CFN 2008 Final Rankings
No. 11 to 25
CFN Final 2008 Rankings
1-10
| 26-50
| 76-100
| 101-119
11. Virginia Tech
(10-4) CFN Score: 17.96
2007 Score: 20.56 2007 Ranking: 6
The Hokies were 103rd in the nation in total offense and the special
teams were mediocre, for Virginia Tech, but the defense was fantastic
throughout, including an ACC title win over Boston College and a Orange
Bowl win over Cincinnati. It took a blocked punt for East Carolina to
beat the Hokies in the opener, but they bounced back and beat Nebraska
in Lincoln, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina as part of the six wins
over teams that ended up in bowls.
12. Ohio State (10-3) CFN Score: 17.80
2007 Score: 18.77 2007 Ranking: 10
Dog the Buckeyes all you want for their big game failures, but over the
last three years they've only lost to teams that ended up in the BCS.
This year, there was a Beanie-less loss at USC, a 13-6 war against Penn
State, and the last-second classic to Texas in the Sugar. Those three
teams probably would've swept about 110 other teams in the nation. There
was a blowout win over Michigan State and a nice comeback to beat
Wisconsin, but there simply wasn't anything that impressive to hang the
hat on.
13. Pitt (9-4) CFN Score: 17.42
2007 Score: 8.25 2007 Ranking: 59
This might seem ridiculously high, but Pitt beat seven teams that
finished with winning records. Only Florida beat more, and only Oklahoma
and Texas had as many. There might have been a loss to Bowling Green and
a blowout against Rutgers, but the Panthers managed to beat Buffalo, the
eventual MAC champion, Iowa, South Florida, and West Virginia. In all,
Pitt beat five bowl winners.
14. Georgia (10-3) CFN Score: 16.92
2007 Score: 21.97 2007 Ranking: 4
The preseason No. 1 team wasn't all that impressive early, and the
Alabama came to Athens and blew the doors off the Dawgs. A blowout loss
to Florida, and a stunning inability to stop Georgia Tech, soured the
season overall, but 10-3 with a New Year's Day win over Michigan State
is still impressive. However, the best win this year was against the
Spartans, and the second best was against a mediocre LSU. Dawg fans
wanted more.
15. Ole Miss (9-4) CFN Score: 16.89
2007 Score: 4.49 2007 Ranking: 84
Former head coach Ed Orgeron set 'em up, and Houston Nutt came in and
knocked 'em down. The Rebels lost to Wake Forest and Vanderbilt early
on, and then, from out of nowhere, beat Florida only to lose to South
Carolina and Alabama right after for a 3-4 start. And then the defense
took over, the offense did just enough to get by, and the Rebels won
their final six games, including blowouts over LSU and Mississippi
State, before beating Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
16. Missouri (10-4) CFN Score: 16.81
2007 Score: 20.43 2007 Ranking: 7
This was a successful season by almost any standard, but for a program
hoping to get into the BCS and play for the national title, it was a bit
of a disappointment with losses to Oklahoma State and Texas mid-season,
and a loss to rival, Kansas, before getting blown out in the Big 12
Championship by Oklahoma. There was a nice win over Nebraska, but that
was it for the résumé, unless you count the lousy performance in the
overtime Alamo Bowl win over Northwestern.
17. Tulsa (11-3) CFN Score: 16.49
2007 Score: 14.55 2007 Ranking: 25
If it weren't for a turnover-filled meltdown in the Conference USA title
game loss to East Carolina, Tulsa would've finished just outside of the
top ten. The Golden Hurricane led the nation in total offense and blew
away Ball State in the GMAC Bowl. Two of the losses (Arkansas and East
Carolina) were close, but there was the 70-30 clunker against Houston
that soured the mid-season. However, the score is this high because of
the offensive numbers. The two best wins were over Ball State and Rice
and there was only one game against a BCS conference team.
18. Ball State (12-2) CFN Score: 16.38
2007 Score: 8.45 2007 Ranking: 58
The all-timer of a season ended in total disaster. The 12-0 Cardinals
marched up and down the field in the MAC title game against Buffalo, but
they couldn't stop giving the ball away. Head coach Brady Hoke announced
he was taking the San Diego State job, hardly a big-time move, and the
team didn't show up in a lifeless 45-13 loss to Tulsa in the rain-soaked
GMAC Bowl. However, because of all the wins, and the great year from the
offense, this was still a great season with victories over Navy, Indiana
and Central Michigan.
19. Iowa (9-4) CFN Score: 16.19
2007 Score: 6.72 2007 Ranking: 70
No one really paid attention to the Hawkeyes until it was too late. An
early three-game losing streak took the team off the radar, but it won
six of its final seven games with a win over Penn State that kept JoePa
out of the national championship. Shonn Greene led the way to dominant
wins over Minnesota and South Carolina by a combined score of 82 to 10
to close things out.
20. Florida State (9-4) CFN Score: 16.16
2007 Score: 10.09 2007 Ranking: 51
While the Noles might not be back to their lofty, elite status, they
turned in a great season with a young offense that looks like it could
be something special, and a defense that was camped out in everyone's
backfield. Yes, two of the wins were over FCS teams, but six of the
other wins were against bowl teams including a decisive 30-20 win over
Virginia Tech. FSU crushed Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl..
21. Cincinnati (11-3) CFN Score: 16.09
2007 Score: 17.55 2007 Ranking: 13
In one of the greatest seasons in UC football history, there was a loss
to Oklahoma, a bizarre 40-16 thumping from Connecticut, and the Orange
Bowl loss to Virginia Tech. While the bowl loss might have ended things
on a bitter note, considering the injury problems at quarterback and the
lack of a running game, 11-3 is impressive.
22. Georgia Tech (9-4) CFN Score: 15.72
2007 Score: 8.24 2007 Ranking: 60
Paul Johnson's first season was everything Yellow Jacket fans could've
asked for, and more. The defense was terrific over the first half of the
season, and then the offense took over in the second half, highlighted
by wins over Florida State, Miami and Georgia, before the 38-3 clunker
to LSU in the Chick-fil-A. Seven games were decided by seven points or
fewer.
23. Oregon State (9-4) CFN Score: 15.41
2007 Score: 13.37 2007 Ranking: 30
You beat USC, you get ranked high. The Beavers played three BCS teams
(Penn State, USC and Utah) and gave the Utes all they could handle in
the loss. They kept on winning, tearing off a run of six straight wins
before Jacquizz Rodgers got hurt and the run defense couldn't hold up
against Oregon. The 3-0 win over Pitt in the Sun Bowl might not have
been pretty, but it was a win.
24. Oregon (10-3) CFN Score: 15.30
2007 Score: 18.58 2007 Ranking: 11
This was a far better season than it's being given credit for. The Ducks
couldn't find a healthy quarterback early on, and it showed, needing two
overtimes against Purdue and losing to Boise State. But things started
to get rolling as the season went on, and then the running attack became
devastating, rumbling over Oregon State, to ruin the Beavers' Rose Bowl
dream, and blowing through Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl.
25. Boston College (9-5) CFN Score: 15.28
2007 Score: 19.15 2007 Ranking: 9
If there just could've been any semblance of a consistent
offense, BC would've been incredible. The defense was outstanding,
leading the ACC in several categories, but Chris Crane couldn't fill in
for Matt Ryan, and then he got hurt and the offense sputtered even more.
From losing a second straight ACC title game to Virginia Tech, to losing
to a mediocre Vanderbilt team 16-14 in the Music City Bowl, to losing
the head coach to an interview, things haven't been good since the end
of November.
CFN Final 2008 Rankings
1-10
| 26-50
| 76-100
| 101-119