College Football Week 6 Power Rankings - Vito's View Sports

A week after my Top 25 power rankings were shuffled like a confused offense before the snap, stability has finally found its way into my ratings. For the first time this season, the top nine teams in from last week’s rankings have remained intact.

That’s what happens after a mostly predictable weekend of college football in which only one top 10 team (South Florida) suffered an upset.

But that trend will not continue this week. Not with the gripping schedule we get to hype and enjoy this week. The intriguing docket:

• Oklahoma battles Texas in the Red River Rivalry (or “Shootout,” whichever you prefer);
• Florida takes on LSU in a contest between the last two national champions;
• Missouri meets Oklahoma State in the Big 12’s other marquee matchup;
• Penn State travels to Wisconsin in another attempt to prove it’s a national title contender;
• USC hosts Arizona State in a game that matches a rebounding national championship hopeful against a disappointing but potentially dangerous conference rival; and
• Georgia welcomes Tennessee in the SEC equivalent of the USC-ASU game.

Unless all the favorites hold serve, next week’s ranks could resemble that discombobulated offense that just can’t get its act together. 

Until then, this week’s lineup:

1. Alabama (6-0, LW 1)
That’s not really how a No. 1 team is supposed to look at home against an unranked opponent. But considering the Tide were coming off the biggest win of the Saban era, it was expected.

2. Oklahoma (5-0, LW 2)
The Sooners get a chance to end any doubt over who deserves the mid-season nod as the top team in the country when they battle unbeaten Texas at the Cotton Bowl this weekend.

3. LSU (4-0, LW 3)
Almost every college football player will tell you that his team can’t look ahead because it takes things “one game at a time.” Tigers RB Charles Scott isn’t one of them. “It looks like it will be us and Alabama,” he said, mentioning that the Tide visit Death Valley on the second Saturday in November. Hey Charles, you might want to focus on Florida and then Georgia before talking about ’Bama.
 
4. Missouri (5-0, LW 4)
Chase Daniel threw for 253 yards, tossed three TDs, led the Tigers to their first win in Lincoln in 30 years, handed Nebraska its worst home loss in 53 years, and then accused the ’Huskers of playing dirty. Other than that, it was just another run-of-the-mill conference road win.

5. Texas Tech (5-0, LW 5)
The gaudy numbers just keep coming for QB Graham Harrell. This week’s stat line: 38-for-51, 454 yards, and six TD passes. But the question remains: Can he keep it up as the schedule gets increasingly tougher?

6. Texas (5-0, LW 6)
By dumping Colorado in Boulder, Texas set the stage for a clash of unbeatens when the Longhorns take on the Sooners this week in the Red River Shootout. “We’ll have everybody in America talking about (that game),” coach Mack Brown said. “That’s what we wanted.”

7. Penn State (6-0, LW 7)
Will JoePa return to the sidelines for the Lions’ toughest stretch of their season? They play at Wisconsin, host Michigan, then travel to Ohio State in successive weeks. “I’ve taken more pills in the past two months than I’ve taken in my life,” said Paterno, who’s been watching from the coaches’ box because of an injured leg.

8. BYU (5-0, LW 8)
The Cougars didn’t look good against Utah State, despite coming off a bye week. “I expected maybe a little bit of rust,” coach Bronco Mendenhall said, “but I didn’t expect it to be sustained as long as it was. But I think the kids from Utah State had a lot to do with that by playing hard.” Your opponent can cause a lot of things, coach, but rust isn’t one of them.

9. Ohio State (5-1, LW 9)
The Buckeyes might not play well against non-conference big boys, but when they’re in their element, as they were Saturday against Wisconsin, they’re among the best teams in the nation.

10. USC (3-1, LW 11)
Why does it take an embarrassing loss for the Trojans to get in gear and play up to their potential?

11. Florida (3-1, LW 12)
“Collectively, we’re not hitting this right,” Urban Meyer said. “When we do, it’s a great thing to watch. But we’re not there yet. We better get there really fast with what’s coming into town next week (LSU).” You said it, coach.

