EZ's College Football Top 25, Week 1

I am happy to see another season of college football underway. Unlike last year, this season has not started quite so crazy. Still, we saw some upsets, and now, my initial update to my college football rankings is released.



1. USC Trojans – No Change
Off to a fast start, the Trojans dominated a very over matched Virginia Cavaliers team from the opening kick. Mark Sanchez looked awfully comfortable in leading the Trojan attack. Next up however is Ohio State, and I think we will have a better idea of what both teams are made of after that game.



2. Georgia Bulldogs – No Change
Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno lead the Bulldogs to the easy victory against Georgia Southern. No reason for anyone to think the Dawgs are no for real.




3. Ohio State – No Change
Even more impressive than the 43 points that OSU drubbed on Youngstown State, was the fact that the defense, lead by All-American candidates James Laurinitis and Malcolm Jenkins blanked the Pirates. As long as Beanie Wells is at full strength, this should be a great matchup next week.



4. Florida Gators – No Change
Easy victors in their opening day battle with Hawaii, the Gators look as if they will be in both the SEC and the National Title hunt all season long. They dominated the ground game, and Tim Tebow looked all the rage to defend his Heisman.



5. LSU Tigers – No Change
After Appalachian State opened last season with a win over Michigan, they hoped they could do it again, this time vs LSU. The Tiger though had other ideas. Charles Scott showed that the Tigers would not miss Jacob Hester, and they pounded App State to ensure that lightning wouldn’t strike twice.




6. Oklahoma Sooners – No Change
What a beating this team put on Chattanooga. Sure, it looked like a warm-up game going in, but to hold another team to 36 yards total offense is very impressive indeed.




7. Missouri Tigers – No Change
Unlike the teams above them in our poll, Mizzou opened up with a bang, taking on the Fighting Illini. This could have proven to be bad, but instead, Mizzou held their own and put up enough points to win the shoot-out. The Tigers are going to have to play better defense if they want to be in the title race this season, but a win against a quality opponent to start the year is very nice.




8. Auburn Tigers – +1
321 yards on the ground plus a Clemson loss has Auburn moving up into the 8th spot this week. Like some other top teams, Auburn was a heavy favorite against UL Monroe, but a shutout is a shutout, and the Tigers pulled one off.



9. Texas Longhorns – +1
QB Colt McCoy looked great, throwing for 3 TD’s and running for one more in the Longhorns opening day victory against a very overmatched Florida Atlantic team. The offensive outpouring has helped push Texas up one spot this week to #9.



10. West Virginia Mountaineers – +1
The Mountaineers break into our top ten with Pat White’s impressive 5 TD performance to open the season. Despite Villanova actually winning the yardage battle against the Mountaineers, WVU rolled to their first victory.





11. Texas Tech – +1
Graham Harrell opened the season throwing for over 500 yards in the Raiders beating of Eastern Washington. Texas Tech should not get looked past by the other national powers. This team is good.





12. Wisconsin Badgers – +1
PJ Hill eclipsed 200 yards on the ground as part of a 400+ yard effort for the Badgers. The ground game will support the Madison faithful all year long, and if they continue this pace, watch out Big 10.





13. Arizona State Sun Devils – +2
Zona State combines their victory with Clemson and Va Tech losses to move up two spots from our pre-season poll. Erickson would have probably liked a bit wider margin of victory from his Sun Devils, but will be happy to have left with a win. Next up, Stanford.







14. BYU Cougars - +2
The Cougars beating of Northern Iowa extends the nations longest win streak to 11, and helps BYU move up two spots in this weeks poll. With more than 550 yards of total offense, the Cougars look like they will be a tough team for all opponents this season.





15. Tennessee Vols – +2
At the time of this posting, the Tennessee vs UCLA matchup has yet to take place. Because of this Tennessee simply reaps the benefit of the losses above them. Next week however they will have the strength of two games effecting their ranking.





16. Kansas Jayhawks – +2
A big win for the Jayhawks over FIU moves them up two spots. Soon they match up with South Florida, and we will get to see how good they really are.







17. South Florida Bulls – +2
USF put up huge numbers against UT Martin in their opening day victory, and that was with their 2nd and 3rd string taking most of the snaps on both sides of the ball. Next up for the Bulls, the War on I4.





