Wednesday, October 3, 2007

College Football - There Are Contenders and Pretenders, 9 of 25 Top Teams Get a Reality Check

(Editor's Note: All rankings used in this article are from the AP Top 25 Poll and all squad evaluations used are from Sagarin, the gold criterion among evaluation services.)

In the human race of college football game there are Pretenders and contenders. Nine of AP's Top 25 squads and 3 of the top 5 were given a world bank check over the weekend.

Was I surprised at this yearly occurrence? Hardly. When you begin analyzing how some of the squads started the hebdomad at 4-0 and ended it at 4-1, it is as easy to see as your human face in a mirror. World have a manner of telling all of the furrows and weaknesses.

For openers, there are the No.3 Oklahoma Sooners who lost a Big 12 Conference game 27-24 by a last 2nd field end in Centennial State to the Buffalos. Sooner State dropped to No. Ten in the Top 25.

The Sooners got to their exalted No. Three ranking by whipping No. 170th rated North Texas, No. 145th rated Beehive State State, No. 58th rated Tulsa and No. 44th rated Miami (FL). Their discourtesy ran up large tons on everybody, but their strength of agenda was only the 100th best in the country.

Urban Meyer and his defending national title-holder Sunshine State Gators fared no better. They lost 20-17 by a field end at place to Auburn in a second Conference game. Sunshine State was behind 17-3 going into the 4th quarter.

The loss snapped an 11-game winning run for the Gators who suffered their first place loss under Urban Meyer. Meyer's squad had won 18 in-a-row astatine home, 17 since Meyer took over in 2005.

The Gators got to their No. Four ranking by getting the best of No. 110 Western Kentucky, No. 85 Mississippi, No. 77 Troy and No. 32 Tennessee, an second opponent. Beating Volunteer State is what vaulted Sunshine State up in the rankings. Sunshine State dropped to No. Nine inch the rankings.

No. Five Occident Old Dominion ran smack into No. Eighteen South Sunshine State in a Big East face-off in South Sunshine State and lost 21-13. Coach Jim Leavitt and his South Sunshine State Bulls are quickly becoming the squad no 1 desires to face, and THE narrative of the college football game season.

West Old Dominion dropped from No. Five to No. Thirteen in the rankings while South Sunshine State moved up from No. Eighteen to No. 6.

West Old Dominion got to its No. Five ranking by taking down No. 129 Marshall, No. 94 Western Michigan, No. 74 East Carolina and No. 51 Maryland. Mountaineer fans who expected Occident Old Dominion to travel undefeated this twelvemonth and win the national statute title demand to regroup.

No. Seven Lone-Star State got really establish out and abashed at place against Sunflower State State in another Big 12 game as the Wildcats dumped on the Longhorns, 41-21. I have got got been questioning Texas' stature since the beginning of the year, and now my intuitions have been validated.

Texas got to 4-0 by defeating No. 162 Rice, No. Hundred Land Of Opportunity State, No. 73 Central Sunshine State and No. 54 TCU. Particularly telling was Central Florida, which Lone-Star State beat out by a field end while giving up 32 points. Texas, who is rated No. Twenty-Five by Sagarin, dropped to No. 19, a much more than realistic topographic point for the Longhorns to lounge.

No. Ten Rutgers, the favorites of the Big East, were upset at place by Old Line State 34-24, and dropped to No. 21. I believe Rutgers will soon drop out of the Top 25 as two 5-0 squads in the Big East—No. Twenty Cincinnati and unranked Connecticut--are being overlooked.

Rutgers rose to No. Ten by snappy up on No. 208 Alcoholics Anonymous Norfolk State, No. 142 American Bison and No. 68 Navy. Good grief, talking about a feeble schedule. They rate what they get.

Sagarin rates Rutgers at No. 38; even that looks high to me at the moment.

No. Eleven Beaver State played host to No. Six Golden State in a Political Action Committee 10 matchup and led 14-10 going into the 4th one-fourth but the Bears scored three touchdowns in the last 15 proceedings to set them away, 31-24.

