2009 CFN Rankings
Week 3, Sept. 20
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Week 1
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2
1. Florida 3-0
Last Week: W, Tennessee 23-13
This Week: at Kentucky
Why the ranking is too high: If the offense is going to be Tim Tebow
running, Tim Tebow running, and Tim Tebow running
some more, the team is beatable. Tennessee might
have been able to pull off the win if it had a
quarterback the coaching staff had any confidence
in.
2. Texas 3-0
Last Week: W, Texas Tech 34-24
This Week: UTEP
Why the ranking is too high: It's not like Texas, who's supposed to be
this mature, rock-solid squad, blasted a young and
rebuilding Texas Tech team that's not supposed to be
ready for primetime. This is a Longhorn squad that
looked like it has the weight of the world on its
shoulders, and no one is playing tighter than Colt
McCoy.
Why the ranking is too low: Texas didn't play its best game, McCoy
hasn't been McCoy yet, and Sergio Kindle and the
pass rush are just now starting to get going. The
team isn't close to hitting its stride, but it has
two games to get there before the Oklahoma showdown.
3. Alabama 3-0
Last Week: W, North Texas 53-7
This Week: Arkansas
Why the ranking is too high: It's not. It's hard to make a case that
Florida and Texas are playing better than the Tide.
There's the résumé win over Virginia Tech, and now
there are two blowout wins in tune-ups against FIU
and North Texas to prepare the team for the SEC
season.
Why the ranking is too low: Greg McElroy is playing as well as any
quarterback in the country, while the running game
is crushing and killing everything in its path.
Throw in the nasty run defense, ranked fifth in the
nation, and it's all there for this to be a national
title-caliber team.
4. California 3-0
Last Week: W, at Minnesota 35-21
This Week: at Oregon
Why the ranking is too high: The argument could be made that the Bears haven't done jack-squat yet. Maryland is awful and Minnesota is, at best, the fifth best team in the Big Ten. The next two weeks against Oregon and USC will show what the team is made of.
Why the ranking is too low: It's all there. As long as Jahvid Best is
healthy and Kevin Riley isn't making mistakes, Cal's
offense should be strong. The defense is swarming
with one of the nation's best pass rushes.
5. Penn State 3-0
Last Week: W, Temple 31-6
This Week: Iowa
Why the ranking is too high: Akron, Syracuse, Temple. That's the start
to the season, and the rushing game isn't exactly
working averaging a pathetic, for Penn State, 133
yards per game.
Why the ranking is too low: The defensive front is still the Penn State
defensive front. The O line might be having
problems, and the offense isn't playing as well as
it needs to, but the defense is cleaning up the mess
by not allowing anyone to do anything yet. However,
Iowa will be the first real test.
6. Miami 2-0
Last Week: W, Georgia Tech, 33-17
This Week: at Virginia Tech
Why the ranking is too high: It's not like the secondary has shown up
yet. It got torched by Florida State, and then it
dealt with Georgia Tech, who doesn't throw. Oklahoma
is looming soon, and even with Landry Jones under
center, that team can pitch it.
Why the ranking is too low: It's all there. Miami isn't back to being
Miami, but the defense is ultra-athletic,
there's a running game again, when needed, and
Jacory Harris is playing like the type of cool,
calm, steady leader of past Miami superstar
quarterbacks.
7. Virginia Tech 2-1
Last Week: W, Nebraska 16-15
This Week: Miami
Why the ranking is too high: The running game isn't working. It did
against Marshall, but it struggled and sputtered
against Alabama and Nebraska. Give credit to Tyrod
Taylor for finding a way to get his team the win,
but the Hokies have to start producing on the ground
and against the run.
Why the ranking is too low: If you think the Hokies will beat Miami,
then this is probably a top five team. Who cares how
it's done? Tech found a way to pull off the win
against a strong Nebraska team, while the Alabama
game was close until late. The special teams are
strong, Taylor is a veteran who's making things
happen, and the chance is there this week to make a
huge national statement.
8. Auburn 3-0
Last Week: W, Virginia Tech 41-30
This Week: Ball State
Why the ranking is too high: Are you a believer yet in Chizik Ball? The
special teams have been disastrous and the pass rush
has been a bit too spotty. And then there's the
offense that's putting up big overall numbers, but
is still full of players trying to figure out what
they're doing.
