TOP 25
Top contenders dwindling fast
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With highly-ranked unbeatens USC, Utah, BYU and Georgia Tech falling, the contenders fit for a No. 1 ranking are dwindling fast. And with four of the top seven teams from the SEC, other unbeatens are soon to fall. Could this be a season where a two-loss team sneaks into the BCS championship? This week’s top eight are fairly straight-forward. After that, a trio of traditional powers, all with one loss (Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma) are bunched with five unbeatens who will be tested this weekend. At the bottom of the rankings, could have just as easily been Georgia, Georgia Tech, Nebraska or Oregon.
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Florida (3-0) | Win over Tennessee not as close as final score indicated | 1 |
| 2 | Texas (3-0) | After halftime meds, McCoy (flu) regained Heisman swagger | 2 |
| 3 | Alabama (3-0) | Tide (42.3 ppg) geared for fireworks vs. Arkansas | 4 |
| 4 | Penn State (3-0) | Anxious for some Happy Valley revenge against Iowa (3-0) | 5 |
| 5 | California (3-0) | At upset-minded Gophers, Golden Bears are Best (5 TDs) | 7 |
| 6 | LSU (3-0) | Can we put a moratorium on the “Geaux Tigers” thing? | 6 |
| 7 | Mississippi (2-0) | Perfect showcase for Snead: ESPN Thursday, SC defense | 9 |
| 8 | Boise St. (3-0) | Please, no drum beat for the Smurfs until they go 11-0 | 11 |
| 9 | Va. Tech (2-1) | Taylor-to-Coale rescued Hokies. May need hero vs. Canes | 13 |
| 10 | Oklahoma (2-1) | Six TD passes for freshman QB Landry, a Sooners record | 14 |
| 11 | USC (2-1) | As Trojans’ backups go, Corp is no Cassel | 3 |
| 12 | TCU (2-0) | FSU thrashing of BYU doesn’t bode well for TCU vs. Clemson | 12 |
| 13 | Ohio State (2-1) | Starting to get the feeling Buckeyes are just not very good | 15 |
| 14 | Miami (2-0) | It’s a good thing for NCAA when the Canes are in picture | 24 |
| 15 | Cincinnati (3-0) | Fresno St. gave Boise St. pause. Can they ruffle the Bearcats? | 20 |
| 16 | Kansas (3-0) | So. Miss gave up 34 to UVa. How many will Reesing put up? | 17 |
| 17 | Houston (2-0) | Can Cougars take down another Big 12 power in Texas Tech? | 18 |
| 18 | Oklahoma St. (2-1) | Gundy on record-breaking QB Robinson: “He’s a man” | 19 |
| 19 | North Carolina (3-0) | Had to go deep into fourth to put away East Carolina | 21 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh (3-0) | Defense so good, four personal fouls didn’t hurt them | 22 |
| 21 | Michigan (3-0) | Rines’ 380 yards vs. Eastern Michigan most in six years | 23 |
| 22 | Florida State (2-1) | ’Noles fortunate to get South Florida without QB Grothe | NR |
| 23 | Missouri (3-0) | TV games Friday (Nevada) then Thursday (Nebraska) | 25 |
| 24 | Washington (2-1) | After winless 2008, can this really be the same Huskies? | NR |
| 25 | BYU (2-1) | Despite FSU, Cougars still might be class of Mountain West | 8 |
HEATING UP
Miami » After impressive wins over top-20 teams Florida State and Georgia Tech, Canes travel to No. 9 Va. Tech.
Also » Michigan, Cincinnati
COOLING DOWN
BYU » In one scattershot night, Max Hall (three interceptions) threw away his Heisman and the Cougars’ title hopes.