Worse yet, the Ducks' Cameron Colvin scored what appeared to be the tying touchdown in the concluding secs but he fumbled and the ball went out of the end zone, giving Golden State a touchback and a triumph when the drama was reviewed. Duck fans in Autzen Stadium realized the errant drama may have got cost them a national title down the road.

Oregon dropped to No. Fourteen in the Top 25 and Golden State rose from No. Six to No. 3.

No. Thirteen Clemson traveled to Empire State Of The South Technical School and saw its dreaming season get to unknot as the Yellow Jacket defence held the Tigers to a field end in winning, 13-3. Clemson dropped to No. 22.

The Tigers got into the Top 25 by handling No. 154 Alcoholics Anonymous Furman, No. 133 Louisiana-Monroe, No. 87 North Carolina State and No. Twenty-One Sunshine State State. Clemson rose in the standings by whipping No. 21-rated Sunshine State State 24-18 in its opener.

Sagarin rates Clemson No. 34, no where close the Top 25. Clemson could drop out of the Top 25 in a heartbeat.

Joe Paterno's No. Twenty-One William William William Penn State Nittany Lions started the season at 3-0 before losing to a rejuvenated Wolverine State in the Big House, 14-9, and now loses his 2nd Big 10 game to Prairie State 27-20 at Illinois.

Going on the route in Big 10 Conference games have suddenly go difficult for Penn State as it dropped right out of the Top 25.

Again, Penn State started its season by running up tons on the worst Division 1-A school in college football, No. 171 Sunshine State International, the 7th worst squad in Division 1-A, No. 142 Buffalo, and the apparently miserable No. 95 and winless Notre Dame. What were those fans in Happy Valley thinking? A national championship? Think again.

No. Twenty-Two Heart Of Dixie was the 9th of the Top 25 squads to lose when first twelvemonth Coach Dent Saban and his Red Tide paid a visit to Sunshine State State and lost 21-14. Heart Of Dixie dropped right out of the Top 25 after arriving just a hebdomad earlier. Sagarin now rates Heart Of Dixie at No. 39.

I thought Saban might have got got kept Heart Of Dixie rising; I now have to readjust my outlooks for the Red Tide.

And so the awful 9—Oklahoma, Florida, Occident Virginia, Texas, Rutgers, Oregon, Clemson, William Penn State and Alabama—all drop but the No. One USC Trojans managed to get away by barely defeating American Capital at Eskimo Dog Stadium by a field end 27-24.

USC committed 16 penalties, threw 2 interceptions, lost a muff and suffered a blocked Irish pound and yet prevailed to reserve its perfect 5-0 record. The 2-3 American Capital Huskies are not exactly a human dynamo yet are rated No. Twenty-Seven by Sagarin, not too shabby.

By being so unimpressive, USC slipped to No. Two as the LSU Tigers took over the top spot.

LSU blew past No. 144-rated, in-state competing Tulane, 34-9, after ripping apart No. 57 Mississippi River State 45-0, No. Twenty-Eight Old Dominion Technical School 48-7 and No. 125 Center Volunteer State 44-0. LSU's best win came at place against No. Seventeen South Carolina 28-16. Sagarin rates LSU No. One in the country.

Only one other game really caught my attending and that was No. Nine Wisconsin River spotting Wolverine State State 34 points and then winning by a field end at home. The Badgers rose to No. Five among the Top 25.

I still believe Wisconsin River is not that good. Sagarin rates Wisconsin River at No. 24. The Badgers still have got away games at Illinois, William Penn State and Buckeye State State, then host Michigan. After those 4 games I doubt Wisconsin River will be 11-0 going into their last game at Minnesota.

Teams in the Top 25 start losing at this point in the season because they purposefully schedule weak squads early on to give their participants confidence, rise in the Top 25 rankings, give their booster amplifier hope, and convey attending to their programs.

Once conference drama starts, the messing around is over, as the awful 9 establish out over the weekend.

Copyright © 2007 Erectile Dysfunction Bagley

No comments: