DraftAce Top 25 - Week 3
Two weeks of football are under our belts and the top 25 is starting to take shape. There's still plenty of movement this week though, as we try to sort out who's for real and who's simply taking advantage of weak early-season opponents.
Florida remains at the top of my rankings, but there's a new team at No. 2. Really, no one deserves the No. 2 slot this week, as all the challengers struggled. Texas was losing to Wyoming late in the 2nd quarter, USC's offense was completely inept against Ohio State, and Alabama took far too long to put away FIU. The nod goes to Texas however, as I believe they are the next-most balanced team behind Florida. Alabama and USC have great defenses, but neither has the offensive firepower to compete with Florida and Texas.
Like USC, Georgia Tech also fell a spot despite winning. I have serious questions about the Yellow Jackets after Thursday's win over Clemson. If you take away a few big plays early in the game, Clemson would have won easily. I still like Georgia Tech, but their defense may not be as good as I originally thought.
Ohio State, despite a loss, didn't move in this week's rankings. I don't like dropping teams when they lose games that they should lose. OSU entered the game ranked lower than USC for a reason - because we all expected them to lose. So why should they fall further after they meet expectations? Additionally, Ohio State kept it much closer than I anticipated, solidifying its place just outside the top 10.
The biggest mover this week is Cincinnati. No, not because they beat up on Southeast Missouri, but because no one ahead of them showed up on Saturday. Cincinnati's offense appears to be for real and they have emerged as the clear favorite in the Big East.
Once again, I have LSU ranked 21st while the polls will likely have them in the top 10. As I asked last week, what have they done to deserve a top 10 ranking? In close wins against Washington and Vanderbilt, the Tigers have barely looked like a top 25 team, much less a top 10 squad.
Two new teams appear in the rankings this week: Michigan and Houston. I'm not completely sold on Houston, but a win over a top-5 team on the road needs to be rewarded. As for Michigan, they may actually be back. They're not ready to compete for a Big Ten title yet, but an 8-4 season could be a realistic goal at this point.
Florida remains at the top of my rankings, but there's a new team at No. 2. Really, no one deserves the No. 2 slot this week, as all the challengers struggled. Texas was losing to Wyoming late in the 2nd quarter, USC's offense was completely inept against Ohio State, and Alabama took far too long to put away FIU. The nod goes to Texas however, as I believe they are the next-most balanced team behind Florida. Alabama and USC have great defenses, but neither has the offensive firepower to compete with Florida and Texas.
Like USC, Georgia Tech also fell a spot despite winning. I have serious questions about the Yellow Jackets after Thursday's win over Clemson. If you take away a few big plays early in the game, Clemson would have won easily. I still like Georgia Tech, but their defense may not be as good as I originally thought.
Ohio State, despite a loss, didn't move in this week's rankings. I don't like dropping teams when they lose games that they should lose. OSU entered the game ranked lower than USC for a reason - because we all expected them to lose. So why should they fall further after they meet expectations? Additionally, Ohio State kept it much closer than I anticipated, solidifying its place just outside the top 10.
The biggest mover this week is Cincinnati. No, not because they beat up on Southeast Missouri, but because no one ahead of them showed up on Saturday. Cincinnati's offense appears to be for real and they have emerged as the clear favorite in the Big East.
Once again, I have LSU ranked 21st while the polls will likely have them in the top 10. As I asked last week, what have they done to deserve a top 10 ranking? In close wins against Washington and Vanderbilt, the Tigers have barely looked like a top 25 team, much less a top 10 squad.
Two new teams appear in the rankings this week: Michigan and Houston. I'm not completely sold on Houston, but a win over a top-5 team on the road needs to be rewarded. As for Michigan, they may actually be back. They're not ready to compete for a Big Ten title yet, but an 8-4 season could be a realistic goal at this point.
Labels: 2009 Top 25
posted by Ryan McCrystal @ 10:59 AM
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