Ranking the Top 25: Week 2

Heading into the third week of games, let’s look at how my top 25 shakes out.

-Much like the Pac-10 ratings, the poll strives to be purely results based (i.e. style points matter). However, the preseason rankings will play a small part in the criteria. Early in the season, it’s hard to get a good rating on teams, so there could be huge variation in the first few weeks. After that, the rankings will start to stabilize and head-to-head results will help. To the rankings…

1. Alabama  (2-0)Last Week: 1Thought: Tide didn’t miss a step without Mark Ingram. Swarming defense looked solid against a ranked Penn State.

2. Ohio State (2-0)Last Week: 3Thought: ACC looks soft, but this is a quality win against Miami.  Defense was solid and Pryor lived up to potential.

3. Oregon (2-0)Last Week: 5Though: Second half 35-0 trouncing of Tennessee showed resolve and that this offense hasn’t missed a beat yet.

4. Boise State (1-0)Last Week: 2Thought: The win against VA Tech doesn’t look so great. Hokies are 0-2 after losing to James Madison.

5. TCU (2-0)Last Week: 4Thought: Horned Frogs certainly could go undefeated. Andy Dalton is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation.

6. Oklahoma (2-0)Last Week: 12Thought: Sooners dismantled hyped up Florida State team. Impressive in all phases of the game. Favorite to win Big XII South. 

7. Nebraska (2-0)Last Week: 6Thought: Big game at Washington this weekend. Nebraska (-3) should definitely win but Seattle isn’t a friendly place to play. 

8. Iowa (2-0)Last Week: 7Thought: Hawkeyes draw stiff test in traveling to Arizona. Not sure their offense can keep pace with Foles and Co. 

9. Texas (2-0)Last Week: 10Thought: Not overwhelming, but these young Longhorns have taken care of business.

10. Wisconsin (2-0)Last Week:  9Thought: Badgers offense struggled against San Jose State. They need to perform better if they want to beat a stingy ASU defense.

11. Florida (2-0)Last Week: 11Thought: Offense showed signs of life in the second half against South Florida. Statement game at Tennessee this week.

12.  Arkansas (2-0)Last Week: 15Thought: Darkhorse candidate to win SEC West. Ryan Mallet runs a smooth offense and passes efficiently. Need to get a fast start against Georgia.

13. LSU (2-0)Last Week:  13Thought: Offense no longer looks anemic. Can Jordan Jefferson perform against upper-tier SEC defenses though?

14. South Carolina (2-0)Last Week: NRThought: Two impressive showings to start the year. Spurrier may have the quarterback he has lacked in his Gamecock tenure in Garcia.

15. Stanford (2-0)Last Week:  23Thought: Jim Harbaugh has really turned this program around. 35-0 victory at the Rose Bowl is nothing to sneeze at. Andrew Luck is the Pac-10’s best quarterback.

16. Miami [FL] (1-1)Last Week: 8Thought: ‘Canes missed out on an opportunity to cash in on a key non-conference game. They still hung in pretty well against one of the nation’s best.

17. USC (2-0)Last Week: 17Thought: Defense finally showed up, but the offensive line and penalties were an issue. Minnesota is the perfect cure and this is the week USC impresses.

18. Utah (2-0)Last Week: 21Thought: Utes are extremely tough at home. They have been solid in the first two weeks, but how long will it last?

19. Michigan (2-0)Last Week: NRThought: Denard Robinson is looking to single-handedly save Rich Rodriguez’s job. He’s off to a Heisman-esque start so far.

20. Houston (2-0)Last Week: 19Thought: Case Keenum likely won’t play against UCLA, but that won’t matter. Backup Cotton Turner put up 17 points in his first three drives. UCLA doesn’t have the fire power to keep up. 

21. Arizona (2-0)Last Week: 20Thought: Wildcats have a chance to prove they are a legitimate contender when they play host to Iowa. 

 22. Penn State (1-1)Last Week: 18

23. California (2-0)Last Week: NRThought: We have seen this from the Bears before. But it is hard not to be impressed by their 52-10 romping of Colorado. Is this the year they kick the curse? Pac-10 seems loaded and that doesn’t bode well for Bears. 

24. West Virginia (2-0)Last Week: 22Thought: Mountaineers were underwhelming at Marshall, needing overtime to beat their rival. Bill Stewart isn’t a very good coach. 

25. Fresno State (1-0)Last Week: 24Thought: Pat Hill runs a solid program. The Bulldogs are never an easy assignment.