Also » Georgia Tech, Utah, USC
TOP 25 GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 14 Miami at No. 9 Virginia Tech
Under Randy Shannon, “The U” is back. Miami QB Jacory Harris has engineered upsets of Florida State and Georgia Tech, but how will he fare against Bud Foster’s Tech defense? The Hokies were lit up by Alabama in Week 1, but showed improvement in a 16-15 win Saturday over Nebraska and Zac Lee (11-of-31, 136 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT). The Tech offense has yet to take flight under QB Tyrod Taylor, which could be a problem against a fast Miami defense that limited Georgia Tech’s triple option to 95 yards rushing.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jerry Hughes, Texas Christian
After losses by BYU and Utah, it’s up to TCU to play for the honor of the Mountain West Conference. Hughes and the No. 12 Horned Frogs (2-0) have a difficult task Saturday at Clemson (2-1). Hughes, a 6-foot-3, 257-pound All-America defensive end, leads a unit that ranks No. 1 in sacks (5.5 per game) and No. 3 in rushing defense. Hughes, a former running back with 4.5 speed in the 40, had three sacks last week against Texas State and led the nation last year with 15 when TCU was No. 1 in the country in total defense. He will set his sights Saturday on Clemson QB Kyle Parker.
STORY LINES
1. Mountain Down » BCS bashers hopped on the Mountain West bandwagon when Brigham Young upset Oklahoma, joining conference teams Utah and TCU in the top 20. But the cries were muted last weekend as unranked Florida State drilled No. 8 BYU and unranked Oregon State handled No. 16 Utah, ending the Utes’ 16-game winning streak. The upsets leave No. 8 Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference and No. 12 TCU as the darlings of the BCS contrarians. While TCU must travel to Clemson Saturday and later deal with BYU and Utah, it could be smooth sailing for Boise, which doesn’t have a ranked team left on the schedule.
2. More Pacific Northwest blues for USC » The loss of freshman QB Matt Barkley was too much to overcome as USC was haunted by its history in the Pacific Northwest, losing to Washington, 16-13, on a field goal by Erik Folk with 3 seconds left. Barkley’s replacement, Aaron Corp threw for 110 yards, the lowest single-game output for a USC quarterback in coach Pete Carroll’s nine-year tenure. In the last eight years, USC has lost 10 games, including six in the Northwest — at Washington State (2002), California (2003), Oregon State (2006, 2008), and Oregon (2007). The dates that now loom for the Trojans — Oct. 3 at California and Oct. 31 at Oregon State.
3. ACC rebounds » In 2008 the Atlantic Coast Conference standings were a muddled mess. When the season ended, an NCAA-record 10 ACC teams qualified for bowl games. It wasn’t a reward for excellence, rather a result of mediocrity. The 2009 season looked like more of the same as the ACC suffered a dreadful opening week. But last weekend was more encouraging as Miami emerged with a win over Georgia Tech, Florida State knocked off No. 8 BYU, and Virginia Tech slipped past Nebraska. With the league’s top four teams playing each other Saturday, perhaps a national championship contender will emerge and bring some pecking order to a conference steeped in parity.
AREA INTELLIGENCE
MARYLAND
After perhaps their worst loss of the Ralph Friedgen Era, 32-31 to Middle Tennessee, the grasping Terps (1-2) face another team off to a shaky start in Rutgers (2-1), which struggled to beat Florida International, Saturday, 23-15. Priority one for Maryland: Reverse its 8-3 turnover ratio.
NAVY
In a 27-14 loss at No. 20 Pitt, Navy (1-2) had its lowest rushing total (129 yards) since 2006 as QB Ricky Dobbs (6-of-21, 89 yards, 26 rushes, 21 yards) was sacked six times. Dobbs should have it easier Saturday against visiting Western Kentucky (0-3), which has been out-scored 126-27.
VIRGINIA
In a 37-33 loss to Southern Miss, the Cavaliers (0-3) blew a 17-point lead and fell for the third straight week to a non-BCS school. At least their spread offense showed vital signs behind QB Jameel Sewel (312 yards passing, 2 rushing TDs). Virginia next plays at No. 19 UNC on Oct. 3.
VIRGINIA TECH
Freshman Ryan Williams has been a more-than-able replacement for injured Darren Evans (ACL), leading the ACC in rushing yards (114 per game) and touchdowns (six). The Tech rushing attack will be tested Saturday against a Miami defense that limited Georgia Tech to 129 yards rushing.
GEORGETOWN
The good news for Georgetown (0-3) and Howard (0-2) is that someone has to win when the teams meet Saturday. The culprit so far for both — lackluster offenses that have produced just one TD each. Though located three miles apart, the teams met for the first time last fall, GU winning 12-7.
