2009 Week 2 Rankings: Losses Hurt

Like last week's rankings, do not put too much stock into this week's rankings. There simply is not enough data to put together a complete ranking. In fact, I would hardly call this week's standings official. I do not like to call it official until every team included has played two games.

This week presented some problems as TCU did not even play. So it will be at least another two weeks before you can call these standings "official."

The Strength of schedule component is a little better and more complete, but obviously not there. And quality wins will not be apparent as teams that lost in the first week tended to drop.

Take last week's No. 1. Oklahoma lost to Brigham Young and dropped like a rock. Or take Tennessee who rose to No. 7 thanks to nearly 700 yards of total offense. A good game like that can really help a team rocket up the standings this early in the season. Thus, the warning.

Now that you have been fairly warned, here are the rankings for Week 2:

1. USC 44.632
2. Florida +17.327
3. Texas +28.647
4. Alabama +29.250
5. Penn State +34.468
6. California
7. Tennessee
8. Kansas
9. Oklahoma State
10. Notre Dame
11. North Carolina
12. Nebraska
13. Mississippi
14. Georgia Tech
15. Cincinnati
The rest of the top 25: 16. Oregon State; 17. Oklahoma; 18. Ohio State; 19. Utah; 20. Brigham Young; 21. Missouri; 22. Boston College; 23. Auburn; 24. Arkansas; 25. LSU

Top Offense: No. 7 Tennessee
Top Defense: No. 1 USC
Toughest Schedule: Georgia, ranked 32nd in standings
Easiest Schedule: Boise State, ranked 27th in standings and ranked eighth before adding schedule component

Game of the Week: No. 1 USC vs. No. 18 Ohio State -- as a Big Ten fan, this game means a lot. The Buckeyes host the program that seems to be their entire conference's bane and a win would go a long way to improving the entire conference's image. Believe it or not, if Ohio State can even compete in this game it could lead to a big rise in the traditional polls (and a definite uptick here once stats and polls become official). The Trojans have a great defense again, but a lot of youth. Ohio State is the more experienced team. If the Buckeyes are going to get their win, they will do it now.