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One
of the
most controversial and exciting college football
seasons is now in the books. It is only fitting that I will mix the pot
a
little with my final rankings. My poll is based on the accomplishments
of the
entire season taking every aspect into account. It should also be noted
that I
fill this out prior to the other polls being released. I was certainly
surprised with where a few teams finished as you will see below. In (
)’s are
the AP and USA
rankings.
#1
(1) USC
(11-2): Who thinks now that this team didn’t deserve a shot at the
national
title game? They didn’t just beat Illinois
it was total domination with 633 yards of offense while they held the
Illini to
79 yards in the opening half. Aside from two big plays Mendenhall was
contained
and unless you consider the led being trimmed to 21-10 being
“threatened” this
outcome was never in doubt. (3, 2)
#2
(4) Georgia
(11-2): It’s a
good
thing this team didn’t go to the Rose Bowl because the BCS would have
been
exposed as a fraud. Georgia-USC easily could have been the national
title game
after what we saw from both teams on New Year’s Day. The Bulldogs
smothered Hawaii’s
explosive offense in impressive fashion. On their first 11 possessions
the
Warriors had 54 plays and went 120 yards. Brennan was sacked 8 times
and
intercepted 3 times. The only other game in his collegiate career he
was held
without a touchdown was against Nevada
when he threw 2 passes. They ruled them from start to finish. (2, 3)
#3
(3) LSU
(11-2): I am pretty sure the SEC’s reputation can be given a share of
this BCS
title, and it took a hit as the conference struggled while playing
mostly at
home. Especially troubling was Kentucky
barely beating a decimated Florida
State
roster and Florida
getting beaten
up by Michigan. LSU beat
a good,
not great Ohio State
team that was mistake prone. It was hardly the walkover most expected.
Flynn
played the game of his life and why not after waiting his turn for so
long? The
Tigers had a mostly home crowd yet sputtered badly at the start.
Overall they
have shown nothing to indicate they were better than Georgia,
notably down the stretch. They lost two games after Georgia’s
last loss. (1, 1)
#4
(10) West Virginia
(11-2): The
Mountaineers
have to be wondering how they would have done in the national title
game after
dismantling Oklahoma.
Their
defense has been totally overlooked and stymied the Sooners when the
outcome
was most in doubt. Offensively their quick strike power was something
to
behold. Four of their six TD drives totaled just 13 plays and they did
it
without the services of Steve Slaton who ran the ball only twice before
leaving. Fans were robbed this season when a few of the great teams
didn’t get
a shot at the title (or a playoff) and the Mountaineers are one of
them. (6, 6)
#5
(2) Oklahoma
(11-3): It was a puzzling performance from their defense that allowed 6
touchdowns to a West Virginia team without a head coach or star running
back
Steve Slaton. They had given up just 28 in their previous 13 games.
Offensively
they had some moments, but never enough to dig them out of deficit
built during
a flat first half. Maybe they weren’t motivated and perhaps they just
can’t
play at the Fiesta Bowl. At least they can rest on winning the Big XII,
clearly
one of the better if not best conferences. (8, 8)
#6
(6) Missouri
(12-2): It wasn’t
shocking for a
running back to have 282 yards rushing in the Cotton Bowl. The surprise
was it
being Tony Temple instead of Arkansas
star Darren McFadden. The Tigers ran right over the Razorbacks when
they chose
to shut down Heisman finalist Chase Daniel who went 12/30 passing the
football
for 137 yards no touchdowns and an interception. It was an ugly game
with 8
turnovers and perhaps Arkansas
was distracted by the McFadden eligibility issue and coaching change.
