Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The College Football Blog: 2011 Power Rankings (After Week 2)

Power Rankings after Week 2

1. Alabama 2-0 (1st)

2. Oklahoma 1-0 (2nd)

3. LSU 2-0 (3rd)

4. Florida State 2-0 (4th)

5. Texas A&M 1-0 (5th)

6. Boise State 1-0 (6th)

7. South Carolina 2-0 (7th)

8. Oregon 1-1 (8th)

9. Stanford 2-0 (10th)

10. Wisconsin 2-0 (13th)

11. Oklahoma State 2-0 (12th)

12. Arkansas 2-0 (14th)

13. Nebraska 2-0 (11th)

14. Ohio State 2-0 (9th)

15. Florida 2-0 (NR)

Out: Mississippi State (15th).

Explanation: My lack of patience continued this week, as I sent a couple of 2-0 Big Ten teams down in the rankings. The top 8 spots in my top 15 remained the same this week. Wisconsin moved up 3 spots in my rankings, while Ohio State fell 5 spots. Mississippi State was the only team to fall out of my power rankings this week. Florida took Miss State’s spot in the power 15.

1. Alabama: 2-0 (won at Penn State, 27-11). Bama stays as my top team, as they won handedly on the road against a solid Penn State team.

2. Oklahoma: 1-0 (Idle). Oklahoma was off last week and they stay at #2. They have a huge test this week, as they go down to Tallahassee to take on FSU.

3. LSU: 2-0 (won vs. Northwestern State, 49-3). LSU stays at #3, as they didn’t do anything to change my opinion, taking care of business against an FCS opponent.

4. Florida State: 2-0 (won vs. Charleston Southern, 62-10). FSU stays at #4, as the Noles didn’t do anything to change my opinion, destroying an FCS team. The Noles haven’t played anyone yet, but that all changes this week as they welcome Oklahoma to town.

5. Texas A&M: 1-0 (Idle). A&M was off last week and they stay at #5. A showdown at home against Oklahoma State looms in week 4.

6. Boise State: 1-0 (Idle). Boise State was idle last week and they stay at #6. They go to Toledo this week and will be heavily favored, but the Rockets just put a hell of a scare into Ohio State in Columbus.

7. South Carolina: 2-0 (won at Georgia, 45-42). South Carolina stays at #7, as they came from behind and hung on to beat Georgia on the road last week. The defense has been shaky, but so far the Gamecocks have been just about as tough as expected. They should be favored by close to double digits in their next four games, all at home.

8. Oregon: 1-1 (won vs. Nevada, 69-20). Oregon stays at #8, as they rebounded from the opening week loss to LSU with a throttling of a talented Nevada team. They should be significant favorites in their next 7 games, leading up to a matchup at Stanford.

9. Stanford: 2-0 (won at Duke, 44-14). Stanford moves up a spot in the rankings this week to #9, as they took care of business against Duke on the road to go to 2-0. They have a road test at Arizona this week but they ought to be 7-0 going into their game at USC in the last week of October.

10. Wisconsin: 2-0 (won vs. Oregon State, 35-0). Wisconsin moves up 3 spots to #10, as they shutout what looks like the worst Oregon State team in many a year. Wisconsin made the biggest climb in my rankings this week. The Badgers haven’t faced tough competition in the first two weeks, but they’ve been impressive in their total domination of the opposition. They also benefited from several teams moving down the rankings.

11. Oklahoma State: 2-0 (won vs. Arizona, 37-14). Oklahoma State moves up a spot to #11, as they won easily over a conference opponent to go to 2-0. Questions about the defense still remain, and it will be interesting to see how they handle the explosive Tulsa offense on the road this week, with the big road game against the Aggies looming ahead in week 4.

12. Arkansas: 2-0 (won vs. New Mexico, 52-3). Arkansas moves up 2 spots to #12, as they rolled over another weak opponent. The Hogs benefited from a couple of teams moving down the rankings.

13. Nebraska: 2-0 (won vs. Fresno State, 42-29). Nebraska falls 2 spots to #13, as they struggled to pull away from Fresno State at home. Fresno State has a history of playing tough against teams from the major conferences, but just the week before they lost by 15 to Cal in San Francisco. Nebraska has a rematch with Washington this week, but they should be 4-0 going into their brutal October schedule when they will face Wisconsin on the road, Ohio State, and Michigan State.

14. Ohio State: 2-0 (won vs. Toledo, 27-22). Ohio State drops 5 spots to #14, as they struggled against Toledo at home, and were very fortunate to come away with a win. The Buckeyes took the biggest fall in my rankings this week, as they had to stop the Rockets’ final drive at their own 17 to hang on for a 5-point win. Toledo had a 1st down at the Ohio State 21 with over a minute left but ended up getting stopped on 4th and 6 from the 17. I realize that Ohio State is still playing through suspensions, and I know that Toledo is expected to be one of the best MAC teams this year. Still, Ohio State looked pretty vulnerable at home against a team from the MAC. Also, the fact that the suspensions haven’t stopped, and that the NCAA is apparently not done with the Buckeyes yet, has me wondering if things will ever be normal this season. We’ll find out more about Ohio State this week, as the Bucks go to Miami to play the Hurricanes.

15. Florida: 2-0 (won vs. UAB, 39-0). Florida moves into the rankings at #15, as they shutout UAB to go to 2-0 on the year, beating a pair of FBS teams by a combined score of 80-3. Florida is the only new team in the power rankings this week. This might seem like a random pick to some, as many (including myself) expected the Gators to be in a rebuilding mode this season. But they are the Gators, and in truth, they really should never have to rebuild. They might be back. So far they’ve been pretty damn scary. As always they will play Tennessee in week 3, this time at home.

Teams Falling Out of the Rankings

Mississippi State: 1-1 (lost at Auburn, 34-41). Mississippi State falls out of the rankings from #15, as they lost by 7 at Auburn. Losing on the road by a TD to the defending national champions isn’t the end of the world, especially when this series has so often been tight over the years. However, Auburn had needed a miracle to avoid losing at home to Utah State in week 1, and the experienced Miss State squad was expected to take care of business against them. The Maroon Dogs aren’t far out of the rankings and they could well get back into the top 15 this season, but things won’t get any easier on Thursday night when they host LSU.

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