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Week Five Polls

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:06:55 -0500

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	LSU (40)	5-0	1473
2	Alabama (12)	5-0	1435
3	Oklahoma (7)	4-0	1397
4	Wisconsin	5-0	1266
5	Boise State (1)	4-0	1248
6	Oklahoma State	4-0	1191
7	Stanford	4-0	1185
8	Clemson	5-0	1093
9	Oregon	3-1	1028
10	Arkansas	4-1	860
11	Texas	4-0	833
12	Michigan	5-0	812
13	Georgia Tech	5-0	667
14	Nebraska	4-1	555
15	Auburn	4-1	550
16	West Virginia	4-1	544
17	Florida	4-1	498
18	South Carolina	4-1	487
19	Illinois	5-0	428
20	Kansas State	4-0	349
21	Virginia Tech	4-1	341
22	Arizona State	4-1	256
23	Florida State	2-2	237
24	Texas A&M	2-2	216
25	Baylor	3-1	186

USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oklahoma (27)	4-0	1421
2	LSU (21)	5-0	1410
3	Alabama (10)	5-0	1408
4	Stanford	4-0	1237
5	Wisconsin (1)	5-0	1236
6	Boise State	4-0	1186
7	Oklahoma State	4-0	1162
8	Clemson	5-0	1028
9	Oregon	3-1	1017
10	Texas	4-0	879
11	Michigan	5-0	808
12	Arkansas	4-1	788
13	Georgia Tech	5-0	728
14	South Carolina	4-1	559
15	Nebraska	4-1	557
16	Illinois	5-0	541
17	Virginia Tech	4-1	470
18	Florida	4-1	456
19	West Virginia	4-1	436
20	Michigan State	4-1	366
21	Kansas State	4-0	264
22	Florida State	2-2	229
23	Auburn	4-1	217
24	Arizona State	4-1	177
25	Texas A&M	2-2	160

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Week One College Football Polls

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:27:32 -0500

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oklahoma (32)	1-0	1448
2	LSU (17)	1-0	1415
3	Alabama (9)	1-0	1409
4	Boise State (2)	1-0	1310
5	Florida State	1-0	1196
6	Stanford	1-0	1154
7	Texas A&M	1-0	1033
8	Wisconsin	1-0	1031
9	Oklahoma State	1-0	981
10	Nebraska	1-0	947
11	Virginia Tech	1-0	906
12	South Carolina	1-0	843
13	Oregon	0-1	828
14	Arkansas	1-0	752
15	Ohio State	1-0	606
16	Mississippi State	1-0	594
17	Michigan State	1-0	530
18	Florida	1-0	382
19	West Virginia	1-0	357
20	Baylor	1-0	284
21	Missouri	1-0	242
22	South Florida	1-0	221
23	Penn State	1-0	147
24	Texas	1-0	135
25	TCU	0-1	130

Dropped from rankings: Notre Dame 16, Georgia 19, Auburn 23, USC 25

Others receiving votes: Arizona State 119, Auburn 85, USC 69, Georgia 52, Northwestern 40, Maryland 34, Brigham Young 33, Iowa 29, Houston 27, Utah 24, Notre Dame 22, Michigan 17, Pittsburgh 11, Air Force 11, UCF 10, North Carolina State 8, Tennessee 6, Hawaii 6, NORIL 5, Arizona 5, Southern Miss 4, Georgia Tech 1, Clemson 1

USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oklahoma (43)	1-0	1454
2	Alabama (9)	1-0	1412
3	LSU (7)	1-0	1366
4	Florida State	1-0	1198
5	Boise State	1-0	1197
6	Stanford	1-0	1180
7	Oklahoma State	1-0	1038
8	Texas A&M	1-0	997
9	Wisconsin	1-0	988
10	Nebraska	1-0	910
11	Virginia Tech	1-0	863
12	South Carolina	1-0	827
13	Arkansas	1-0	786
14	Oregon	0-1	752
15	Ohio State	1-0	686
16	Michigan State	1-0	584
17	Mississippi State	1-0	497
18	Florida	1-0	375
19	Missouri	1-0	309
20	Penn State	1-0	247
21	Texas	1-0	231
22	Auburn	1-0	197
23	Arizona State	1-0	189
24	West Virginia	1-0	185
25	TCU	0-1	140

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2011 AP Preseason Poll Results In

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:40:03 -0500

	Record	Pts	Pv
1. Oklahoma (36)	12-2	1,464	6
2. Alabama (17)	10-3	1,439	10
3. Oregon (4)	12-1	1,330	3
4. LSU (1)	11-2	1,286	8
5. Boise St. (2)	12-1	1,200	9
6. Florida St.	10-4	1,168	17
7. Stanford	12-1	1,091	4
8. Texas A&M	9-4	965	19
9. Oklahoma St.	11-2	955	13
10. Nebraska	10-4	910	20
11. Wisconsin	11-2	900	7
12. South Carolina	9-5	848	22
13. Virginia Tech	11-3	821	16
14. TCU	13-0	690	2
15. Arkansas	10-3	686	12
16. Notre Dame	8-5	530	NR
17. Michigan St.	11-2	519	14
18. Ohio St.	12-1	443	5
19. Georgia	6-7	369	NR
20. Mississippi St.	9-4	361	15
21. Missouri	10-3	258	18
22. Florida	8-5	228	NR
23. Auburn	14-0	219	1
24. West Virginia	9-4	207	NR
25. Southern Cal	8-5	160	NR

Others receiving votes: Texas 114, Penn St. 75, Arizona St. 67, Miami 32, Utah 25, Southern Miss. 20, Iowa 19, BYU 15, NC State 15, Air Force 14, Houston 13, Pittsburgh 9, Michigan 7, Tennessee 5, UCF 5, Hawaii 4, N. Illinois 4, Tulsa 3, Arizona 2, Maryland 2, Nevada 1, Northwestern 1, Washington 1.

The top four spots remain the same. Defending champ Auburn drops from 19th in the coaches to 23rd in the AP. A record eight SEC teams are in the poll and Auburn plays every one of them.

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College Football Polls - Week of 11/21/10

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 16:05:11 -0500

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Oregon (37) 10-0 1467
2 Auburn (13) 11-0 1430
3 Boise State (10) 10-0 1394
4 TCU 11-0 1340
5 Wisconsin 10-1 1196
6 LSU 10-1 1194
7 Stanford 10-1 1178
8 Ohio State 10-1 1088
9 Alabama 9-2 972
10 Oklahoma State 10-1 958
11 Michigan State 10-1 927
12 Arkansas 9-2 861
13 Virginia Tech 9-2 720
14 Oklahoma 9-2 650
15 Missouri 9-2 639
16 Nebraska 9-2 618
17 Texas A&M 8-3 573
18 South Carolina 8-3 559
19 Nevada 10-1 439
20 Arizona 7-3 268
21 North Carolina State 8-3 238
22 Florida State 8-3 232
23 Utah 9-2 211
24 Iowa 7-4 100
25 Mississippi State 7-4 94

* Dropped from rankings: USC 20, Miami (FL) 24

* Others receiving votes: Northern Illinois 72, West Virginia 26, Tulsa 12, USC 8, Hawaii 7, Miami (FL) 7, Navy 7, UCF 4, Florida 4, Southern Miss 3, Penn State 2, Ohio 1, Oregon State 1

