College Football Week 7 Power Rankings - Vito's View - Comcast.net Sports

For the first time this season, a new team has reached the perch of my rankings.

Florida and Texas had held onto the top spots all season, but after both turned in another lackluster performance, a change needed to be made at the top.

Alabama takes over the No. 1 spot after another impressive showing by RB Mark Ingram and an improving defense. Florida falls just one spot and needs QB Tim Tebow and LB Brandon Spikes to get healthy if they are going to beat the Tide in the SEC championship game for a second straight year.

As for Texas … oh Texas. The ’Horns beat their rival in the shootout, but it wasn’t good enough to keep them from falling. Cincinnati is doing just about everything right and deserves not just a top-five ranking, but a top-three ranking. Sorry, Colt.

The rest of this week’s lineup:

1. Alabama (7-0)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: W, South Carolina, 20-6
RB Mark Ingram has been unstoppable for three straight weeks and the defense has been impenetrable for two weeks in a row. Ingram rushed for a career-high 246 yards against South Carolina and has run for 558 yards and four scores in the last three games, while the defense kept an opponent out the end zone for the second straight game and has allowed more than two scores just once since the second week of the season.

2. Florida (6-0)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: W, Arkansas, 23-20
I’ll let coach Urban Meyer tell you why Florida has lost its grip on the top spot: “We’re not playing perfect, and there are times we’re not playing very good at all. We’re not on the same planet statistically as last year. I’m not happy where we are at right now.” That’s at the team level. At the individual level, QB Tim Tebow hasn’t looked the same since his concussion and LB Brandon Spikes suffered another injury – this one to his groin. The performance of both in the second half of the season will determine if Florida can repeat as SEC and conference champs.

3. Cincinnati (6-0)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: W, at South Florida, 34-17
After the Bearcats cleared the toughest hurdle on their schedule, talk is already centering on whether they could reach the BCS championship game if they finish unbeaten. Obviously, that will depend on what the guys in front of them in the BCS rankings do (in my rankings they’d control their fate because either Florida or Alabama will finish the season with a loss – but alas, I haven’t replaced the BCS system … yet). But the high-powered Bearcats sure were impressive in the de facto Big East title game, putting up 34 points on a defense that was allowing only 9.4 ppg – and that was with stud QB Tony Pike leaving the game early in the second half with an injured wrist. Backup QB Zach Collaros, who showed he’s a dual threat, could get the start against Louisville.

4. Texas (6-0)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: W, Oklahoma, 16-13
This isn’t the year we expected from QB Colt McCoy – and his subpar play is a big reason Texas isn’t blowing anyone out. Sure, he has the Longhorns unbeaten and on the inside track in the Big 12 title race. But a year after he threw for 3,859 yards and 34 TDs against eight INTs, McCoy has thrown for just 1,537 yards and 11 TDs against seven picks at the season’s midpoint. He can still make amends down the stretch in games against Missouri, Oklahoma State and Kansas.

5. Boise State (6-0)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: W, at Tulsa, 28-21
The Broncos won, but they essentially eliminated themselves from the BCS championship game debate. Pollsters wanted to see them crush Tulsa, a team Oklahoma hammered 45-0, but Boise could have found itself in OT if Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne connected with a wide-open Charles Clay on the final drive. The fact that his team was not impressive enough to stay in the title game conversation was not lost on Chris Petersen. “It’s usually never good enough for a lot of people,” the Broncos coach said, “usually including us and our team.”

6. USC (5-1)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: W, at Notre Dame, 34-27
After taking a 20-point lead, the Trojans gave up 13 straight points and were a play away from finding themselves in OT. The Trojans needed one more score to put the game away, but instead, they let their rivals right back in it. Those are the types of lapses that could keep this team from winning its eighth straight Pac-10 title.

7. Iowa (7-0)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: W, at Wisconsin, 20-10
Iowa sure isn’t bothered by playing on the road. The win at Camp Randall marks the second time this season that the Hawkeyes went into an intimidating atmosphere, shut out the host’s offense in the second half and came out with a W. Their own offense may not be lighting it up, but the defense, which is allowing just 15 ppg, is making sure they don’t have to. “We certainly aren’t the prettiest car in the lot and that’s OK,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We are having a lot of fun.”

8. Miami (5-1)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: W, at Central Florida, 27-7
Virginia Tech’s loss to Georgia Tech brings Miami right back into the thick of the Coastal Division race and revives hopes that the ’Canes can reach their first ACC championship game. Of course, Miami still needs VaTech to lose again and must do its part by winning out, which will probably be a lot easier if it limits the sacks. QB Jacory Harris was sacked six times against UCF, but coach Randy Shannon is not pointing the finger at just the O-line: “It was a conglomerate of the quarterback not getting rid of the ball earlier or receivers not running the right routes and depth, and the offensive line not picking up certain blitzes.”

