1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) LW 1
The Crimson Tide had the weekend off and it comes at a good time with their game at Texas A&M coming up this week. This gives the Tide another week to prepare for Johnny Manziel. You have to know that 'Bama is geared up and ready to get revenge on the Aggies.
2. Oregon Ducks (2-0) LW 2
Another week another dominant win for the Ducks. However this week it was against Virginia who isn't a patsy. But the offense continues to hum and the Ducks continue to look like one of the best teams in the nation. Their game against Tennessee this weekend should be another chance to see how good they are.
3. Clemson Tigers (2-0) LW 3
After beating Georgia the Tigers got a little break hosting FCS South Carolina State. They posed little challenge for the Tigers and allowed them to get some good work in and then pulled the starters. Add in the bye week before a Thursday game against NC State and Clemson should be rested and ready to go.
4. Louisville Cardinals (2-0) LW 4
It was against FCS Eastern Kentucky, but the Cardinals dominance continues winning 44-7. Next week Louisville faces off against in state rival Kentucky which still won't give us a good glimpse of how good they really are. Adding another blow is that Cincinnati lost to Illinois which hurts the Cardinals because that was suppose to be their toughest opponent. Gotta keep blowing teams out.
5. Stanford Cardinal (1-0) LW 5
Stanford played their first game of the season in a Saturday night showdown with a talented but unknown San Jose State game. Looking at the score it doesn't seem like the Cardinals dominated, but they did. Their offense isn't going to lead to too many blowouts, but their defense set the tone and held QB David Fales in check. With Army next it gives the Stanford another tune up before a match up with Arizona State in a couple of weeks.
6. Florida State Seminoles (1-0) LW 6
With the Seminoles playing on Labor Day night, they have an off week here instead of playing on a shortened week. They'll play Nevada this weekend and look to carry the momentum from their week one win to another lopsided victory. But it's safe to say that FSU is poised for a big year with a play making QB and a stout defense.
7. LSU Tigers (2-0) LW 12
I was leery of the Tigers going into this season mainly because QB Zach Mettenberger looked awful last year. But under the guidance of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Mettenberger is a whole new QB and he has the Tigers playing like one of the best teams in the SEC. LSU cruised past UAB and now face off against Kent State before starting the SEC schedule. Everybody talked about A&M being the team that challenges Alabama for the West, but if LSU keeps playing like this they'll be that team.
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) LW 8
I don't know what's worse. The fact that Braxton Miller had to leave yet another game because of injury, or the fact that the offense looked better with backup QB Kenny Guiton leading them. But most Buckeye fans will be happy knowing that when Braxton goes down again they are in good hands. But the Buckeyes can't sleep on Cal this week as they've shown that they are capable of playing some good football, especially at home.
9. Texas A&M Aggies (2-0) LW 9
With Johnny Manziel back for a full game for the first time this year, the Aggies cruised past the FCS runner up Sam Houston State in route to a 65-28 win. This gives A&M momentum heading into their game against Alabama which could be for the SEC West Division. It should be a good game with the Aggies looking to prove that last year was no fluke.
10. Georgia Bulldogs (1-1) LW 11
What a change last week was to now. Last week we had Georgia fans crying on talk radio after their loss to Clemson and now they are happy with a huge win over South Carolina. The win gives the Bulldogs an early lead in the East, and with Florida looking sluggish it could put them in the drivers seat. Just as long as they don't look past North Texas for their game with LSU in a couple of weeks.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks (1-1) LW 7
Going into this year it was the offense that we thought might slow down the Gamecocks, however against Georgia it was their defense that let them down. So much so that they have star DE Jadeveon Clowney and head coach Steve Spurrier calling out their defensive coordinator in the media. Their season looked to be promising after week one, but if they don't all get on the same page it could come crumbling down.
12. UCLA Bruins (1-0) LW 13
The Bruins were yet another team with an early bye. After defeating Nevada in the opening week the Bruins got some extra prep work in before they travel to Nebraska for a top 20 showdown. UCLA got the win last year and another win here would set them up for another possible trip to the Pac 12 Title game.