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Oregon (48) 10-0 1459
2 Auburn (4) 11-0 1398
3 Boise State (5) 10-0 1341
4 TCU (2) 11-0 1300
5 Wisconsin 10-1 1211
6 LSU 10-1 1175
7 Ohio State 10-1 1116
8 Stanford 10-1 1112
9 Oklahoma State 10-1 990
10 Michigan State 10-1 927
11 Alabama 9-2 885
12 Arkansas 9-2 784
13 Oklahoma 9-2 733
14 Virginia Tech 9-2 723
15 Nebraska 9-2 614
16 Missouri 9-2 585
17 South Carolina 8-3 577
18 Texas A&M 8-3 492
19 Nevada 10-1 456
20 Arizona 7-3 279
21 Florida State 8-3 243
22 Utah 9-2 228
23 North Carolina State 8-3 208
24 Iowa 7-4 74
25 Mississippi State 7-4 68

* Dropped from rankings: Miami (FL) 21, Northwestern 25

* Others receiving votes: Northern Illinois 67, UCF 21, Hawaii 20, Southern Miss 16, West Virginia 13, Florida 12, Miami (FL) 11, Navy 7, Ohio 5, Pittsburgh 5, San Diego State 4, Penn State 4, Temple 4, Maryland 3, Michigan 2, Northwestern 2, Tulsa 1

Harris Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1 Oregon (68) 10-0 2793 1
2 Auburn (31) 11-0 2727 2
3 Boise State (14) 10-0 2619 3
4 TCU (1) 11-0 2557 4
5 Wisconsin 10-1 2295 5
6 LSU 10-1 2227 6
7 Stanford 10-1 2209 8
8 Ohio State 10-1 2131 7
9 Oklahoma State 10-1 1805 12
10 Michigan State 10-1 1797 10
11 Alabama 9-2 1783 11
12 Arkansas 9-2 1589 13
13 Oklahoma 9-2 1412 14
14 Virginia Tech 9-2 1322 15
15 Nebraska 9-2 1199 9
16 Missouri 9-2 1176 16
17 South Carolina 8-3 1037 17
18 Texas A&M 8-3 936 20
19 Nevada 10-1 894 18
20 Utah 9-2 495 21
21 Arizona 7-3 471 23
22 Florida State 8-3 439 25
23 North Carolina State 8-3 330 NR
24 Iowa 7-4 284 19
25 Mississippi State 7-4 178 22

* Dropped from rankings: Miami (FL) 24

* Others receiving votes: Northern Illinois 94, West Virginia 49, Navy 42, Florida 41, UCF 30, Hawaii 24, Penn State 11, Southern Miss 9, Miami (FL) 9, Ohio 7, Air Force 6, Tulsa 5, San Diego State 5, Syracuse 3, Maryland 3, Temple 2, Notre Dame 2, Clemson 1, Miami (OH) 1, Northwestern 1

My Thoughts...

I saw a Tweet from a Sports Illustrated saying "Wisconsin is the best 1-loss team." Wisconsin has played 2 Top 25 teams. LSU will have played 4 Top 25 teams by the end of the Regular Season after they end the year against #12 Arkansas.

LSU will have played #2 Auburn, #11 Alabama, the aforementioned #12 Arkansas Razorbacks, & the #25 Mississippi State Bulldogs. We lost to Auburn 24-17, & beat Alabama 24-21, MSU by a 29-7 final, & we will face the Hogs on Saturday in Little Rock.

To take it a step further, LSU will actually finish 2010 playing 7 team that were either ranked in the Top 25 at the time they played them, or are Top 25 at the present time (UNC & West Virginia, & UF were Top 25 at the time of our tilts against them, & MSU hadn't quite cracked the Top 25, either).

Luckily, all that separates Wiscy & LSU in the AP is a paltry two votes. In the Coaches Poll has a 36 vote margin.

Which means if Les Miles can pull off a W to finish out an improbable, weird, wild 11-1 regular season, the Tigers should be in the catbird's seat to score a 2nd at large BCS Berth.

As for the rest of the polls...

The Fighting Mullens of Mississippi State took Ryan Mallet & the Razorbacks to the wall before losing in heartbreaking fashion last night. With State driving inside their red zone to go up by double digits, MSU QB Chris Relf fumbled, & on the next play, Mallet chucks a long TD pass, & boom, Arkansas is in the lead. After a wild finish, State had a chance but couldn't pull out the W against Petrino & Arkansas. There was a lot of respect for them exhibited by the voters to keep them at #25 at 7-4. A win in the Egg Bowl will set Dan Mullen's State team up for a chance at 9 wins, & one of the best season's Mississippi State's had in the last decade.

Sparty maintaining its rankings-and moving up in the Coaches Poll after a scare against the Purdue Boilermakers is somewhat of a shocker, but the teams around them-namely, Oklahoma State, Alabama, & VaTech-didn't make a ton of noise either.

In the biggest winner/biggest loser departments, we have Nebraska & Florida State.

The Cornhuskers suffered an ugly 9-6 loss at the hands of...Texas A&M? With junebug Spread QB Martinez going down with what may be a significant ankle injury, the Blackshirts held a surprisingly good Aggie offense to 3 Field Goals.

The problem was, they had no way to replace the dynamic offensive threat Martinez brought to Pelini's team on the offensive side of the ball.

Mike Sherman & the Aggies move to 8-3, but barely budge in the polls, while the Cornhuskers dipped from 9th to around 15th, depending on the poll.

On the other side of the coin, Florida State's closer-than-the-score-indicates 30-16 win over the Terrapins of Maryland vaulted them into the Top 25, landing around the 21-22 spot (pick your poll). The Seminoles moved to 8-3 on the year, & with some help next weekend, they can find themselves in the ACC Championship Game against VaTech.

Jimbo Fisher has done an impressive job with the Seminoles in a short-amount of time. Who would have honestly thought that FSU would be in position to win 10 or 11 games, & be in position to win the ACC & garner an automatic spot in the BCS? Not the author. Kudos to Fisher & his coaching staff, & the entire FSU program for a great season.

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College Football Polls - Week of 11/14/2010

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:09:43 -0500

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Oregon (38) 10-0 1469
2 Auburn (12) 11-0 1427
3 Boise State (9) 9-0 1377
4 TCU (1) 11-0 1361
5 LSU 9-1 1220
6 Wisconsin 9-1 1176
7 Stanford 9-1 1129
8 Ohio State 9-1 1073
9 Nebraska 9-1 1051
10 Alabama 8-2 916
11 Michigan State 9-1 910
12 Oklahoma State 9-1 879
13 Arkansas 8-2 816
14 Virginia Tech 8-2 671
15 Missouri 8-2 624
16 Oklahoma 8-2 611
17 South Carolina 7-3 520
18 Texas A&M 7-3 413
19 Nevada 9-1 412
20 USC 7-3 310
21 Iowa 7-3 251
22 Mississippi State 7-3 222
23 Arizona 7-3 156
24 Miami (FL) 7-3 107
25 Utah 8-2 105

* Dropped from rankings: Florida 24, UCF 25

* Others receiving votes: Northwestern 99, Florida State 69, North Carolina State 38, Northern Illinois 37, San Diego State 32, Temple 9, Michigan 4, Tulsa 2, Syracuse 2, Maryland 1, Delaware 1,

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Oregon (46) 10-0 1457
2 Auburn (6) 11-0 1397
3 Boise State (5) 9-0 1329
4 TCU (2) 11-0 1318
5 Wisconsin 9-1 1197
6 LSU 9-1 1175
7 Ohio State 9-1 1107
8 Stanford 9-1 1066
9 Nebraska 9-1 1061
10 Oklahoma State 9-1 913
11 Michigan State 9-1 892
12 Alabama 8-2 828
13 Arkansas 8-2 745
14 Oklahoma 8-2 683
15 Virginia Tech 8-2 673
16 Missouri 8-2 583
17 South Carolina 7-3 521
18 Nevada 9-1 422
19 Texas A&M 7-3 359
20 Iowa 7-3 298
21 Miami (FL) 7-3 216
22 Mississippi State 7-3 184
23 Arizona 7-3 164
24 Utah 8-2 140
25 Northwestern 7-3 93

* Dropped from rankings: UCF 23, Florida 24

* Others receiving votes: Florida State 87, Michigan 72, North Carolina State 55, Northern Illinois 30, Temple 23, San Diego State 20, Maryland 18, Syracuse 13, Hawaii 10, Navy 6, Kansas State 5, UCF 5, Southern Miss 4, Baylor 3, Air Force 2, Penn State 1.