9. TCU (6-0)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: W, Colorado State, 44-6
The Horned Frogs continue to roll along, putting up 38 points in the middle quarters and winning their 11th in a row at home. With every W comes questions about a BCS berth. And with every question, coach Gary Patterson offers a diplomatic answer: “We’re only going to be able to control what we can control, so go play and do the things we need to do and see how it all turns out.” The Frogs have a huge opportunity to make their case with this week’s conference clash against BYU, a matchup that carries with it all kinds of Mountain West championship implications.

10. Oregon (5-1)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: Idle
Coming off their bye week, the Ducks need to be very careful. USC looms next week. That’s the showdown Oregon has been waiting for all season. It’s the game that will go a long way toward determining the Pac-10 title. A win will virtually end USC’s reign atop the conference. So don’t screw it up by looking past Washington this week. The Ducks need to stay focused and continue to remind themselves of what the Huskies did to USC last month.

11. Georgia Tech (6-1)
Previous Rank: 18
Last Week: W, Virginia Tech, 28-23
QB Josh Nesbitt rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns – the second straight game that he ran for three scores – as the Ramblin' Wreck ran for 309 yards against the Hokies’ vaunted defense. But Tech fans should be concerned that the Jackets completed just one pass. This team is as one-dimensional as you can get. What are they are they going to do if someone shuts down their running game?

12. LSU (5-1)
Previous Rank: 13
Last Week: Idle
While the Tigers boast a top-15 defense that held Florida to just 13 points and is allowing just 14.5 ppg, the offense continues to struggle. The problems stem from an inconsistent running game that is averaging only 123.8 ypg, which is 43 yards below last season’s average. That’s not what we expected from a team that was returning a back that rushed for nearly 1,200 yards last season. But that RB, Charles Scott, has yet to break the 100-yard mark this year and is averaging only 54.5 ypg.

13. Oklahoma State (5-1)
Previous Rank: 14
Last Week: W, Missouri, 33-17
The Cowboys continue to roll, despite the losses of WR Dez Byrant (ineligible) and RB Kendall Hunter (injury). “When you have players who aren’t available to you on a Saturday,” coach Mike Gundy said, “it’s an opportunity for another player to step up and make plays.” One of the most notable players who’s made the most of his opportunity is WR Hubert Anyiam, who caught 10 balls for a career-high 119 yards and the go-ahead TD against Missouri – the Pokes’ fourth straight W since the setback against Houston.

14. Virginia Tech (5-2)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: L, at Georgia Tech, 28-23
Last week, I wrote that the Hokies were a “very serious national title contender.” Well, not anymore. But the loss to the Yellow Jackets also mucks up the free pass they would have had to the ACC title game, and puts both Georgia Tech and Miami back in the running for the Coastal Division race.

15. Penn State (6-1)
Previous Rank: 15
Last Week: W, Minnesota, 20-0
After shutting out Minnesota, yielding just a FG the previous week against Eastern Illinois, and keeping every opponent from scoring a first-half TD this season, the Nittany Lions are now tied with Florida for No. 1 scoring defense in the country. Penn State is surrendering just 8.7 ppg and is allowing only 238.9 ypg, good enough for fifth in the country. And that D is getting healthier each week. Penn State welcomed back LB Sean Lee, in a limited role, against the Gophers. “Just getting him back with us is a huge boost,” DC Tom Bradley said.

16. BYU (6-1)
Previous Rank: 21
Last Week: W, at San Diego State, 38-28
QB Max Hall threw for 346 yards and three scores but it was his 1-yard TD run before the first half that proved to be the turning point. The Cougars’ 500th win in school history sets up a Mountain West showdown next week with TCU – the winner getting the inside track on the conference title, even though both will still have to play Utah.

17. Houston (5-1)
Previous Rank: 23
Last Week: W, at Tulane, 44-16
QB Case Keenum passed for his lowest total of the season in the W over Tulane. And that total? 334 yards. But Keenum’s “down” day allowed the ground game to enjoy its best game of the year, rushing for a season-high 182 yards and four scores. The Cougars are still looking up at Tulsa and Southern Miss in the C-USA West standings but get the pair in back-to-back games after this week’s matchup with SMU.

18. Ohio State (5-2)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: L, at Purdue, 26-18
After a stunning loss to Purdue, in which Terrelle Pryor was responsible for four of the Buckeye’s five turnovers with two INTs and two fumbles, the QB spelled out OSU’s focus for the rest of the season. “We’ve just got to be worried about the Big Ten, because the national championship is gone.” But thanks to that awful performance against an inferior opponent, Ohio State’s run of winning at least a share of four straight Big Ten titles is in jeopardy. The Buckeyes’ most difficult stretch of the season is still in front of them, with games at Penn State, against Iowa and at Michigan coming on successive weeks to close the season.

