1. Oklahoma (2-0) – The Sooners did it with defense again against Alabama. This will be repeated throughout the season. The Sooners defense is what is what we call in laypeople’s terms “really good.”
2. Michigan (2-0) – Chris Perry carried the Wolverines on his back again with 184 yards rushing against Houston. He is averaging 208 yards-per-contest now and could be the frontrunner for the Heisman if he can match these numbers against Notre Dame on Saturday.
3. Miami (2-0) – Brock Berlin had an incredible second half and led the Hurricanes on a momentous 28-point comeback against in-state rival Florida. If he keeps this up, the Hurricanes will be in New Orleans come January.
4. Southern California (2-0) – The Trojans are impressive thus far, and don’t expect that to change. They play Hawaii this weekend. Hawaii throws a lot and plays bad defense. Hey, why doesn’t the Pac-10 offer them an invitation?
5. Ohio State (2-0) – The Buckeyes squeaked out a victory against San Diego State on Saturday without scoring an offensive touchdown. They looked good against Washington, but it does seem as though they will struggle without Clarett.
6. Kansas State (3-0) – Ell Roberson is out for about a month. But the Wildcats expect him back just in time for their Oct. 4 match-up with Texas to open up Big XII play.
7. Texas (1-0) – The Longhorns may have a running back controversy. Cedric Benson has not played as well as Vince Young, who has impressed the coaching staff. Nevertheless, any team in the country would like to be as lucky to have two backs like that.
8. Virginia Tech (2-0) – Kevin Jones and Bryan Randall are outstanding athletes. They can carry any offense, and the Hokies’ defense will carry the rest.
9. Florida State (2-0) – After falling behind quickly to Maryland 10-0 Saturday, the Seminoles turned it up a notch and looked like the ‘Noles of old. Chris Rix finally looked like the quarterback he was supposed to be.
10. Georgia (2-0) – The Bulldogs are well-coached and methodical. They win games, simply put. But they better hope Fred Gibson gets healthy before the Sept. 20 game against LSU.
11. LSU (2-0) – The Tigers looked fast and impressive against an obviously overmatched Arizona team. Optimism is rampant in Baton Rouge this week.
12. Pittsburgh (1-0) – Last week I said watch out for Larry Fitzgerald. After a six-catch, 123-yard, three-touchdown performance last week, this week I say, “Watch out for Larry Fitzgerald.”
13. Tennessee (2-0) – The Volunteers’ running game is on. Cedric Houston is averaging 160.5 yards-per-game. That’s pretty good.
14. Florida (1-1) – The Gators proved a lot despite losing to Miami Saturday. They will be a force to be reckoned with. I wonder how busy the fireronzook.com web page was this week.
15. Arizona State (1-0) – Quarterback Andrew Walter threw for 224 yards and four touchdowns in the Sun Devils’ first game of the season. Expect more of that from him this season.
16. Notre Dame (1-0) – The Luck of the Irish was in full force Saturday as they overcame a 19-point deficit and won with a field goal in overtime after Washington State missed one. It looks like it may be another one of those years for Notre Dame.
17. Alabama (1-1) – Was it Alabama’s defense, or is Oklahoma’s offense not that good? We’ll find out as the season continues. But for now, we’ll give ‘Bama the benefit of the doubt.
18. Colorado (2-0) – The Buffaloes have won two big games already against Colorado State and UCLA. They are throwing the ball this year, and I want to know why. As long as they win it doesn’t matter, but they should get back to their bread and butter.
19. Iowa (2-0) – I’m not so sure the Hawkeyes were a one-hit wonder last year. And after seeing how Ohio State played Saturday, Iowa may wind up being the second-best team in the Big Ten this season.
20. Wake Forest (2-0) – Did anyone expect the Demon Deacons to beat North Carolina State that badly? Let’s see how they do this week against Purdue. Coming off a loss against Bowling Green, the Boilermakers will bring their “A”-game.
21. Wisconsin (2-0) – Last week I said Lee Evans and Anthony Davis were two of the best offensive players in the country. Evans had nine catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns Saturday while Davis rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries. Those are decent numbers.
22. Texas Christian (2-0) – The Horny Toads have an
off-week before playing an improved Vanderbilt team. Once Conference-USA starts up, TCU should go undefeated. But Louisville and Cincinnati look pretty good.
23. Nebraska (2-0) – Jamal Lord looks good running the ball, but he needs to work on his pass efficiency. Funny, wasn’t that the knock on the Cornhuskers last year? Where is Eric Crouch?
24. Boise State (1-0) – Ryan Dinwiddie will continue to post sick numbers, especially when WAC play starts. If you think the Pac-10 has no defense, check out a game in the WAC.
25. North Carolina State (1-1) – The Wolfpack have a huge game Saturday in the Horseshoe against Ohio State. Both teams have something to prove.
26. Washington (1-1) – The Huskies bounced back after their loss to the Buckeyes and Cody Pickett and Reggie Williams looked like the All-Americans they are.
27. Missouri (2-0) – Brad Smith leads Mizzou in both rushing and passing. Expect that to remain the same all season. He is exciting.
28. South Carolina (2-0) – Did Lou Holtz hold everything back against ULL? Was the Gamecocks’ 14-7 win against the Cajuns just another example of him playing mind games with the college football world? Because they totally killed Virginia last week.
29. Arkansas (1-0) – The Razorbacks racked up 294 yards rushing last week. That’s crazy. If they can produce half that against Texas Saturday it will be quite an accomplishment.
30. Texas A&M (2-0) – The Aggies beat Arkansas State and Utah by a combined score of 17 points. That’s not too assuring with a trip to Virginia Tech next Thursday. At least they get a week and a half to prepare.