Harris Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1 Oregon (65) 10-0 2788 1
2 Auburn (35) 11-0 2733 2
3 Boise State (11) 9-0 2591 4
4 TCU (3) 11-0 2583 3
5 Wisconsin 9-1 2268 5
6 LSU 9-1 2241 6
7 Ohio State 9-1 2142 7
8 Stanford 9-1 2118 8
9 Nebraska 9-1 1971 9
10 Michigan State 9-1 1753 10
11 Alabama 8-2 1693 11
12 Oklahoma State 9-1 1657 13
13 Arkansas 8-2 1524 14
14 Oklahoma 8-2 1326 16
15 Virginia Tech 8-2 1244 17
16 Missouri 8-2 1122 20
17 South Carolina 7-3 969 22
18 Nevada 9-1 851 21
19 Iowa 7-3 698 12
20 Texas A&M 7-3 636 24
21 Utah 8-2 364 15
22 Mississippi State 7-3 331 18
23 Arizona 7-3 321 19
24 Miami (FL) 7-3 311 NR
25 Florida State 7-3 187 NR

* Dropped from rankings: Florida 23, UCF 25

* Others receiving votes: Northwestern 165, North Carolina State 98, Michigan 80, Northern Illinois 48, Temple 34, San Diego State 29, Maryland 27, Navy 25, Syracuse 23, West Virginia 22, Florida 14, UCF 12, Hawaii 11, Kansas State 9, Air Force 9, Southern Miss 8, Fresno State 4, Tulsa 4, Baylor 2, Penn State 2, South Florida 1, Connecticut 1.

The Fifth Week Of the BCS Rankings Will Be Revealed Tonight at 8:15 EST on the ESPN Family Of Networks.

My thoughts coming out of Week 12 of the 2010 College Football Season:

TCU is a Top 5 program, but their "signature" win thusfar is over a Utah team that has been outscored by a combined total 75-10 over the past two weeks. Seriously, the Ute's ugly loss to an admittedly wayward Notre Dame team coming off a rough past three weeks not only makes their previous lofty ranking laughable (and their continued ranking in the Top 25 questionable), it calls into question just how good the Horned Frogs are.

Their game yesterday was bringing that into a harsher light still, until the ripped off a ton of unanswered points to come roaring back. After a narrow victory, where their defense looked pretty average, TCU just doesn't seem like they belong.

Not that Boise State does, either. My main argument with any of these programs continues to be that while I think they are quality schools, their body of work is nowhere near what a team like a Wisconsin, LSU, Ohio State, Auburn, or other AQ conference school can compare to.

Everyone here knows I'm an LSU Fan, so let's just take our season as an example. Does anyone in their right mind think that Boise could have gone undefeated against the likes of North Carolina, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Florida, Auburn & Alabama?

I just don't see either of those programs playing as tough of a schedule against quality opponents with both quality coaching & quality depth. Rewarding them simply for winning games is simply not right.

Florida State now belongs to an AQ conference & is having a pretty good, Top 25 type season with a brand new coach. At one point, however, they were an independent with no prior football pedigree. They went out and scheduled everyone. They agreed to play all over the place. At any time. Constantly.

They built themselves up over time, proved themselves against the best, & were ultimately rewarded for it.

This talk of TCU & Boise being unable to help themselves as far as scheduling is concerned just doesn't hold water for me. They're over-ranked, & speaking as an LSU Fan, I'd love to get either of these programs in a Bowl Game to expose them.

As for the rest of the Top 25:

Wisconsin continues to impress me. They are a dominant team, & the Big 10 as a whole has had a really great year overall, with surprises like Michigan State, staples like Ohio State, Wiscy, & to a lesser degree, Penn State & Iowa, as well. They're making a great showing of things as they head into their first year as an expanded conference next year.

Who would have thought that after week 12 of the season that most people would think Oklahoma State's been the most consistent football team in the Big XII? Mike Gundy may have saved his job with a deft offseason personnel move in hiring Dana Holgorsen, who ran Kevin Sumlin's offense at Houston, & also learned at the feet of the Dread Pirate Leach in Lubbock before that. Holgorsen's amazingly effective development of a young QB has his equally fascinating version of the Spread (with a Draw/Screen staple that I could watch all day long) has Oklahoma State in a position to finish out the year with double digit victories.

In the SEC, the Western Division continues to be the standard bearer of college football's premiere conference. With Alabama (#10) rebounding after a tough loss to beat a better-than-you-think Mississippi State (#22) team, an Arkansas Razorbacks (#13) squad that's reeled off 4 straight victories & averaged better than 45 points per game during the streak, the Western Division's Top 2 teams both find themselves in the Top 5 in LSU (#5 AP, #6 Coaches), & Auburn (#2), the latter whom just punched their ticket to Atlanta & a berth representing the best Division in College Football by virtue of their 49-31 going away victory over the Georiga Bulldogs.

Over in the Eastern Division, South Carolina (#17) locked up their spot in Atlanta by pounding a Florida squad that's absolutely abysmal this year, with losses to Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, & now to former Gator Heisman Trophy Winner at QB & National Championship Head Coach Steve Spurrier at South Carolina When's the last time only one SEC East Team was in the Top 25? Better yet, when's the last time that one team was South Carolina?

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Neutering Cameron Newton: Can it be done?

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:12:47 -0500

LSU & Auburn square off at 2:30pm on CBS Sports. More often than not over the last decade, the winner of this game has gone on to represent the SEC Western Division in the SEC Championship Game (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007). This year seems no different. The two Tiger representatives from the SEC West are both undefeated, Top 10 teams, & the winner has far-reaching aspirations on their horizon.

The loser returns to pack, & has to prepare for a stretch run full of land-mines, regrets, & the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. One prediction I can confidently make is that the loser of this game is probably not done losing this year.

The storyline of the game pivots around the age-old cliche of the irresistible force that is Cameron Newton versus the immovable objects that pose as the LSU Defense.

The best player in college football through the 1st 7 games versus the #3 defense in America through the 1st 7 games. Gus Malzahn vs. John "Chief" Chavis Gene Chizik vs...well, nevermind.

LSU's offense is quarterbacked by two kids who have had their fair share of ups & downs, but, ironically enough, have had their brightest moments in the Purple & Gold occur against Auburn University.

Jarrett Lee threw a clutch TD pass against a heavy rush at the apex of his 2008 season. From there, it was Pick-6 Purgatory for the young Texan, which landed him on the bench for the final four games of that year, & almost the entire way in 2009.

His replacement, Jordan Jefferson, won 9 games last year, including LSU's most complete performance of the season against Auburn in Tiger Stadium, leading the Purple & Gold to a 31-3 dismantling of the Plainsmen.

Yet this year, the roles have been reversed. Jefferson has regressed significantly since the high of that victory, & Lee has been inserted in each of the last 3 games to provide a desperately needed spark that has been the difference in wins versus Tennessee, Florida, and...McNeese State?

