CFR's Top Teams List: Week Thirteen

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. USC
4. Florida
5. Louisville
6. LSU
   
7. Arkansas
   
8. West Virginia
9. California
   
10. Oklahoma
    
11. Texas
12. Notre Dame
13. Tennessee
14. Wisconsin
15. Rutgers

Lurking
Auburn, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Notes

These rankings get a bit more difficult at the end here as most good teams begin to lose the inevitable second or third game.  I'm trying to hit a moving target in doing this, assessing how good each team is at this moment.

For example I'm confident in where I've put Notre Dame and Texas.  The Longhorns are a borderline 10-15 team and have been all year.  They've improved under Colt McCoy but that's been balanced with his various injuries and having played either a motivated team like Kansas State or a hot rival team like Texas A&M.

Rutgers was soaring a few weeks ago but the natural state of things for a smaller program is to outplay themselves and then crash a little.  I'm sneaking them into the back of the top 15, which is where they will probably settle into for the rest of the season.

Sometimes I'm making a correction, or re-thinking a team.  I was tempted to move Oklahoma way up, but I'll wait another week, watch them a little more before giving them that boost or sitting at No. 10 or so.

I'm tempted to move USC to No. 2, but I'd like to see one more game out of them.  But right now it appears they've righted the ship the way they did in 2002 and 2003, if not to the same great level.  However, that's balanced out by a weak field of competition at the upper levels of college football this year.

Finally I'm a bit nervous for Florida, as they're sputtering to the finish line here and now their coach has gone Tuberville/Beamer on us which bodes poorly for next weekend or their bowl game.  As always, it's better to let everyone play it out before you lay it out. 

Comments

[Mike]

I am really looking forward to the Big 12 championship game -- that should answer a few questions, like "is Nebraska really back" (after fumbling away a golden chance to beat Texas, their only quality win was at Texas A&M) and "how good is Oklahoma really?" (they got creamed by an apparently mediocre Texas team...but they are also a bad call away from being 11-1)...a whipping of Nebraska will tell me the Sooners are for real.

[Brad]

you lose all credibility if you're going to keep Texas <b>AT 11</b> and A&M barely lurking.

sure you can try and chalk up their loss to A&M as a rivalry week thing, but the cold hard truth is that the vaunted Lonhorn defense had TWO WEEKS to prepare for A&M's running game, and they still got destroyed. not to mention that the A&M defense held Texas (who had averaged 39.5 pts/game, even their loss to K-State was high scoring) to one TD.

so whether that's an argument for A&M to be higher, or for Texas to be lower is for you to decide.

[CFR]

Brad,

I don't do this whole X beats Y, X will be ranked higher thing, that's for all the other pollsters to do and completely convolute themselves.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Aggies' run game, their defense has improved, I've kept my eye on them and they're with my lurkers.

I simply think Texas is slightly superior at the moment. That was a close game and A&M got that great final drive and held on after that. This isn't a Texas vs. Texas A&M thing by any means and few would come on here and suggest I have any sort of Texas worship. Just calling it like I see it, as always.

A&M's in a good position, they'll be in the second year of coach Darnell's defense next time around, the offensive stars will be juniors and sophomores, Franchione will finally have that big win under his belt to give the team confidence and perhaps a mental edge.

[Jae]

A&M has been a bit of mystery to me all year. They finally pulled out a close game against a good team. Do their close games against OU, Tech, and Neb mean they are unlucky or just good enough to lose by 1.

I used to be a huge Franchione guy, because of TCU, but his performance at A&M has left me wanting. I hope he builds on this year to become a consistent 10 win team.

I'm pretty sure USC is going to squeak by UCLA this week and then smash the Buckeyes. SC is not going to be surprised by 5 WR sets like UM was. After seeing Quinn run up and down SC though, Smith might hurt them, though he hasn't run too much this year, while trying to prove he's a pocker passer. UM has a fast front 7, so OSU has faced that, but they have not faced the speed and physicality of SC's secondary. I think if USC wins on Saturday, we're going to be treated to a very fun BCS title game.

[jabba]

CFR,

Quick question for you: Since your rankings are power rankings, and you have no qualm with ranking teams ahead of other teams that beat them, will you move USC ahead of OSU if USC makes the championship game and narrowly beats OSU? Will you move USC ahead of Michigan under such a scenario? Just curious as to how you think it would impact your rankings.

[Johnny]

West Virginia at 8? I need to hear the reasoning behind this. I love ya for it, but uh, are you sure about that?

[CFR]

Johnny,

We essentially know who and what WVU is, as a team. I think they just had a bad, bad week. Plus, South Florida did that to Louisville last year, they always have some heroic game before escaping to the shadows. If I'm off on my assessment, they'll show it next week or during their bowl.

[CFR]

Jabba,

Great question.

Well, I felt that even after the Rose Bowl last year, USC was the superior team (a la Matt Leinart). But I also respected that game's outcome and put Texas #1.

I felt Miami was superior to Ohio State in 2002, but lost that head to head narrowly. I don't know what I would have done back then but by the smallest of precedents I've gone with the head-to-head winner in a championship game. So under such a scenario, I'd probably rank USC #1 depending on how the game was played, and offer some contrary opinion afterwards to the effect that Ohio State was superior but for that game.

I didn't after last year's game if only because of such strong anti-USC sentiment out there, it was better to leave well alone after all that ESPN greatest ever stuff and the popularity of that game in the all-time annals of the sport.

This is Ohio State's year, I'd be mildly surprised to see them lose to USC (assuming the Trojans get by UCLA next weekend).

[CFR]

I'm also looking forward to the B12 title game. It could be competitive for the first time in what, three years?

[Jae]

I really like what Levitt is doing at USF. His RS freshman QB, Grothe looks like a player. They just have to be consistent.

[Heath]

We only radically differ on Rutgers, but I value head-to-head like a mo-fo.

Interesting stuff.

[Johnny]

It certainly is a fresh look at the Mountaineers. There's been a lot of negative remarks about the team this week. I really feel like that one was on Coach Rod. USF was over persuing like crazy from where I was watching. Play action and misdirection should have been called more often.