The McTop 25: September 7, 2008

Some observational thoughts this week:

1) The celebration penalty called against Washington on Saturday was just asinine. I am going to echo the talking heads on ESPN who said that kind of bonehead call can cost a coach his job. The officials must do a better job calling penalties like that;

2) The SEC officials tried to steal a game against Wake Forest on Saturday. That pass interference call on the Demon Deacons right before Ole Miss scored to take the lead? Absolutely laughable: no one was within five yards of the area where the ball landed, and no one was capable of catching it. At the bare minimum, neutral officiating crews need to call non-conference games between BCS schools. Otherwise, calls like this one can really do too much damage long-term;

3) Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Michigan struggles to beat a MAC team at home, leading only 10-6 in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame struggles to beat a Cal State school at home, trailing 13-7 in the fourth quarter. It’s ridiculous that either team is getting any press this year. If either team was in the Pac-10 or the SEC, they’d never finish above .500 on the season. This headline actually appeared on MSNBC.com Saturday night: “Aerial assault powers Notre Dame to victory”. Oh dear Lord …

4) You want cupcakes? You don't get ranked in my book.

Okay, on to the Top 25:

1. East Carolina (2-0): No one else has beaten two ranked opponents already this season. Sure, they were both home wins, but now Skip Holtz’s team becomes a trendy pick to crash the BCS.
2. USC (1-0): I have a feeling it is going to get ugly for the Buckeyes this weekend in Los Angeles. But at least Ohio State will play USC in the City of Angels.
3. Vanderbilt (2-0): Laugh all you want, but they beat Miami-OH on the road by twice as much as Michigan beat them at home, AND they beat a ranked SEC team to open league play with a win.
4. Utah (2-0): Yes, we have some random team crashing the Top 25 this week, but I don’t reward teams for playing cupcakes. The Utes are BCS slayers.
5. California (2-0): Maybe they should be higher than the Utes, but Wazzoo isn’t a real BCS team this season.
6. UCLA (1-0): They have more wins over SEC teams than Florida does.
7. Fresno State (1-0): With a road win over a BCS team, they belong here. Another potential BCS crasher. We could have three BCS crashers this year; that would be far out.
8. Florida (2-0): The win over Miami was impressive, showing Florida isn’t afraid to schedule good teams.
9. BYU (2-0): They were helped by a lame call (see above), for they could have lost that game in overtime. But in the end, a win’s a win, right?
10. Oklahoma State (2-0): They’re not as good as Cal, based on the comparative Wazzoo scores, but …
11. Alabama (2-0): They’ve played Clemson. They’ve played Tulane. Who else has Tommy Bowden coached?
12. Wake Forest (2-0): The ACC isn’t that bad, is it?
13. LSU (2-0): With a single win, over a FCS team at that, you just can’t rank them any higher right now.
14. Georgia Tech (2-0): Beating BC on the road counts for something.
15. Texas Tech (2-0): For some reason, their SOS rates kind of high. Not sure I buy it.
16. Minnesota (2-0): Ditto.
17. Auburn (2-0): Then you remember that Auburn played Louisiana-Monroe, and you realize why Texas Tech and Minnesota have played better schedules so far.
18. Wisconsin (2-0): MAC-friendly Bucky.
19. Colorado (2-0): Dan Hawkins’ kid can play ball.
20. Arizona State (2-0): Stanford rates in the SOS.
21. Oregon (2-0): Washington does not.
22. Nebraska (2-0): Not sure how you need a 21-point fourth quarter to pull away from a Cal State school at home, but …
23. Notre Dame (1-0): See above, except change the number from 21 to 14.
24. Oklahoma (2-0): Playing a BCS team offsets playing Chattanooga.
25. Georgia (2-0): Still waiting for the Dawgs to play a real team.

Also considered, but rejected for lack of scheduling prowess: Texas, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Tulsa, Ohio State, Penn State, TCU, South Florida, Air Force, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa, Florida State, Boise State, Purdue.