13. Miami Hurricanes (2-0) LW 15
We've been waiting for Miami to be back and with their win over rival Florida they look to be closer. Now the game was far from pretty, but the Hurricanes got the win and that's the best thing. Defensively they were able to prevent the Gators from doing anything on offense and used a few timely turnovers to put their points on the board. They now draw Savannah State before getting into the thick of the ACC schedule.
14. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0) LW 16
After only putting up 21 points in their win against Mississippi State, the Cowboys got back to their high scoring days with a 56-35 win over UT-San Antonio. Right now the Cowboys look like the class of the Big 12 and are poised for a big year.
15. Michigan Wolverines (2-0) LW 17
In their first test of the season, the Wolverines passed with flying colors. My biggest concern going into this year was whether Devin Gardner can beat the top teams on their schedule and if they had the weapons around him to do so. RB Fitz Toussaint has regain his form from two years ago while WR Jeremy Gallon has emerged as a play maker outside. Michigan is running on all cylinders and look to be a real threat to Ohio State to win the Big 10.
16. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0) LW 18
Last week the Husker defense gave up 600 plus yards, but this week came to play against Southern Miss holding them to 284 yards and 13 points. Now Southern Miss is still terrible, but the Huskers have confidence going into their game against UCLA this weekend. A win here puts Nebraska in good shape to go 7-0 heading into a stretch run against Northwestern, Michigan, and Penn State.
17. Baylor Bears (2-0) LW NR
With Buffalo coming off a game where they were right there with Ohio State, the Baylor Bears made it clear they didn't want them hanging around. So they ended the game quickly. Real quickly. Putting up 28 points in the first quarter and 56 points at halftime. Baylor even set a school record 781 yards in this route. The Bears are putting up the numbers, but can they do that once they start playing the top teams in the conference?
18. Florida Gators (1-1) LW 14
What I can't understand is how the Gators have no play makers on their offense. Here is a team that not too long ago was flourishing with guys all over the field, but now they have to rely on pounding the ball inside the tackles to try and get wins. They are so one dimensional. That showed against Miami this week and if they don't get it fixed, they could lose three or four games.
19. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) LW NR
I was hesitant to put Wisconsin in the rankings at first mainly because they'd have a new coach and have to replace several key pieces on both sides of the ball. Instead the Badgers look like their teams of old in style and in dominance. This week they cleaned house with Tennessee-Tech but their game at Arizona State will be one to watch. We should see what type of team they really are after that one.
20. Northwestern Wildcats (2-0) LW 22
After struggling with California for most of the game, the Wildcats took it too Syracuse and made it a blow out. A big part of that win was having a healthy Kain Colter back. Colter brings a different dimension that nobody else can fill.
21. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) LW 20
Before the season started most people assumed that Blake Bell was going to be the starting QB, so when he wasn't it was a surprise to many. Well after this game against a bad West Virginia team where the offense sputtered, we could see Bell on a more regular basis. Because as we know, if you don't score points in the Big 12. Your not going to win.
22. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-1) LW 10
I'll fully admit that I had the Fighting Irish higher than they should have. I figured their defense would be elite but thought their offense would be enough to win many games. That may still be the case, but as we saw against Michigan, they aren't one of the 20 best teams in the nation. Their defense is worse and their offense just isn't good with Tommy Rees at quarterback.
23. Fresno State Bulldogs (2-0) LW 23
Isaiah Burse was the star of this game with three touchdowns and two of them coming on punt returns. The other one came from QB Derek Carr who threw three touchdowns which put him at 71 on his career which is a Mountain West and school records.
24. Northern Illinois Huskies (1-0) LW 24
After their narrow win over Iowa in their opening week, the Huskies have a week off before their game against Idaho. You would have liked to see the Huskies have a tougher schedule since they want to get back to a BCS Game, but they'll have to hope Purdue is better than people anticipate because that is it.
25. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-1) LW 25
In their game against Middle Tennessee the score may make it look closer, but the Tar Heels really were in control the entire way. Bouncing back from a bad loss to South Carolina the Tar Heels got the win to get back on track. QB Bryn Renner 339 yards and 3 TDs to lead the way.
Dropped Out: Texas Longhorns, Cincinnati Bearcats
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