Could
they have won a BCS game? (4, 5)
#7
(8) Kansas
(12-1): They definitely belonged in the BCS and in a way beat Virginia
Tech at
their own game with an interception return for a touchdown to offset a
later
special teams touchdown given up. They kept chipping away at the Hokie
defense
just enough to maintain control of the game. Five of their drives went
42+
yards and only three times did VirginiaMissouri
in rather convincing fashion on a neutral field. (7, 7)
Tech march more than 27 yards. This win validates their season, but
unfortunately they can’t finish any higher in the poll when their loss
was to
#8
(5) Ohio State
(11-2): When USC devastated Illinois
it was starting to look bad for the Buckeyes. Their showing in the BCS
title
game was much better than last year, which is to say this time they had
a
chance. Instead turnovers took them out of it and lack of composure
kept it
that way. One reason they finished so low was having their vaunted
defense
worked over on third downs (11/18) in the title game against an LSU
offense
that wasn’t dominant. (5, 4)
#9
(14) Tennessee
(10-4): This was a
totally
different team than the one who lost their opener at Cal
and got blown out twice in SEC play. Erik Ainge took over their Outback
Bowl
win over Wisconsin the
way a
senior quarterback should. He led them on 7 drives of 40+ yards and if
not for
a blocked field goal and fumble the Vols would have won this game
easily. They
showed character at the end as well holding off two Badger drives to
hang on
for the 21-17 win. (12, 12)
#10
(27) Texas
(10-3): This was a totally
unexpected performance from the Longhorns. They had lost to Texas
A&M to
close the season and their defense was getting beaten up. Despite the
shootout
final score of 52-34 this was a dominant win over Arizona
State.
They owned Rudy Carpenter
with four sacks and two interceptions. Offensively McCoy channeled
Vince Young
with 174 yards passing and 84 yards rushing while Charles tallied 161
yards on
the ground with a pair of touchdowns. This win really raised their
status
because their season was otherwise marked only by testing Oklahoma
in a 28-21 loss. They will be in the top 10 of the first poll if not
top 5 with
tons of talent coming back to Austin.
(10, 10)
#11
(9) Arizona State
(10-3): Rudy Carpenter shouldn’t have motivated the Texas
secondary because they ruined him. This was never a game and perhaps
the Sun
Devils were flat much the same way Cal
was when turned away from a BCS bowl. That is no excuse for a terrible
performance. It sours an otherwise great season, but ultimately this
team
couldn’t win their biggest games. Their best win was over an Oregon
State
team that hadn’t yet caught
fire although they avoided any upsets. (16, 13)
#12
(11) Virginia
Tech (11-3): Their offense has never been that consistent and the
Orange
Bowl loss to Kansas was
no
exception. The special teams delivered a touchdown, but so did the
offense with
an interception return given away. In the end they were the best team
in one of
the worst BCS conferences. When Florida
State
and Miami, FL
are in the tank it is hard to take the
ACC seriously. A 2-6 bowl record including a decisive loss to Fresno
State
and narrow win by their
second best team over Michigan
State
certainly didn’t help that perception. (9, 9)
#13
(16) Cincinnati
(10-3): It wasn’t the
easy win
over Southern Miss most expected, but clearly Mauk wasn’t at full
strength. He
still passed for 334 yards, but his 3 interceptions and errant throws
kept the
Golden Eagles in the game. They also had a tough time stopping the run
against
a team playing with the emotion of a departing head coach. I’m not sure
why
this team garnered so little respect other than losing to a hot Brian
Brohm,
probably a first round NFL pick, and at Pittsburgh
who showed how dangerous they can be by beating West
Virginia. Those upsets hurt, but they also had
some
good wins including Oregon State,
Rutgers, South
Florida, Connecticut.
(17, 20)
#14
(18) Oregon State
(9-4): This is the quietest 19-8 team over the past two seasons. They
don’t get
a lot of attention, but they do win a lot. The Beavers beat three teams
who won
their bowl games and if not for some sloppy play would have beaten Maryland
much worse. Three turnovers and a missed field goal in their seven
first half
possessions kept the Terrapins alive, but Oregon State allowed them
just 224
total yards and a 2/11 showing on third down. This was their swan song
however,
as their entire starting front seven will graduate. (25, 26)
#15
(19) Oregon
(9-4): Maybe now you
understand
why I left them at #19 in my last rankings when the rest of the
“experts” left
them out of the top 25. They absolutely punished South
Florida.