(Sigh)

While Miles doggedly sticks to the quarterback rotation that seemingly wastes possessions when Jefferson's in (averaging a startlingly pathetic 1.88 yards per play on his drives against McNeese State Cowboys this past weekend) & puts even more pressure on a kid whose already been through a ton of it during his tenure in Tiger Town, LSU Fans can at least rest easy that Auburn's secondary has yielded yards & points in vast amounts, no matter if its to your starter, or your backup (I think Arkansas' ballboy just threw for a 1st down, by the way).

It's the other side of the ball that presents the real intrigue of Saturday's clash of the Tigers.

Cameron Newton, Auburn's Junior Quarterback, has lifted the fortunes of Gene Chizik's squad, & at the same time, has proved to make Urban Meyer feel like Captain Ahab, & see Cam as the one that got away. To stray off the subject, does anyone think there'd be any questions, or any heat whatsoever, on either Meyer on Addazio if Cam Newton was still suiting up for the Gators, & not Auburn? Perhaps Joe Paterno was on to something when he recently said, "It's not about the X's & O's, but more the Jimmy's & the Joe's."

Newton is a 6-6, 250+ pound battering ram whose been featured in a rush-oriented attack fueled by Gus Malzahn's fast-paced, up-tempo offense. By judiciously utilizing the pass-game only when necessary or appropriate, Auburn's used Newton's arm & their passing offense with great effect.

Perfect Example: Against Arkansas this past Saturday, Auburn ran 64 plays on offense. Newton threw 14 passes (Auburn threw 15 altogether). That's right at 80/20 run/pass ratio.

(By the way, Auburn Fans, before you guys start hooting too much, remember, in just over 17:00 on the field, Arkansas' backup quarterback threw for 300+ yards & 3 TD's. Yes, you ran 64 plays. But, the Hogs ran 77 on your defense. You may wanna quiet down. Just a tad.)

So, how do you stop a guy that is the league's leading rusher, & far & away its most efficient passer?

Hmm...Well, let's dig in to the stats.

First, we know that Auburn's going to run, run & run the ball some more. Even when they do pass, and you do have their admittedly sub-par receiving corp covered, Newton has averaged over 11 yards per carry on Quarterback Draws. You have to think at least some of those weren't Malzahn calling Newton's number.

So, if Newton doesn't throw it all that much, on the surface, you'd think that sending the extra man-or men-after him on those surprisingly few-and-far-between passing downs would put pressure on the Auburn signal-caller & perhaps force some mistakes with his right arm.

You'd be wrong, too.

According to some great statistical research from ESPN's SEC Blogger Chris Low, when teams send the dog after Newton, he's completing an eye-popping 70% of his passes.

Which means if your heat doesn't get there, & you're covering everyone downfield, he almost relishes being flushed from the pocket & can move the chains, anyway. It also means that if you don't cover, & the heat doesn't get there, he's got the accuracy needed to make you pay there, as well.

The other factor that has to be taken into consideration is the type of player you send after him. Is a nickel or cornerback honestly going to bring a 6-6, 250+ pound quarterback down?

No, in my book, the way to stop Auburn is to stop the run on 1st & 2nd downs, & then playing coverage. The same Chris Low article linked above goes on to talk about the equally interesting statistic that all of Newton's interceptions have come when teams have dropped at least 7 men into coverage.

Which means when teams play contain, & leave Clark Kent in his phone-booth, & play solid coverage outside, the Man Of Steel's typically not going to be able to change into his tights & throw on that cape with the S-on-his-chest.

John Chavis & the LSU stop troops are ideally suited for just such a task. Anchored by lighter-than-normal, yet extremely productive Defensive Tackles in Lezarius "Pep" Levingston & Drake "Cookiemonster" Nevis, LSU has the ability to control the interior of the line of scrimmage, & beat both single & double teams to pressure the pocket up the middle. On the edge, JUCO transfer Ken Adams & Chancey Aghayere have filled in nicely for budding Freshman Superstar Sam Montgomery, who was felled by a season ending knee injury on a low-but-legal block in the Tennessee contest. On the side opposite of those two, RS Freshman Barkevious "KeKe" Mingo (who might have the single best first & last names in the SEC over the next four years) has shown off sprinter speed off the edge, & a surprising tenacity against the run for a 6-5, 240 pound former track-star out of West Monroe, Louisiana.

The Fearsome Front Foursome of LSU has the talent & depth to play disciplined football at the point of attack, & not only control the line of scrimmage, but to pressure the pocket, as well.

Behind it, the Linebackers are ideally suited to spy on a player presenting Newton's unique skill-set. Senior 3 year-starter & 1st Team Pre-Season All-American Mike Linebacker Kelvin Shepperd is turning in a regular season matching his post-season Junior & pre-season Senior accolades. A quick, cerebral player with tenacity, Shepperd is a tackling machine that's absolutely flourished in Chavis' system. In the 2nd year playing the most important position for John Chavis' Defense, Shepperd is quite simply the best linebacker on the best defense in the Conference.

Flanking him are Junior Ryan Baker, who starred for two years as a gunner for LSU's Special Teams before contributing as a backup linebacker last year. Stefan Francois is the other Linebacker, who is a converted Safety & whose main attribute is as a speed merchant who covers a ton of ground & arrives to the ball with a decidedly unpleasant disposition.

Their secondary is much talked about. Brandon Taylor has been outstanding in checking the coverages for the Tiger defensive backfield. He's also shown both great coverage skills in the open field, & a penchant for making outstanding open-field tackles. Karnel Hatcher finally stepped forward out of a mix of players vying for the other Safety spot, & has shown some playmaking ability when challenged, as well.

Both are freed up to roam the secondary by the best cornerback tandem in the conference. Millionaire-in-waiting & early-season Heisman candidate Patrick Peterson gets the Deion treatment on most Saturdays, & allows LSU to play defense with 10 players defending only half the field. With two picks & at least two drops, teams were testing, but have given up hope of completing passes towards Peterson's side of the field.

Opposite of him, true Sophomore Morris Claiborne has been challenged. With 9 passes defended, 5 pass breakups, & 4 interceptions on the season, he's proven up to it, & then some.

In the humble scribe's honest opinion, looking at the stats & tendencies of both Malzahn & Newton, the LSU Defense is the best the Tigers have faced, & the worst matchup they could ask for: A tough, fast unit with playmakers at every position, who don't need to substitute based on down-and-distance in order to find advantages on the field. Pace & up-tempo won't require LSU to change much of their personnel, if at all. Because LSU simply doesn't really need to. Their Top 11, with an occasional insertion of super-freshman nickelback Tyrann Mathieu in obvious passing situations, are the bread-and-butter on defense.

They log a ton of snaps, & are routinely leaned on by LSU's offense, already, so 60 play games aren't anything new for this, defense, either.

Which means LSU has a Front 4 who can play contain & generate pressure. They have Linebackers who can get to the quarterback through the gaps quickly, or spy & cover a ton of territory laterally, very easily. Worst of all, they have corners & safeties who can play tight man or zone behind their outstanding Front 7, & look like a blanket in the process.

Look for LSU to run-blitz more than it blitzes with the pass. When we do send the dog through the gaps, look for the Purple & Gold Tigers to mix up their pressure packages, & utilize the zone blitz with their athletic Defensive Ends. I think you also might see LSU run some zone coverage like Cover 1 with a Robber in the hot lanes, looking for a gotcha to get Cam Newton thinking.

The book here is to stop the run, & then do what-LSU-does on 3rd down. Do that, & Auburn will be brought back down to Earth. A little.

