| 26 September 2011
You know how they say “time flies?” Well it sure seems that way in college football right now, as after a seemingly endless offseason, we’ve now got four full weeks of actual games under our belts.
And undoubtedly the best part about these last few weeks that is that we’re finally starting to figure out who these teams actually. This weekend we learned plenty, not just about the teams starting to pull away from the field (LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma), but also the ones that just can’t keep up (Arkansas, Florida State). We also learned that despite our previous inclinations otherwise, Texas A&M is still in fact, Texas A&M.
So with that, let’s get to this week’s OnsideKick.com Top 25 Poll. As always, my Top 25 will be listed, along with a “News and Notes,” segment at the bottom explaining some of my picks. For references sake, here is last week’s poll if you’re interested:
1. LSU Tigers (4-0, 1-0)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0)
3. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0, 1-0)
4. Boise State Broncos (3-0, 0-0)
5. Wisconsin Badgers (4-0, 0-0)
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0, 0-0)
7. Stanford Cardinal (3-0, 1-0)
8. Oregon Ducks (3-1, 1-0)
9. Florida Gators (4-0, 2-0)
10. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-0, 2-0)
11. Clemson Tigers (4-0, 1-0)
12. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-0, 0-0)
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0, 0-0)
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 0-1)
15. Baylor Bears (3-0, 0-0)
16. Texas A&M Aggies (2-1, 0-1)
17. Texas Longhorns (3-0, 0-0)
18. South Florida Bulls (4-0, 0-0)
19. TCU Horned Frogs (3-1, 1-0)
20. Michigan Wolverines (4-0, 0-0)
21. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-0, 1-0)
22. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1, 0-0)
23. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-1, 1-0)
24. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1, 0-0)
25. Florida State Seminoles (2-2, 0-1)
News and Notes:
- Ok, the most important, and most obvious news (and note) is that for the first time all year, the Oklahoma Sooners are not listed at No. 1. That title belongs to LSU, with Alabama coming in at No. 2.
Really, this wasn’t a knock on the Sooners (I think Missouri is better than people realize, by the way), as much as an ode to those top two teams. Each had a showcase game and each passed their test with flying colors. Really, it’s hard to decide who was more impressive: Alabama, in laying waste to a Top 15 team in conference, or LSU avoiding a letdown in a tough road environment.
I gave LSU the slight edge for the same reason I mentioned in my column on Sunday: Using a term from the NCAA Tournament, LSU has the “best body of work,” in college football right now. Oklahoma’s win at Florida State may be the most impressive victory so far, and Alabama’s win over Arkansas’ was the most dominant we’ve seen so far. But games 1-4, the Tigers have the edge.
- As or other bit moves, Oklahoma State jumped up to No. 6 after their surprising win in College Station, Florida moved into the Top 10 by steamrolling another opponent, and incredibly, Clemson jumped all the way to No. 11 with a second straight win over a Top 25 team.
That Clemson move in specific may seem like a bit of a stretch, and really, I still can’t say that I totally feel comfortable putting Clemson as high as they are. At the same time, how can anyone justify putting them below Virginia Tech or Nebraska, who haven’t beaten or even played a Top 25 team. We’ll find out a lot more about the Tigers this weekend as they hit the road for a big showdown with Virginia Tech, but for now they’ve earned the top spot.
- Along with Clemson, there are two teams new to the Top 25 this week, in Georgia Tech and Arizona State. This is Arizona State’s second appearance, after falling out last week with a loss to Illinois.
- The three teams that subsequently dropped out were Miami (for obvious reasons), USC (I told you they weren’t good) and Michigan State. The Spartans were an interesting team in that I didn’t really think they’d done enough to stay in the Top 25 last week, but couldn’t totally justify putting someone else in their place. Well this week, with Clemson again winning, and Arizona State and Georgia Tech both notching wins more impressive than anything that the Spartans have done all season, they had to be bounced.
- As for teams that took falls, Arkansas dropped three spots with their loss, A&M fell 10 full spots and Florida State is all the way down to No. 25, as they now stand at 2-2 on the season.
The reason that I didn’t drop Arkansas nearly as far as A&M is simple: They lost to an even better team, and did it on the road. A&M had control of that game, but couldn’t hold on. Making matters worse, the game was in College Station.
Then there’s Florida State. I can’t say that it’s totally defensible that they’re still ranked, their two losses aren’t terrible either. Oklahoma is no worse than No. 3 on basically everyone’s poll ,and Clemson clearly can win…at least at home. But if E.J. Manuel doesn’t get back and healthy, this could be a short stay for the Seminoles.
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