College Power Rankings Week 6

Been lazy the past few weekends, but time to get back at the power rankings. As usual there were some upsets, but I was genuinely surprised this weekend. Oregon continues their climb to greatness, Boise state continues to win and I told you so about the Michigan Wolverines.

1. Ohio State (6–0) Up Next – (18) Wisconsin (5–1)

After the upset of Alabama, Ohio State takes over the top rank in the nation. Do I believe they are truly the best team in the nation? No. Sure they will win regular season games, but I can’t trust them in the title game. That is my requirement to be considered the best team. Could they surprise me and run the table and win it all? Maybe. But it always seems that when they face a fast team, they look incredibly slow. They look faster this year but they haven’t played a great team or even an SEC team. QB Terrelle Pryor does look like a beast, though.

2. Oregon (6–0) Up Next – BYE WEEK

RB LaMichael James has got to be in the conversation for the Heisman. He is behind only Michigan QB Denard Robinson, if you can really call him a QB. James is on pace for over 1,600 yards this season, and is only a sophomore. He isn’t the biggest guy but he sure does know how to run the ball and score. The little guy has nine touchdowns already with six games left. He could easily have over 20 touchdowns by the end of the year.

3. Boise State (5–0) Up Next – San Jose State (1–5)

They dropped a spot and now move back up after the ‘Bama loss. Unless Ohio State or Oregon lose, they probably are stuck here, and that is if they don’t lose too. I would love to see them get a chance in a national title game but no one including me thinks they will get a chance. They have shown in the past they can hold their own against the major conferences. I don’t even know if they go undefeated that they will even get a chance, if say a good SEC team had two loses. I want to see it, but I doubt it.

4. TCU (3–0) Up Next – BYU (2–4)

Consider TCU the older Boise State. They were the little school that surprised people. And with that, they are in the same boat as Boise. They will probably get into a BCS bowl game but I'm hesitant to say they could be in the title game. The Horned Frogs steamrolled Wyoming this weekend 45-0, another typical blowout by TCU. On a side note, I feel sorry for Wyoming, they have lost to Boise State 51-6, TCU and Texas (when they were good) 34-7. This just shows how weak TCU’s schedule has been, another reason why they won’t have a chance in the title game.

5. Nebraska (5–0) Up Next – Texas (3–2)

Their defense still has not allowed more than 21 points in a single game. Then again, their schedule hasn’t been the toughest. It was impressive that they held Kansas State’s RB Daniel Thomas to 76 yards on 22 carries though. In other news, Freshman QB Taylor Martinez might just be the fastest player in the nation. Yes, faster than Denard Robinson. He scored on a touchdown against Kansas State where I swore he was going to be caught and tackled, but he just blazed a path for the TD. I was amazed. He hasn’t thrown much yet, but his wheels (No. 5 in the nation in rushing) are more than enough for them to continue winning.

6. Alabama (5–1) Up Next – Ole Miss (3–2)

I can’t believe that the Crimson Tide lost to the Gamecocks. The Tide’s defense just couldn’t stop South Carolina Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore. He didn’t have an amazing game, but he was solid, productive and averaged 4 yards a carry with three combined TD’s (2 rushing and 1 rushing). I'm not really impressed with South Carolina as much as I am disappointed in Alabama. RB Trent Richardson only had 23 yards on six carries, reigning Heisman Trophy winner RB Mark Ingram could only manage 41 yards on 11 carries while QB Greg McElroy had possibly his best aerial game in his career. This was McElroy’s first loss since the eighth grade.

7. Oklahoma (5–0) Up Next – Iowa State (3–3)

They are coming off a bye after beating Texas 28-20 in the Red River Rivalry game last weekend. QB Landry Jones picked up where he left off last season after he replaced Sam Bradford. It was a seamless transition, further showing that Bradford isn’t all he is hyped up to be. On top of Jones’ production, RB DeMaco Murray is having another fine year (that is until he suffers his annual nagging injury), and short WR Ryan Broyles (No. 12 in the nation in receiving) is having a great year as well.

8. Auburn (6–0) Up Next – (12) Arkansas (4–1)

I had been bagging on the Tigers, until they beat South Carolina. But the real reason I have them up this high, besides their undefeated record, is QB Cameron Newton. He is No. 12 in the nation in rushing and I believe he is getting better as a passer. Other than that? I'm still not that impressed. I have said before I believe head coach Gene Chizik will find a way to screw it all up.

