Through 4 Weeks of College Football, my thoughts

After four weeks of the football season, I think is about the right time to put value to the rankings that we have seen in magazines and newspaper since July. I think it is a shame that teams get penalized in the final rankings because some schmo didn’t think highly enough about a team when he saw them in shoulder pads and shorts, and is too stubborn to change his mind once he actually sees them play and realizes he was wrong.

I refuse to be one of those types, so here is what I have learned in the first 4 weeks of the college football season and how I would rank the top 30:

*A good coach with a well-disciplined team that can execute is far better than a bunch of under-achieving 5-star recruits (see Appalachian State)
*USC and LSU are BY FAR the 2 best teams in the country.
*There will be no Boise State Cinderella story in the BCS this year. TCU was a huge disappointment and Hawaii plays nobody and surely will not have a strong enough schedule to get an at-large selection.
*The SEC is overrated this year. This year they have 1 great team, 1 really good team and about 6 or 7 solid teams. I still think it is the best conference, but for the first time in a long time, 4 others could make a case (everyone except the ACC).
*The ACC is terrible. So how did that transition into a “football power” conference go? Boston College is the only ones pulling their weight. Can you imagine if they had not gotten VT and Miami too, Clemson would be the only team in the Top 25+5. What happened to the rest of the ACC powers from before the merge?
*Defense wins championships. Just ask Louisville (628 yards of total offense and 555 yards passing) and Texas Tech (718 total and 646 passing) both who lost after putting up these offensive numbers.
*Notre Dame is REALLY bad, and I LOVE it!!!!
*Joe Paterno needs to finally retire. Watching him be out-coached as badly as he did on Saturday was like watch Superman in a wheelchair, those things just should not happen.

1. USC (3-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Washington State 47-14
Next Game: 9-29 @ Washington

2. LSU (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs South Carolina 28-16
Next Game: 9-29 @ Tulane

3. OKLAHOMA (4-0)-
Last Week: Won @ Tulsa 62-21
Next Game: 9-29 @ Colorado

4. FLORIDA (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Ole Miss 30-24
Next Game: 9-29 vs Auburn

5. WEST VIRGINIA (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs East Carolina 48-7
Next Game: 9-28 @ #14 South Florida

6. WISCONSIN (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Iowa 17-13
Next Game: 9-29 vs #23 Michigan State

7. CALIFORNIA (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Arizona 45-27
Next Game: 9-29 @ #10 Oregon

8. TEXAS (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Rice 58-14
Next Game: 9-29 vs Kansas State

9. RUTGERS (3-0)-
Last Week: OFF
Next Game: 9-29 vs Maryland

10. OREGON (4-0)-
Last Week: Won @ Stanford 55-21
Next Game: 9-29 vs #7 California

11. BOSTON COLLEGE (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Army 37-17
Next Game: 9-29 vs Massachusetts

12. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Northwestern 58-7
Next Game: 9-29 @ Minnesota

13. CLEMSON (4-0)-
Last Week: Won @ NC State 42-20
Next Game: 9-29 @ Georgia Tech

14. SOUTH FLORIDA (3-0)-
Last Week: Won vs North Carolina
Next Game: 9-28 vs # 5 West Virginia

15. KENTUCKY (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Arkansas 42-29
Next Game: 9-29 vs Florida Atlantic

16. SOUTH CAROLINA (3-1)-
Last Week: Lost @ LSU 28-16
Next Game: 9-29 vs Mississippi State

17. GEORGIA (3-1)-
Last Week: Won @ Alabama 26-23 (OT)
Next Game: 9-29 vs Mississippi

18. MISSOURI (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Illinois State 38-17
Next Game: 10-6 vs #22 Nebraska

19. VIRGINIA TECH (3-1)-
Last Week: Won vs William & Mary 44-3
Next Game: 9-29 vs North Carolina

20. PENN STATE (3-1)-
Last Week: Lost @ Michigan 14-9
Next Game: 9-29 @ Illinois

21. ALABAMA (3-1)-
Last Week: Lost vs Georgia 26-23 (OT)
Next Game: 9-29 @ Florida State

22. NEBRASKA (3-1)-
Last Week: Won vs Ball State 41-40
Next Game: 9-29 vs Iowa State

23. MICHIGAN STATE (4-0)-
Last Week: Won @ Notre Dame 31-14
Next Game: 9-29 @ #6 Wisconsin

24. ARIZONA STATE (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Oregon State 44-32
Next Game: 9-29 @ Stanford

25. CINCINNATI (4-0)-
Last Week: Won vs Marshall 40-14
Next Game: 9-29 @ San Diego State

NEXT 5:
26. Hawaii (4-0)- I refuse to have them in the Top 25 until they beat someone.
27. Purdue (4-0)- Irish fans, can you say “0-5?”
28. Miami FL (3-1)- Which Miami team will show up this week?
29. Michigan (2-2)- 2 losses and ranked? Last week was the real Michigan team.
30. UCLA (3-1)- What happened against Utah?