19. Utah (5-1)
Previous Rank: 24
Last Week: W, at UNLV, 35-15
On the same day that BYU won its 500th game, Utah did its conference rival one better – winning its 600th. The Utes now begin a three-game stretch at home, which if they get through unscathed, will set up an exciting close to the season that has them travelling to TCU and BYU. Predictably, Kyle Whittingham will have none of it. “We have to take it one game at a time,” the coach said. “Conference play is just beginning. We approach it one week at a time.”

20. Texas Tech (4-2)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, at Nebraska, 31-10
The loss to Texas was expected and the setback against Houston doesn’t look all that bad anymore. And since those pair of losses, the Red Raiders have won three straight and are averaging 48.3 ppg during the run. But after the win over Nebraska, all coach Mike Leach wanted to talk about was the D. “We have black shirts there at Texas Tech, too,” the coach said, mocking the ’Huskers nickname for its first-string defense. “Every one of our guys was wearing a black shirt underneath their pads, and I’m proud to say the black shirts won this one.”

21. South Florida (5-1)
Previous Rank: 19
Last Week: L, Cincinnati, 34-17
The Bulls came in with the fifth-ranked defense in the nation, which was allowing just 9.4 ppg, but showed that they’re not capable of stopping the better offenses in the country. USF’s focus now shifts to getting off the mat this week against Pitt. The Bulls have a history of collapsing after hot starts the last two years – losing three straight after opening 6-0 in ’07 and dropping four of five after starting 5-0 in ’08.

22. West Virginia (5-1)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, Marshall, 24-7
The Mountaineers jump into the rankings but might need to rely on the arm of a freshman to stay here. QB Jarrett Brown left Saturday’s game with a concussion after he was sandwiched by a pair of Marshall defenders. QB Geno Smith went 15-for-21 with 147 yards in his most meaningful action of the season and would get the nod against UConn if Brown can’t go.

23. Pittsburgh (6-1)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, at Rutgers, 24-17
The Panthers are right where they want to be at this point in the season. They’re unbeaten in conference play after dumping their recent nemesis for the first time since ’04 with the big guns of the Big East left on the slate, beginning with this week’s matchup against South Florida.

24. Nebraska (4-2)
Previous Rank: 17
Last Week: L, Texas Tech, 31-10
Despite the 21-point loss at home to the Red Raiders, the ’Huskers stay in the rankings because just about everyone near the bottom came up short this past weekend. The loss was so disappointing that coach Bo Pellini might make a change behind center. QB Zac Lee turned in another shaky performance and freshman Cody Green has breathed some life into the offense during his limited opportunities. “We’ll see how it goes and how they practice and how they perform,” Pellini said, “and we’ll go from there.”

25. South Carolina (5-2)
Previous Rank: 22
Last Week: L, at Alabama, 20-6
The Gamecocks allowed 264 yards rushing, managed just 64 yards on the ground and QB Stephen Garcia was sacked five times and tossed a pick six. “It’s history,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “We’ll get ready for our next game next week.” That one’s against Vanderbilt … and with Tennessee coming the week after, the Gamecocks have a pair of games to get back on track before meeting Arkansas and Florida on back-to-back weeks.

Dropped Out:
Oklahoma (3-3)
Previous Rank: 16
Last Week: L, Texas, 16-13
I had OU at No. 3 in my preseason power rankings and had been taking it on the chin for keeping the Sooners ranked after the 2-2 start. But they’ve lost QB Sam Bradford and against Texas rushed the ball for negative yardage (minus-16 yards), went 3-for-15 on third-down conversions and turned the ball over five times. It’s time to drop OU from the rankings.

Auburn (5-2)
Previous Rank: 25
Last Week: L, Kentucky, 21-14
The Tigers were lighting up the scoreboard when they opened the season 5-0. But since scoring 54 against Ball State, the production has dropped precipitously – 26 against Tennessee, 23 against Arkansas and a season-low 14 in Saturday’s loss.

Kansas (5-1)
Previous Rank: 20
Last Week: L, Colorado, 34-40
QB Todd Reesing threw for 401 yards and two scores but a pick that was returned to the one and the Jayhawks’ inability to find an answer for new Colorado QB Tyler Hansen showed what I’ve been saying all year about Kansas – this team isn’t that good, no matter what the record says.

On the radar:
Arizona (4-2)
The loss to Iowa looks a lot better these days and the one at Washington is justified because, hey, USC lost at Washington, too. Still, the Wildcats have a chance to prove they belong among the top 25 with games remaining against Cal, Oregon and USC.

Central Michigan (6-1)
The Chippewas’ only loss this season was to Arizona in the opener. They have a W over Michigan State on their resume and could get another one over a BCS team when they take on BC in two weeks.

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Email me at vitosview@comcast.net; follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/vjforlenza.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.


Message Edited by Vito_Forlenza on 10-20-2009 01:46 PM