The ranking are a little tumultuous this early in the season. One bad game can really affect the statistics. Do not worry this will change as teams get deeper into the season. They are not meant to be really taken seriously until much further into the season.
But we are getting to the point where we can see some trends about who is going to stay near the top throughout the season and who really is not as good as we thought.
The first big news is Florida has taken over the No. 1 spot. I have found in previous years that big games, even when they win, tend to hurt teams more than help in the short-term. They help in the long-term though as no one has really gotten any quality wins yet. No. 3 Brigham Young became the first team to pick up a quality win point as Oklahoma rose back into the rankings. The Cougars used that quality win to overcome the weak Mountain West schedule.
No. 11 Oklahoma also bounced back after the loss and is firmly planting itself among the top teams -- even with the loss. Otherwise the favorites are still at the top during the last week before I can say the rankings are official and some of the artificial weighting I use at the beginning of the season -- i.e. the use of more polls in the poll component -- is taken away.
The real surprises this week? Let's go with No. 7 Cincinnati and No. 8 Kansas who both jumped up from the main polls. The Bearcats feature a strong offense that has them flying high and the Jayhawks also have a single-digit offense and a pretty good defense. Those will be two teams to watch.
Two teams that are overrated? No. 17 LSU is still struggling after a bad game in Seattle in Week One. The Tigers' typically strong defense received an abysmal 31 rating. That will need to improve if they are to fight for the SEC West title. Also No. 20 Georgia Tech is rated low. That seemed to be prophetic as they lost tonight at Miami. The Hurricanes remain unranked, but that will change next week I would bet.
Here are this week's rankings:
1. Florida 60.115
2. USC +5.207
3. Brigham Young +11.172
4. Alabama +13.334
5. Texas +14.494
6. California
7. Cincinnati
8. Kansas
9. Penn State
10. Nebraska
11. Oklahoma
12. Mississippi
13. Boise State
14. TCU
15. Auburn
The rest of the top 25: 16. Arkansas; 17. LSU; 18. Utah; 19. North Carolina; 20. Georgia Tech; 21. Boston College; 22. West Virginia; 23. Missouri; 24. Oregon State; 25. Texas A&M
Top Offense: No. 1 Florida
Top Defense: No. 13 Boise State
Toughest Schedule: No. 11 Oklahoma, Georgia (ranked 37th in standings)
Easiest Schedule: No. 13 Boise State
Game of the Week: No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 24 Oregon State- this could be an interesting game with two contrasting styles of play. The Bearcats are the type of team that can roll you over with their passing and offensive ability. The Beavers proved last year against the Trojans just what a great running back can do. Oregon State has not played great so far this season, but they are certainly capable of it especially at home. This will be a big test for the Bearcats as I think they don't want to just be in the BCS conversation as the Big East's representative. A win against a pretty good Pac-10 team might make them clamor for more.
Showing posts with label Brigham Young Cougars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brigham Young Cougars. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thoughts From Week 1 2009
No. 10 Oregon vs. Boise State: Oregon and Boise State are known for their big offenses and ESPN loved advertising it as an offensive matchup, but the defenses are not bad and will be the key to success for either team this season... the Broncos don't usually play a strong enough schedule to make it to the BCS without going undefeated, but there are some decent teams on the schedule this year... Broncos are proving in the first half how important special teams are, this should be 6-0 midway through the second quarter, that changes the game... the struggles of Boise State and Oregon on offense in the first half of this game shows why teams need a preseason game in college football, a big game like this should not be decided by such raw, untested schemes and just one game would help; it proves why playing FCS teams actually help despite the image hit.
No. 23 Brigham Young Cougars vs. No. 1 Oklahoma: Sam Bradford really makes this team, you can tell Oklahoma is a different team without its Heisman-winning quarterback, I know you can say that about most teams but the Sooners are clearly not as efficient... you have to feel bad for Oklahoma at some point, the team lost DeMarco Murray for the BCS National Championship Game last year, lost Jermaine Grisham before the BYU game and might be without Bradford for 2-4 weeks... having said all that, BYU is a really good team and should not be overlooked, the Cougars had a good season last year and are just as good with Max Hall coming back at quarterback... as much of a statement as the Broncos made against the Ducks, the Cougars have a better chance of not only making a BCS bowl but they might have a fair shake at making the BCS National Championship Game if the pieces fall right, this win will go a long way but they will hav eto go undefeated.
