BCSBusters: Week #2 Top-25 - Pole Position Saturday

Not to be outdone by an incredible opening weekend, the second edition of the 2007 collegiate campaign was tingling with excitement. With a bevy of non-conference match-ups, yesterday left all college football fans craving for more. Who could question that LSU and Oklahoma have turned in the most dominating performances after the first two stanza’s? The road to the BCS is most certainly a function of scheduling, and USC may have left itself on the outside looking in after a lack-luster performance against Idaho and a bye this past weekend. Even though the strategy was wise, in setting itself up for the showdown in Lincoln, the Trojans are going to have perform quite an encore in regaining their pole position due to the sterling performances in Norman and Baton Rogue this past weekend. They most certainly will have to pick up the pace, and in a hurry!

Of course if we utilized BCSBuster Bracketology - this wouldn’t matter as the issue would settle itself on the actual playing field in the month of November.

Oklahoma looks to have elevated itself back to their old championship norm as the defense was awesome and spectacular throughout the day in the much anticipated match-up with once mighty Miami. Who would have guessed they would have completely annihilated the Hurricanes, hurtling the Canes’ back to second tier status, welcomed by their Wolverine and Irish neighbors? I certainly didn’t as I predicted a hard fought close defensive struggle with the Canes’ coming out on top 21-17. I didn’t anticipate the 51-13 throttling that actually occurred. I’m sure it motivated LSU as the Tigers were likely watching the match-up before their evening tilt with perennial power Virginia Tech. LSU soon began where the Sooners left off, and neither game was close - which quickly sets the tone that Oklahoma and LSU are the teams to beat as both have earned the Pole Positions.

The Trojans certainly have their work cut out for them. Florida, West Virginia, Penn State and California look to be in the second row, although it is hard to tell if you should reward Penn State’s defense over California’s offensive prowess, especially after Oregon blitzed Michigan in Ann Arbor. I hope now everyone realizes that you can’t just sit back and say the PAC-10 can’t play any defense. With the number of offensive stallions running wild in this conference, a premium is paid in recruiting the skilled positions because if you can’t consistently put up 30 plus per weekend in this conference, you will likely find your self on the outside looking in.

The SEC, in comparison, is built around speed on the defensive side of the ball, for this conference as a whole has the best defensive units in the country. Although Oklahoma looks stout in the Big-12 on this side of the ball, it is a stretch to put another team from this conference in this elite category, no disrespect to Horn Nation. Big-10 members Penn State and Ohio State are just under this elite defensive threshold, but both teams have had stagnant offense’s thus far this season.

But are we actually witnessing a contrast in styles as both the Lions and Buckeye’s play in the old school norm where field position and time of possession are fundamental elements of the game plan, while the spread offense is built around quick strike scoring drives? One scheme spreads the field, putting people on an island out in space, while the other essentially plays the game inside a phone booth, relying on the physical force and strength of the offensive linemen. Without a chronological sequence of match-ups to determine which scheme is superior from one season to the next, we could argue fruitlessly, never settling on a common outcome.

Therefore, I think a valid assessment of a championship program should address the following criteria, rather than just comparing and contrasting the differing styles as there are three common elements we see every year from championship teams. A true championship team should have a balance of both - a stellar defense and an offense who can score in quick strike fashion - for a championship team must be able to function and survive in the following three game scenario’s:

1. Does the team go for the jugular in blow-out wins, quickly putting away an inferior opponent?
   
2. Can it come back after falling several scores behind, especially on the road in hostile venues?
3. Can it stand toe-to-toe without flinching while avoiding the knock-out punch in a tilt of championship implications with another heavyweight contender?

The Hurricanes and Hokies obviously couldn’t stand up to such stringent criteria as both flinched badly and were knocked out of the game early in the third quarter - essentially succumbing to a knockout blow. Will their confidence recover?

The Louisville Cardinals proved they can continue to score when their defense falls on hard times, but will they be able to over-come a team who can hold their offense in check, like a Sooner, Tiger, Trojan or Gator? This is why I dropped them out of the #2 spot from last week.