On offense, LSU has to play keep-away, & with the league's leading tailback in Steven Ridley, & a bevy of talented tailbacks to back him up, LSU's ground game will be enough that Auburn has to sell out to stop it. Which puts an already weak War Eagle Secondary (whose hurting even more now that Iron-man-feel-good-story-of-the-year Aairon Savage went down with an injury that requires surgery late against Arkansas on Saturday) in a big hole.

Will it be one that even Jordan Jefferson can lead his version of the dysfunctional LSU Offense through?

Saturday will tell the tale...

Comment on Neutering Cameron Newton: Can it be done?...

Week Six Poll Results

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:01:38 -0500

BCS ranking out in ONE week. A possible preview???

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Ohio State (34) 6-0 1453
2 Oregon (15) 6-0 1427
3 Boise State (8) 5-0 1395
4 TCU (1) 6-0 1304
5 Nebraska 5-0 1236
6 Oklahoma (2) 5-0 1225
7 Auburn 6-0 1104
8 Alabama 5-1 1021
9 LSU 6-0 999
10 South Carolina 4-1 978
11 Utah 5-0 926
12 Arkansas 4-1 813
13 Michigan State 6-0 806
14 Stanford 5-1 732
15 Iowa 4-1 648
16 Florida State 5-1 547
17 Arizona 4-1 472
18 Wisconsin 5-1 410
19 Nevada 6-0 376
20 Oklahoma State 5-0 348
21 Missouri 5-0 298
22 Florida 4-2 209
23 Air Force 5-1 187
24 Oregon State 3-2 186
25 West Virginia 4-1 141

Dropped from rankings: Miami (FL) 13, Michigan 18

Others receiving votes: Michigan 137, Miami (FL) 63, North Carolina State 31, Virginia Tech 17, Northwestern 5, Texas 5, Kansas State 1

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Ohio State (49) 6-0 1455
2 Oregon (6) 6-0 1388
3 Boise State (1) 5-0 1335
4 Nebraska (2) 5-0 1272
5 TCU (1) 6-0 1213
6 Oklahoma 5-0 1193
7 Auburn 6-0 1060
8 Alabama 5-1 1029
9 LSU 6-0 1021
10 Utah 5-0 940
11 Michigan State 6-0 838
12 South Carolina 4-1 835
13 Arkansas 4-1 780
14 Iowa 4-1 710
15 Stanford 5-1 618
16 Wisconsin 5-1 542
17 Florida State 5-1 496
18 Oklahoma State 5-0 478
19 Missouri 5-0 434
20 Arizona 4-1 367
21 Nevada 6-0 329
22 Florida 4-2 242
23 Air Force 5-1 151
24 Michigan 5-1 137
25 West Virginia 4-1 88

Dropped from rankings: Miami (FL) 14, Northwestern 25

Others receiving votes: Miami (FL) 66, North Carolina State 41, Texas 31, Oregon State 30, Virginia Tech 24, Northwestern 23, MISSISSIPPIST 7, Maryland 2

Comment on Week Six Poll Results...

Week FIVE Poll Results

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:49:03 -0500

First BCS poll out in two weeks!!!!

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Alabama (58) 5-0 1497
2 Ohio State (1) 5-0 1401
3 Oregon 5-0 1379
4 Boise State (1) 4-0 1341
5 TCU 5-0 1250
6 Oklahoma 5-0 1183
7 Nebraska 4-0 1172
8 Auburn 5-0 1045
9 Arizona 4-0 898
10 Utah 4-0 860
11 Arkansas 3-1 825
12 LSU 5-0 819
13 Miami (FL) 3-1 769
14 Florida 4-1 681
15 Iowa 4-1 670
16 Stanford 4-1 663
17 Michigan State 5-0 607
18 Michigan 5-0 555
19 South Carolina 3-1 450
20 Wisconsin 4-1 316
21 Nevada 5-0 286
22 Oklahoma State 4-0 173
23 Florida State 4-1 162
24 Missouri 4-0 99
25 Air Force 4-1 94

•Dropped from rankings: USC 18, Texas 21, Penn State 22

•Others receiving votes: West Virginia 83, Kansas State 69, USC 52, Texas 33, Northwestern 25, Oregon State 12, Baylor 10, UCLA 8, Virginia Tech 8, North Carolina State 4, Penn State 1

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Alabama (57) 5-0 1449
2 Ohio State (1) 5-0 1377
3 Oregon 5-0 1300
4 Boise State 4-0 1276
5 TCU 5-0 1187
6 Nebraska 4-0 1176
7 Oklahoma 5-0 1132
8 Auburn 5-0 988
9 LSU 5-0 930
10 Utah 4-0 868
11 Arizona 4-0 835
12 Florida 4-1 705
13 Arkansas 3-1 683
14 Miami (FL) 3-1 679
15 Iowa 4-1 643
16 Michigan State 5-0 625
17 Michigan 5-0 541
18 Stanford 4-1 448
19 Wisconsin 4-1 414
20 South Carolina 3-1 345
21 Oklahoma State 4-0 299
22 Missouri 4-0 271
23 Nevada 5-0 201
24 Florida State 4-1 164
25 Northwestern 5-0 67

•Dropped from rankings: Texas 16, Penn State 20
•Others receiving votes: Texas 61, Air Force 44, West Virginia 40, Kansas State 31, Penn State 30, North Carolina State 13, VIRGINIATECH 10, Houston 8, Mississippi State 5, Oregon State 2, Temple 1, Baylor 1, UCLA 1

Comment on Week FIVE Poll Results...

Week Four Polls

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:27:15 -0500

Hey, better late than not, huh?

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Alabama (57) 4-0 1496
2 Ohio State (2) 4-0 1431
3 Boise State (1) 3-0 1356
4 Oregon 4-0 1276
5 TCU 4-0 1269
6 Nebraska 4-0 1158
7 Florida 4-0 1132
8 Oklahoma 4-0 1095
9 Stanford 4-0 891
10 Auburn 4-0 858
11 Wisconsin 4-0 852
12 LSU 4-0 804
13 Utah 4-0 790
14 Arizona 4-0 722
15 Arkansas 3-1 721
16 Miami (FL) 2-1 597
17 Iowa 3-1 503
18 USC 4-0 466
19 South Carolina 3-1 406
20 Michigan 4-0 396
21 Texas 3-1 374
22 Penn State 3-1 199
23 North Carolina State 4-0 163
24 Michigan State 4-0 146
25 Nevada 4-0 120

•Dropped from rankings: West Virginia 22, Oregon State 24

•Others receiving votes: West Virginia 62, Florida State 51, Missouri 51, Air Force 32, Kansas State 27, Oklahoma State 24, Clemson 9, UCLA 9, Oregon State 7, Northwestern 4, Houston 3

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Alabama (57) 4-0 1472
2 Ohio State (2) 4-0 1412
3 Boise State 3-0 1312
4 Oregon 4-0 1243
5 TCU 4-0 1221
6 Nebraska 4-0 1164
7 Florida 4-0 1155
8 Oklahoma 4-0 1083
9 Wisconsin 4-0 989
10 LSU 4-0 896
11 Auburn 4-0 828
12 Utah 4-0 790
13 Stanford 4-0 744
14 Arizona 4-0 689
15 Arkansas 3-1 576
16 Texas 3-1 563
17 Miami (FL) 2-1 517
18 Iowa 3-1 509
19 Michigan 4-0 375
20 Penn State 3-1 347
21 Michigan State 4-0 278
22 South Carolina 3-1 272
23 Missouri 4-0 182
24 Oklahoma State 3-0 146
25 Nevada 4-0 102

•Dropped from rankings: West Virginia 21

•Others receiving votes: Florida State 84, North Carolina State 80, West Virginia 45, Air Force 22, Northwestern 21, Kansas State 17, Clemson 16, Houston 10, Mississippi State 7, Texas Tech 5, Virginia Tech 2, UCLA 1

Comment on Week Four Polls...