Why the ranking is too low: The team is adapting and
adjusting. West Virginia put the clamps down on the
running game, at least somewhat, and the passing
attack kicked in. This is a smart team that's
hitting big, running big, and playing extremely
well.
9. Cincinnati 3-0
Last Week: W, at Oregon State 28-18
This Week: Fresno State
Why the ranking is too high: The running game got stuffed cold by
Oregon State and the pass defense is average. Other
than that, Cincinnati is playing as efficiently as
anyone in America.
Why the ranking is too low: The win at Oregon State was impressive. The
brand name might be Cincinnati, and the Big East
doesn't get enough credit, but the Bearcats have
been unbelievable on the defensive front, QB Tony
Pike is playing like a Heisman candidate, and the
schedule isn't all that bad with the toughest game
on the schedule (now that USF QB Matt Grothe is gone
for the year) doesn't come until the date with West
Virginia in mid-November.
10. LSU 3-0
Last Week: W, Louisiana-Lafayette, 31-3
This Week: at Mississippi State
Why the ranking is too high: ZZZZZZZZZZ. The LSU offense has been
stunningly sleepy. RB Charles Scott hasn't done
much, the passing game is fine, but nothing special,
and the line isn't crushing and killing like it
should be.
Why the ranking is too low: The defense isn't giving up much. Beating
Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Lafayette might not seem
like that big a deal, but the Tiger defense should
feed off the momentum. It was flying around a little
better than it did against Washington, and it should
start to do more to get into the backfield. And by
the way, how good does that win over the Huskies
look now?
11. Michigan 3-0
Last Week: W, Eastern Michigan, 45-17
This Week: Indiana
Why the ranking is too high: This is still a young team that's relying
on freshmen. And it showed with shaky performances
from Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson against EMU.
Brandon Minor's ankle might never be healthy all
season long.
Why the ranking is too low: The team played poorly and won 45-17. This
is how the Michigan rushing attack was supposed to
be working ranking third in the nation averaging 271
yards per game.
12. Notre Dame 2-1
Last Week: W, Michigan State 33-30
This Week: at Purdue
Why the ranking is too high: The pass defense isn't slowing down
anyone. A week after Tate Forcier and Michigan did
what it wanted to, Michigan State was great through
the air. There will be plenty of shootouts ahead
unless the pass rush is better and the secondary can
do more.
Why the ranking is too low: No one is playing any better than Jimmy
Clausen. Notre Dame leads the nation in passing
efficiency with an attack that's rolling at will.
However, the loss of Michael Floyd to a broken
collarbone will hurt. The pressure might be on
Charlie Weis, but his team really is playing well.
13. Missouri 3-0
Last Week: W, Furman, 52-12
This Week: at Nevada
Why the ranking is too high: The close call against Bowling Green is
still too fresh. This is still a relatively young
team that's going to make big mistakes from time to
time and is going to be inconsistent.
Why the ranking is too low: Blaine Gabbert is learning on the fly. He
was terrific against Furman, and while that might
not seem like that big a deal, it's a step in the
progression. The team has one more game of tuning up
before Nebraska, but going to Nevada is hardly a
layup.
14. Ole Miss 2-0
Last Week: W, SE Louisiana 52-6
This Week: at South Carolina
Why the ranking is too high: It's not like the Rebels have done
anything yet. Beating Memphis and SE Louisiana is no
reason to throw a parade. The passing game still has
yet to fully click, even though Jevan Snead put up
big numbers last week.
Why the ranking is too low: Call this a wait-and-see ranking. The team
hasn't played like it belongs in the top ten, but if
it can get by South Carolina in Columbia on Thursday
night, then it will be time to believe.
15. Nebraska 2-1
Last Week: L, at Virginia Tech 16-15
This Week: Louisiana-Lafayette
Why the ranking is too high: In his first big game, QB Zac Lee
sputtered and struggled. There were several chances
to put Virginia Tech away, and Lee and the Husker
offense didn't do it. The attack will have to be far
more efficient to beat Missouri and Texas Tech in
the next few weeks.
Why the ranking is too low: It took a miracle for Virginia Tech to win
at home. With the way the run defense played, the
Huskers might be the better team and probably
deserves to be in the top ten. A win over Missouri
in Columbia on October 8 will bring that respect.