18. Alabama Crimson Tide – New to Poll
During my pre-season rankings I had a hard time deciding between the Tide and Pittsburgh for #25. Obviously I chose the wrong one. The Tide put a beating on my former #9, Clemson, while the Panthers laid an egg. The Tide enters the poll at #18 with their very convincing week one victory against a quality opponent.





19. Clemson Tigers – -11
Getting drubbed in a week one outing against the Tide is what has landed the Tigers this big drop in the poll. Zero yards rushing and controlling the ball for just over 18 minutes will not result in very many wins. Bowden needs to get his boys back on the horse ASAP. A game against the Citadel next week should be just what the Dr ordered.






20. Oregon Ducks – +1
Jeremiah Masoli is proving to be an adequate replacement for Dennis Dixon who bolted to the NFL. Careful with the football, and supported by a superb defensive outing, the new Duck signal caller proved that Oregon will be a player in the PAC 10.





21. Penn State – +1
College football’s eldest statesman earned his 373 win as Penn State completely rolled Costal Carolina. Paterno tied Bobby Bowden with this win, and I expect with the courses these two teams are currently on, that Paterno will again emerge as the winningest coach in college football history.





22. Wake Forest – +1
Riley Skinner looked awesome as the Deacons blew up Baylor during their week one matchup. Skinner is now the career leader in wins for the Deacons, and the team has risen two spots in this weeks poll.





23. South Carolina – New to Poll
Another SEC team breaks into EZ’s Top 25. Spurrier and his Gamecocks bowled through NC State to kick this college football season into gear, and with such a convincing win, they earn their ranking. Despite Beecher throwing 4 picks, they still dominated the Wolfpack.





24. Fresno State – New to Poll
Pat Hill’s team has not yet played, but with teams like the Illini and the Wolverines losing, the Bulldogs are moving on up without having played yet. They will face a good Rutgers team on Labor Day, and like Tennessee, they will benefit or pay for the results of this game on next weeks poll.






25. Illinios Fighting Illini – -5
Yes they lost, but they lost to a good Mizzou team. Because of this they fall, but not quite as far as some other teams. They remain in the Top 25, but they are simply hanging on right now. Next week they have a great “get right” opportunity against Eastern Illinois.

2008 College Football Pre-Season Top 25

Welcome to a new season of college football. Every year the coaches and the AP both release the pre-season top 25. Now you can view EZ's pre-season top 25 too. Let's get it started.



1. USC Trojans - The top ranked team should be the team expected to be winning the National Championship this year, and right now I expect that team to be the Trojans. They have lots of talent on both sides of the ball, and I expect this team to dominate the PAC 10, all season long.



2. Georgia Bulldogs - The AP's top team is still my selection for a National Title Game appearance. Unfortunately I think that Matt Stafford and Mr Heisman Candidate Moreno will come up short in January.




3. Ohio State - Participants in the last two National Title Games, the Bucs are going to be a very good squad. They will do as they did last year, and lay in wait for the teams above them to slip up, and if they do, OSU could head to their third straight. But can they finally win one?



4. Florida Gators - The Bulldogs may be the best in the SEC, but not by a big margin. The Gators return the Heisman Trophy with Timmy Tebow, and have the exciting Percy Harvin to help put points on the board. If this team beats the Dawgs in the Backyard BBQ in Jacksonville, they may run directly to the National Title Game.



5. LSU Tigers - Both polls have the Sooners as a top 5 program, but I dont see them beating this LSU team head-to-head. This means the Tigers get my call for the fifth spot. That's right, 3 teams from the SEC in the top 5. Kinda scary huh?




6. Oklahoma Sooners - How good the Sooners will be early on is not really debateable, but can they keep the pace all season long? They play a favorable schedule, but the Red river shootout is never an easy game. If they play to their talent they could make a run for the top spot.




7. Missouri Tigers - The Tigers came from relative anonymity to become a player on the national scene. With Chase back behind center, the Tiger will be a threat to win the Big 12.




8. Clemson Tigers - Ok. Seriously. How good could one confrence be? First Georgia, then Florida, then LSU, and now Clemson. And please don't think these Tigers are going to be an afterthought. This team can play with anyone and they will make their opponents fight all season long.




