CFN Rankings No. 1 to 119 - Week Two

There's one very important distinction in the CFN rankings: these are based on how good the teams are and NOT how they're going to finish. Some teams have easier schedules than others, some get tougher road games and some will need a little bit of time to jell meaning they might be better than their final record might indicate.

Preseason | Week 1 | Coaches | AP

1. USC (1-0)
Off This Week
next game: Nebraska  
Be careful. Be very, very careful. Nebraska is absolutely good enough to waltz into L.A. and hang 450 yards and 38 points on the board if the Trojan D isn’t fully prepared. However, USC is absolutely good enough to torch the mediocre Husker secondary (don’t let the zero passing yards allowed against Nicholls State fool you) and roll to the type of blowout win that’ll make the rest of the nation finally wake up and realize that this is the most talented team in college football.

2. Ohio State (2-0)
W, at Texas 24-7
next game: Cincinnati
Talk about calm, cool and collected, Ohio State was terrific on both sides of the ball in the surprisingly easy win over Texas. The offensive line did a great job of giving Troy Smith time, while the defense was flying all over the place. There shouldn’t be any more question marks about the defense.

3.. Auburn (2-0)
W, Mississippi State 34-0
next game: LSU
Is there a true national title contender flying lower under the radar than Auburn? Yeah, a D-III team could probably shut out Mississippi State right now, but the offensive parts are clicking and the defense is generating a ton of pressure.

4.  LSU (2-0)
W, Arizona 45-3
next game: at Auburn
Arizona was supposed to come into LSU and provide a possible upset special. LSU was supposed to be looking ahead to Auburn, it wasn’t going to be able run on Arizona, it wasn’t supposed … whatever. The Tigers played fast and amazing in the blowout.

5. Florida (2-0)
W, UCF 42-0
next game: at Tennessee
Florida couldn’t have looked more impressive than it did against UCF. If the running game is there and Chris Leak plays like he has over the first two games, Tennessee is in big trouble.

6. Notre Dame (2-0)
W, Penn State 41-17
next game: Michigan
Is there any room on the bandwagon? There’s still a question over just how good Penn State is, but an impressive win over Michigan would prove once and for all that this is a top three team. The defense might not be all that great, but it can really, really pop. There’s no better coached team in America.

7. Texas  (1-1)
L, Ohio State 24-7
next game: at Rice
Where was the fire and the emotion against Ohio State? It was like the early Billy Pittman fumble took the fight out of the dog. Rice won’t beat Texas, but the Todd Graham’s crew is playing just well enough to be pesky if the Longhorns have long faces.

8. Florida State (2-0)
W, Troy 24-17
next game: Clemson
Uhhhhhh, Troy? The Seminole defense no suddenly becomes a question mark and there’s still no running game whatsoever. There had better be an impressive offensive performance in this team’s future or it’s going to see its national title-type schedule turn into a nightmare.

9 .Tennessee (21-0)
W, Air Force 31-30
next game: Florida
Let’s just give Tennessee the benefit of the doubt that the Air Force debacle was a case of looking ahead to Florida. Erik Ainge is currently playing as well as any quarterback in America.

10. Michigan (2-0)
W, Central Michigan 41-17
next game: at Notre Dame
The running game is rolling along and the defense is fine, but is there enough firepower in the passing game to beat Notre Dame? Are the new, leaner Wolverines tough enough and smart enough to win in South Bend? This is the game Lloyd Carr must have to prove that he really can win a big non-conference game on the road|

11. Miami  (1-1)
W, Florida A&M 51-10
next game: at Louisville
There’s no truth to the rumor that Larry Coker won’t be allowed on the team plane if his Canes lose at Louisville. A 1-2 start would sit about as well as another viewing of the Florida State game.

12. Louisville (2-0)
W, Temple 62-0
next game: Miami
Here’s your shot at the glory, Louisville. Beat Miami, and it’s a one-game season against West Virginia for a shot at the BCS and possibly, the national title. Cart-before-the-horse heads up: watch out for the regular season finale at Pitt.

13. West Virginia (2-0)
W, Eastern Washington 52-3
next game: Maryland
The Mountaineers get one of their three tests this year on Thursday facing Maryland. This is it West Virginia; if you want to be considered a true national title contender, you win this game by three touchdowns.

14. Virginia Tech (2-0)
W, at North Carolina 35-10
next game: Duke
Is there a quieter national title contender out there? The Hokies just roll right along winning in a confident, business-like manner. It’ll have no problem with Duke and Cincinnati over the next two weeks, and then comes what’s sure to be a big-hitting battle with Georgia Tech.

15. Nebraska (2-0)
W, Nicholls State 56-7
next game: at USC
O.K. Nebraska, you want to be a player? You want to be big-time again? Here’s your chance. Beat USC at USC and you just might be the number one team in the country. At the very least you’ll be in the CFN top three.

16. Georgia (2-0)
W, at South Carolina 18-0
next game: UAB
Can Matthew Stafford be steady enough to lead the Dawgs to tough wins? The defense will have to bail the offense out several times this year, and it’ll start with a tougher-than-it-looks game against UAB.

17. Arizona State (2-0)
W, Nevada 52-21
next game: at Colorado
There we go. That’s the Arizona State we’ve been waiting for. If this team is the real deal, it bludgeons Colorado on the way to the showdown with Cal.

