College Football Week 8 Power Rankings - Vito's View - Comcast.net Sports

Watching Alabama and Florida struggle against unranked opponents who are now a combined 6-9 this season made me wonder: Where have all the great teams gone? Because this season, they’re missing.

To be fair, the Tide’s close call against Tennessee was their first this year. And if there’s one thing the Vols can do this season, it’s show up on defense.

But Florida’s unimpressive showing against Mississippi State was just the latest in a string of lackluster performances for the Gators – performances that, if they continue, will eventually catch up to them and knock them from the championship race.

Cincinnati again blew out a Big East foe, and the Bearcats are the most consistent of the top teams. But South Florida’s second blowout loss in as many weeks hurts Cincinnati’s image and fuels the perception that the ’Cats are beating up on less-than-stellar competition.

Yet, the other top national title contenders haven’t exactly blown our minds this season. Texas routinely forgets that the game starts on the opening kickoff. Iowa owns the ugliest perfect record I’ve ever seen. And USC is still that schizophrenic team that lost to Washington but crushed Cal.

Maybe the time is right for TCU or Boise State to break through and play for the national championship. Maybe the time is right for both to break through and play for the national championship. Yea, like the powers that be would ever let that happen.

This week’s rankings:

1. Alabama (8-0)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: W, Tennessee, 12-10
Was ’Bama good or just lucky? The Tide were unraveling down the stretch, but NT Terrence Cody’s two blocked FG attempts, one on the final play of the game, kept the dream of a perfect season alive. “I think great teams have great players that can make great plays in critical situations in the game,” coach Nick Saban said.

2. Florida (7-0)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: W, at Mississippi State, 29-19
QB Tim Tebow continues to struggle since suffering a concussion on Sept. 26 at Kentucky. The ’07 Heisman winner threw two pick-sixes in the win over Mississippi State and has now thrown three INTs and just two TDs since the injury. He’s also only scored once on the ground. “As an offense, we’re not well right now,” coach Urban Meyer said.

3. Cincinnati (7-0)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: W, Louisville, 41-10
Despite the loss of Heisman-contending QB Tony Pike, injured last week against South Florida, the Bearcats didn’t miss a beat. QB Zach Collaros made his first career start and responded by lighting up the Cardinals. A week after rushing for 132 yards and two scores, Collaros did it through the air, going 15-of-17 for 253 yards and three TDs. “Nobody was worrying about where Tony Pike was,” coach Brian Kelly said. Wow, coach, you’re ruthless.

4. Texas (7-0)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: W, at Missouri, 41-7
Now that’s the Colt McCoy we’ve been looking for. The QB led the Longhorns to scores on their first three possessions – a rare fast start for Texas – and finished 26-of-31 for 269 yards, three TDs and an INT. “We’ve put in more of our offense now,” coach Mack Brown said. “I think we’re in a great position right now to move forward.” Moving forward for the ’Horns means a pivotal Big 12 South showdown at Oklahoma State this week.

5. Iowa (8-0)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: W, at Michigan State, 15-13
QB Ricky Stanzi hit WR Marvin McNutt for a TD as time expired to lift the Hawkeyes to their first 8-0 start in school history. The Hawkeyes aren’t ones to win pretty – four of their victories this season have come by a combined eight points – but they have won 12 in a row since a 27-24 loss at Illinois last Nov. 1. Still, they need to get out of this habit of playing down to the wire – that’s how underdogs pull off upsets ... and special seasons become bitter memories.

6. TCU (7-0)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: W, at BYU, 38-7
The Horned Frogs are now carrying the flag for the non-BCS conferences in the BCS conversation, stealing it away from Boise State with that beatdown of BYU. But before they start dreaming too much about their first-ever BCS invite, the Frogs must remember that they still have a date with reigning conference champ Utah. A loss to the Utes wouldn’t just end their BCS hopes, it would also take away their aspirations for their first Mountain West title since ’05.

7. USC (6-1)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: W, Oregon State, 42-36
The Trojans avenged last season’s loss to the Beavers as Matt Barkley (15-for-25, 202 yards, two TDs) and Allen Bradford (147 yards rushing, two scores) put up big numbers. But what happened to the defense? USC allowed Oregon State to pile up 482 yards of offense and 22 first downs, keeping the Beavers in the ballgame. That’s not going to fly this week against Oregon.

