CFR College Football Power Rankings Week Four 2009

Every week, some changes.

1. Florida -- Playing sort of how I felt they would, looking like a No. 1 but not the impregnable machine everyone sort of fears they'd be.
2. Alabama -- The 'Tide do almost everything right.  If McElroy ever develops into a powerhouse quarterback they'll be ridiculous.
3. Texas -- May have finally found a running back.  About time.
4. Penn State -- Went in hiding for a few weeks but GameDay's out for their revenge game against Iowa.
5. Cal -- Shaky at times against Minnesota but rallied.  Can Jahvid Best ever stay healthy for a full game?
6. Miami -- The challenge this year will be performing consistently once the rough early schedule passes and excitement wanes.
7. USC -- Still hasn't figured out how to play consistent offensive football since the split with Norm Chow.  Disappointing.
8. Ohio State -- Went to the air last week to positive results while pitching a shutout against an explosive (albeit MAC) offense.
9. Cincinnati -- Defense has surprised and they're playing hard.
10. Ole Miss -- Jevan Snead is the star but the defensive line really gets after it.

Tier II (no particular order): LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Notre Dame, TCU, Boise State

Tier III: Auburn, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Washington, Oregon State, Fresno State, Houston, BYU

CFR College Football Power Rankings Week One 2009

So one week of play is in, yippee!  As always these are power rankings.  Record matters, but so does talent and performance.

1. Florida -- Not much to judge by when playing extra soft cupcakes.
2. USC -- Mind you it was San Jose State but wow.  The offense has all the returning starters but the defense might be the better side of the team.  Quietly confirming what I suspected about the USC defense that it could be a top five group even after losing so many great players to the NFL draft.
3. Texas -- Slight nod over Alabama.  Call it the Colt McCoy factor.
4. Alabama -- The bowl loss set them back in peoples' eyes but man this team is going to be good.  Tough, talented, they've already shown they can run the ball against a really good defense while playing a new quarterback.
5. Penn State -- Daryll Clark just gets better each week, deserves some Heisman mention if he keeps this up after throwing for nearly 400 yards.  A little worried about their offensive line and defensive line outside of anchor Odrick but we'll learn more in Big Ten play.
6. California -- Just a notch below the big boys as far as talent but like USC they seem to have perked up this year and could be headed for a rematch of that epic 2004 game except this time it'll be up in Berkeley.
7. LSU -- Dubious start against Washington but I saw that coming.  Defense isn't like LSU defenses of old but they really, really run and tackle well.  Jordan Jefferson is steady, has a knack for making plays.
8. Oklahoma State -- Solid home beating of Georgia.  Exposed Georgia's quarterback woes even before SEC play, which is unusual.  But as we saw Georgia's defense did a great job of holding down the Cowboys' offense.  I have to believe several of the teams ahead of them here could do the same.
9. Ohio State -- Shaky start against Navy but they'll get their shot this weekend at home against USC with a lot to prove.  Terrelle Pryor hasn't made The Leap yet but he's getting closer.  Brandon Saine seems to have woken up and perhaps moved past dependable slasher Dan 'Boom' Herron.

Others on CFR's Radar:

BYU, Boise State, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss

Wait and See ...

TCU, Notre Dame, Michigan, Missouri, Baylor, Tennessee, Oklahoma

CFR College Football Power Rankings Preseason 2009

As always, these are power rankings.  Records matter, performance and overall perception of team strength plays a big role.

Preseason picks are a challenge and fortunately they mean nothing once the players hit the field.  Instead of building out a 20+ team list this year I think I'll just stick to a power nine of the programs I believe to be the strongest right now.

1. Florida -- They're loaded, but I hunch they won't dominate in anywhere near the same fashion as last year when they were surprisingly off the radar once they lost to Ole Miss.  Everyone will take their best shots but its hard to argue with Tim Tebow, an endless array of offensive weapons and an entire two deep back from a top ten defense.
2. USC -- Gut call here.  I believe this to be the best USC team since 2005, one that is particularly hungry not having tasted a championship game in four years.  The decision to play true freshman Matt Barkley at quarterback is a severe head-scratcher but everything else lines up nicely.  The schedule is challenging with rivals, top 10 teams, revenge games and lots of tough roadies.  Count on that keeping USC alert week-to-week this time around.
3. Oklahoma -- I like their defense better than Texas', and they'll be better running the ball.  Everyone talks about having to go it with four new offensive linemen but Oklahoma's a talent factory, that'll resolve itself after a few weeks.  They should also beat Texas in a revenge game of sorts for last year's defeat.
4. Texas -- Colt McCoy is ridiculous.  Flat out ridiculous, and I hope he keeps up the ridiculous accuracy.  I just don't see it though with the run game and replacing two impact veteran defensive linemen.  The schedule is a breeze so they'll be in the hunt but I think they're just a notch below the others.
5. Alabama -- Ignore the Sugar Bowl loss, if you can.  It was a letdown game and they played like it.  This is a program that just gets better each year, very fast and tough on defense, the new quarterback should bring a new energy to the offense, very solid overall team.
6. LSU -- Rebound year.  They fixed their quarterback and defensive coordinator issues in a big way and are under the radar for the first time in more than a few years.  They'll catch a few people sleeping.
7. Penn State -- Some questions on both lines but Daryll Clark really impressed me in the Rose Bowl last year, the guy just never lets up and makes a lot of plays.  They'll run the ball well and have been really tough on defense the last few years which should continue.
8. Ohio State -- Seem to have found their groove in the bowl loss to Texas last year, looks like they turned a corner even in (narrow) defeat to a very good team.  Good defensive line, their offensive line might be their best in years, will run the ball well and they have a threat nobody else possesses at quarterback.
9. California -- Should be excellent defensively this year.  Quarterback Riley really slid the last two years but if he gets back to form he's pretty darn good and will need to be to create more opportunities for explosive back Jahvid Best.