9. Auburn Tigers - As if it were planned, for the thrid spot in a row on my poll I have the Tigers. Only this time these Tigers are from Alabama. Auburn become the 5th SEC team in my top ten, and if that doesn't speak to the power of this confrence than nothing will. Auburn will be a force in the SEC and on the national scene.





10. Texas Longhorns - The Longhorns round out the top ten. This team always seems to be a player in the national picture. They will be good enough to give opponents in the Big 12 fits. Under the right circumstances, this team could make a run for the top.





11. West Virginia Mountaineers - Both of the national polls had the Mountaineers ranked higher than this, but I expect to see this team take a step backwards. Steve Slaton and Darius Reynaud are gone, and so is Rich Rodriguez. Can't see this team not stepping back a bit.




12. Texas Tech - If the SEC is the class of the Nation, the Big 12 is a close second. Texas Tech is a vastly improved team, and they are deserving of this number 12 ranking. They will be formidable on both sides of the ball and they will be one of the bright spots in this year's season.





13. Wisconsin Badgers - After OSU, the Badgers are the best team in the Big 10. They are steady performers each and every year. Unfortunately, again, they will lack the firepower needed to make a run for the title.






14. Virginia Tech Hokies - One of the bright spots last season, the Hokies made some serious noise when it came time to select the national title game participants. I don't quite expect for them to be as good this season though. Xavier Adibi, the team's heart and soul on defense is gone, as is top corner Brandon Flowers, and those two will be sorely missed.






15. Arizona State Sun Devils - How good is Dennis Erickson's squad. I think we will find them to be the only team in the PAC 10 that can challenge the Trojans. The Sun Devils will be improved over last year's upstart team. That could mean an even better finishing rank than this 15 spot.





16. BYU Cougars - The Cougars won 10 games last year, but the were not really challeneged too often. Still, they are a very good team. I expect for them to put up some offense and this will lead to more wins, as they still are the best in their confrence.






17. Tennessee Vols - I know, I know, another team from the overloaded SEC. You have to wonder how anyone could survive that confrence schedule. The Vols will be players again, and depending on how they deal with the Gators in their annual early season battle, the rest of their season could hang in the balance.





18. Kansas Jayhawks - This team feels a bit overrated to me. Despit their performance last year, I still have a hard time calling this team one of the best in the nation. In fact, both of the national polls have this team ranked even higher than I do, but I expect that this team will suffer their first lost early on when the visit Tampa.





19. South Florida Bulls - This is another team with a great story. They are a team on the rise, and they will be facing a tough Big East schedule but an early season tangle with the Jayhawks will show everyone what South Florida is really made of. Also, George Selvie is an early season favorite for Defensive Player of the Year.






20. Illinois Fighting Illini - The Illini are going to miss first round selection Rashard Mendenhall. He was such a large part of what Illinois did offensively. If they can replace some of his production, this team is still talented enough to make some Big 10 teams nervous.





21. Oregon Ducks - The Ducks lost a lot when Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart made the leap to the pros. Still it is my expectation that the Ducks will be a great team this year. I am not sure they will be as good as USC or ASU, but they are definately top 25 material.





22. Penn State - Losing Sean Lee will no doubt hurt Joe Pa's chances of returning his squad to the BCS, but this is still a talented team that could surprise some teams this year. In fact if OSU is not careful, they could be in for a surprise.





23. Michigan Wolverines - Michigan are another team who lost a lot last year. Tackle Jake Long, and QB Chad Henne are now teammates with the Dolphins, and Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington made the leap to the NFL too. Still with rich Rodriguez coming to Ann Arbor, I think this team will be on the mend.





24. Wake Forest - This was a ballclub that surprised a lot of people last year, and one season later, they are even better. This team will win some games, and will make life tough on ACC opponents all season long.






25. Pittsburgh - This final spot was a tough one to call. I feel like Alabama is equally deserving of this 25 spot but playing them head-to-head I think Pitt would win. They shocked West Virginia late last season, and I think this year this team will be a force. They are a reason the Big East is quickly becoming one of the best confrences in the nation.