College Football Top 25

Now that we have a few games to asses the landscape, the top 25 is back here at Shadow Sports. Numbers in parenthesis are the preseason rankings found here. Rankings are according to how teams have played to date

1Texas (13) - It seems I grossly underrated the Longhorns (along with everyone else), but there is still much to prove. This week's game against Missouri is the second in a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents. This week: 10Missouri
2Alabama (NR) - Alabama was expected to possibly make a run like this, ... next season. There is still a lack of depth, but the SEC West looks like it was grossly overrated and the east doesn't look as great as it was thought to be meaning the Tide are going to be here for awhile. This week: Ole Miss
3Penn St. (19) - In the preseason I said Penn St. had great personnel for the spread and that has proven accurate. The defense has been as advertised and Daryll Clark has answered the main question: quarterback. This week: Michigan
4Oklahoma (6) - There are questions about the defense (though that will be the case for most Big 12 teams this year) considering what Texas did and Cincinnati staying in the game with offense until the beginning of the fourth quarter. This week: 25Kansas
5USC (3) - The Trojans haven't looked right since Pac-10 play began, but the cureall is coming this week. Washington St. has given up over 60 points to three of its four Pac-10 opponents and even the fourth (UCLA) blew them out. This week: at Washington St.
6BYU (14) - The team with the nations longest winning streak puts everything on the line in a tough conference road game after a short week. That hasn't worked real well in the ACC over the last few years. This week: at 21TCU
7Oklahoma St. (NR) - The Cowboys are a revelation with the offense. Any team that can do what they just did at Missouri is a pretty good football team. This week: Baylor
8Florida (5) - The loss to Ole Miss is still worrisome, and how good is LSU (not great)? This week: Bye week
9Georgia (1) - Something about this team hasn't clicked either (a common theme in the SEC outside of Alabama), but there is plenty of time to right the ship (at least for the SEC Title). This week: Vanderbilt
10Missouri (2) - While the Oklahoma St. loss hurts, it really isn't that bad in the Big 12 Title loss. Even with a loss to Texas this week, Missouri would remain the heavy favorite in the Big 12 North unless you believe Kansas is beating two of Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech. This week: at 1Texas
11Utah (NR) - While they are undefeated, the Utes might be overrated here. There is a definite lack of quality in the win column. Michigan stinks and Oregon St. stinks every time it leaves home. This week: Colorado St.
12Virginia Tech (22) - Is Virginia Tech really this good? Probably not, but I am willing to write off the loss to East Carolina for now since Tyrod Taylor didn't play and VT is undefeated when he starts (Glennon started all the losses last season though Taylor played in all of them). This week: at Boston College
13Cal (23) - The win over Michigan St. looks very good right now while the Maryland is somewhat explainable. Early kick (and those are real early for west coast teams) along with an unpredictable team that played well on the other side. This week: at Arizona
14Texas Tech (15) - Still untested by quality competition, being tested by Nebraska at home is not really a good thing. Missing the extra point in the overtime win, even worse. The jury is still out on these guys. This week: at Texas A&M
15Boise St. (NR) - The win over Oregon doesn't look so great right now and Fresno isn't as good as the polls said they would be. There may not be quality win on the entire schedule. This week: Hawaii
16LSU (12) - In the preseason I said the record would be good because of a weak non-conference schedule. That is still the case, but plus 1 win because Auburn stinks. LSU is really not that great. 9-3 here they come (lose to Georgia and Alabama).
17Michigan St. (24) - Javon Ringer is a workhorse and the defense is stout. Penn St./Michigan St at the end of the year could be for all the marbles in the Big Ten. This week: 18Ohio St.
18Ohio St. (4) - After the beatdown from USC, Ohio St. has gone back to Tressell-ball, even with a freshman quarterback. I still don't think these guys heads are on straight. This week: at 17Michigan St.
19North Carolina (NR) - Butch Davis is one of the best coaches in college football. The Tar Heels are a quarterback injury against Virginia Tech from being undefeated and ranked about 8. This week: at Virginia
20Wake Forest (NR) While not spectacular, the Deacons are winning. That's more than what can be said about a lot of other teams.
21TCU (NR) - The BCS is still a possibility of this team. Win out with wins over BYU and Utah, and get a Boise St. loss, 11-1 TCU probably is going to the BCS. This week: 6BYU
22Cincinnati (17) - Quarterback injuries have killed this offense, but the Bearcats continue to win every week in some way, shape, or form. This week: Bye week (much needed to figure out what Houdini act to pull to win next week).
23South Florida (25) - The win over Kansas was good, but Kansas has been average since and the loss to Pittsburgh was awful (in case you didn't figure it out from that, I think Pittsburgh is weak for a 4-1 team). This week: Syracuse
24Tulsa (NR) - Why is this team getting no love while Ball St. is ranked. Tulsa does everything Ball St. does, better. It comes down to notoriety. Ball St. was in the news because its star receiver got hurt (thankfully he will live a normal life despite his football career ending). Tulsa is playing in total obscurity. This week: UTEP
25Kansas (10) - The Jayhawks have been abysmal in the run game and Todd Reesing has made a few mistakes. With the schedule left, this team appears headed for 7-5. This week: at 4Oklahoma

Dearly Departed - a look at what went wrong with all of the preseason ranked teams that are no longer ranked here.
West Virginia (7) - Didn't listen to the adage of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and killed their prolific offense.
Clemson (8) - Didn't recruit any good offensive linemen. No OL means no points no matter how much talent there is at the skill positions.
Arizona St. (9) - Ditto Clemson.
Auburn (11) - Got into the season only to realize that both quarterbacks couldn't quarterback at the Sun Belt level.
Illinois (16) - Played two powerhouse offenses, then didn't wake up for Minnesota. They might be back before the end of the season.
Wisconsin (18) - After screwing up against Michigan, left everything on the field against Ohio St. 7-5 at best.
Tennessee (20) - Made junior high level mental errors on offense to compound lack of talent at QB, WR, OL.
Oregon (21) - More QB injuries and no pass defense at all.

BCS Bowl Projections
National Title Game - Alabama vs Penn St.
Alabama will run through the SEC undefeated (only LSU looms as a significant test before the SEC Title game at this point considering the state of the offenses at Tennessee and Alabama) while Penn St. is a level beyond anyone else in the Big Ten. Texas will lose to someone during its brutal stretch as will Oklahoma St. and Texas Tech.
Fiesta Bowl - Texas vs BYU
Given the choice of BYU or the Big East Champ (I project Cincinnati), the Fiesta will go outside the box and take non-BCS BYU to match against Big 12 champ Texas.
Rose Bowl - USC vs Michigan St.
USC will take a number three ranking and cry how its really the best team (again) into the Rose Bowl to kill yet another overmatched second place Big Ten school. Michigan St. go into the Penn St. game 10-1, but leave 10-2.
Sugar Bowl - Florida vs Oklahoma
With the number 1 and 3 picks after the title game and conference champs are placed, the Sugar gets the bigtime matchup of SEC runner up Florida and Big 12 South runner up Oklahoma.
Orange Bowl - Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati
Picking last, the Orange gets the worst game, again. At least with this matchup, the ACC might win. They get what they deserve for that USC-Iowa debacle in 2002 screwing over both the Rose and the Sugar in the process.