Where no team with a loss will be ranked in September
1. Oklahoma – They beat down Miami-FL pretty well, in a game that should have been more of a contest. Maybe we learned more about Miami here than the Sooners, but in a TCB game, Oklahoma did their job, putting 51 points on the board and limiting the Hurricanes to 139 total yards.
2. LSU – First, they were at home. As we see almost every year, LSU looks like world-beaters at home, but then they lose a game (or two) on the road they shouldn’t. Second, when there is a blowout like this in a Top 10 matchup, you have to wonder whether the losing team belonged in the Top 10 (remember Notre Dame last year?) in the first place. LSU’s win said more about Virginia Tech than it did about LSU. That being said, this is a very good team, and they kicked the crap out of a BCS opponent.
3. USC – Idle weeks are rarely good for your ranking, but the Trojans moved up this time because so many others sucked. The so-so win over Idaho seems like a long time ago in comparison to LSU’s romp over Virginia Tech.
4. Penn State – The defense still hasn’t given up a TD, which is very good for the first two games, no matter who you play. And when you play bad teams, it’s almost expected of you. So Penn State is doing its job well thus far.
5. Georgia Tech – Are they this good? I have no idea. But they have to big wins so far, which means they’re doing what they should be doing. And that’s more than a lot of schools can say thus far in 2007.
6. Ohio State – The good? Michigan lost (again), and the Buckeyes defense threw a shutout. The bad? The offense only put 20 points on the board against the friggin’ Zips. But hey, defense wins championships as the 2002 Buckeyes (and the 2006 Buckeyes?) can attest.
7. Rutgers – Probably gave up too many points to Navy, but it was a win over a pesky opponent you always have to respect.
8. West Virginia – Losing by seven at halftime to Marshall wasn’t good, but winning the second half 42-10 certainly means they’re listening to their coach at halftime. That’s a good sign.
9. Florida – Giving up 31 points to the school formerly known as Troy State isn’t good. Nice offense, though.
10. Wisconsin – Even for a road win over a non-BCS team, it was lackluster. It was a trap game, for sure, but the Badgers did what they needed to. They just didn’t do it very impressively.
11. UCLA – A blah win over BYU gets added to a resume with a blah win over Stanford. But hey, 2-0 is 2-0, and that means you’ve got a spot on this list.
12. Louisville – Bad defensive outing against a directional. When you give up 42 points to a directional, you really need to work on something. Louisville drops a bunch this week.
13. Washington – They ended the nation’s longest winning streak in dominant fashion, holding Boise to ten points. They’re looking good, so here they are. It’s up to them, of course, to decide if they stay here.
14. California – The win over the Volunteers showed Cal’s defensive weaknesses. Colorado State re-emphasized this weakness. Maybe Cal should be in the Big East.
15. Oregon – So they beat the Wolverines. Big deal. But it’s HOW they beat them, on the road, in the House Formerly Known As Big. Put the second half of their first win together with the first half of this win, and you have an impressive 60 minutes of football.
16. Boston College – Two ACC wins already, and it’s not even September 10. Good way to start the season.
17. Missouri – Two wins over two BCS teams means the Tigers have done more than most teams already.
18. South Carolina – The weak first win over a directional is forgotten by an SEC win on the road. Maybe Georgia wasn’t all that good, anyway (see LSU’s win above), but you have to like the Ol’ Ball Coach this year in the SEC East.
19. Cincinnati – I’d heard this team was loaded, and with two wins in dominant fashion (giving up six total points) over a directional and a Pac-10 school, they’ve proven it. The Big East is good!
20. Texas – The first game is now forgotten. Down 10-0 at halftime, the Longhorns responded the way they should have responded, outscoring TCU 34-3 in the second half. Wow! About time the Longhorns showed up for the 2007 season.
21. Nebraska – Just like UCLA, they’re getting it done, but they’re not as good as UCLA at this point. I think it’s going to be UGLY when the Trojans come to town next week, so enjoy the moment, Cornhuskers.
22. South Florida – Hey, they’re a BCS team, and they’re 2-0, so yeah, I’ll rank ‘em somewhere. Beating Auburn on the road was definitely more impressive than beating Elon (?!).
23. Clemson – Beating a former directional is expected. Giving up 26 points to a former direction is not. Impress me, Tigers!
24. Alabama – An SEC road win is always good, even if it’s just over Vanderbilt.
25. Arizona State – Beat a BCS team pretty solidly, even if it was just the Buffalo.
** And just because I can, I’ll throw 13 more bones out there **
26. Iowa – Defense has only surrendered three points in two cupcake wins. If the offense comes around …
27. Michigan State – Being tied at halftime against a decent middling school isn’t good enough. I don’t care if the refs blew two fumble calls in favor of Bowling Green, either.
28. Kansas – Two huge wins over two directionals means you are doing what you should do when you’re in the Big XII.
29. Kentucky – Two big wins over two bad schools. Okay, so show us something in the SEC slate.
30. Connecticut – Also two big wins over two bad schools. Are they a Big East fraud?
31. Hawaii – Escaped with their lives in Ruston, thanks to the defense (sort of?). Colt is Colt, but if Hawaii struggles this much every time they leave the Islands, it’s going to be an interesting season for the Rainbow Warriors.
32. Purdue – Who is the next cupcake on their schedule?
33. Pittsburgh – Solid wins over bad teams are better than weak wins over bad teams. Another Big East team at 2-0? The conference is STACKED!
34. Texas Tech – You shouldn’t be giving up 31 points to UTEP, no matter what offense you run.
35. Maryland – So-so wins over bad teams means it could be a long year in the ACC, but for now, here they are.
36. Northwestern – What were they doing down 14 at halftime to Nevada?
37. Indiana – Giving up 27 points to a directional means the Big Ten season is going to hurt.
38. Texas A&M – Wins are wins, but lackluster wins over Montana State and Fresno State aren’t impressive.
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