SB Nation BlogPoll Top 25 College Football Rankings

Baltimore Sports Report Ballot – Week 3

Rank Team Delta
1 Alabama Crimson Tide —
2 Ohio St. Buckeyes Arrow_up 1
3 Boise St. Broncos Arrow_down -1
4 Oregon Ducks Arrow_up 6
5 TCU Horned Frogs —
6 Oklahoma Sooners —
7 Texas Longhorns Arrow_down -3
8 Iowa Hawkeyes —
9 Nebraska Cornhuskers Arrow_down -2
10 Florida Gators Arrow_down -1
11 Wisconsin Badgers —
12 LSU Tigers Arrow_up 5
13 Utah Utes Arrow_up 11
14 South Carolina Gamecocks —
15 Arkansas Razorbacks —
16 Stanford Cardinal —
17 Miami Hurricanes Arrow_down -5
18 Michigan Wolverines —
19 USC Trojans Arrow_up 1
20 Auburn Tigers Arrow_up 2
21 Penn St. Nittany Lions Arrow_down -3
22 Houston Cougars —
23 California Golden Bears —
24 Arizona Wildcats —
25 Missouri Tigers —
Dropouts: Virginia Tech Hokies, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Florida St. Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Pittsburgh Panthers, West Virginia Mountaineers, North Carolina Tar Heels

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Alabama is the best team in the nation. Yes, I know I said the same thing last week but it bears repeating. There isn’t one team in the country that can match up toe-to-toe with Alabama, personnel or talent-wise, and hang with them for a full 60 minutes. It’s still early in the season, but I don’t see any scenario where Saban and his boys aren’t playing for another national championship in January.

The biggest losers from this week all resided in the ACC (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL) and Florida State). The Hokies were the biggest embarrassment of the weekend after their unprecedented 21-16 loss at home to James Madison. Their lack of focus was probably the biggest contributor to the loss as I’m sure they were still thinking about their last-minute loss to Boise State and looking past little ol’ James Madison. Well, they paid dearly for doing that and, as a result, are now 0-2 and no longer reside in the top 25. Georgia Tech lost a tight one with a Kansas team they should’ve beaten easily considering the Jayhawks lost to 6-3 to North Dakota State the week prior.

I kind of jumped the gun on Florida State as they were totally dominated by Oklahoma, 47-17. I still think they will win the ACC Atlantic, but this game was what we in the biz call a “wake-up call.” Miami (FL) had their chances against Ohio State and played relatively well with the exception of Mr. Turnover himself, Jacory Harris. I really try to like this guy, but some of the decisions he makes boggles my mind. One thing I do like about him, though, is that he doesn’t hang his head too much after he does make a mistake. He just needs to stop making so many and the Hurricanes can go a long way.

A couple teams that really impressed me were Oregon, Oklahoma and Michigan. Oregon started off slow against Tennessee, but outscored them 48-7 after being down 6-0 early. Their offense, which scored 72 points the week before, was once again firing on all cylinders and quieted the screaming, peach-colored crowd of just over 102,000. The Ducks’ defense is as experienced as any in college football, which is pretty scary when you consider the offensive firepower they have as well.

Oklahoma bounced back from a very subpar performance against Utah State and pummeled Florida State. The Sooners started out hot, scoring touchdowns on each of their first four possessions, and Landry Jones’ performance (30-40, 380 yards, four touchdowns) was reminiscent of a young Sam Bradford. That’s a very good sign for Sooner fans. Denard Robinson almost single-handedly spoiled Notre Dame’s chances of a miraculous comeback as he accounted for 502 total yards, including a 72-yard game-winning touchdown drive that was capped off by a two-yard run by none other than himself. Michigan still has some holes in their defense, which will be exploited when they get into Big Ten play. But Robinson’s exceptional athletic ability will give them a chance to be in every game.

I think one team to watch out for in the coming weeks is Texas A&M. I know they have only beaten Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech, both at home, but I see them being somewhat of a surprise team this season. The main reason is Jerrod Johnson. The senior quarterback is the unquestioned leader of the Aggies and will open a lot of eyes this year, if he hasn’t done so already. Most people remember Johnson (if they do at all) for his 342-yard, four-touchdown performance against Texas last season, which the Aggies ended up losing 49-39. But Johnson gives the Aggies a shot at competing for a Big-12 title, even though they play in a division with Oklahoma and Texas. We will really find out what the Aggies are made of in the coming weeks, though, when they dive into Big-12 play.

Submitted by Steve Giles