The McTop 25: September 21, 2008

Thoughts this week:

1) USC needs to play every week.
2) Jimmy Clausen sucks.
3) Florida is the best team in the SEC, hands down.
4) 90% of the Pac-10 sucks.
5) The Holtz family is overrated.

On to the rankings …

1. USC (2-0): No team did anything impressive enough this week to unseat the idle Trojans. See below for explanations.
2. Florida (3-0): Not that beating Tennessee means anything, but Florida has impressive wins over BCS teams to match the Trojans somewhat. I really hope Florida can get through the SEC unscathed, because I’d love to see an SEC-USC matchup in the BCS title game so the SEC can be shut up once and for all. But I am sure Vandy will knock off the Gators at home on November 8 …
3. Wake Forest (3-0): The DDs have three wins over three BCS teams. Talk about “great” scheduling … Are they this good? Maybe not, but so far, they have three “quality” wins, and my rankings are about results, not predicted potential.
4. Georgia (4-0): If ASU hadn’t lost to UNLV the week before, the Bulldogs’ first trip west of the Mississippi in 40 years might have actually meant something. As it was, it was a good road win over a mediocre BCS squad. Combined with the previous week’s mediocre win over South Carolina, Georgia still hasn’t done anything noteworthy to earn/deserve its preseason hype.
5. Vanderbilt (4-0): They have two BCS wins so far; actually, it’s two SEC wins as well. This could be the year they break .500 and go bowlin’. I seriously think they can surprise some people in the SEC. And if Vandy’s making noise, the conference can’t be THAT good. Then again, if Vandy’s makin’ noise, the conference might be THAT good.
6. Alabama (4-0): They also have two DOMINATE wins over BCS teams, so the SEC might be THAT good. But they don’t play Florida this year. That’s why the SEC continues to be lame: unbalanced scheduling.
7. BYU (4-0): Okay, with two BCS wins over Pac-10 mediocrity, it’s not saying much, but … hey, two BCS wins are two BCS wins. It’s smart scheduling.
8. Oklahoma (3-0): I hate bye weeks. But I like Sam Bradford a lot.
9. Connecticut (4-0): More creative scheduling nets two early BCS wins for the Huskies. Generally, I respect the University of Connecticut, so I’d like to see them get a football program to match their basketball program. BUT … they need a signature, come-of-age win this year to really put themselves on the Big Least map.
10. Northwestern (4-0): Again, two BCS wins makes the schedule look better than it is, but it’s what we’ve got to work with.
11. Penn State (4-0): Ditto. And I am positive Penn State is a better team than Northwestern, but for now, the Nittany Lions take a back seat to their purple friends in Evanston.
12. Utah (4-0): We now get into the teams with only one BCS win on their slate so far. And sure, all the Utes did was beat a raw Wolverine team in Ann Arbor, but it counts for something.
13. Colorado (3-0): With great pride, I place the Buffaloes in the Top 25 this week. Sure, West Virginia clearly sucks (maybe Rich-Rod knew what he was doing after all?), but that was a big win for Dan and Cody.
14. LSU (3-0): Beating a team that only beat MSU South by a 3-2 score last week is not impressive. Needing a last-minute comeback to do so is even less impressive. This is why LSU doesn’t impress me. They need last-second wins against teams they should be crushing, if they were as good as advertised. They’re underwhelming at best, but again, this is the only true measure we have of LSU so far: a road win that was much harder than it should have been. I’ll call it rust and give them another shot next week.
15. Boise State (3-0): Gritty win in Autzen. With East Carolina choking, the field narrows for the singular BCS crasher spot (don’t get me started on THAT lame-ass BCS limitation, either). The 2006 McMNC could be poised for another good run.
16. Ball State (4-0): It is what it is. Deal with it.
17. South Florida (4-0): The Big Least does suck, doesn’t it?
18. TCU (4-0): Stanford is its one BCS win, but creative scheduling gives them an edge on many teams below who have yet to beat a BCS team.
19. Kentucky (3-0): Livin’ large off that opening win over Louisville.
20. Oklahoma State (3-0): Washington State has given a lot of teams access to my Top 25.
21. Missouri (4-0): Yes, they’re better than this, but they still haven’t done much outside of that Illinois win.
22. Wisconsin (3-0): The best of the no-wins-over-BCS-teams bunch.
23. Texas Tech (4-0): Some seriously WEAK scheduling here.
24. Minnesota (4-0): Ditto. But did they need this, or what?
25. Tulsa (3-0): I have no idea.

Also considered (but then rejected): Nebraska, Texas