be decided by around 10 points or so.

Pick: Tennessee

South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) vs. No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs (0-1)

This series has been a defensive one recently, with Georgia managing just one offensive score in the past two seasons and the winner passing the 20-point mark just once in the past eight meetings.

It's also been a series of close games, with six of the past eight decided by a touchdown or less. The Gamecocks survived their first test against N.C. State, but Georgia needs this one badly after losing its opener to Oklahoma State last week.

I think The Bulldogs win this game by about two touchdowns.

Pick: Georgia

Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0) vs. Auburn Tigers (1-0)

These programs (both now guided by first-year head coaches) could be battling for the cellar in the West division for the next several seasons.

The Bulldogs won at Auburn in 2007 for their first victory in this series since 2000, but last year managed just 116 yards in a 3-2 loss.

Mississippi State blew out Jackson State last week, 45-7. Auburn, though is definitely not Jackson State.

It will be a much more difficult task than expected for the Bulldogs to upset the Tigers in Auburn. I say the Tigers get good QB and running back play in this one as Auburn pulls one out.

Pick: Auburn

No. 3 USC Trojans (1-0) vs. No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)

Last season the final score was 35-3 USC. Ohio State controlled this game, for the most part, until a second-quarter pick-six sent the Buckeyes into the tank.

This season's rematch is at the Horseshoe, but the horrendous week one performance of Ohio State, and most of the Big Ten for that matter, doesn't inspire much confidence that the Bucks truly belong on the field with the seven-time defending Pac 10 champs.

Despite the game being played in the Horseshoe, I think this game could turn into another blowout led by a freshman quarterback in Matt Barkley.

Pick: USC

Extra Point

Alabama is playing their home opener against Florida International. FIU runs a spread passing attack and return more starters on offense than any other team on the Tide's schedule. Sophomore receiver T.Y. Hilton averaged over 25 yards per catch last season as well.

WITH THAT SAID

Alabama is coming off a very impressive victory over Virginia Tech. The Tide showed that there defense is one of, if not the best in the country, and there offense, who many had questions about, trucked out an impressive 498 yards against a very stout Tech D.

Look for this game to be out of reach by the third quarter and see some future playmakers for Alabama, like Trent Richardson and Star Jackson, get good playing time by the fourth.

Pick: Tide Roll over FIU

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AP Poll - Week 2

Here is the new poll for week 2

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Previous
1.	Florida (56)	1-0	1493	1
2.	Texas (2)	1-0	1424	2
3.	USC	1-0	1355	4
4.	Alabama (2)	1-0	1331	5
5.	Oklahoma State	1-0	1201	9
6.	Mississippi	1-0	1095	8
7.	Penn State	1-0	1082	9
8.	Ohio State	1-0	985	6
9.	Brigham Young	1-0	984	20
10.	California	1-0	971	12
11.	LSU	1-0	890	11
12.	Boise State	1-0	882	14
13.	Oklahoma	0-1	782	3
14.	Virginia Tech	0-1	652	7
15.	Georgia Tech	1-0	630	15
16.	TCU	0-0	523	17
17.	Utah	1-0	404	19
18.	Notre Dame	1-0	383	23
19.	North Carolina	1-0	338	21
20.	Miami (FL)	1-0	315	NR
21.	Georgia	0-1	294	13
22.	Nebraska	1-0	266	24
23.	Cincinnati	1-0	248	NR
24.	Kansas	1-0	196	25
25.	Missouri	1-0	126	NR

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Ranking the BCS Conferences

So here we are at week 2 of the college football season. What we learned last week is: The ACC is still bad (see Duke and Virginia). Nobody really knows what to think about the Big East (no ranked teams in the opening polls). The Pac-10 is a two team race (USC and Cal). The Big 10 is the luckiest conference (Ohio St, Minnesota, Iowa). The Big 12 has the Heisman Front runner, and his name is not Bradford. The SEC is still the toughest conference.

Let's get to the rankings

1. SEC

Without a question. The top 2 teams from last season, Florida and Alabama, started off really strong. Florida started where they left off last season against Charleston Southern. Alabama had a very impressive win over a top 10 Virginia Tech team who many thought would give the ACC a chance to compete for a National Championship. Ole Miss blew out Memphis but didn't look like it would in the first half. Auburn and Tennessee started off there seasons with new coaches and both had very impressive wins against smaller schools. The conferences other top team, LSU, looked very shacky on defense against a Washington team that won a total of 0 games last season.

2. Big 12

Texas is the team to beat in the Big 12. Colt McCoy in my opinion is now the Heisman frontrunner. With the loss of QB Sam Bradford for a couple weeks and TE Jermaine Gresham for the season Oklahoma has some huge hurdles to overcome. Oklahoma State showed that it can compete for a Big 12 Championship this season and with an improved defense it might just do so. Baylor is not the Baylor of old with QB Robert Griffin. The Big 12 North teams are still the little sisters to the south but Missouri, with a suprise win over Illinois, wants to show everyone that they are not backing down. I think the north is Nebraska's to lose though.

3. Pac 10

USC is clearly still the favorite here, but they have a HUGE test this week at Ohio St. Cal hushed the critics with a very convincing win against Maryland, a team that embarrassed them last year. Oregon, who people thought could compete with USC this season, lost there opener to Boise St. Things got worse for the Ducks after leading RB LaGarrette Blount punched a Boise St lineman after the game and was suspended for the season. Teams like Stanford are on the rise, and after a winless season Washington almost pulled the unthinkable against LSU.

4. Big 10

Everyone thought the Big 10 would be down this year, and well they were right, for the most part. Ohio St has a chance to show everyone that last week was a fluke. They should have blown out Navy but escaped with a 31-27 victory. This week it's USC. But that's not all Iowa had to block 2 FG attempts in the final seconds to beat Northern Iowa 17-16, and Minnesota had to win in OT against Syracuse. Michigan showed that they do have an offense and coach Rich Rodriguez silenced the critics for one week at least. Penn St is playing great and looks to be the favorite in this league.

5. ACC

I should have put the ACC 6th in the rankings because of the horrible losses that happend last week. For starters the conference favorite, and National Championship contender Virginia Tech, was horrible on offense and defense against a great Alabama team. If it wasn't for a kick-off return for a TD and a couple bone head penalties this game would have been a blow-out. Duke and Virginia both lost to FCS (D1AA) teams, and Clemson was the only team to beat a FBS (D1A) team. The reason why I didn't put them 6th is because Georgia Tech and Miami are the top teams and Virginia Tech and Florida St are still in the mix for a conference championship. All four teams could be ranked at seasons end.

6. Big East

Last season's Big East champs, Cincinnati, showed they are still the team to beat. South Florida and Pitt could also contend. Pre season favorite Rutgers was destroyed by Cincinnati 47-15. West Virginia looked very unimpressive as well. Besides that there really isn't anybody that could step up and be a national contender. When the pre season polls were released a total of 0, yes 0, teams were ranked in the top 25. I think any of the top 3 teams (Cincinnati, South Florida, Pitt) could win this conference and still have 3 or more losses.

Extra Point

BYU beat Oklahoma last week 14-13. A very convincing win for the Mountain West Conference who is loaded this season with BYU at the top, TCU, and defending MWC champs Utah. I would put the MWC above the Big East, but this is a BCS Conference Ranking. All 3 teams are ranked in the top 25 as well. The same number as the Pac 10 and Big East COMBINED!
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Short Intro

I will give you an in-depth look at the coming week in College Football. I will give my analysis, picks, and upsets for the week and tell you what to expect from the biggest games of the week. I will have my first post up shortly!!!!

~Steven Read more!