Even with a wide eyed freshman starting at quarterback they piled up
533 yards
of total offense. Jonathan Stewart’s draft stock jumped 5-10 slots in
the first
round with 253 yards and 11.0 per carry. Their defense forced 5
turnovers and
recorded 3 sacks to set the tone. Three of the teams they beat this
season won
their bowl games over pretty good teams in Florida,
Illinois
and Georgia Tech. One
can only imagine what the Ducks might have done with Dennis Dixon
healthy the
whole way. (23, 24)
#16
(14) Boston College
(11-3): The announcers seemed impressed with Matt Ryan, but I really
wasn’t. He
completed just 47% of his passes and a big chunk of his 249 yards came
on a
late 68 yard touchdown pass. He was intercepted once and sacked three
times
against a defense that allowed 24+ points in their final 8 regular
season
games, averaging 32.5 over that stretch. Even with BC’s 5-2 edge in
turnovers
the Spartans had the ball twice in the fourth quarter needing only a
field goal
to tie the game. There are about 40 teams in FBS who would have beaten
the
Eagles based on how they performed here. (10, 11)
#17
(26) Auburn
(9-4): The win over Clemson
was
about as tightly contested as they come. Their guys simply made one
more big
play to pull it out in overtime. Three players plugged away on the
ground and
10 different players caught passes in the ultimate team effort on
offense.
Defensively the Tigers never really let Clemson into a rhythm.
Spiller’s 83
yard touchdown run amounted to 28% of their total offense for the game.
An
indication of how much they dictated play was the 24-12 edge in first
downs. (15,
14)
#18
(NR) Michigan
(9-4): Finally the
Wolverines
showcased an offense with at least 4 NFL caliber players. Long powered
them to
170 yards rushing at left tackle, anchoring a line that allowed only
two sacks.
Hart had 136 yards, but nearly blew the game losing two fumbles inside
the Florida
5. Mario Manningham secured his late first round status with 78 yards
receiving
while Adrian Arrington put himself on the draft radar with 153 yards
and a pair
of touchdowns. Leading it all was Chad Henne’s career day passing for
373
yards. If not for a 4-0 deficit in turnovers this would have been a
rout. From
losing to Appalachian State to this was an amazing turnaround. (18, 19)
#19
(12) Florida
(9-4): The Heisman curse
lives.
Tebow’s weakness was exposed. He’s not a great passer. Even while
scoring 4
touchdowns he failed when it mattered most in the fourth quarter of a
close
game. Percy Harvin kept them in it with 242 total yards on 22 touches
and a
pair of touchdowns, but how do you give up 543 yards to a team playing
with a
lame duck coach? They probably thought a lot about beating Ohio
State
41-14 last year and how easy
this win would be. Instead of their running quarterback doing what Dixon
and Edwards had to start the year he totaled just 212 yards on 49
plays. (13,
16)
#20
(29) Texas Tech
(9-4): Get ready for a three team battle for the Big XII South next
season
because the Red Raiders return a bunch of talent. They had been held
down by Virginia
for most of the Gator Bowl, but Graham Harrell was sacked only once so
it was
just a matter of time before he got it done. His final numbers show 398
yards
passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions. They don’t show the key
turnover by his defense that sparked a 17-0 run to win it. This team is
ready
to make the next step and should be in the preseason top 20 in a loaded
conference. (22, 23)
#21
(20) BYU
(11-2): I expected quite a bit more from the Cougars playing against a
team led
by an interim head coach playing with a fourth string quarterback.
Instead they
needed a blocked field goal to pull out a 17-16 win over UCLA. They
gained just
265 yards and went 5/14 on third down. Max Hall had a decent game, but
they
couldn’t run to save their life. Mark it down though because this could
be a
BCS buster for 2008. (14, 14)
#22
(7) Hawaii
(12-1): All the fears were
realized when they were blown out by Georgia
in the Sugar Bowl. Watching the game it felt like any moment their
offense
would break loose and start scoring touchdowns, but most of their
damage came
in the fourth quarter after the Bulldogs had inserted their backups.
