Top 25 -- Week 2
Brush up on who Dave Singleton thinks the top 25 teams in the country are after the second full week of the NCAA season.
It was a bad week to be a member of the top 25 last week, especially if you came from the Big 12 North Division.
Not one, not two, but all three of the preseason favorites (Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska) got beaten by teams that, on paper, are not up to the same level talent wise.
Yes, Nebraska lost to a Southern Mississippi team that thwarted TCU's bid for a BCS Buster season last year. But, Nebraska turning the ball over five times is inexcusable. Even though the West Coast offense takes time to learn and execute properly, Joe Dailey has to improve much quicker if Husker Nation is going to be celebrating this season.
Yes, Missouri went on the road and lost to Troy "Don't call me 'State' anymore" University. Although I do give Missouri credit for not backing out of the game in little Troy, Alabama once the Tigers improved. But I wonder if Coach Pinkel now realizes that you have to be doubly prepared for that kind of game. Oh, and Mizzou's record on the road in the Pinkel era is 4-12. For all of the improvements that he has made to that program, that's not getting it done.
Then there was Kansas State. It wasn't a loss as much as it was domination by Fresno State. If you're K-State, and you have a supposed Heisman trophy candidate in Darren Sproles, and he only manages 37 yards on 11 carries, that is bad. Fresno State is not your typical Western Athletic Conference team. They were strong, and they beat Kansas State. No flukes, no tricks. The numbers speak for themselves.
It was only week two of the season. However, when you realize that there are only nine more regular season games, a loss like this could severely harm your chances of being considered for an at-large BCS bid if it comes to that.
Also, it makes the entire Big 12 look like the Pac-10 -- one great team, and then everybody else... And before all of you Texas people get into an uproar about that comment, I remind you of the fact that you haven't beaten Oklahoma in four years, and the combined score of the games from 2000-2003 is 177-54 in favor of OU.
This week's big mover? Fresno State. The big losers? Michigan, K-State and Missouri, who fall far or fall out.
On to this week's list:
1. Oklahoma 2. Southern California 3. LSU 4. Georgia 5. Purdue 6. Miami 7. Ohio State 8. West Virginia 9. Texas 10. Auburn 11. Florida 12. Iowa 13. Florida State 14. Utah 15. Fresno State 16. California 17. Tennessee 18. Minnesota 19. Wisconsin 20. Virginia 21. Louisville 22. Michigan 23. Kansas State 24. Boise State 25. Maryland
Moved in: Boise State, Maryland
Dropped out this week: Missouri, Clemson, Texas Tech
Not one, not two, but all three of the preseason favorites (Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska) got beaten by teams that, on paper, are not up to the same level talent wise.
Yes, Nebraska lost to a Southern Mississippi team that thwarted TCU's bid for a BCS Buster season last year. But, Nebraska turning the ball over five times is inexcusable. Even though the West Coast offense takes time to learn and execute properly, Joe Dailey has to improve much quicker if Husker Nation is going to be celebrating this season.
Yes, Missouri went on the road and lost to Troy "Don't call me 'State' anymore" University. Although I do give Missouri credit for not backing out of the game in little Troy, Alabama once the Tigers improved. But I wonder if Coach Pinkel now realizes that you have to be doubly prepared for that kind of game. Oh, and Mizzou's record on the road in the Pinkel era is 4-12. For all of the improvements that he has made to that program, that's not getting it done.
Then there was Kansas State. It wasn't a loss as much as it was domination by Fresno State. If you're K-State, and you have a supposed Heisman trophy candidate in Darren Sproles, and he only manages 37 yards on 11 carries, that is bad. Fresno State is not your typical Western Athletic Conference team. They were strong, and they beat Kansas State. No flukes, no tricks. The numbers speak for themselves.
It was only week two of the season. However, when you realize that there are only nine more regular season games, a loss like this could severely harm your chances of being considered for an at-large BCS bid if it comes to that.
Also, it makes the entire Big 12 look like the Pac-10 -- one great team, and then everybody else... And before all of you Texas people get into an uproar about that comment, I remind you of the fact that you haven't beaten Oklahoma in four years, and the combined score of the games from 2000-2003 is 177-54 in favor of OU.
This week's big mover? Fresno State. The big losers? Michigan, K-State and Missouri, who fall far or fall out.
On to this week's list:
1. Oklahoma 2. Southern California 3. LSU 4. Georgia 5. Purdue 6. Miami 7. Ohio State 8. West Virginia 9. Texas 10. Auburn 11. Florida 12. Iowa 13. Florida State 14. Utah 15. Fresno State 16. California 17. Tennessee 18. Minnesota 19. Wisconsin 20. Virginia 21. Louisville 22. Michigan 23. Kansas State 24. Boise State 25. Maryland
Moved in: Boise State, Maryland
Dropped out this week: Missouri, Clemson, Texas Tech
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