Week 3 Top 25

Here is the definitive ranking of the top 25 teams after two weeks of play.  A lot changed this week.  Wisconsin and Oklahoma State took big falls out of the ranking.  The SEC sufered an embarassing loss to ULM.  Clearly, this is a reflection on all 14 teams.  A bunch of new teams enter the top 25 this week, so we will see if any of them have staying power.  Most of the country is still playing warm up games, which means we still don't know much about anyone, so a lot will be changing in the upcoming weeks. 

Week 3
1. SEC	No news here.  A.J. McCarron had a big game against Western Kentucky, otherwise nothing notable really occurred.  Expect the Tide to have little trouble against Arkansas this week.  That matchup looks even less intimidating after ULM gave the SEC a kick in the ass last week.
2. USC	In the defense of the defense, Syracuse has a pretty good offense.  The Trojans will need to stiffen up, though if they want to win a national championship.  Matt Barkley and the offense continued to do what they do.
3. Oregon	Oregon must have worn themselves out in the first half against Fresno State, because they took a nap in the second half.  Kenjon Barner was there to kick it back into gear, though, before it got close.  It is the second week in a row that the Ducks have only scored once in the second half, which they hope is not the start of a trend.
4. SEC	Apparently having a live tiger on the scout team is not an effective method of preparation.  Less Miles and the Tigers unleashed the fury on a weaker than expected Washington team.  With Idaho up next, it should be another boring week in Baton Rouge.
5. West Virginia	WVU had the week off and get James Madison this week.  So, they pretty much have another off week.
6. SEC	Things got scary in Missouri until a series of turnovers busted the game open for the dogs.  Apparently Gary Pinkel hasn't received his full alotment of SEC speed yet.  The dogs get FAU as another tune up before the full conference schedule starts.
7. Oklahoma	The offense woke up against whatever glorified high school team OU paid to beat up.  This doesn't mean all is well in Norman, but it is a step in the right direction.
8. Florida State	Sound the alarm…FSU failed to cover the spread against Savannah State.  FSU probably could have easily covered the 70 point spread but was smart enough not to.  The Noles get Wake on Saturday, which will be their first opponent with a pulse.
9. SEC	Connor Shaw still doesn't appear to be ready to go, which could be a problem when not playing ECU.  With UAB up next, Shaw gets another week to heal before Missouri comes up on the schedule.
10. Michigan State	The Spartans get another big test this week against Notre Dame.  Top ten feels a little high right now for Michigan State, but they have a chance to validate themselves after treating the ball like a hot potato against Boise State (pun not initially intended).  If Le'Veon Bell continues to show up big, they should move to 3-0.
11. Texas	Texas continues to rise as they continue to feast on the weak.  The schedule gets really tough this week when Bob Davie and the Fighting Lobos come to town.  After that tough matchup, they face a ferocious SEC team in Oxford, MS.  They'll be lucky to get out of those alive before the conference schedule begins.
12. Clemson	Andre Ellington had another huge game against Ball State while the Tigers put up 52 points.  The defense gave up more than it should have, though most of that came in the second half.  Sammy Watkins returns this week against the Furman University Christian Knights.  Furman provides a nice easy game to get Watkins back into the fold before a huge matchup with FSU next week.
13. Collin Klein	Collin Klein was responsible for 281 yards and 4 touchdowns against Miami.  Miami's entire team was reponsible for 262 yards and 1 touchdown.
14. TCU	TCU actually played a game last week, though it was against Grambling.  The competition may or may not get tougher against Kansas this week.  I don't feel great about having TCU so high but they could be undefeated going to Stillwater at the end of October.
15. VPISU	The Turkeys had a much easier time against Austin Peay on Saturday, so there was no JMU repeat.  They have an interesting game against future ACC opponent, Pitt this week.  Pitt is terrible, though, so it won't be interesting for long.
16. Michigan	Michigan didn't exactly set the world on fire in their rebound game against Air Force.  Air Force is touch, but Michigan had to be hoping for better than a 31-26 win.  The Wolverines get a chance to finish licking their wounds against UMass this week before going to Notre Dame in 2 weeks.
17. Notre Dame	Speaking of Notre Dame, here they are, coming off a scare against a pretty solid Pudue team.  Clearly there are still kinks to work out, but Notre Dame will have a chance to sink or swim in the coming weeks with 5 of the next 6 games against ranked teams.
18. UCLA	Here's a new face.  I'm still skeptical about UCLA's ability to sustain their early success, but that was a big win against Nebraska.  I think this is a case of getting hot quickly under a new coach, but I will give them credit for work done thus far.
19. Nebraska	The old Taylor Martinez struck again on Saturday, throwing for no touchdowns and one interception in crunch time.  The real issue, though, is that the defense gave up 31 points and has shown no signs of improvement.  I probably shouldn't, but I'll continue to give Nebraska the benefit of the doubt, especially when they get Rex Burkhead healthy.
20. BYU	BYU had another easy game against Weber State, and they continued to perform accordingly.  The Utah game was more attractive before the Utes lost to Utah State, but this will still be a good test for BYU.
21. Arizona	Consider me someone not surprised how quickly Arizona has taken to Rich Rod.  He was born to coach in the Pac-12, where defense is optional and winning is a bonus.  They won't be great, but this will be a fun team to watch.
22. Cincinnati	Their quarterback is named Munchie Legeaux.  I think we're done here.
23. SEC	Derek Dooley has brought the Vols back to the promised land.  Okay, maybe not yet, but they have had a good start.  The Vols have lost a shocking 7 games in a row to the Gayta.  Ending that streak is a big step in re-establishing Rocky Top.
24. Louisville	Charlie Strong is doing good things in Louisville.  They're not exactly knocking on the door of the top ten, but they've come a long way quickly from the Steve Kragthorpe disaster.  If they can get over the Munchies, they should win the Big East without too much trouble.
25. Boise State	This is 100% giving them credit for hanging so close with Michigan State who, for the moment, is a top ten team.  The ceiling is low for Boise though.