9. LSU (6–0) Up Next – McNeese State (2–3)

There are three things going for the LSU Tigers RB Stevan Ridley, the defense and head coach Les Miles. Ridley is currently No.14 in the nation in rushing with 640 yards. It’s a good thing he is getting yards because their QB is what you call, a dud. QB Jordan Jefferson seems like a complete waste of time. He is barely at 50 percent in completion percentage and not even averaging a 100 yards passing a game. Their defense is No. 14 in the nation in allowing only 15.2 points a game. That might not be the true case, though. They gave up 29 points to the then-ranked No. 14 Florida and 24 points to the then No. 18 in the nation UNC. And my final point was Les Miles. He is crazy. Not always, great but they always win. That trick FG play against Florida was absolutely insane. And on top of the crazy call, was how it actually happened. When it bounced and the kicker caught it I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like it. But like I said, he knows how to win.

10. Utah (5–0) Up Next – Wyoming (2–4)

I really don’t like ranking them this high, but it seems as if I have no option. The teams I would like to have above the Utes have let me down. They are third in the nation in points per game (49) and 15th in giving up points (15.6). That all seems fine and dandy, but they have played one ranked team and that was Week 1. Their schedule has been so weak that their opponents to date have a combined record of 7 – 22. And only one, Iowa State, had a .500 record. Now you get why I don’t like them here?

11. South Carolina(4–1) Up Next – Kentucky (3–3)

Everyone has been praising RB Marcus Lattimore like he is leading the nation in rushing. He doesn’t even have 500 yards. Don’t get me wrong, he is solid and probably will be very good but I don’t think he is really dominant right now. QB Stephen Garcia is also being praised heavily, but he doesn’t even have 1,000 yards yet in five games. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett had more than that in three games. Soooo…. yea, not amazing. The defense isn’t allowing even 19 points per game, but that really is the only highlight of this squad.

12. Arkansas (4–1) Up Next – (8) Auburn (6–0)

Speaking of that giant QB Mallett, he is third in passing yards in college football with more than 1,700 yards. The Razorbacks have the third best pass offense, and the No. 13 best defense in the nation at only allowing 15 points per game. Their schedule is going to get more difficult now, but I could see them being a top 10 team when it is all said and done. Expect a huge game from Mallett against Auburn this weekend.

13. Michigan State (6–0) Up Next – Illinois (3–2)

After all the sad health concerns with their coach, they continue to roll. They beat (18) Wisconsin last week and (25) Michigan this week. They have a pretty good offense and a defense that isn’t allowing more than 18.3 points per game. They seem to me to be everyone’s Cinderella story already. And you know what? I kind of like it. Their schedule isn’t amazingly difficult rest of the way, but still might end up with two losses.

14. Stanford (5–1) Up Next – BYE

They get a week off after a narrow victory over USC. I have been praising Stanford QB Andrew Luck as much as the next guy, but he was outperformed by my favorite QB in college football, USC QB Matt Barkley. Barkley had some amazing throws and 390 yards through the air to go along with three TDs. Luck was more efficient though, 20-24 285 yards and three TDs. If Luck decides to stay another year next year, that will be a great battle between Barkley and Luck. The next two games for Stanford are against Washington and Washington State. Let’s just say I have a feeling they will be 7-1, then.

15. Florida State (5–1) Up Next – Boston College (2–3)

They are rushing for a lot more yards than I thought, while they aren’t passing for as much as I would have assumed. In fact, they are rushing for more yards per game than passing yards per game. Unbelievable when you take into consideration their QB Christian Ponder. I would have expected Ponder to be throwing for more nearly 300 yards a game, not 216. Hmm… well we will see if by end of the year if that changes. Their defense has been incredibly well too, only allowing 15.7 points per game, No. 16 in the nation.

16. Iowa (4–1) Up Next – (25) Michigan (5–1)

This was the game early in the year that I thought would expose Michigan QB Denard Robinson. Well, good news for the Hawkeyes, Michigan State did that for them. Iowa just has to follow the Spartans lead. They had a bye week, so that game helps them even more. But to win this game the way I think Iowa should, their QB, Ricky Stanzi, will need a huge day in the air. I think they manhandle the Wolverines this weekend with their No. 1 defense in the nation. I am going to enjoy the slaughter of Michigan.

