I'll agree with that. That's why the real shame is what I said earlier -- that USC gets a free pass on everything because they're USC and because of ESPN's infatuation with the front of the jersey. Unless Penn State goes undefeated, the SEC and Big 12 winners (assuming they have one loss) will clearly be the most deserving teams. It shouldn't have to come down to choosing between them, especially when the alternative (USC) won't have played a ranked opponent in more than two months. But we all know USC will likely have a free pass simply based on being USC, and that's the real shame of all this... I can already see it developing.
I think Alabama will move to #1, UT to #2, Penn State to #3 and OU to #4. Anything besides this will be a surprise. My guess is USC will hop over Texas Tech to #5 and LSU will slide to #6. Mizzou will fall hard.
Nothing would surprise me, but if LSU only falls two spots to 6 for losing by 30 and we "fall hard" for beating ourselves in a close game against an undefeated opponent... well, that's about the only scenario that would make me even more pissed than I already am.
I will go my prediction rankings next week. #1 Texas #2 Alabama #3 Penn State #4 OU #5 USC #6 Florida #7 Texas Tech #8 BYU #9 Georgia #10 Oklahoma State #11 Missouri #12 Ohio State
Good point. LSU will fall further than #6. They just don't have enough QB play to be a contender and I think that demoralized them today. Their QB position is a gaping sore.
I agree with that and it's the most frustrating thing. Teams should be ranked on a combination of their talent and their play (their wins/losses and who they have been against). USC has undeniable talent, but their level of play should be dominating considering the strength of their opponents. If you are on the level of a USC and you aren't pasting weak Pac-10 opponents on a weekly basis, you should be held in no higher regard than an Ohio State who coasts through a weak schedule and then gets clocked whenever they play a good opponent. Luckily for us, USC has crapped themselves the past couple seasons, so we can hope for more of the same. I'll be watching closely in the polls where USC is ranked (there should be at least 2 1-ranked teams ahead of them or else there could be problems).
I saw most of the game, and thought OSU outplayed Mizzou while Chase made some really uncharacteristic bad throws. That's probably the lasting impression in my mind. I couldn't believe some of the ducks he was lobbing up there. My god, anytime they didn't run the wr or te screen, bad things were prone to happen! As far as the play you are referencing with the photo- if that's a photo from that play, clearly it's not an INT. However, based on the replays I saw, and that were shown on TV, no way the call could be overturned. It wasn't conclusive, and it actually looked like a pick. We can agree that technology should be better, or used if it's available, but these are the rules as they currently stand. I didn't detect any bias of sorts, though I did miss parts of game here and there. (Saw about 80% of it.) Also, it's probably not helping things that Illinois aren't panning out as a great victory for Mizzou anymore, either. It's quickly looking like the Tigers beat NO ONE before Big 12 play, and that's always a scary thing heading into the tougher competition. Mizzou should win the North, and it could set up a rematch with Texas, or a game against someone else. But it's all a long way off. For now, I'm just ecstatic my Horns were able to win that game yesterday. Huge in terms of winning the south, and staying in the national title race.
A couple of other things.... 1) There are a HELL of a lot of one loss teams already in the top 10 this early in the season. As they say, if you are going to lose, better to lose early than late! (Please god, tell me Ohio State is out of the mix. Yeah, i figured they weren't. ) 2) Where do teams like BYU, Utah and Boise get slotted this week? Mid major teams that remain undefeated but won't have many more opportunities to prove their worth against upper echelon competition. Is BYU capped at 7, and jumped by one loss teams? Do they continue to move up? 3) Remember with USC- there is a computer component as well. And with them, other than Ohio State, they won't have a chance to boost that computer profile. The Pac 10 is HORRIBLE this year. Notre Dame dropped another game yesterday, as well. I can see them getting some voter love if they look good over a long span of time, but that computer element could keep them out. Honestly, I don't hate them as much as some other teams, and I do feel like they are worthy of national title consideration.
I would like to congratulate the Longhorns on a great victory. You are in the spotlight, and yesterday showed that you guys deserve it.
We were having a fun little debate on who will be #1 -- the obvious choice is Texas, but there is the possibility that Alabama will end up on top. There are a lot of old traditionalists that would love to see the Crimson Tide ranked number one again.
We're halfway through the season and USC has the 3rd best schedule. Yeah, they may only have 1 tough game left, but they played a tough non-conference games early to attune for the weakness of the PAC 10. Off topic, but Oregon State is going to be a real good team next year...they're not half bad now after a tough start. I'd like to see them in the Holiday Bowl against a Big 12 team this season.
I don't know if it's obvious that UT should be #1 instead of Alabama. I expect them to split the 1st place votes. It doesn't really matter since both teams control their destiny.
They played one tough game this season - the perennially overrated Ohio State (current #12). Other than that, they didn't play a single team that's now ranked. It's great that they played one good team, but that doesn't "attune" for the fact that the PAC 10 is a cakewalk, and the good win is negated by a bad loss to a 3-3 Oregon State team.
Virginia lost to Duke 31-3. The only legitimate team USC has played was Ohio State, and I think everyone knows their story. No way, no how does a home win over Ohio State even compare to having one-loss and winning the Big 12 or SEC.
CBS Sports has released their rankings, with UT #1 and Alabama #2. Oklahoma only drops to #4. I think the AP could easily mirror this. CBS Sports 120
It's a little messed up because they incorrectly show Texas Tech losing to Nebraska, but their intentions are clear. They have no business being the #5 team in the nation. A couple of beatdowns by OU & UT will fix that.
We might lose to Texas but I am not predicting a beat down. Tech being in the top 10 is no fluke. I don't think we are a top 5 team by any means. But we are better than past Tech teams. We did not show it last week but I think a meaningful game will fire up the players. That is not a characteristic I am proud of, but it is what it is.