12. Georgia (4-1, LW 13)
Have you recovered from that Alabama beatdown yet? Hope so, because Tennessee, Vandy, LSU, and Florida come at ya over the next four weeks. Ouch.

13. Utah (6-0, LW 16)
Utah nearly became the second ranked team in a week to suffer a stunning loss to Oregon State. But QB Brian Johnson took over and kept the Utes’ BCS hopes alive.

14. Boise State (4-0, LW 17)
RB Ian Johnson (yeah, he’s still there) turned in his first career 100-yard receiving game as the Broncos dumped Louisiana Tech. Next up: a stretch of eight games without a bye.

15. Vanderbilt (5-0, LW 25)
Vandy is 5-0 for the first time since 1943, thanks to a defense that is allowing just 16.2 ppg. Now if only the offense could get up to speed...

16. Oklahoma State (5-0, LW 20)
The Cowboys are perfect through five games for just the eighth time in school history. We’ll find out if they’re a serious contender for the Big 12 title when they take on Missouri this Saturday night.

17. Virginia Tech (5-1, LW 19)
The Hokies’ season just got much more difficult. Starting RB Kenny Lewis ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon in the win over Western Kentucky and will be out the rest of the season. VaTech will call upon two redshirt freshman to replace him.

18. Michigan State (5-1, LW 22)
RB Javon Ringer was held in check and QB Brian Hoyer threw a fourth-quarter INT that turned into a TD. But the Spartans D made a late stand to stop Iowa and help Sparty win its fifth straight. “Somehow, we just got it done,” coach Mark Dantonio said.

19. South Florida (5-1, LW 10)
The Bulls continue to squander top 10 rankings. “It’s hard to go undefeated in college football,” QB Matt Grothe said. You don’t have to go undefeated, Matt. Just win a game when we give you a high rating.

20. Kansas (4-1, LW 18)
The Jayhawks needed a rally for the ages to thwart Iowa State’s upset bid...and got it, scoring 35 second-half points. “We started clicking on all cylinders and showed what we can do when we’re all on the same page,” QB Todd Reesing said. Next time, start clicking a little sooner.

21. North Carolina (4-1, LW NR)
Butch Davis is turning things around in Chapel Hill much quicker than anyone could have imagined. However, that early season loss to Virginia Tech could keep the improving Tar Heels from winning the Coastal Division crown.

22. Wisconsin (3-2, LW 14)
For the second straight week, a Big Ten title contender comes to Madison for a night game. Another loss likely ends any hopes Wisconsin has of winning the conference championship.

23. Pittsburgh (4-1, LW NR)
If it wasn’t for that poor effort against Bowling Green in the season opener, LeSean McCoy and the Panthers might be in the top 10. Pitt has beaten the last three nationally ranked teams it has faced, capped with Thursday’s stunner at South Florida.

24. Auburn (4-2, LW 15)
New OC Tony Franklin is taking it on the chin from all angels. With the Tigers averaging just 18.7 ppg, it’s well-deserved. The only thing keeping the season from turning into a total embarrassment is the nation’s second-best D.

25. TCU (5-1, LW 24)
A week after being humiliated at Oklahoma, the Horned Frogs’ defense rebounded by shutting down San Diego State. Don’t shrug it off just because it’s just San Diego State. The Aztecs entered with the nation’s 10th-best passing attack.

Dropped from rankings:
Oregon (4-2, LW 21)
It’s too bad that the Ducks have fallen out of the rankings because with a healthy QB, this could have been a dangerous team.

Fresno State (3-2, LW 23)
Six turnovers did more than lose a game to Hawaii. They completely knocked the Bulldogs out of the BCS race and have dented their WAC title hopes as well.

On the radar:
Ball State (6-0)
Celebrating their first AP ranking in school history, the Cardinals are entertaining visions of crashing the BCS party.

Northwestern (5-0)
The Wildcats finally have a chance to prove they belong in the rankings when they host Michigan State this weekend.

Georgia Tech (4-1)
The lone blemish for Paul Johnson’s team is a three-point loss at Virginia Tech in mid-September. In a wide-open ACC, the Yellow Jackets still have plenty of time to make some noise.

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Message Edited by Vito_Forlenza on 10-07-2008 12:03 PM