8. Boise State (7-0)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: W, at Hawaii, 54-9
Suddenly, Boise State might have to do more than just go unbeaten. And the Broncos know it. With TCU crushing BYU and the Mountain West earning higher praise than the WAC, Boise must win in style. So following the narrow escape in Tulsa, that’s exactly what it did. Still, if TCU keeps winning, the Broncos will get locked out of the BCS.

9. Oregon (6-1)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: W, at Washington, 43-19
It has finally arrived – USC week. The Ducks have had this one circled on the calendar since the opening of spring camp. A win puts Oregon on the inside track for the Pac-10 title and essentially ends the Trojans’ run of seven straight conference championships. While USC comes in after its defense was exploited against Oregon State, the Ducks enter on the heels of another impressive showing and have outscored Pac-10 opponents 161-38 this season.

10. Georgia Tech (7-1)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: W, at Virginia, 34-9
The Jackets’ win over Virginia, in which they racked up 362 yards on the ground and held the ball for nearly 43 minutes, combined with Miami’s loss to Clemson, gives then control of the ACC Costal. All Tech needs to do to play in the conference title game is beat Wake Forest and Duke in November. “It’s the same as it’s always been,” coach Paul Johnson said. “Winning just made the game next Saturday that much bigger.”

11. LSU (6-1)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: W, Auburn, 31-10
The Tigers had two weeks to think about their loss to Florida. They came out against Auburn determined to prove they’re still a team to contend with in the SEC this season. QB Jordan Jefferson, who threw for just 96 yards in the loss to the Gators, put up a career-high 242 yards, threw for two scores and ran for another. “We went into the open week with the want to improve, and we looked at some specifics,” coach Les Miles said. Apparently, the passing game got a lot of attention.

12. Oklahoma State (6-1)
Previous Rank: 13
Last Week: W, at Baylor, 34-7
Last year, OK State thought it could hang with the big boys of the Big 12 South but lost to all three – Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. After their fifth straight win, in which QB Zac Robinson threw for 250 yards and three scores (without WR Dez Bryant or RB Kendall Hunter), the Pokes look to avenge each of those losses over the next five weeks. It all starts this week when the Longhorns come to Stillwater.

13. Penn State (7-1)
Previous Rank: 15
Last Week: W, at Michigan, 35-10
The Nittany Lions won for the first time in Ann Arbor since ’96 as the stout defense held the high-octane Wolverines, who came in averaging 37.3 ppg, to just a FG after they scored on their first possession. The Lions’ offense, which normally plays conservatively on the road, torched Michigan’s secondary and has now scored more than 30 five times this season.

14. Virginia Tech (5-2)
Previous Rank: 14
Last Week: Idle
It’ll be interesting to see how Virginia Tech responds to last week’s loss to Georgia Tech, which kicked them out of the national title race. VaTech is still very much in the running for a third straight ACC championship, but the way the Hokies show up Thursday against North Carolina will show how much that prize really means to them.

15. Pittsburgh (7-1)
Previous Rank: 23
Last Week: W, South Florida, 41-14
QB Bill Stull went 18-for-25 for 245 yards with two TDs and an INT, while Dion Lewis rushed for 111 yards and two scores as the Panthers dominated USF in every facet. “A defense cannot serve two masters,” Stull said. “If you try to stop our running game, we’re going to be able to make some big plays through the air and vice versa.” Pitt’s strong play these last few weeks is a big reason the Big East title race will be so compelling down the stretch.

16. Houston (6-1)
Previous Rank: 17
Last Week: W, SMU, 38-15
The Cougars used the matchup against SMU to showcase what had been a virtually non-existent ground game, as RB Charles Simms rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two scores. “We’ve got a couple of really talented running backs that I really don’t mind handing the ball off to at any time,” said QB Case Keenum, who threw for a season-low 233 yards. That’s nice, Case. Glad you don’t mind doing something crazy like running the football.

17. Ohio State (6-2)
Previous Rank: 18
Last Week: W, Minnesota, 38-7
After turning the ball over four times against Purdue, QB Terrelle Pryor bounced back in admirable fashion. The sophomore completed 13-of-25 for 239 yards with two TDs and a pick and also ran for 104 yards. “Last week really humbled me,” Pryor said. “I may be a little too cocky.” The Bucks are still very much alive for the Big Ten title, but face a tough November: @Penn State, Iowa, @Michigan. Wonder if Pryor will feel cocky going into those games.