Week Two College Football Polls 2010

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:27:45 -0500

College football polls for games played through September 11, 2010:

Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll

Team Rec Pts Pvs
1. Alabama (52) 2-0 1,466 1
2. Ohio St. (5) 2-0 1,410 2
3. Boise St. (1) 1-0 1,306 3
4. TCU 2-0 1,235 4
5. Oregon 2-0 1,172 7
6. Texas (1) 2-0 1,150 5
7. Oklahoma 2-0 1,123 10
8. Nebraska 2-0 1,083 6
9. Iowa 2-0 1,037 9
10. Florida 2-0 1,036 8
11. Wisconsin 2-0 855 11
12. Arkansas 2-0 755 14
13. South Carolina 2-0 642 24
14. Utah 2-0 627 20
15. LSU 2-0 595 19
16. Auburn 2-0 538 21
17. Miami 1-1 530 12
18. Southern Cal 2-0 481 16
19. Stanford 2-0 446 25
20. Michigan 2-0 437 —
21. West Virginia 2-0 197 23
22. Penn St. 1-1 171 18
23. Houston 2-0 169 —
24. Arizona 2-0 138 —
25. Oregon St. 0-1 75 —

Others receiving votes:
Pittsburgh 62, Fresno St. 48, Air Force 46, California 45, Georgia 42, Florida St. 41, Missouri 37, Georgia Tech 35, Clemson 25, North Carolina 23, Texas A&M 18, Texas Tech 17, Michigan St. 15, James Madison 11, Kansas St. 10, Oklahoma St. 10, Maryland 6, East Carolina 4, Nevada 2, Baylor 1, Boston College 1, N.C. State 1, Northwestern 1.

USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll

Record Pts Pvs
1. Alabama (55) 2-0 1470 1
2. Ohio State (4) 2-0 1410 2
3. Boise State 1-0 1278 3
4. Texas 2-0 1262 4
5. TCU 2-0 1168 5
6. Oregon 2-0 1122 8
7. Florida 2-0 1108 6
8. Nebraska 2-0 1095 7
9. Oklahoma 2-0 1062 10
10. Iowa 2-0 1050 9
11. Wisconsin 2-0 889 11
12. LSU 2-0 740 16
13. Arkansas 2-0 738 15
14. Utah 2-0 625 t20
15. Auburn 2-0 618 t20
16. South Carolina 2-0 527 25
17. Miami (Fla.) 1-1 417 12
18. Arizona 2-0 410 23
19. Stanford 2-0 338 NR
20. Penn State 1-1 296 14
21. West Virginia 2-0 264 22
22. Michigan 2-0 254 NR
23. Houston 2-0 220 NR
24. California 2-0 131 NR
25. Missouri 2-0 82 NR

Others receiving votes:
Clemson 68; Florida State 63; Oklahoma State 55; Air Force 51; Pittsburgh 50; Georgia 39; Michigan State 35; Oregon State 33; Texas Tech 28; Georgia Tech 26; North Carolina 23; Brigham Young 17; Washington 14; Nevada 12; Arizona State 11; Boston College 11; Cincinnati 11; Northwestern 10; Fresno State 9; Maryland 7; Texas A&M 7; Connecticut 5; Notre Dame 5; Virginia Tech 4; Kansas State 3; Mississippi State 2; East Carolina 1; Temple 1.

Comment on Week Two College Football Polls 2010...

Week One Poll Results

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:14:05 -0500

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS

1 Alabama (47) 1-0 1484
2 Ohio State (4) 1-0 1412
3 Boise State (8) 1-0 1399
4 TCU 1-0 1256
5 Texas (1) 1-0 1192
6 Nebraska 1-0 1105
7 Oregon 1-0 1077
8 Florida 1-0 1065
9 Iowa 1-0 1044
10 Oklahoma 1-0 917
11 Wisconsin 1-0 881
12 Miami (FL) 1-0 877
13 Virginia Tech 0-1 782
14 Arkansas 1-0 572
15 Georgia Tech 1-0 555
16 USC 1-0 520
17 Florida State 1-0 504
18 Penn State 1-0 418
19 LSU 1-0 384
20 Utah 1-0 365
21 Auburn 1-0 362
22 Georgia 1-0 353
23 West Virginia 1-0 226
24 South Carolina 1-0 164
25 Stanford 1-0 96

Dropped from rankings: Pittsburgh 15, North Carolina 18

Others receiving votes: Michigan 71, Houston 60, Pittsburgh 59, Oregon State 58, North Carolina 45, Notre Dame 38, Arizona 30, Brigham Young 30, Missouri 25, Fresno State 24, Kansas State 12, Clemson 11, Texas A&M 10, Oklahoma State 7, Cincinnati 4, Texas Tech 3, Michigan State 2, East Carolina 1

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS

1 Alabama (55) 1-0 1470
2 Ohio State (4) 1-0 1397
3 Boise State 1-0 1304
4 Texas 1-0 1264
5 TCU 1-0 1144
6 Florida 1-0 1130
7 Nebraska 1-0 1085
8 Oregon 1-0 1054
9 Iowa 1-0 1027
10 Oklahoma 1-0 969
11 Wisconsin 1-0 821
12 Miami (FL) 1-0 799
13 Virginia Tech 0-1 698
14 Penn State 1-0 655
15 Arkansas 1-0 531
16 LSU 1-0 527
17 Georgia Tech 1-0 519
18 Florida State 1-0 500
19 Georgia 1-0 458
20 Auburn 1-0 371
20 Utah 1-0 371
22 West Virginia 1-0 185
23 Arizona 1-0 128
24 Brigham Young 1-0 113
25 South Carolina 1-0 90

Dropped from rankings: Pittsburgh 15, North Carolina 18

Others receiving votes: Houston 87, Notre Dame 86, Stanford 55, Pittsburgh 53, Oregon State 40, OKLAHOMAST 36, North Carolina 36, Clemson 28, Missouri 27, Michigan 17, Michigan State 11, California 10, Cincinnati 9, Washington 9, Texas Tech 7, Arizona State 7, Boston College 7, Connecticut 6, Texas A&M 6, Fresno State 5, Mississippi State 5, South Florida 4, Northwestern 3, Maryland 3, North Carolina State 2, Kansas State 2, Nevada 1, Air Force 1, Temple 1, Tennessee 1

Comment on Week One Poll Results...

