Pete
Fiutak
Q:
Where should (blank) be ranked? ….
A:
Alabama - If it's possible to do the co-No. 1 thing, I'd put Bama
there along with Oklahoma. The Sooners have been flawless so far, but
the Tide has shown toughness, both mental and physical, and the lines
are destroying everyone. John Parker Wilson has been deadly when given
time to throw.
Penn State - Top five. I'm still not sold on Daryll Clark when the
pressure is on in a really tight game (and I hate having to look up how
to spell Daryll every time I refer to him). However, the offensive line
is among the best in America, the receiving corps is playing like the
veteran group that it is, and the running game is tremendous. It's
unfortunate, but this team might get dragged down in the court of public
opinion because of the bad PR problem for the Big Ten.
BYU - Ehhhhhhh, tough call on a lot of levels. Do I think it's one of
the ten best teams in America? No, but it could certainly beat anyone in
the county on the right day. I continue to have a problem with the
struggles against Washington, and while the blasting of UCLA looks
decent now I'm not convinced the team would be more than a No. 3 in any
of the BCS leagues outside of the Big East. Put them at ten and put a
ceiling on the top five unless they're blowing everyone away by 40 ...
and they just might.
USC - Bottom of the top ten. The talent is there, but the question marks
at the beginning of the season are still there. The offensive line is
still coming together. The receiving corps is average, certainly nothing
special. The defense should be a killer, but it didn't play like it
against Oregon State. I'm not handing USC a spot in the national title
on name and talent alone. This team has to earn it after the Clunker in
Corvallis.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
Where should (blank) be ranked? ….
A: Alabama – No. 1. The Tide has beaten Clemson, Arkansas, and
Georgia by an average score of 41-18...and all outside the state of
Alabama. Good luck finding a program with a better resume through the
first month of the season.
Penn State – No. 5. The only thing I’d alter here is to bump the Lions
ahead of Texas, which will wind up getting exposed over the next month,
and has yet to beat an opponent that’s remotely close to being ranked.
BYU – No. 13. I love what Bronco Mendenhall is doing in Provo, but No.
8? Really? How many programs would be 4-0 if they started the year
against Northern Iowa, Washington, UCLA, and Wyoming? Plenty. Even
though each lost last week, Georgia, Florida, and USC should all be
ahead of the Cougars.
USC – No. 9. I expected the Trojans to be No. 9 or No. 10 after sleeping
through the Oregon State game, so no beef from here. Of course they
should be dinged hard for the loss, but does anyone really think there
are more than 10 programs better than USC? Think again.
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
Where should (blank) be ranked? ….
A:
Keeping in mind, of course, that polls are bad for college football
and that rankings don't mean anything until early November ...
Alabama should be No. 1. Oklahoma might have more of a reputation
under Bob Stoops, and would probably be favored by Vegas against the
Tide, but Bama has actually done more to deserve its ranking.
Throttling Georgia in Athens says more than any OU win to date.
Penn State should be somewhere around seven or eight. Top 10-worthy
for sure, but not yet able to graduate to the head of the class.
Beat Wisky and Ohio State, and we can reserve a comfy spot in the
top three for JoePa.
BYU? Not in the top 10, that's for sure. Let's try 13. What quality
scalp have the Cougars claimed? Boise State's win at Oregon is more
impressive than anything BYU has done to date. Mind you, the Cougars
were this writer's preseason pick as a BCS-buster, and this is a
fine football team, but it's not better than the big boys from the
power conferences.
USC? Probably just outside the top 10, right around BYU (say, 14).
This team should climb back up as the season progresses, but right
now, it doesn't warrant a particularly lofty ranking.
Steve Silverman
Q:
Where should (blank) be ranked? ….
A: Alabama -- I get the feeling that this
team has undergone the full Nick Saban effect and is
ready to go for the whole thing. You dominate teams like
Clemson and Georgia, and it's time to talk title. I
think when all is said and done, Alabama may be playing
for the national championship but I am going to continue
to let the Crimson Tide earn its way up the ladder. I'll
put them fourth right now with LSU and Missouri (along
with No. 1 Oklahoma) ahead of them.
Penn State -- I would make Penn State No. 7 right now.
In addition to how I spelled things out for Alabama, I
think Texas and Texas Tech deserve to be ranked higher
than the Nittany Lions. I know JoePa bashing has gone
out of fashion, but I just think Mike Leach's Red
Raiders would be more prepared for a head-to-head
meeting than Penn State. Texas Tech would whip them big
in Lubbock and would be competitive for 60 minutes in
Happy Valley.
BYU -- I'll rank the Cougars 9th. You have to love their
explosiveness and killer instinct, but I still don't
think they could play with the big boys on a
consistent basis. They could probably give Missouri or
Texas a good game but what if they had to face a
gauntlet-type schedule the way they would in the Big 12
or SEC. They would lose at least 2 regular season
games..
USC -- The Trojans are a solid No. 8. They were
ill-prepared against Oregon State and I don't remember
the last time you could say that about a Pete Carroll
team. Maybe it was the last time they went to play at
OSU. Nevertheless, I believe this ranks as one of
Carroll's most talented teams and they will prove it the
rest of the season. Don't be shocked if they end up
playing for the national title if they get a break or
two along the way.