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech: this game certainly lived up to its hype as the Hokies and Crimson Tide played in a classic battle... but Alabama's defense was as good as advertised, it gave up a couple big plays at the end and a kickoff return but really stymied the Virginia Tech offense all night, the Hokies are the best team in the ACC and even in a somewhat dominating defeat, still looked like they should handle the conference easily... but the Tide just dominated the Hokies physically, the o-line and d-line were getting all the push they wanted up front and that's a recipe for success as both of them are very strong... I was most impressed with running back Mark Ingram, the dude is built like a tank and his 150-plus yard performance may be a statistical high for the year, but he will be wearing out defenses for a long time to come this year, it won't be the last time the Tide steamroll an opponent in the fourth quarter
Cincinnati vs. Rutgers: the Bearcats just looked like they were in a different league than the Scarlet Knights, a completely unexpected mismatch... not to say Rutgers will not be fine, Cincinnati is a very good team... very impressed by Tony Pike, he picked Rutgers' defense apart all day
Miami (Fl.) vs. No. 14 Florida State: never thought I would see both of these teams get out to the offensive start they did Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris had free reign in the pocket despite some big hits early... this turned out to be one of those classic rivalry games but with a different M-O, I was surprised at how the secondaries got abused in this one, I thought Miami and FSU were great defenses... young quarterbacks Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris did more than enough to win this game for their team and they both have very bright futures this year... FSU and Miami will be determining a good portion of this season with BYU hosting FSU and Oklahoma heading to South Florida, they both will be up to the challenge
No. 23 Brigham Young Cougars vs. No. 1 Oklahoma: Sam Bradford really makes this team, you can tell Oklahoma is a different team without its Heisman-winning quarterback, I know you can say that about most teams but the Sooners are clearly not as efficient... you have to feel bad for Oklahoma at some point, the team lost DeMarco Murray for the BCS National Championship Game last year, lost Jermaine Grisham before the BYU game and might be without Bradford for 2-4 weeks... having said all that, BYU is a really good team and should not be overlooked, the Cougars had a good season last year and are just as good with Max Hall coming back at quarterback... as much of a statement as the Broncos made against the Ducks, the Cougars have a better chance of not only making a BCS bowl but they might have a fair shake at making the BCS National Championship Game if the pieces fall right, this win will go a long way but they will hav eto go undefeated.
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech: this game certainly lived up to its hype as the Hokies and Crimson Tide played in a classic battle... but Alabama's defense was as good as advertised, it gave up a couple big plays at the end and a kickoff return but really stymied the Virginia Tech offense all night, the Hokies are the best team in the ACC and even in a somewhat dominating defeat, still looked like they should handle the conference easily... but the Tide just dominated the Hokies physically, the o-line and d-line were getting all the push they wanted up front and that's a recipe for success as both of them are very strong... I was most impressed with running back Mark Ingram, the dude is built like a tank and his 150-plus yard performance may be a statistical high for the year, but he will be wearing out defenses for a long time to come this year, it won't be the last time the Tide steamroll an opponent in the fourth quarter
Cincinnati vs. Rutgers: the Bearcats just looked like they were in a different league than the Scarlet Knights, a completely unexpected mismatch... not to say Rutgers will not be fine, Cincinnati is a very good team... very impressed by Tony Pike, he picked Rutgers' defense apart all day
Miami (Fl.) vs. No. 14 Florida State: never thought I would see both of these teams get out to the offensive start they did Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris had free reign in the pocket despite some big hits early... this turned out to be one of those classic rivalry games but with a different M-O, I was surprised at how the secondaries got abused in this one, I thought Miami and FSU were great defenses... young quarterbacks Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris did more than enough to win this game for their team and they both have very bright futures this year... FSU and Miami will be determining a good portion of this season with BYU hosting FSU and Oklahoma heading to South Florida, they both will be up to the challenge
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