Pete
Fiutak
Q:
The 5 Most Overrated Teams Are ...
Who's
rating the teams in the first place so they can be overrated? Going be
the current Coaches' Poll, the only one that matters ...
5. Wisconsin
Currently ranked ninth, I'm not quite ready to start bashing like the
rest of the world is doing, but I'm close. At some point, the team needs
to put together a dominant game and blow someone away. The Badgers
aren't higher because this might be the team's M.O. Hang around, play
tough defense, adjust, and win with the running game in the second half.
4. Hawaii
Everyone likes to rip on the schedule, and rightly so, but remember,
this is a team that blew away the same UNLV team that pushed Wisconsin
and beat a Utah team that walloped UCLA. O.K., so that's a stretch, but
I actually believe the offense could bomb its way past most teams.
3. Texas
Ranked seventh on brand name alone, the Longhorns are playing like they
should be around the low 20s. Wait and see what happens against Oklahoma
in a few weeks, but at the moment, it appears to be a bloodbath waiting
to happen.
2. Virginia Tech
Yeah, the defense is fine, but Tyrod Taylor's passing makes Sean Glennon
look like Tom Brady. This team has no offense. Playing Taylor is a step
back to take a big leap forward, but for now, 14th is way high.
1. California
Love 'em at 15, hate 'em at six. Basically, the Bears are living off the
big win over a mediocre Tennessee team. The defense is going to be
obliterated by the better Pac 10 offenses, and while the offense will
pick up the slack against most, right now, Oregon is the second best Pac
10 team.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
The 5 Most Overrated Teams Are ...
1. Hawaii – The fact that the Warriors are No. 17 in the coaches
poll and No. 19 in the AP is patently ridiculous. Sure, the offense is
a machine, but the schedule is a joke and the 45-44 close call with
Louisiana Tech two weeks ago should have been enough evidence for voters
to remove Hawaii from their rankings.
2. Rutgers – While I like the make-up of the Rutgers team, and do not
believe it was a one-hit wonder in 2006, I also feel the Knights are not
the tenth best team in America as the polls indicate. If anything,
voters ought to be a little cautious about a school that fattened up on
Buffalo, Navy, and Norfolk State in the first three weeks of the year.
3. Cal – At around No. 12, I’d be loving the Bears, and labeling them
underrated. At No. 6 in both major polls, I wonder if their issues in
the secondary will eventually knock them down a few rungs. With the
Pac-10 getting tougher every weekend, Cal could lose two games before
the end of the regular season.
4. Texas – You don’t get pressed by Arkansas State, TCU, and UCF in
successive weeks without there being underlying issues that could come
back to haunt the ‘Horns when league play begins this Saturday. Texas
is No. 7 today, but won’t be that high in a few weeks, thus, is
overrated.
5. Wisconsin – This one hurts to admit because I genuinely believed the
Badgers were the Big Ten’s best just a few weeks ago. However, they’ve
been way too inconsistent on both sides of the ball to feel good about
their chances of navigating conference landmines while remaining in the
top 10.
John
Harris
Q:
The 5 Most Overrated Teams Are ...
1. Louisville – Uh, no brainer. Losing to a very good Kentucky
team is one thing – losing the way it did by giving up the late deep
ball for a touchdown, not so good. Losing to Syracuse, worse…losing at
home to Syracuse, well, let’s not go there.
2. TCU – With only an average running game, the non-BCS darlings lost
two in a row to Texas and Air Force putting them in a tough spot in the
Mountain West race. We won’t be seeing the Horned Frogs on New Year’s
Day as many had predicted.
3. The Big Ten, with the exception of Ohio
State, Purdue, Michigan State and Illinois – Wisconsin struggled with
the Citadel and Iowa (an Iowa team that lost to Iowa State who lost to
two MAC squads and a D1AA team). Penn State lost to a Michigan team
starting a true freshman at quarterback. Minnesota lost to FAU and
Bowling Green, while Northwestern lost to Duke. 22 game losing streak
Duke…AT HOME!!! Michigan? The Wolverines might win the Big Ten, but
the App. State loss will linger for a while.
4. Texas A&M – this could be any other Big 12
South team, not named Oklahoma, but A&M had more expected of it,
especially after the 12-7 win at Texas last November. At least, Texas
is still undefeated, even if it hasn’t played exceptionally well. The
Aggies should’ve lost to Fresno State at home and then got hammered at
Miami. It’s not pretty right now for a team that was a ‘hot’ Big 12
South pick at the beginning of the year.
5. Nebraska – the Big 12 North championship
favorite has given up 49 and 40 points to USC and, gulp, Ball State…at
home! Just think what Missouri will do to them in Columbia. They can
still win the Big 12, but until the defense improves, especially up
front, it will be another Alamo Bowl trip for the Huskers.
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
The 5 Most Overrated Teams Are ...
5) Kentucky. Don't get me wrong,
I picked UK to win each of its last two games, because I believe in this
team's abilities. But I'm getting the sense that a major bandwagon
effect is surrounding this club when--let's be honest--it did no better
against Louisville's defense than Syracuse and Middle Tennessee State
did. UK also got pushed around by Arkansas until the Hogs allowed their
emotions to get away from them. I like this team, but I feel that UK is
being viewed as a guaranteed 10-win club. "Whoa, camel, whoa!" (As a
rootin, tootin Looney Tunes cartoon character would say.)
4) Wisconsin. How to explain the Badgers' really high scores in some
games and really low scores in others? 45 against the Citadel but 20
against Vegas; over 40 against Washington State but only 17 against
Iowa. What's going on? Tyler Donovan is a very schizophrenic quarterback
right now. That has to change.
3) Missouri. A weird choice, I know, but let's put it this way: don't
allow Nebraska's struggles to make you think that Missouri is now the
Big XII North favorite.
2) (I'm finding it hard to name a bunch of overrated teams, I have to
admit..... pause.....)
South Florida. Make no mistake, a great story, but I sense a
Kentucky-like bandwagon effect. This just in: Auburn's a mediocre
football team, even at home. North Carolina is awful. Beat Louisville
once again (the Bulls did so in 2005, and rather handily), and off this
list you go.
1) Hawaii. This team has no business whatsoever in any top-25 poll.
Period. Play somebody and win first.