Final College Football Poll Results

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:46 -0500

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Alabama (60) 14-0 1500
2 Texas 13-1 1399
3 Florida 13-1 1370
4 Boise State 14-0 1366
5 Ohio State 11-2 1224
6 TCU 12-1 1163
7 Iowa 11-2 1126
8 Cincinnati 12-1 1060
9 Penn State 11-2 1016
10 Virginia Tech 10-3 953
11 Oregon 10-3 886
12 Brigham Young 11-2 806
13 Georgia Tech 11-3 768
14 Nebraska 10-4 724
15 Pittsburgh 10-3 697
16 Wisconsin 10-3 571
17 LSU 9-4 501
18 Utah 10-3 491
19 Miami (FL) 9-4 310
20 Mississippi 9-4 296
21 Texas Tech 9-4 224
22 USC 9-4 216
23 Central Michigan 12-2 166
24 Clemson 9-5 125
25 West Virginia 9-4 91

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma 90, Oregon State 89, Navy 85, Stanford 67, Oklahoma State 40, Rutgers 37, Auburn 8, Georgia 7, Florida State 6, Connecticut 5, Arizona 5, Middle Tennessee 4, Air Force 3, Arkansas 3, Villanova 2

Rank Team (first-place votes) Record Points Final regular season rank
1. Alabama (58) 14-0 1,450 1
2. Texas 13-1 1,360 2
3. Florida 13-1 1,323 5
4. Boise State 14-0 1,312 6
5. Ohio State 11-2 1,190 8
6. TCU 12-1 1,104 3
7. Iowa 11-2 1,087 11
8. Penn State 11-2 1,071 9
9. Cincinnati 12-1 943 4
10. Virginia Tech 10-3 940 12
11. Oregon 10-3 846 7
12. Brigham Young 11-2 814 14
13. Georgia Tech 11-3 741 10
14. Nebraska 10-4 671 19
15. Pittsburgh 10-3 667 16
16. Wisconsin 10-3 587 22
17. LSU 9-4 530 13
18. Utah 10-3 466 24
19. Miami (Fla.) 9-4 336 15
20. Southern California 9-4 217 NR
21. Mississippi 9-4 192 NR
22. West Virginia 9-4 159 17
23. Texas Tech 9-4 152 NR
24. Central Michigan 12-2 123 NR
25. Oklahoma State 9-4 92 18

Others receiving votes: Navy (10-4) 89; Oregon State (8-5) 78; Clemson (9-5) 75; Oklahoma (8-5) 67; Stanford (8-5) 49; Auburn (8-5) 17; Georgia (8-5) 13; Houston (10-4) 12; Middle Tennessee (10-3) 12; Arizona (8-5) 11; Arkansas (8-5) 10; Connecticut (8-5) 10; Florida State (7-6) 9; Air Force (8-5) 7; Rutgers (9-4) 7; Northwestern (8-5) 6; East Carolina (9-5) 4; Southern Methodist (8-5) 1.

Comment on Final College Football Poll Results...

Week Thirteen College Football Polls

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:54:42 -0500

BCS Standings

RK TEAM RECORD
1 Florida 12-0
2 Alabama 12-0
3 Texas 12-0
4 TCU 12-0
5 Cincinnati 11-0
6 Boise State 12-0
7 Oregon 9-2
8 Ohio State 10-2
9 Iowa 10-2
10 Georgia Tech 10-2
11 Penn State 10-2
12 Virginia Tech 9-3
13 LSU 9-3
14 Brigham Young 10-2
15 Pittsburgh 9-2
16 Oregon State 8-3
17 Miami (FL) 9-3
18 USC 8-3
19 California 8-3
20 Oklahoma State 9-3
21 Houston 10-2
22 Nebraska 9-3
23 West Virginia 8-3
24 Stanford 8-4
25 Utah 9-3

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Florida (46) 12-0 1483
2 Alabama (7) 12-0 1416
3 Texas (7) 12-0 1414
4 TCU 12-0 1316
5 Cincinnati 11-0 1249
6 Boise State 12-0 1216
7 Oregon 9-2 1104
8 Ohio State 10-2 1103
9 Iowa 10-2 920
10 Penn State 10-2 897
11 Virginia Tech 9-3 860
12 Georgia Tech 10-2 820
13 Oregon State 8-3 719
14 Pittsburgh 9-2 642
15 LSU 9-3 614
16 Brigham Young 10-2 610
17 Miami (FL) 9-3 572
18 Houston 10-2 400
19 California 8-3 398
20 USC 8-3 365
21 Nebraska 9-3 289
22 Oklahoma State 9-3 269
23 Stanford 8-4 266
24 West Virginia 8-3 225
25 Clemson 8-4 87

Dropped from rankings: Mississippi 20, Utah 22, North Carolina 23

Others receiving votes: Utah 84, Wisconsin 41, Texas Tech 21, Arizona 20, Mississippi 20, Northwestern 18, CENTRL MICHIGAN 14, North Carolina 8, Tennessee 6, Oklahoma 5, Rutgers 4, East Carolina 3, Missouri 2

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Florida (53) 12-0 1468
2 Texas (3) 12-0 1394
3 Alabama (3) 12-0 1380
4 TCU 12-0 1285
5 Cincinnati 11-0 1231
6 Boise State 12-0 1197
7 Ohio State 10-2 1104
8 Oregon 9-2 1061
9 Penn State 10-2 975
10 Iowa 10-2 889
11 Virginia Tech 9-3 831
12 Georgia Tech 10-2 774
13 Brigham Young 10-2 680
14 LSU 9-3 674
15 Pittsburgh 9-2 631
16 Oregon State 8-3 607
17 Miami (FL) 9-3 509
18 Houston 10-2 473
19 USC 8-3 361
20 Nebraska 9-3 335
21 Oklahoma State 9-3 309
22 California 8-3 210
23 West Virginia 8-3 163
24 Stanford 8-4 154
25 Utah 9-3 120

Dropped from rankings: Clemson 16, North Carolina 24, Mississippi 25

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 112, Clemson 94, CENTRL MICHIGAN 40, Arizona 31, Northwestern 23, South Carolina 13, Texas Tech 9, Georgia 8, Rutgers 7, Missouri 6, TROY 5, North Carolina 4, Oklahoma 2, Arkansas 2, Middle Tennessee State 2, Navy 1, OLEMISS 1,

Comment on Week Thirteen College Football Polls...

Week Twelve College Football Polls

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:15:55 -0500

BCS Standings

RK TEAM RECORD
1 Florida 11-0
2 Alabama 11-0
3 Texas 11-0
4 TCU 11-0
5 Cincinnati 10-0
6 Boise State 11-0
7 Georgia Tech 10-1
8 Oregon 9-2
9 Pittsburgh 9-1
10 Ohio State 10-2
11 Iowa 10-2
12 Oklahoma State 9-2
13 Penn State 10-2
14 Virginia Tech 8-3
15 LSU 8-3
16 Oregon State 8-3
17 Miami (FL) 8-3
18 Clemson 8-3
19 Brigham Young 9-2
20 USC 7-3
21 Utah 9-2
22 California 8-3
23 Houston 9-2
24 North Carolina 8-3
25 Mississippi 8-3

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Florida (36) 11-0 1463
2 Alabama (13) 11-0 1428
3 Texas (11) 11-0 1425
4 TCU 11-0 1309
5 Cincinnati 10-0 1245
6 Boise State 11-0 1218
7 Georgia Tech 10-1 1138
8 Pittsburgh 9-1 1041
9 Ohio State 10-2 1016
10 Oregon 9-2 983
11 Oklahoma State 9-2 793
12 Penn State 10-2 773
13 Iowa 10-2 766
14 Virginia Tech 8-3 675
15 Clemson 8-3 609
16 Oregon State 8-3 541
17 LSU 8-3 409
18 Brigham Young 9-2 399
19 Miami (FL) 8-3 347
20 Mississippi 8-3 333
21 California 8-3 263
22 Utah 9-2 249
23 North Carolina 8-3 237
24 USC 7-3 225
25 Houston 9-2 199

Dropped from rankings: Stanford 14, Wisconsin 17, Rutgers 25

Others receiving votes: Stanford 169, Nebraska 126, Wisconsin 40, Temple 32, Navy 24, Texas Tech 11, West Virginia 3, Northwestern 3, Nevada 2, Auburn 2, Kentucky 2, Arizona 1, CENTRL MICHIGAN 1,

