Monday, October 22, 2007
College Football Report
It’s been a weird season in college football, but I think we can finally divide teams into a few neat categories:
Ohio State, LSU, Boston College, Oklahoma and Oregon. If I’m any of these five teams, I feel to feel pretty confident of my chances to play in the BCS title game if I win out. Of course, B.C. isn’t that good, so they’ll probably suffer an upset or two somewhere along the way, but the other four all have a legit shot to win the remainder of their games.
West Virginia, Virginia Tech, USC, Florida. These teams have a shot but a lot has to go right for it to happen. USC still has to play Zona State, Cal, Oregon and UCLA, so they could add a lot of points down the stretch.
Arizona State, Kansas, South Florida. These are all good teams but really don’t have shot. South Florida could very well win out but it’s doubtful they’d move back into the Top 2, and Arizona State and Kansas will each lose at least two more games the rest of the way (though, of the two, Kansas has a better shot to emerge unscathed).
My Top 11 at this point in the season:
1. Ohio State – Not a great team, but have beaten the bad teams badly.
2. LSU – The best team in the country.
3. Oklahoma – This is where the rankings get tough, but I still think this is a very good team and will probably win out.
4. Oregon – At this stage, the Ducks appear to be the best team in the Pac-10. Game of the Week this Saturday vs. USC.
5. Boston College – Had a couple of nice early season-wins over Wake and Ga. Tech, but haven’t really been tested. Of course, they have only one ranked team on their schedule and that comes this Thursday.
6. Florida – Yes, the Gators have two losses, but they also have wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, while the other teams in the Nos. 5-11 category (save South Florida) have not a single win over a currently ranked team.
7. Arizona State – Nice wins over some good teams (Colorado, Oregon State, Washington) but has yet to play a ranked team. Next four games are Cal, Oregon, UCLA and USC. If the Devils go 2-2, I’d consider that a success. Go 3-1 and they’re a title contender.
8. South Florida – This is the hardest team to figure. Wins over Auburn and WVU are impressive, and a three-point loss at Rutgers is hardly embarrassing. But they’ve also been outgained routinely and have yet to look great.
9. West Virginia – No doubt a talented team, but best win so far is at Maryland.
10. Va. Tech – No impressive wins, but only loss is to LSU. The winner of this Thursday’s game against B.C. will likely take the mediocre ACC.
11. USC – This team has the talent to be ranked much higher, but they haven’t earned it yet and have generally played down to their competition. Plus, they lost to Stanford at home.
Ohio State, LSU, Boston College, Oklahoma and Oregon. If I’m any of these five teams, I feel to feel pretty confident of my chances to play in the BCS title game if I win out. Of course, B.C. isn’t that good, so they’ll probably suffer an upset or two somewhere along the way, but the other four all have a legit shot to win the remainder of their games.
West Virginia, Virginia Tech, USC, Florida. These teams have a shot but a lot has to go right for it to happen. USC still has to play Zona State, Cal, Oregon and UCLA, so they could add a lot of points down the stretch.
Arizona State, Kansas, South Florida. These are all good teams but really don’t have shot. South Florida could very well win out but it’s doubtful they’d move back into the Top 2, and Arizona State and Kansas will each lose at least two more games the rest of the way (though, of the two, Kansas has a better shot to emerge unscathed).
My Top 11 at this point in the season:
1. Ohio State – Not a great team, but have beaten the bad teams badly.
2. LSU – The best team in the country.
3. Oklahoma – This is where the rankings get tough, but I still think this is a very good team and will probably win out.
4. Oregon – At this stage, the Ducks appear to be the best team in the Pac-10. Game of the Week this Saturday vs. USC.
5. Boston College – Had a couple of nice early season-wins over Wake and Ga. Tech, but haven’t really been tested. Of course, they have only one ranked team on their schedule and that comes this Thursday.
6. Florida – Yes, the Gators have two losses, but they also have wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, while the other teams in the Nos. 5-11 category (save South Florida) have not a single win over a currently ranked team.
7. Arizona State – Nice wins over some good teams (Colorado, Oregon State, Washington) but has yet to play a ranked team. Next four games are Cal, Oregon, UCLA and USC. If the Devils go 2-2, I’d consider that a success. Go 3-1 and they’re a title contender.
8. South Florida – This is the hardest team to figure. Wins over Auburn and WVU are impressive, and a three-point loss at Rutgers is hardly embarrassing. But they’ve also been outgained routinely and have yet to look great.
9. West Virginia – No doubt a talented team, but best win so far is at Maryland.
10. Va. Tech – No impressive wins, but only loss is to LSU. The winner of this Thursday’s game against B.C. will likely take the mediocre ACC.
11. USC – This team has the talent to be ranked much higher, but they haven’t earned it yet and have generally played down to their competition. Plus, they lost to Stanford at home.
# posted by EJ @ 10:35 AM 