16. Washington 2-1
Last Week: W, USC 16-13
This Week: at Stanford
Why the ranking is too high: This probably
isn't one of the 25 best teams in the country, but
the rankings have to be played straight. Washington
did beat USC, and USC did beat Ohio State. So, with
the only blemish a loss to a higher ranked LSU, this
is technically where the Huskies need to be.
Why the ranking is too low: If you really
believe that USC was one of the three best teams in
the country, and if you believe that it's still the
team to beat in the Pac 10 race, then Washington
might truly have turned things around this fast. QB
Jake Locker is a special player who makes a decent
team very, very good.
17. USC 2-1
Last Week: L, at Washington 16-13
This Week: Washington State
Why the ranking is too high: Uhhhhhh, the
offense? Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley were superstar
recruits who could've gone anywhere, and they have
NFL-caliber talent around them. There's no excuse
for the passing game to be this bad. None.
Why the ranking is too low: On talent, this
still might be one of the five best teams in
America. Does anyone out there not think that Pete
Carroll and his crew will be holding up the Rose
Bowl trophy and complaining about how there should
be a playoff?
18. Ohio State 2-1
Last Week: at Toledo 38-0
This Week: Illinois
Why the ranking is too high: If Washington
could get the job done at home against USC, why
couldn't Ohio State? The offense still isn't
producing at a consistently high level, and the
defensive line isn't doing nearly enough to get into
the backfield.
Why the ranking is too low: Terrelle Pryor
finally started to play like Terrelle Pryor. It was
only one game, and it came against Toledo, but Pryor
was fantastic and the defense was swarming against
Aaron Opelt and the high-octane attack.
19. Florida State 2-1
Last Week: W, at BYU 54-28
This Week: South Florida
Why the ranking is too high: Jacksonville
State. Oh sure, Florida State is America's darling
after blowing away BYU, but don't just dismiss how
close the Noles came to losing to Jacksonville State
at home two weeks ago. The defense still has a long,
long way to go, even though it came up with several
big plays against the Cougars.
Why the ranking is too low: If the team plays
like that, with playmakers in the
secondary, and a nearly flawless performance
from QB Christian Ponder and the offense,
it can hang around with anyone in the country. Watch
the win at BYU, and watch Florida's win over
Tennessee, and come up with a reason why the Noles
aren't going to be a problem in the regular season
finale. The team might grow into something special
as the season goes on.
20. Oklahoma 2-1
Last Week: W, Tulsa 45-0
This Week: At Miami (Oct. 3)
Why the ranking is too high: There's still
that little mater of Sam Bradford's shoulder. The
offense has been great over the last two weeks at
home, but can Landry Jones get the job done when
he's under pressure in a big game? He might get that
chance to weeks from now against Miami.
Why the ranking is too low: This is probably
one of the ten best teams in the country. Jones is
starting to come into his own, while the defense has
been phenomenal against the run, leading the nation
in run defense and in tackles for loss. OU has won
its last two games by a combined score of 109-0.
21. Boise State 3-0
Last Week: at Fresno State 51-34
This Week: at Bowling Green
Why the ranking is too high: It's not. If you
want to argue that this is one of the ten best teams
in the country, it'll be hard to fight it. Outside
of a lack of run defense against Ryan Mathews, that
was a very strong, very good win over Fresno State
that deserves more credit.
Why the ranking is too low: There's talent
and explosion, and the team showed the type of
level-headedness needed to overcome the big home
runs hit against its run defense. Now only will the
Broncos be favored the rest of the way, but they'll
be favored by double-digits against everyone.
22. Houston 2-0
Last Week: Didn't play last week
This Week: Texas Tech
Why the ranking is too high: It's possible
that beating Oklahoma State right now isn't all that
big a deal. The Cowboys struggled against Rice. The
Cougar defensive line hasn't played well enough to
suggest that any team with a good passing game can't
come up with huge numbers ... uh oh, look who's up
next.
Why the ranking is too low: No one's stopping
this offense. Texas Tech could end up winning in a
shootout, but the Cougars will get their licks in.
They have only played two games, but they lead the
nation in scoring.
23. Oklahoma State 2-1
Last Week: W, Rice 41-24
This Week: Grambling
Why the ranking is too high: The team isn't playing well.
It's 2-1 and the sky hasn't completely fallen, but
the supposedly unstoppable attack is only averaging
364 yards and 33 points per game. Any team worth
this spot should beat Rice by 40.
Why the ranking is too low: The team should come around.
