TOP 25
Mid-major teams look strong
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There’s not much argument about the top seven, but then it gets muddled. Weighing the relative merits of Boise St. of the WAC and Mountain West teams Brigham Young, TCU, and Utah against BCS conference powers is difficult because of strength of schedule. The three Mountain West teams will eventually sort themselves out. But Boise already has beaten its most serious foe (Oregon), and done so in unimpressive fashion. The bottom eight also are unclear. It easily could include Texas Tech, Nebraska and Boston College, or Oregon State and Georgia, teams that dropped out of the top 25 despite winning.
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Florida (2-0) | Whoa, Nelly; Meyer and Kiffin plain don’t like each other | 1 |
| 2 | Texas (2-0) | Longhorns’ defense will get first major test with Texas Tech | 2 |
| 3 | USC (2-0) | The drive at the Horseshoe is building block for QB Barkley | 3 |
| 4 | Alabama (2-0) | Hey Nick, loosen up, baby. You got North Texas this week | 4 |
| 5 | Penn State (2-0) | Clark-led Lions looking like the team to beat in the Big 10 | 5 |
| 6 | LSU (2-0) | LB Alem, SEC Defensive Player of Week, leading Tigers | 8 |
| 7 | California (2-0) | Can RB Best (10.4 ypc) become first Bear to win Heisman? | 9 |
| 8 | BYU (2-0) | Cougars have interesting matchup with Florida State | 12 |
| 9 | Mississippi (1-0) | Gearing up for Sep. 24 Thursday game at South Carolina | 10 |
| 10 | Ga. Tech (2-0) | At Miami, a second straight Thursday for Yellow Jackets | 11 |
| 11 | Boise St. (2-0) | Next up for Broncos, the Stags of DeMatha High School | 13 |
| 12 | TCU (1-0) | Horned Frogs really need to upgrade schedule. Virginia? | 15 |
| 13 | Va. Tech (1-1) | With RBs Williams and Wilson, who needs injured Evans? | 17 |
| 14 | Oklahoma (1-1) | Nice bounce back for Sooners and freshman QB Landry | 16 |
| 15 | Ohio State (1-1) | Is Tressel wondering how Pryor would look as a WR? | 6 |
| 16 | Utah (2-0) | The Utes’ schedule — so easy even a Caveman could do it | 18 |
| 17 | Kansas (2-0) | Diminutive QB Reesing: This year’s version of Mizzou’s Daniel | 21 |
| 18 | Houston (2-0) | Can Cougars beat another Big 12 power in Texas Tech? | NR |
| 19 | Oklahoma St. (1-1) | The Sports Illustrated jinx at work as Cowboys drop | 7 |
| 20 | Cincinnati (2-0) | Suspect defense will be tested by explosive Oregon State | NR |
| 21 | North Carolina (2-0) | Only 35 yards rushing in lackluster win over UConn | 20 |
| 22 | Pittsburgh (2-0) | Handled Navy’s triple-option last year. Can they do it again? | 24 |
| 23 | Michigan (2-0) | Hardly a prototype, but frosh QB Forcier seems to have “it.” | NR |
| 24 | Miami (1-0) | Rose at FSU, now another TV appearance vs. Ga. Tech | NR |
| 25 | Missouri (2-0) | Down 14, Mizzou rallied behind RB Washington | 25 |
HEATING UP
Houston » A 45-35 win over Oklahoma State catapults the surprising Cougars into the rankings, all the way up to No. 18.
Also » Cincinnati, Miami
COOLING DOWN
Florida State » Losing at home to Miami, then struggling to beat Jacksonville State, knocks Seminoles out of top 25.
