Here’s my late college top 25. Note East Carolina as a fast riser.
1. USC (1) – Trojans had a bye, but its still hard to forget how complete their destruction of Virginia was.
2. Georgia (2) – Looked very good in a rout of a pretty solid Central Michigan team.
3. Oklahoma (4) – Sooners get props in hanging half-a-hundy against a pretty-good Cincinnati team. They definitely deserved to jump up.
4. Ohio State (3) – Looked pretty bad against Ohio U, trailing going into the final quarter as 34-point favorites. However, all will be forgetten if the Buckeyes beat USC Saturday.
5. Florida (5) – The 23-point win over Miami wasn’t nearly as decisive as it looked. However, always good to get one over a rival.
6. Missouri (6) – The Tigers whupped Missouri Southern. Big deal.
7. LSU (7) – Defending national champs didn’t play because of damage from Hurricane Gustav. Now their game this week against North Texas might be moved.
8. Auburn (9) – Tigers have good D and their offense showed signs. Definitely a team to watch.
9. Texas (10) – First team since Florida without Tigers as a mascot. Also have been efficient in steamrolling two overmatched opponents.
10. Texas Tech (11) – The Red Raiders showed some good defense in beating Nevada. If they can continue with that, Tech could be a player in the Big 12.
11. Wisconsin (12) – Marshall was feeling all cocky after going up 14-0 early. Too bad the Badgers threw down 51 straight points after that.
12. Kansas (13) – The Jayhawks’ offense gets almost all the pub, but the defense ruled the day in a 29-0 shutout of Louisiana Tech. They have an interesting matchup with South Florida Friday.
13. Alabama (14) – I guess after the big win over Clemson, it was normal for the Tide to have a letdown against Tulane. But efforts like Saturday’s won’t keep them this high for long.
14. Arizona State (15) – Nice, decisive win over a spunky Stanford team. ASU might be the biggest Pac-10 threat to USC.
15. East Carolina (25) – I threw the Pirates a bone after their win over Va. Tech. After their whupping of previous No. 8 West Virginia, its clear that East Carolina wants a little bit more to chew on.
16. Oregon (17) – The Ducks’ offense seems to be doing pretty well without either Dennis Dixon or Nathan Costa, putting up 109 points in Oregon’s first two games.
17. BYU (16) – The Cougars get penalized for the cheap way that their one-point win over Washington went down. The official that penalized Jake Locker for celebrating should be embarrassed.
18. South Florida (18) – In one of the most overlooked, yet most entertaining games, of the weekend, the Bulls beat Central Florida in OT. USF has a chance to salvage Big East pride against the Jayhawks.
19. Wake Forest (19) – In another great game, the Demon Deacons beat Ole Miss in the final seconds. Its amazing how effective Wake is at maximizing its less-than-hyped talent.
20. Penn State (21) – Nittany Lions get some props for waxing Oregon State – or the Beavers get penalized for being truly horrible.
21. Clemson (20) – Giving up 17 points to The Citadel wasn’t what Clemson wanted after being waxed by Alabama.
22. Utah (22) – The Utes didn’t have much of a letdown after beating Michigan, dispatching UNLV 42-14.
23. California (23) – The Bears embarrassed Washington State 66-3 on the road. I think that says more about how truly bad Wazzu is though.
24. West Virginia (8) – The Mountaineers stay in the rankings – barely. Have to wonder how confident WVU fans are in new headman Bill Stewart after the 3-point effort against East Carolina.
25. Fresno State (25) – The Bulldogs have a great chance to prove their worth when they host Wisconsin Saturday.
On the cusp: UCLA, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Florida State.
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