I'm just going to combine these into 1 this week... hope you don't mind!First, my top 10:
1. USC - Still my #1... but if they have another mediocre performance (which they'll lose if that happens), LSU has looked mighty impressive so far. Insomniac's Lounge has LSU at #1.
2. LSU - As mentioned above, LSU has been pretty darn impressive. I didn't think Va. Tech would be able to stay too close to them, but I didn't think LSU would be able to dominate that much. This doesn't even really need to be said but their defense is awesome.
3. West Virginia - One bad half isn't going to make me drop them that much... they might have the most explosive offense in the country. Freshman Noel Devine through 2 games: 12 carries, 120 yards, 3 TD. Get him the ball!
4. Florida - I still love their offense. They've got the players for the system, and Urban Meyer is OK as a coach! Thought it will be interesting this week as they finally play a decent team, taking on the Tennessee Volunteers.
5. Oklahoma - They have been mighty impressive so far, but jumping to #3 in some polls is a little much for me. Great win, but Miami isn't that good. They should be able to coast fairly unscathed into the Texas game in early October.
6. Texas - Nice win for the Longhorns last week against a solid TCU team. Colt McCoy continued to struggle, but with some of the talent around him (Limas Sweed, Jamaal Charles, etc) I'm guessing he will snap out of it soon. Like Oklahoma, Texas should go into their game undefeated barring something very unexpected.
7. California - Struggled a bit last week, but I saw too much that I liked against Tennessee to knock them down any.
8. Wisconsin - Another team that wasn't overly impressive last week, as this game was very much in doubt all the way through. Although PJ Hill got on track with over 140 yards, so that is nice.
9. Rutgers - Maybe the best all-around team in the Big East, as their defense is better than West Virginia or Louisville's.
10. UCLA - Beat a solid BYU team... still a bit skeptical because of the coaching, but if things go well they could have an outside shot at competing for the Pac-10 Title.
JUST MISSED:
Louisville - 42 points to Middle Tennessee St? Are you kidding me?
Ohio St. - Give me one more week to be convinced. If they play well against Washington, they can probably enter my top 10.
Penn St. - A very solid team that will be a top contender for the Big 10 title... just don't like them quite enough yet to put them in the top 10.
Nebraska - Nice win over Wake, but I didn't think they played all the well. They were lucky to face an inexperienced QB. Now, if things go well against USC, then we'll talk.
MY PICKS:
(10) Ohio St. @ Washington
Washington should be flying high after a solid win over Boise St. last week. The schedule gets very tough, but they will be in a close one here. I'm not sold on the Buckeye offense yet, but I like that defense at home. I'll take OHIO ST. in a pretty close one.
(9) Louisville @ Kentucky
2 of the top 5 QBs in the nation square in what should be an offensive battle. Andre Woodson could really become a household name (if he isn't already) if he leads Kentucky to an upset win, but I don't quite see it. I like LOUISVILLE in a shootout.
(21) Boston College @ (15) Georgia Tech
Life after Calvin Johnson hasn't been so bad after all. With a balanced offense and solid defensive effort, GT has pummeled Notre Dame (still impressive) and Samford (OK, not that impressive). BC is coming off a struggle against NC State, though they did pull it out. I really like the senior QB Matt Ryan for Boston College, but I like the GEORGIA TECH running game a little more.
(22) Tennessee @ (5) Florida
Should be a great matchup between two solid SEC teams. Tennessee almost pulled off the upset this year, but I don't see it this year. Not in the Swamp. This will be their first real test of the year, but I like FLORIDA to prevail.
(1) USC @ (14) Nebraska
The game of the week. This is a chance for Nebraska to show they have finally taken things to the next level, and to get the signature win that's been missing under Bill Callahan. They have a great chance, playing at home, with Sam Keller getting more and more used to the offense, facing a USC team that looked rusty in its only game 2 weeks ago. Still, even with all of those advantages, I like USC. Just too much talent on the offensive side of the ball.
I wasn't able to get my picks up last week, but I did go 5-0 in week 1. What do you think of the rankings and do you disagree with any of my picks?