18. Boston College (2-0)
W, Clemson 34-33 2OT
next game: BYU
There’s absolutely nothing flashy about the Eagles, but they make plays and they come through when they have to. Matt Ryan has a Tom Brady-lite quality about him.

19. Clemson (1-1)
L, at Boston College 34-33 2OT
next game: at Florida State
Forgetting about the painful loss to Boston College, and the problems in the linebacking corps, this still might turn out to be one of the ten best teams in the country. Are the Tigers mentally tough enough to put BC in the rearview mirror and take care of Florida State?

20. Penn State (1-1)
L, at Notre Dame 41-17
next game: Youngstown State
It’s early, so it’s still hard to tell if Penn State is that bad or if Notre Dame is that good. The running game hasn’t done much of the first two weeks, and Anthony Morelli looked like Anthony Morelli against the Irish. Worse yet, the defense wasn’t its old self.

21. California (1-1)
W, Minnesota 41-17
next game: Portland State
Cal looked like it’s supposed to in a blowout win over Minnesota. It could still use a little tuning up on D, which it’ll get against Portland State before dealing with the Arizona State attack.

22. Iowa  (2-0)
W, at Syracuse 20-13 2OT
next game: Iowa State
Yeeeessh. Either Drew Tate (who missed the Syracuse game with an abdominal injury) is the most valuable player in college football, or Iowa has a long way to go before it has fully jelled into a true Big Ten title contender. However, that goal line stand against Syracuse might be the type of thing that brings everything together and is seen as a turning point.

23. Texas Tech (2-0)
W, at UTEP 38-35 OT
next game: at TCU
The jury is now deliberating on Texas Tech after blowing out a horrible SMU team and having mega-problems with UTEP. A win over TCU would cement a spot in the top 25.

24. Oregon (2-0)
W, at Fresno State 31-24
next game: Oklahoma
Oregon took the best shots from a Fresno State team geared up to make this the game for the BCS, and it still came through with a hard-hitting win. It’s all the more impressive that it basically got it done without RB Jonathan Stewart.

25. Boise State (2-0)
W, Oregon State 42-14
next game: at Wyoming
That was an amazing performance by Ian Johnson and the Broncos over Oregon State. It’s unfortunate we won’t see what this team can do against someone with a pulse until the bowls.

26. Missouri (2-0)
27. Oklahoma (2-0)
28. UCLA (2-0)
29. Georgia Tech (1-1)
30. Maryland (2-0)
31. Wisconsin (2-0)
32. Pitt (2-0)
33. TCU (2-0)
34. Michigan State (2-0)
35. Arkansas  (1-1)
36. Arizona  (1-1)
37. Iowa State (2-0)
38. Alabama (2-0)
39. South Florida (2-0)
40. Oregon State (1-1)
41. Texas A&M (2-0)
42. Washington State (1-1)
43. Fresno State (1-1)
44. Purdue (2-0)
45. South Carolina (1-1)
46. Connecticut (1-0)
47. Minnesota (1-1)
48. Utah (1-1)
49. UTEP (1-1)
50. Rutgers (2-0)
51. BYU (1-1)
52. Hawaii (0-1)
53. Virginia (1-1)
54. Tulsa (1-1)
55. Ole Miss  (1-1)
56. North Carolina (0-2)
57. Wake Forest (2-0)
58. Oklahoma State (2-0)
59. Southern Miss (1-1)
60. Colorado State (2-0)
61. Baylor (1-1)
62. Air Force (0-1)
63. Kansas (2-0)
64. Kansas State (2-0)
65. Syracuse (0-2)
66. Indiana (2-0)
67. Mississippi State (0-2)
68. Navy (2-0)
69. Houston (2-0)
70. Akron (1-1)
71. Western Michigan (1-1)
72. Colorado (0-2)
73. Toledo (0-2)
74. NC State (1-1)
75. San Diego State (0-1)
76. Kentucky (1-1)
77. Nevada (0-2)
78. Cincinnati (1-1)
79. Vanderbilt (0-2)
80. UAB (1-1)
81. Wyoming (1-1)
82. Troy (1-1)
83. Illinois (1-1)
84. Memphis (1-1)
85. UCF (1-1)
86. Washington (1-1)
87. Ohio (2-0)
88. San Jose State (1-1)
89. Marshall (1-1)
90. East Carolina (0-2)
91. Rice (0-2)
92. Stanford (0-2)
93. Northern Illinois (0-2)
94. Northwestern  (1-1)
95. Ball State (1-1)
96. Idaho (0-2)
97. Miami Univ. (0-2)
98. Louisiana Tech (0-1)
99. Central Michigan (0-2)
100. UNLV (1-1)
101. Tulane (0-1)
102. Bowling Green (1-1)
103. New Mexico (1-1)
104. UL Lafayette (0-2)
105. Duke (0-2)
106. Eastern Michigan (0-2)
107. MTSU (1-1)
108. Arkansas State (1-1)
109. North Texas (1-1)
110. SMU (0-2)
111. Army (1-1)
112. FIU (0-2)
113. Utah State (0-2)
114. Kent State (0-2)
115. UL Monroe (1-1)
116. New Mexico State (1-1)
117. Buffalo (1-1)
118. Florida Atlantic (0-2)
119. Temple  (0-2)