The same could be said for California as they have given up nearly 30 points in both venues against mighty Tennessee and slumping Colorado State. What would both of these teams do without Desean Jackson or Brian Brohm? Which is why West Virginia and Florida are a shade above the these two teams as both have excellent balance on both sides of the ball and can score in bunches while sharing the wealth.

The Mountaineers gave us a glimpse that they can weather a storm, even though it was of the tropical depression variety against The MAC’s - Marshall. They were held in check throughout most of their game with intra-state rival Marshall, but then bolted away from the Thundering Herd with such grace and speed, you wondered if they were auditioning for the Kentucky Derby as well. But, would they be able to batton-down-the-hatches against a category IV or V, like Oklahoma or LSU?

On the surface I would say no, but then again - turnovers are the great equalizer today - Just ask Notre Dame and Michigan who were both turned back by the wobbling oblong ball which has bounced awkwardly away from both during the opening games of the new season.

Wisconsin was bounced from the Top-10 by a woeful performance in Sin City, as head coach Bret Bielema may need to change the itinerary the next time the Badgers go on the road. The kiss of death in the Beauty Pageant known as the BCS Controversy is letting an inferior opponent hang on far too long, which causes a level of uncertainty and loss of confidence from the pollsters. They dropped to 12th.

Texas, who I had as high as #2 in my final pre-season poll, seems to have found their sea-legs, as they have battled wave after wave of unpredictable sea’s in early season tilts with lower echelon programs playing with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. They have weathered back-to-back storms while maintaining their form, but they’d better with the red-sky-in-morning-heading-from-Norman just three weeks away.

Yes college football fans, things are beginning to heat up, but the cream has risen. The big three - LSU, Oklahoma and Florida have restored the order in the South, while USC looks to rev up its motor which has been in off-season hibernation for much too long, and week three should give us a clue if the Trojans deserve a Pole Position in the race for the 2007 Sears Cup, or if they have to settle for a 5 team race for the Roses?

Key Conference Games in Week #3:

@

@

@

@
@

Key Non-Conference Games in Week #3:

@

@

@

@

@

@

@

@

@

@

UPDATE !!!

Now that the weekly polls have been released from the AP, Coaches and CBS-Sports Polls, we can scrutinize the results. The Top-5 is pretty much a given, but how can Texas and Wisconsin remain in the Top-10, if every game - as they say - is a playoff in college football. South Florida does nothing but waltz into Jordan-Haire, a most hostile and festive venue, a wins via a late touchdown in overtime over a highly ranked SEC foe, while Wisconsin struggles mightily over un-ranked and lowly regarded UNLV. Result? The Bulls barely enter the Top-25 while Wisconsin, clearly riding the surge of last year, only drops a spot or two in the Top-10?

How can we rank Texas higher than Georgia Tech or Penn State based on the defensive struggles that have been evident as the Horns have struggled against Arkansas State and TCU? Are we grading based on the performance on the field, or the 3-to-five year recent history of the Longhorns? Cal and Louisville have been shaky picks for me as well, because I believe the premium foundation of a championship team must begin on the defensive side of the ball. Both have left themselves open to criticism as they have simply outscored their opponents. We all know that two or three times every season, your offense will go into the tank. Will they survive like South Carolina did against Georgia, or West Virginia did against Marshall? Only time will tell.

WEEK #2 POLL COMPARISON (SEPTEMBER 9, 2007)

BCSBusters Poll

AP Writers Poll

Coaches Poll

CBS Sports Poll

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

BCSBusters Poll

AP Writers Poll

Coaches Poll

CBS Sports Poll

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

BCSBusters Poll

AP Writers Poll

Coaches Poll

CBS Sports Poll

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

BCSBusters Poll

AP Writers Poll

Coaches Poll

CBS Sports Poll

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

BCSBusters Poll

AP Writers Poll

Coaches Poll

CBS Sports Poll

21.

22.

23.

24.

25T

25T

Just Off The BCSBuster Week #1 Radar!

Dropping Out Off The BCSBuster Top-25!

Conference Comparison’s in the BCSBuster Top-25!

SEC - 6 Teams

PAC-10 - 6 Teams

Big-12 - 4 Teams

Big-East - 4 Teams

Big-10 - 3 Teams

ACC - 3 Teams