Now they
look like a pretty good team who won their lesser conference and
couldn’t hang
with the big boys. However, if they had beaten up some 6-6 opponent in
a minor
bowl a lot of people would have been left wondering. Now we know. (19,
17)
#23
(17) Virginia
(9-4): It was ironic how
this
game went down in the end. All season the Cavs have pulled out dramatic
wins.
This time they had a 28-14 lead with a running game that had been
killing Texas
Tech all day. When it mattered most they gave it back to Graham Harrell
twice
and the Red Raider offense made them pay for it. In the end, even with
expected
top 5 overall pick Chris Long leading their pass rush Harrell threw 69
times
without a turnover and was sacked only once. (26, 27)
#24
(21) Illinois
(9-4): They simply had
their
hats handed to them by a superior team right out of the gate. Their
first seven
possessions totaled 40 yards on 32 plays as USC built a 21-0 lead. By
the time
they did start driving the ball it was too late because they had no
answer for
the Trojan offense. A 4-1 deficit in the turnover department certainly
added to
their woes and all game long they seemed intimidated. (20, 18)
#25
(15) Clemson
(9-4): The Tigers will go down as the team who was almost a serious
contender.
They couldn’t quite get it done in their most pivotal games and the
Chick-fil-A
Bowl was no exception. Auburn
ruined Cullen Harper who had been in the midst of a great season at
quarterback. He was just 14/33 for a measly 104 yards and no touchdowns
while
taking 3 sacks. Throwing out their 83 yard touchdown run by Spiller the
team
never drove the ball over 37 yards. Their only chance was two long
field goals
from Buchholz, but he missed from 45 and 53. (21, 22)
#26
(NR) Wake Forest
(9-4): The Demon Deacons
don’t get much respect, but they are 20-7 over the past two years. They
totally
stifled Connecticut who
had only
one drive over 28 yards all game and finished with 213 total yards.
Meanwhile
Skinner completed 76% of his passes to pace the offense that also got
130 yards
rushing from their backfield tandem. It was another solid season for
Wake as
they establish themselves as a team ready to stay in the top 25. (29,
28)
#27
(NR) Penn State
(9-4): It is hard to measure this team because their opponents outside
of the
Big Ten were so weak. They were only 4-4 in conference, but three of
those
losses came on the road in close games. Ohio
State
was the only team to handle
them this season. In the Alamo Bowl they grinded out a 24-17 win over
Texas
A&M who had beaten Texas
in
their finale. They did it with 270 yards rushing and a defense that
forced 3
turnovers. (27, 25)
#28
(24) Wisconsin
(9-4): Their offense
never got
rolling against Tennessee
until
it was too late and even then they faltered. Trailing 21-14 they drove
50, 63
and 52 yards but wound up with just 3 points for their efforts. P.J.
Hill’s
return produced 134 yards rushing, but 50 came on one rush and he
carried it
only 16 times. If 100% he would have pounded the ball at least 20-25
times.
Defensively they were torn up by Ainge’s 363 yards passing. Aside from
dispatching a Michigan
team
resting up for Ohio State
the Badgers really didn’t accomplish much this season other than
beating a lot
of bad or mediocre teams. (24, 21)
#29
(22) Connecticut
(9-4): In a season of
upsets
all of their losses came to good teams. The regular season defeats came
on the
road at Virginia, Cincinnati
and West Virginia. In
the Meineke
Bowl loss to Wake Forest
their deficiency on offense was exposed. When the running game was
stopped
their passing game had no chance of bailing them out. The result was 10
points
and 213 total yards. It was still a great season for an upstart
program. (37,
33)
#30
(NR) Utah
(9-4): Not too many teams
finished
the season as well as the Utes who won eight of their final nine. In
the
Poinsettia Bowl they somewhat beat Navy at their own game, pounding the
ball at
them with 45 running plays for 213 yards rushing. Utah
finished third in the Mountain West, a conference that went 4-1 in bowl
season
and might have been 5-0 if Air Force hadn’t lost their quarterback
against Cal
in the Armed Forces Bowl. (NR, 38)
Dropped
Out:
#23 South Florida, #25 Boise
State,
#28 Arkansas,
#30 Central Florida
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