1. USC (1) - Well, if there were any doubts after a lackluster opener against Idaho, they sure got answered Saturday night. Just a dominating performance against a good Nebraska team, with the game in Lincoln to boot. Very impressive.
2. LSU (2) - They benched their starting QB and #1 WR, and then went out and beat Middle Tennessee St. 44-0. The best defense in the country.
3. West Virginia (3) - The Noel Devine watch continues... 5 carries, 136 yards. As he gets worked into the offense more and more they are just going to be even more explosive. 353 rushing yards against Maryland.
4. Florida (4) - Besides USC, the most impressive team in the country on Saturday. All year long I have said I thought their offense was going to be great and they would again challenge in the SEC, but I don't think I even knew how good they could be. They have so many playmakers... they can attack you so many different ways offensively. The Florida/LSU game in a few weeks should be amazing.5. Oklahoma (5) - 54-3 win over Utah St. Ho hum. Sam Bradford now has 11 TD and 1 INT after 3 games.
The top 5 don't change this week... in my mind, these 5 have separated themselves at this point in the season. Things can and obviously will change, but I have been most impressed by these 5 teams.
6. California (6) - Like so many of the top teams in the country, they just attack you so many ways. Justin Forsett is thriving, and the passing game is explosive with Desean Jackson. Their matchup at Oregon in 2 weeks should be a dandy.
7. Texas (7) - A 3-point win against UCF? They gave up nearly 200 yards rushing against the Golden Knights... they might be able to do that and win now, but they have to be able to stop the run in the Big 12, especially with Oklahoma on the schedule.
8. Rutgers (9) - They just continue to impress and take care of what they need to. Sure, it was only Norfolk St. that they crushed (which they should), but looking at teams like Wisconsin, sometimes these easy wins are more impressive than they seem.
9. Ohio St. (NR) - OK, they finally get a coveted spot in my top 10. Very impressive win over a solid Washington team. Chris Wells is quickly becoming one of the top backs in the Big 10.
10. Wisconsin (8) - Letting The Citadel hang around? Wisconsin is 3-0, but it's hard to say that they've been real impressive in those 3 wins. Another mediocre game like that and they could lose... or at the very least drop out of my top 10.
JUST MISSED:
Penn St. - Big 10 bashing has been pretty strong this year (and maybe for good reason), but right now they have 3 of the top 11 or 12 teams in the country.
Boston College - Very impressive win at Georgia Tech. 435 yards for Matt Ryan... Colt Brennan who?
Oregon - We'll see in a couple of weeks if they're really as good as they looked during the Michigan game.
For another solid set of rankings check out The Sports Flow.
Do you agree or disagree with mine? What would you change?