Week 3 brought us what was SUPPOSED to be the biggest matchup of the year between #1 Southern Cal and #5 Ohio State. Instead, an overmatched and outmanned Buckeye team got slaughtered at the hands of a Trojan team that early on appears to not only be the best team in the nation, but the best in Pete Caroll’s tenure. Meanwhile, the arch-rivals of those two heavyweights were also locking horns. Notre Dame and Michigan, the sports two winningest programs, renewed acquaintences in Notre Dame, IN, in what amounted to a rather lackluster matchup of two rebuilding programs. Notre Dame showed significant improvement, but it was every bit as much Michigan’s ineptitude which led to a Notre Dame blowout. In the least heralded matchup of major programs, South Florida beat Kansas in a thriller, potentially salvaging what has thus far been a disastrous season for the Big East. Speaking of bad conferences, UNC of the moribund ACC laid an absolute beat-down on Rutgers in New Jersey. The Butch Davis reclamation process may be ahead of schedule.
Week 4 promises to be a pretty good week of college football with the start of confernce play for most teams. Florida/Tennessee, Auburn/LSU, UGA/Arizona State, Utah/Air Force, and Notre Dame/Michigan State headline this Saturday’s slate of games.
Let’s take a look around the World of College Football after three weeks:
The Friess Poll:
1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Missouri
4. Florida
5. Georgia
6. Auburn
7. LSU
8. Penn State
9. Alabama
10. Texas
11. Ohio State
12. Wisconsin
13. South Florida
14. Texas Tech
15. Oregon
16. BYU
17. Wake Forest
18. Utah
19. Clemson
20. Oklahoma State
21. ECU
22. WVU
23. Vanderbilt
24. Ball State
25. North Carolina
Honorable Mentions: Arizona, MSU, Tulsa, Kansas State, Florida State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, South Carolina, Nebraska, Cal, Arizona State, Kansas, Air Force
Conference Rankings:
1. SEC
2. Big XII
3. Pac-10
4. Big Ten
5. Mountain West
6. Big East
7. Conference USA
8. ACC
Early Heisman Ballot:
1. Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB
2. Matt Sanchez, USC, QB
3. Knowshown Moreno, Georgia, RB
4. Tim Tebow, Florida, QB
5. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB
6. Matthew Stafford, Georgia, QB
7. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri, WR/KR
8. Joe McKnight, USC, RB
September 18th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Congrats to ND - that was an absolute whuppin’ of Michigan. It’s always great to beat a great program like UM, even if they’re down… sideways… or what/whenever.
I find it funny - laughable - that you’ve got UNC on your poll, given that they’re “ranked” 31st and 36th by AP and USAToday, respectively, and FIFTY-FIRST in Sagarin’s ratings. But, OH, OH!! They beat a BIG EAST School! So they must be AWESOME!! :-p Puh-leeze.
Ah, Dr. Cruizer… so jaded, so biased, so misinformed - so blinded by his hatred of the ACC, that he’s lost all touch with reality. Jeff Sagarin’s PUBLISHED conference rankings:
(http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc08.htm)
1 SOUTHEASTERN
2 BIG 12
3 PAC-10
4 BIG TEN
5 ATLANTIC COAST
6 BIG (L)EAST
7 MOUNTAIN WEST
8 CONFERENCE USA
Finally:
DUKE FOOTBALL - 2-1 baby!! WOOOOO!
September 18th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Borg, take a closer look at those Sagarin ratings, which I rely on heavily AFTER the first 4-5 weeks are in teh books.
The rankings are based on a mathematical equation and are thus WORTHLESS until all of the teams have started to play each other. Jeff Sagarin even says that in his explanation of his poll at the top of the page when he says, “For the first few weeks of the season, the starting ratings have weight in the process, but once the teams are all CONNECTED, the starting ratings are no longer used and all teams are started equal and the ELO-CHESS is then done in an UNBIASED manner from that point on.”
Look at who is ranked in the top 15. Do they look like top-25 teams? BYU 8th? Virginia Tech 11th? TCU 17th? BC 23rd while South Florida is 26th?
Sagarin is a great poll, but is worthless before Columbus Day.
As for the ACC, they have 2 ranked teams, one of which won’t be after WF and FSU play this weekend. They have beaten NO ONE outside of their conference that is even remotely good. Meanwhile, the Big East is 3-0 against the Big 12, who is the second best conference in America this year.
Look, I may hate the ACC but my poll is not biased. I watch 6-8 games a week, featuring teams from all the conferences all over the nation. Do you? I read recruiting services, do you? I know the kind of talent UNC has and I’ve seen them play twice. They are a good team and they are going to absolutely CRUSH Duke, who I actually think is greatly improved.
You have your difference of opipnion, fine, write your own post. That’s why it is called the “Friess Poll.” But my rankings, while certainly my opinion, are not biased.
September 19th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Nope, you’re right. You have a monopoly on the truth. I forgot. Silly me. [sigh]
September 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I don’t even know what that means, but I don’t think you are understanding me.
I didn’t say I’m right. All I said was that I’m honest. I honestly believe, based on what I have seen and read, that this is the appropriate ranking of these 20+ teams through 3 weeks of football. Will I be right about some and wriong about other? Of course I will.
But don’t try calling me bias just because you disagree with me. You sound like one of the loser sports talk radio call in guys who call and e-mail shows saying the host is biased or doesn’t give his team enough respect.
I just call it as I see it; nothing more and nothing less.