Also » Oklahoma State, Notre Dame
TOP 25 GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 20 Cincinnati at Oregon State
An intriguing matchup of Big East defending champion Cincinnati (2-0) and Pac 10 power Oregon State (2-0) features plenty of star power. The Bearcats are led by QB Tony Pike and explosive WR/RET Mardy Gilyard, while the Beavers showcase the diminutive Rodgers’ brothers, sophomore RB Jacquizz and junior WR James. Cincinnati ranks No. 2 in the nation in scoring (55.5 points per game) and No. 5 in offense (571 ypg). Both teams have questions to answer on defense.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Taylor Potts, Texas Tech
He’s no Graham Harrell? Actually, the Red Raiders’ new quarterback has more size, arm strength and athletic ability than his predecessor. And now he is beginning to compile stats that match. Potts will be put to the test Saturday when he faces No. 2 Texas and the Longhorns’ sack-happy defensive ends Sergio Kindle and Sam Acho. Saturday in a 55-10 win over Rice, the 6-5, 218-pound junior from Abilene completed 36 of 57 passes for 456 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Under Mike Leach, Texas Tech quarterbacks have led the nation in passing eight of the last nine years. Could Potts be next?
STORY LINES
1. Hail Forcier » First-year players provided fantastic finishes last week. We’ll start with Michigan’s Tate Forcier. Against Notre Dame, Forcier completed six of seven passes on the winning drive, the last a touchdown to Greg Mathews with 11 seconds left as the Wolverines and embattled coach Rich Rodriguez got a much-needed victory. Forcier threw for 240 yards on 22-of-33 with two touchdowns and also ran for 70 yards and a score. He and others, such as running back Brandon Minor, have shown what fireworks Rodriguez’ spread offense can provide. Young Michigan will be hard-pressed to win the Big Ten, but it’s set for marked improvement over last season’s three-win campaign.
2. Man of Troy » No program can reload better than USC. The Trojans lost many players on both sides of the ball, but haven’t missed a beat. One area where they apparently still remain skilled is at quarterback. With Mark Sanchez in the NFL, true freshman Matt Barkley was thrown immediately into the fire. However, with cool confidence, he directed the key drive to beat Ohio State, 18-15, in Columbus. The march was aided as running back Joe McKnight compiled 54 yards on five rushes and one catch. But Barkley was the story, overcoming a shoulder injury suffered during the contest and then showing poise to help pull out a win before 106,033 boisterous fans at the Horseshoe.
3. Upsets and thrillers » The NFL claims to be a league of parity, but college football has just as much, if not more, equality. And it shows when looking at the early slate of games. Most didn’t seem to pack much punch on paper. However, they’ve delivered in surprising fashion. This past weekend, No. 5 Oklahoma State was done in by Houston in Stillwater. Michigan State, a darkhorse candidate to win the Big Ten, fell to Central Michigan, 29-27. Florida State got a run for its money against … Jacksonville State?! Take into account the heart-stopping conclusions in Columbus and Ann Arbor, and there was excitement throughout. The NFL is the most popular game in America. College football may be the most unpredictable.
AREA INTELLIGENCE
MARYLAND
Next up for Maryland (1-1) is Middle Tennessee State (1-1), led by QB Dwight Dasher, a running and throwing threat who has accounted for 585 of the Blue Raiders’ 735 yards. The Terps, 24-14 losers at MTS last year, will be without DBs Nolan Carroll (broken leg) and Jamari McColough (foot).
NAVY
Coming off an uplifting 32-14 win over Louisiana Tech, Navy (1-1) faces a tough test Saturday at Pittsburgh (2-0). To avenge last year’s 42-21 loss in Annapolis, the Midshipmen must to solve Pitt freshman RB Dion Lewis, the nation’s third-leading rusher (159.5 yards per game).
VIRGINIA
It was a second straight dreadful Saturday at Scott Stadium as the Cavaliers fell to TCU, 30-14, getting just seven first downs and scoring both their TDs in garbage time. Virginia will try to solve its woes at Southern Mississippi (2-0), which ranks No. 9 in the nation in yards allowed (182.5 per game).
VIRGINIA TECH
RBs David Wilson (165 yards) and Ryan Williams (164 yards) fueled the Hokies’ ground game in a 52-10 romp over Marshall. Next up for No. 14 Tech is Nebraska. It’s the same scenario as last year when Tech went to Lincoln in September and beat the undefeated and untested Huskers, 35-30.
JAMES MADISON
After their near-upset at Maryland, where they fell 38-35 in OT, the Dukes (0-1) host VMI (1-0), a 14-13 winner over Robert Morris. Madison looks to build on Saturday’s strong offensive showing, propelled by junior QB Drew Dudzik (Centreville) who threw two TD passes and ran 70 yards for another score.
