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SportsRant’s Weekly Top 25
Wow….a few big upsets this past week. What do we take from the LSU meltdown? How good is Virginia Tech? Louisville was probably the biggest disappointment with the huge loss to South Florida (who??).
We’ve ranked what we feel to be the top 25 teams in the land. No more will we consider strictly undefeated teams, because, frankly, some teams, like Texas Tech and Kansas St., haven’t shown anything yet due to the teams they’ve played. Most assuredly, this will be the last poll with strictly undefeateds.
Our rankings will also be based on which team will beat those below them.
1. USC 3-0 Guess being down by 13 on the road against a conference opponent doesn’t scare the Trojans. The only obstacle they need to overcome is complacency.
2. Texas 3-0 Like USC the week before, Longhorns are facing a potentially difficult conference roadie. Will Mack Brown be able to keep his team from looking ahead to Oklahoma?
3. Florida State 3-0 Off week hopefully gets young QB Drew Weatherford more time to get comfortable in the offense.
4. Florida 4-0 Facing toughest test yet this season in Alabama on the road.
5. Virginia Tech 4-0 First change in the poll. Hokies destroyed Georgia Tech. So, now maybe we know something about them.
6. Georgia 4-0 Nice win at Mississippi State. Now they get to go to Knoxville to take on highly confident Tennessee.
7. Michigan State 4-0 Raise your hand if you thought the Spartans would be undefeated and sitting atop the Big Ten.
8. UCLA 3-0 After a bye week, the Bruins are again at home opening up conference play against the down and out Washington Huskies. Coach Dorrell needs to make sure the “1-0” mantra each week stays that way.
9. Wisconsin 4-0 The Rant watched this game against Michigan and while RB Brian Calhoun is the real deal, the Badgers need to not rely on QB Stocco to win games. Won’t stay undefeated if they do.
10. Alabama 4-0 Big offense in the Florida Gators coming to town. Will the Crimson Tide tough D be able to slow down Gator QB Chris Leak?
11. Minnesota 4-0 The Rant wants so much for the Gophers to do well. But we just don’t know about the defense. Laurence Maroney is all that and a bag of chips…but is that all Minnesota has on offense? Penn State will soon find out.
12. California 4-0 The Bears found another RB during Marshawn Lynch’s injury. Now that he’s back, the one-two punch of Lynch and newbie Justin Forsett, Cal won’t have to rely so much on QB Jospeh Ayoob….and thankfully!
13. Iowa State 3-0 Cyclones are quietly strumming along. If the beat Nebraska in Lincoln this week, the Big XII North might have a full-fledged natural disaster on their hands.
14. West Virginia 4-0 Mountaineers play Virgina Tech at home. Hokies are #3 in the country in defense; WVU is #4. We’ll call the score, 17-10…you call the victor.
15. Virgina 3-0 Beginning of a very tough stretch of four games for Al Groh and the Cavaliers: at Maryland; at BC; vs. FSU; at UNC.
Here is the beginning of the “Bottom of the Barrel Five.” These teams would not be ranked if not for their unblemished records. But, The Rant does what The Rant wants.
16. Penn State 4-0 Nittany Lions can make a big entrance in to the land of legitimacy by beating the Ohio State Buckeyes…and the game is in State College.
17. Vanderbilt 4-0 Do we really think Vandy could beat Nebraska? For certain!
18. Nebraska 3-0 The Rant doesn’t think the Cornhuskers will remain undefeated after Iowa State comes to town this weekend.
19. Indiana 3-0 Hoosiers go to Wisconsin this weekend. Don’t expect to see them in the Rant Poll after their trip.
20. UTEP 3-0 Not a bad looking little team. There is just a possibility that the Miners could run their C-USA table. A BCS-buster from El Paso?
Now here comes The Rant’s “Fallacy Five.” After this weekend, all of these teams will have one loss.
21. Kansas State 3-0 Now here comes The Rant’s “Fallacy Five.” After this weekend, all of these teams will have one loss. Have the Wildcats played a 1-A team yet? The schedule says they have. The schedule strength says different. Playing Oklahoma in Norman this weekend will prove just how good KSU isn’t.
22. Texas Tech 3-0 Yes, they score points. But a 197th ranked schedule strength? That’s worse than 80 1-AA teams! Kansas Jayhawks will come in to Lubbock this week, beat the Red Raiders, and jump in to The Rant Poll. You heard it here first!
23. Oklahoma State 3-0 Cowboys will lose at home to Colorado. Too many mistakes against Miami cost the Buffaloes last week. OSU is not Miami.
24. Washington State 3-0 Even though Oregon State has been a bumbling team so far this season, the Beavers will win at home against the Cougars. Another fearless prediction!
25. Baylor 3-0 Okay, here’s what we had available: New Hampshire, Harvard, Kansas, Delaware, Princeton. Who would you take? Could have been Kansas, but that would throw off our upset special!
One loss teams being watched: Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee, Auburn, Arizona State, Boston College, Notre Dame, LSU, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Louisville
Dropped out: LSU, Louisville, New Mexico, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Oregon
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