USA Today Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Florida (47) 11-0 1459
2 Texas (4) 11-0 1398
3 Alabama (8) 11-0 1388
4 TCU 11-0 1279
5 Cincinnati 10-0 1224
6 Boise State 11-0 1181
7 Georgia Tech 10-1 1125
8 Ohio State 10-2 1031
9 Pittsburgh 9-1 1021
10 Oregon 9-2 941
11 Penn State 10-2 843
12 Oklahoma State 9-2 815
13 Iowa 10-2 714
14 Virginia Tech 8-3 656
15 Brigham Young 9-2 510
16 Clemson 8-3 467
17 LSU 8-3 463
18 Oregon State 8-3 450
19 Utah 9-2 318
20 Houston 9-2 305
21 Miami (FL) 8-3 266
22 USC 7-3 261
23 Nebraska 8-3 191
24 North Carolina 8-3 167
25 Mississippi 8-3 165

Dropped from rankings: Wisconsin 14, Stanford 17

Others receiving votes: California 149, Wisconsin 123, Stanford 58, Navy 50, West Virginia 30, CENTRL MICHIGAN 27, Arkansas 17, Temple 17, Arizona 15, Northwestern 13, Texas Tech 12, Nevada 12, Auburn 9, TROY 2, South Florida 1, Kentucky 1, Missouri 1

Comment on Week Twelve College Football Polls...

College Football Polls: Week 12 - November 15th

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:32:07 -0500

I'm going to post these as they come out this week, in a bit of a new twist. Hopefully, this will allow for some more of the fat chewing, a little earlier.

USA Today Top25 Coaches' Poll

Rank/Team (first-place votes)/Record/Points/Last week
1.Florida (48) 10-0 1,460 1
2.Texas (4) 10-0 1,397 2
3. Alabama (7) 10-0 1,388 3
4. TCU 10-0 1,277 4
5. Cincinnati 10-0 1,219 5
6. Boise State 10-0 1,183 6
7. Georgia Tech 10-1 1,127 7
8. Ohio State 9-2 1,019 8
9. Pittsburgh 9-1 997 9
10. LSU 8-2 956 11
11. Oregon 8-2 875 16
12. Penn State 9-2 772 17
13. Oklahoma State 8-2 750 18
14. Wisconsin 8-2 630 20
15. Iowa 9-2 584 13
16. Virginia Tech 7-3 558 21
17. Stanford 7-3 516 NR
18. Brigham Young 8-2 404 22
19. Clemson 7-3 274 NR
20. Oregon State 7-3 256 NR
21. Southern California 7-3 239 10
22. Houston 8-2 229 12
23. Utah 8-2 212 14
24. Miami (Fla.) 7-3 156 15
25. (tie) North Carolina 7-3 107 NR
25. (tie) Nebraska 7-3 107 NR

Dropped out
No. 19 Arizona (6-3, lost to California 24-16), No. 23 West Virginia (7-3, lost to No. 5 Cincinnati 24-21), No. 24 South Florida (6-3, lost to Rutgers 31-0), No. 25 Auburn (7-4, lost to Georgia 31-24).

Others receiving votes
Arizona (6-3) 87; Navy (8-3) 76; Rutgers (7-2) 74; California (7-3) 55; Mississippi (7-3) 46; West Virginia (7-3) 46; Central Michigan (8-2) 27; Temple (8-2) 17; Oklahoma (6-4) 15; Boston College (7-3) 14; Auburn (7-4) 8; Texas Tech (6-4) 7; Nevada (7-3) 6; Northwestern (7-4) 3; Georgia (6-4) 2.

Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll

Rank/Team (first-place votes)/Record/Points
1. Florida (36) 10-0 1463
2. Alabama (14) 10-0 1429
3. Texas (10) 10-0 1424
4. TCU 10-0 1307
5. Cincinnati 10-0 1247
6. Boise State10-01213
7. Georgia Tech10-1 1139
8. Pittsburgh 9-1 1030
9. Ohio State 9-2 990
10. LSU 8-2 968
11. Oregon8-2 918
12. Oklahoma State 8-2 754
13. Penn State 9-2 689
14. Stanford 7-3 652
15. Iowa 9-2 633
16. Virginia Tech 7-3 559
17. Wisconsin 8-2 547
18. Clemson 7-3 442
19. Brigham Young 8-2 344
20. Oregon State 7-3 338
21. Miami (FL) 7-3 255
22. USC 7-3 223
23. Utah 8-2 183
24. Houston 8-2 149
25. Rutgers 7-2 145

Dropped from rankings: Arizona 18, South Florida 23

Others receiving votes: North Carolina 144, Nebraska 64, California 53, Arizona 50, Mississippi 45, Navy 41, Temple 23, Auburn 9, Georgia 9, West Virginia 8, Oklahoma 5, Texas Tech 4, Boston College 3, Nevada 1,

Harris Interactive

No./School/Record/Points/Prev
1. Florida (78) 10-0 2793 1
2. Texas (19) 10-0 2711 2
3. Alabama (16) 10-0 2694 3
4. TCU (1) 10-0 2479 4
5. Cincinnati 10-0 2349 5
6. Boise State 10-0 2317 6
7. Georgia Tech 10-1 2168 7
8. Ohio State 9-2 1960 8
9. Pittsburgh 9-1 1895 9
10. LSU 8-2 1813 11
11. Oregon 8-2 1699 14
12. Penn State 9-2 1467 17
13. Oklahoma State 8-2 1408 18
14. Iowa 9-2 1176 12
15. Wisconsin 8-2 1134 20
16. Virginia Tech 7-3 976 21
17. Stanford 7-3 946 26
18. Brigham Young 8-2 793 22
19. Clemson 7-3 578 25
20. Southern California 7-3 576 10
21. Utah 8-2 568 16
22. Oregon State 7-3 492 28
23. Houston 8-2 484 13
24. Miami (Fla.) 7-3 442 15
25. Nebraska 7-3 169 30

Others Receiving Votes: Rutgers(7-2) 143; Arizona(6-3) 139; North Carolina(7-3) 136; California(7-3) 123; Navy(8-3) 85; Mississippi(7-3) 78; West Virginia(7-3) 73; Temple(8-2) 47; Oklahoma(6-4) 42; South Florida(6-3) 34; Central Michigan(8-2) 25; Auburn(7-4) 19; Boston College(7-3) 10; Nevada(7-3) 4; Northwestern(7-4) 3; Air Force(7-4) 2

BCS Poll - November 15th

Rank/School/Record/Avg/Prev
1. Florida 10-0 0.9833 1
2. Alabama 10-0 0.9520 2
3. Texas 10-0 0.9260 3
4. TCU 10-0 0.8687 4
5. Cincinnati 10-0 0.8533 5
6. Boise State 10-0 0.7950 6
7. Georgia Tech 10-1 0.7717 7
8. LSU 8-2 0.6647 8
9. Pittsburgh 9-1 0.6570 12
10. Ohio State 9-2 0.6497 11
11. Oregon 8-2 0.6263 13
12. Oklahoma State 8-2 0.4710 19
13. Iowa 9-2 0.4530 10
14. Penn State 9-2 0.4127 18
15. Virginia Tech 7-3 0.4037 21
16. Wisconsin 8-2 0.3583 20
17. Stanford 7-3 0.3407 NR
18. USC 7-3 0.2713 9
19. Oregon State 7-3 0.2490 23
20. Miami (FL) 7-3 0.1937 14
21. Utah 8-2 0.1910 16
22. Brigham Young 8-2 0.1873 22
23. Clemson 7-3 0.1830 NR
24. Houston 8-2 0.1150 15
25. California 7-3 0.0933 NR

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