17. Arizona (4–1) Up Next – Washington State (1–5)

QB Nick Foles had a HUGE game, with 440 passing yards but only had two TDs. They lost in a close one to the bi-polar Oregon State Beavers, 27-29. Their offense was good, but their defense just couldn’t hold Oregon State QB Ryan Katz. He countered Foles with 393 yards of his own. I think Arizona will come back down to earth, with a difficult schedule after the next two weeks. I think they could end up with two more loses.

18. Wisconsin (5–1) Up Next – (1) Ohio State (6–0)

Let’s make the Badgers record 5–2 already. I'm not a Buckeyes fan in any sort of way, but I just can’t see Wisconsin beating Ohio State. Wisconsin runs the ball well and has a pretty good defense, but I just have zero confidence in them. Their QB isn’t great in my opinion and I just don’t like them. I don’t have a grudge, just have no confidence in them.

19. Oklahoma State (5–0) Up Next – Texas Tech (3–2)

At this point, I am getting to the teams who could be ranked but shouldn’t necessarily be. Oklahoma State has a really good offense, but their defense? That side of the ball could use some improvement. Then again this team is scary, and not in a good way. They have played no ranked teams, or even a legitimate team. Their offense could be very bad very soon, and their defense could get even worse.

20. Nevada (6–0) Up Next – Hawaii (4–2)

They have played no one good, but they are putting up gaudy numbers. RB Vai Taua is third in the nation in rushing yards with 837 and has 11 rushing TD’s. QB Colin Kaepernick has over 1,300 yards through the air and 639 yards on the ground with 19 combined TDs. They are giving credit to using the Pistol offense, but they haven’t really played a great team yet. They probably continue to put up big numbers, but their true test is on Nov. 26 when they face Boise State.

21. Missouri (5–0) Up Next – Texas A&M (3–2)

According to the numbers, their defense is third best only giving up 11.2 a game. That is laughable. They literally would have been better off playing a high school varsity team. Their opponents have been: Illinois, McNeese State, San Diego State University, Miami (OH.) and Colorado. None of those are what you call offensive power houses. Let’s just say I'm not impressed.

22. Air Force (5–1) Up Next – San Diego State University (3–2)

Air Force’s only lose this year was to Oklahoma, 24-27. For that reason, I am more accepting of the Falcons. They aren’t the team that puts up a lot of huge numbers, except for the running game. They are averaging 352.7 yards a game on the ground. That is impressive, anywhere. They will be tried next week against (4) TCU. So their schedule will be more difficult, but they might only lose one more game this season.

23. Virginia Tech (4–2) Up Next – Wake Forest (2–4)

They aren’t having the year I thought they would have, but I just can’t put a team like Oregon State, West Virginia or Miami (Fl.) Hurricanes ahead of them. Yes, they have that loss to James Madison, but I think I will be proven right when they end up being a Top 25 team again later in the year. They were my pick to win or at least tie for the ACC Championship, so I am sticking to them.

24. Florida (4–2) Up Next – Mississippi State (4–2)

I would ask if anyone has fallen faster than the Gators, but earlier in the year Virginia Tech fell and then Texas crumbled. Three powerhouses I thought could all be in BCS bowl games might not even be Top 25 teams for the AP of BCS rankings. LSU (9) squeaked out a win with their ridiculous fake FG, if not for that play, Florida might be No. 9 again and LSU down here. We will see who the real Florida in the second half of the season.

25. Michigan (4–1) Up Next – (16) Iowa (4–1)

This was my time to finally throw Michigan out of the Top 25. But I didn’t. It’s not because I liked them, it’s so I can say I told you so. Their defense continues to be terrible (No. 75 in the nation in points against with 26.8 per game), their coach is still crazy not in a good way though and their only weapon was QB Denard Robinson.

Robinson was held to 4.1 yards per carry against Michigan State and threw three interceptions. Was I right or was I right? They lost to a good team and everyone was surprised. Well, duh, they aren’t very good. I'm not going to lie, that was a very fulfilling loss. And no, it was not an upset. In fact, it probably should have been a bigger win. Expect Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn and Iowa’s No. 1 defense to just terrorize Robinson. This will be a massacre of the Wolverines.