The coaching staff is calling out its players and
everyone knows that this has been a disappointing
start. There's a reason the Cowboys were so highly
ranked at the beginning of the season, and
eventually, QB Zac Robinson will settle down and
start playing like the fringe Heisman candidate he's
supposed to be.
24. Georgia 2-1
Last Week: W, at Arkansas 52-41
This Week: Arizona State
Why the ranking is too high: Uhhhhh, defense?
Georgia is giving up 285 passing yards per game ...
Georgia? South Carolina and Arkansas rolled at will
on the Dawg defense that's starting to get banged up
and isn't doing anything to get to the quarterback.
However ...
Why the ranking is too low: ... Georgia did
beat South Carolina and Arkansas. The D might have
been torched, but the offense kept up the pace and
put up 93 points in the last two games. QB Joe Cox
has found his groove.
25. BYU 2-1
Last Week: L, Florida State 54-28
This Week: Colorado State
Why the ranking is too high: The team looked
slow, inept, and very, very average at home against
Florida State with all the world paying attention.
Would you take BYU over TCU right now? With the
turnovers, no pass rush, and the lack of a return
game, the Cougars have some major flaws.
Why the ranking is too low: Uhhhhhh, didn't
BYU beat Oklahoma? Where's the consistency in the
rankings? Technically, how can the Cougars be ranked
below the Sooners? Yes, but OU appears to be better
now with QB Landry Jones knowing what he's doing,
and while BYU gets credit for the win, the loss to
Florida State makes the victory in Arlington appear
to be a bit of a fluke.
26. Kansas 3-0
27. West Virginia 2-1
28. TCU 2-0
29. Texas Tech 2-1
30. Wisconsin 3-0
31. Pitt 3-0
32. Iowa 3-0
33. Georgia Tech 2-1
34. South Carolina 2-1
35. Oregon State 2-1
36. Clemson 2-1
37. North Carolina 3-0
38. Arkansas 1-1
39. Arizona 2-1
40. UCLA 3-0
41. Oregon 2-1
42. Central Michigan 2-1
43. Michigan State 1-2
44. Fresno State 1-2
45. Utah 2-1
46. Arizona State 2-0
47. Tennessee 1-2
48. South Florida 3-0
49. NC State 2-1
50. Connecticut 2-1
51. Baylor 1-1
52. Boston College 2-1
53. Wake Forest 2-1
54. East Carolina 1-2
55. Kentucky 2-0
56. Rutgers 2-1
57. Louisville 1-1
58. Stanford 2-1
59. Northern Illinois 2-1
60. Illinois 1-1
61. Minnesota 2-1
62. Purdue 1-2
63. Air Force 2-1
64. Texas A&M 2-0
65. Colorado State 3-0
66. Mississippi State 2-1
67. Navy 1-2
68. Vanderbilt 1-2
69. Southern Miss 3-0
70. Indiana 3-0
71. Syracuse 1-2
72. Northwestern 2-1
73. Toledo 1-2
74. Nevada 0-2
75. Iowa State 2-1
76. Colorado 1-2
77. Marshall 2-1
78. UNLV 2-1
79. Bowling Green 1-2
80. Hawaii 2-1
81. Arkansas State 1-1
82. San Jose State 0-3
83. Louisiana Tech 1-2
84. Western Michigan 1-2
85. Ohio 2-1
86. UCF 2-1
87. Wyoming 1-2
88. Troy 1-2
89. Tulsa 2-1
90. Buffalo 1-2
91. Army 2-1
92. Duke 1-2
93. Akron 1-2
94. North Texas 1-2
95. Kent State 1-2
96. Louisiana-Lafayette 2-1
97. Middle Tennessee 2-1
98. Maryland 1-2
99. Memphis 1-2
100. SMU 1-1
101. Florida Atlantic 0-2
102. Kansas State 1-2
103. Washington State 1-2
104. UAB 1-2
105. UTEP 1-2
106. Eastern Michigan 0-3
107. Utah State 0-2
108. Virginia 0-3
109. FIU 0-2
110. Rice 0-3
111. ULM 1-2
112. New Mexico 0-3
113. Idaho 2-1
114. San Diego State 1-2
115. Miami Univ. 0-3
116. Temple 0-2
117. Tulane 0-2
118. Ball State 0-3
119. New Mexico State 1-2
120. Western Kentucky 0-3