18. Miami (5-2)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: L, Clemson, 40-37 (OT)
Jacory Harris threw three INTs, including a pick-six, and the ’Canes turned the ball over four times in a damaging loss. The setback means that Miami is looking up at Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Virginia in the ACC Coastal standings and needs a lot of help to reach the conference title game for the first time. “It was just bad, just bad for special teams, the offense, the defense, just bad football,” coach Randy Shannon said. “We probably played our worst game as a football team.”

19. Utah (6-1)
Previous Rank: 19
Last Week: W, Air Force, 23-16 (OT)
I still don’t know how Utah won this one. They were held to just 267 yards and eight first downs on offense, had the ball for just 21 minutes, turned the ball over twice and allowed Air Force to rack up 20 first downs and 254 yards rushing. Still, the Utes won for the 20th time in their last 21 games.

20. West Virginia (6-1)
Previous Rank: 22
Last Week: W, UConn, 28-24
QB Jarrett Brown returned and RB Noel rushed for 178 yards and a score, but more importantly, Mountaineers fans offered up a touching salute to the Huskies, who were playing their first game since the death of Jasper Howard, by giving them a standing ovation when they took the field.

21. Arizona (5-2)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, UCLA, 27-13
The Wildcats continue to find ways to win, even when they turn the ball over five times like they did against UCLA. QB Nick Foles (22-of-34, 247 yards, two scores) and the offense kept coming at the Bruins, amassing 456 yards, grabbing 27 first downs and converting 9-of-16 third downs. Those turnovers are going to prove costly against the upper-echelon teams in the Pac-10, most of which are still on the schedule.

22. South Carolina (6-2)
Previous Rank: 25
Last Week: W, Vanderbilt, 14-10
They’re low-scoring, ugly games, but the Gamecocks continue pull them out. “It was a good win for us,” coach Steve Spurrier said, “It wasn’t pretty.” That’s basically becoming Spurrier’s mantra this season. Hey, he said he could win at South Carolina. He didn’t say he could win in style.

23. Ole Miss
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, Arkansas, 30-17
The Rebels return to the rankings after a two-week absence. But while the offense put up a season-high 553 yards on Arkansas – thanks to RB/WR Dexter McCluster’s 123 yards rushing and 137 yards receiving (where was that all season?) – this team will prove whether it really belongs during a difficult November in which it takes on the tough defenses of Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi.

24. BYU (6-2)
Previous Rank: 16
Last Week: L, TCU, 38-7
The Cougars simply took it on the chin. “We’ve been having fun all year,” QB Max Hall said. “That wasn’t very much fun.” Hall was sacked five times, picked off once and lost a fumble as the Cougars’ 13-game home conference winning streak was snapped. BYU now needs some help to win a share of the Mountain West title.

25. Central Michigan (7-1)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, at Bowling Green, 24-10
The Chippewas are enjoying their best start since 1984 and questions about whether they belong in the rankings will be answered this week when they battle Boston College on the road.

Dropped Out:
Texas Tech (4-2)
Previous Rank: 20
Last Week: L, Texas A&M, 52-30
Wow, really? To Texas A&M? At home? Cue coach Mike Leach: “If you have a ridiculously weak opponent, you might play bad and overpower them, but you can’t do that against a tradition and a program like Texas A&M. If it was easy, anybody could do it. If it was easy, I’d be coaching the Swedish bikini team and I’d have them coming out here to do all this.”

South Florida (5-2)
Previous Rank: 21
Last Week: L, Pittsburgh, 41-14
USF is following in its own footsteps, collapsing after another hot start. It happened after the Bulls opened the season 5-0 last year and after they jumped onto the scene with a 6-0 start in ’07. The loss to Pitt hammered home the point that USF doesn’t know how to rebound from a tough loss.

Nebraska (4-2)
Previous Rank: 24
Last Week: L, Iowa State, 9-7
Maybe the Blackshirts are back. But something has to be done about that offense. Eight turnovers? My goodness.

On the radar:
Notre Dame (5-2)
Other than the season-opening 35-0 win over Nevada, every ND game has been decided by an average of 4.7 points. But you gotta hand it to QB Jimmy Clausen and Co. … they really are only a few plays away from being undefeated.

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

Message Edited by Vito_Forlenza on 10-27-2009 10:11 PM