Went 4-1 this week putting my total to 36-14 on the year. If only MSU could've held on...
As I'm writing this, Boise State just got upset by SDSU. The Aztecs aren't horrible, and the Broncos have also lost to the Spartans this year. That means the only good teams they've played have beaten them. This means I don't really know where to put them in terms of ranking. Same goes with Stanford. They beat USC but lose to Washington and Notre Dame. All of their wins and losses have been within one possession except the 2 horrible teams they pounded in Duke and Colorado. The last 3 weeks will help us see where Stanford ranks as they will play the Oregons and UCLA, 2 of the games on the road. I'm not buying Stanford this year with the loss of Harbaugh and Luck recently. Maybe in the next couple years, though, they'll be a great team again.
Right now, I've got Oregon and USC at the top of the conference. The next tier, which is a surprisingly good tier, includes Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington, and Stanford. Soaking it up at the bottom are Utah, Cal, Colorado, and Washington State. I think Utah and Washington State are on the verge of getting a lot better. The Pac-12 may actually become a really good conference in football. That would definitely compensate for their quality of basketball.
What We Learned
Texas A&M has a high-motored offense led by their Heisman candidate QB Manziel. They pushed Florida and LSU to the brink in their first year of SEC play. Not bad. This team is only going to get better, too. Now they get to attach SEC to recruiting players which will land them even more talent. Hopefully they straighten up their defense.
I know someone will want me to address Mississippi State. They're not as good as I had them ranked previously, but they are in the top 25. They've turned a lot of corners in the program, and they'll continue to get better. I'm really interested to see who they get in their bowl game. Some have them ending up in the Gator bowl or the Chic-Fil-A bowl. I'd love to see them matched up with the other MSU, Michigan State, in the Gator bowl. I think the Spartans get handled.
The Big 12 is collectively getting better. Just look at K-State. They've moved to the top eschelon of college football. Oklahoma has always been up there showing how strong their program is. Plus their fans are insanely loyal. Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State are all in down years but they've improved. With the additions of TCU and West Virginia, the Big 12 might be able to run with the best of them again.
The Big Ten is having a down year but it's not as bad as people think. It seems like it just took some teams a little while before getting their act together. Michigan, Michigan State, and especially Wisconsin were all late bloomers. They're not great, but they're good teams. Ohio State and Penn State shocked everyone at how good they'd be this year. My Buckeyes are the first 10-0 team in the country. They got off to a slow start, too, with a new coach and a new system. Nebraska and Northwestern are doing fairly well. Indiana and Purdue are some of the best teams with only 3 and 4 wins. If the conference can just start out a little stronger, they could actually have a pretty solid conference.
While I'm going through conferences, I might as mention a little conference some of you may have heard of: the SEC. Apparently I'm an SEC homer. I actually hate the SEC. Know what other teams I hate? The Yankees, the Steelers, the Lakers, and oh yes, Michigan football. Other hated teams and players around the country include Duke and North Carolina basketball, the Chicago Bulls of the 90's, and Tiger Woods. What do all of these people and programs have in common? They're successful. They're great programs. Nobody hates Appalachian State football (maybe Michigan) because they're horrible. Think the Charlotte Bobcats are hated? By who? In fact, most people cheer on underdogs who haven't achieved as much.
Same thing with the SEC. Nobody hates the Pac-12 or Big 12 and it's because they're not the best. People, like me, hate the SEC. Because they're the best. Pick a category. Recruiting? Top recruiting class for over the past 10 years every single year. National championships? Last 7 years with 4 different teams. All-Americans? More than any other conference over the past 10 years. Best non-conference winning percentage, which may not mean much if not coupled with the best record in BCS games over the past 15 years. Most NFL draft picks over the past 10 years. Hopefully we can all grudingly concede along with all of the scouts and coaches out there that, at least for right now, the SEC is the best conference in college football.
Games To Look Forward To
Oregon State at Stanford. Two ranked teams whose victory would really boost their resume.
Mississippi State at LSU. This game may be more of a reflection on who rebounds the best from each of their losses. LSU should pull it out.
Arizona State at USC. The Trojans stayed close in the Oregon game. We'll see how much that took out of them.
West Virginia at Oklahoma State. Should be another shootout, really fun to watch.
Kansas State at TCU. Normally I wouldn't think twice about this game, but with Optimus Klein out and K-State on the road, this may be an upset.
Northwestern at Michigan. N'Western is the better team, especially if Denard is out. But it's at the Big House so it should make for a tight game.
Texas A&M at Alabama. The high-octane offense of the Aggies will be matched up with arguably the best defense in the country. This game will come down to what Alabama can do on offense against Texas A&M's sketchy D.
My Big 5 Picks
A lot of teams have bye weeks this week, so here are my picks (without OSU):
- Oregon State beats Stanford on the road
- LSU rebounds and beats Mississippi State
- Nebraska beats Penn State
- Alabama beats Texas A&M
- Michigan upsets Northwestern at home
Not a lot of upsets this week. I would have picked TCU to upset K-State but nobody knows if Klein will be back this week or not. So I'll stay away from it. Have a great week!
No comments:
Post a Comment