Dak Dillion-US Presswire
For the college football fans that enjoy upsets, last Saturday most of felt like Christmas morning. Four top 25 teams were upset in what was an exciting day of college football. Two of the teams that were upset were considered to be contenders for their conference titles and had an outside chance at the national championship. After last weekend, they will have a lot of work to do to fix their BCS resumes, if they can recover from their losses that is.
The upsets caused multiple changes within my college football top 25. No team moved out of my top 25, however, those that were upset slid down a number of spots.
Without further ado, this is how I have the top 25 teams in college football ranked.
1. Alabama-Nick Saban showed Western Kentucky some respect and decided not to run up the score too high. Don’t expect him to be so kind to a reeling Arkansas team this weekend. Last week’s ranking: 1
2. USC- Syracuse scared the Trojans temporarily but USC scored 21 points to put them away. Matt Barkley starred once again with six touchdowns. Last week’s ranking: 2
3. LSU- The Tigers made the Washington Huskies wish they would have stayed back home. Zach Mettenberger was better than last week but the running backs did all the work. Last week’s ranking:3
4. Oklahoma- The Sooners put their ugly win in week behind them with a good ole-fashioned rout. Running back Damian Williams stole the show with 156 yards and four touchdowns on 10 carries. Last week’s ranking: 5
5. Oregon- The Ducks were jumped by Oklahoma because of the Sooners offensive explosion and the Ducks managing only seven points in the second half. They did score 42 however and are still capable of dethroning USC as the favorite in the Pac-12. Last week’s ranking: 4
6. Georgia- After pundits thought the Dawgs couldn’t win without their four suspended players, Georgia showed the world that they are just as good without them. The 42-2o road win opened the eyes of some to the Bulldogs. Last week’s ranking: 6
7. West Virginia- The Mountaineers were off this week and hold their spot. Last week’s ranking: 7
8. South Carolina-Connor Shaw who? Backup QB Dylan Thompson threw for 330 yards in last week’s win and showed the Gamecocks could actually throw the ball. The offense seemed a lot more in-sync under Thompson. Last week’s ranking: 11
9. Florida State- The Seminoles essentially mercy ruled Savannah State last week in a three quarter, 55-0 thrashing. They face actual competition next week when they take on Wake Forest but still expect them to score a ton. Last week’s ranking: 14
10. Michigan State- La’Veon Bell did not receive 40 carries like he did a week ago because the Spartans offense did the heavy lifting instead. In what seems to be a weaker Big 10, this MSU team has the chance to make some noise. Last week’s ranking: 9
11. Clemson- The Tigers scored 45 points in the first half without featuring Andre Ellington as the offensive focal point. Clemson has shown they have a propensity for the end zone but the key question is can they keep it going and avoid falling apart late in the season. Last week’s ranking: 10
12. Ohio State- Don’t look now but Urban Meyer has found someone for the Tim Tebow role in his offense. Braxton Miller rushed for more than 100 yards once again and is what Meyer was missing in his last years at Florida. Watch out Big 10. Ohio State is for real. Last week’s ranking: 15
13. Virginia Tech- The Hokies routed Austin-Peay this past weekend but that was to be expected. Last week’s ranking: 19
14. Texas: The Longhorns slide up in the rankings thanks to quarterback David Ash’s ability to spread the ball around. Ash impressed by completing passes to 11 different receivers. Last week’s rankings: 18
15. Arkansas- Tyler Wilson leaving the game should have been a sign of things to come for Arkansas fans. Losing to LA-Monroe at home is one that will sting for awhile. Last week’s ranking: 8
16. Michigan-Denard Robinson was a one man show for the Wolverines last weekend. Racking up 200 yards through the air as well as on the ground, Michigan fans must be wondering where was that last weekend. Last week’s ranking: 12
17. Wisconsin-Last week’s game should have been an indicator that this was not last year’s Badgers. The offense looked anemic and was shutout for three quarters. Last week’s ranking: 12
18. TCU- TCU looked great in their debut. Though it was against an inferior opponent, holding a team to 70 yards of offense and having a quarterback complete all of his passes is something special. Last week’s ranking: 20
19. Kansas State- The Collin Klein show continues. The quarterback scored another four touchdowns this week. Last week’s ranking: 22
20. Louisville- Charlie Strong will do great things at Louisville. Just watch. Last week’s ranking: 23
21. Nebraska- I don’t know whether or not last week was more Nebraska being overrated or UCLA actually having a good team this year. Last week’s ranking: 16
22. Oklahoma State: Football is a four quarter game. Someone should tell the Cowboys that. Last week’s ranking: 17
23. Stanford- The Cardinal don’t seem to be missing Andrew Luck too much as of now. However, after playing USC this week, they may feel differently. Last week’s ranking: 21
24. Florida- Lady Luck must be a Gator. Injuries are starting to build up for a team that will need to throw the ball to climb the top 25 rankings. Last week’s ranking: 24
25. Tennessee- Tyler Bray is showing he is a very good quarterback. A win against Florida would look good on his resume. Last week’s ranking: 25
Chris Lionetti covers the Southeastern Conference for Rant Sports
Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisLionetti
