The AP Top 25 and Coaches Top 25 College Football polls are nationally recognized, but after more than 50 years of watching and/or covering college football games, and being a sports editor for a daily newspaper, here’s another opinion:
There can be a lot of discussion about which team is No. 1, Oregon or Auburn. I’m simply for Auburn, and here’s why:
1) Auburn (12-0): Down 24 times from Alabama, which had won 20 straight at home, the Tigers came back to win their final game of the regular season, 28-27, and claim the West Division title. the SEC. with a perfect record of 9-0. Now the Tigers face South Carolina for the SEC championship. If they win, they will face Oregon (if the Ducks remain undefeated) for the national title. For 4 consecutive weeks, the AP Top 25 poll has favored Oregon over Auburn. I have had Auburn #1 and Oregon #2 for 7 weeks in a row. Dude, I’m not changing until Auburn loses.
2) Oregon (11-0) – Like Auburn, they came from behind to beat Arizona, 48-29. It still looks like the Oregon offensive can’t be stopped. Now the Ducks must beat Oregon State this week in their final game, aptly named The Civil War because it can get ugly and cruel. This may be a case where a duck can kill a beaver and survive to play in the national championship against Auburn.
3) Wisconsin (11-1) – Badgers tore Northwestern a new one, 70-23, the third time this year their offense has scored more than 70 points. Wisconsin is assured of going to the Rose Bowl instead of Ohio State or Michigan State, who tied with Wisconsin for the Big Ten title. As a Michigan State graduate, I’d love to see the Spartans in the Rose Bowl, but I have to admit that Wisconsin looks harder to beat, even though Michigan State DID beat Wisconsin head-to-head.
4) Stanford (11-1) – Shuts out Oregon State 38-zip. The Cardinal season is over; they won’t finish worse than second in the Pac-10 with an 8-1 record, and they could tie Oregon for the title if the Ducks lose to Oregon State. He will be the likely pick for a general BCS bowl offer.
5) TCU (12-0) – Ended the season by defeating 168th-ranked New Mexico (there are 48 AA teams better than New Mexico since there are only 120 major college teams in Division IA), 66-17. He played the 22nd easiest schedule among the top 25 AP teams, and probably doesn’t belong here, but I’m giving the Horned Frogs a miss because they’re only 1 of 3 undefeated teams left, despite their weak schedule. He’ll be in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin at worst, and could play in the national championship game if Oregon loses to Oregon State this week.
6) Michigan State (11-1): Beat Penn State at Happy Valley, 28-22, to end their season. Tied for the Big Ten title with Wisconsin and Ohio State at 7-1 in the league. They were the only team to beat Wisconsin, 34-24, a victory that looks bigger every week. He may miss 1 of the 5 BCS games because weak winners from other major conferences get an automatic trip to a BCS game, even if they aren’t as good as Michigan State.
7) Arkansas (10-2) – Outscored LSU 31-23 to finish second in the SEC West with a 6-2 record. It just so happens that you compete in the same division as Auburn. The South Carolina Gamecocks won the Eastern Division with a 5-3 record and will play Auburn for the SEC title.
8) Ohio State (11-1) – Hammered Michigan, 37-7, at the Big House to finish the year tied for the Big Ten title with Wisconsin and Michigan State. All other polls have the state of Ohio ahead of the state of Michigan. Buckeyes will be bowling somewhere.
9) Nebraska (10-2) – Beat Colorado 45-17 to win the Big 12 North Division title and earn the right to likely face Oklahoma for the Big 12 championship. Defeat Missouri to win the Big 12 North.
10) Missouri (10-2) – Ended the year defeating Kansas 35-7. He played the seventh hardest schedule among the AP top 25.
11) Oklahoma (10-2): Eliminated Oklahoma State in a road game, 47-41, when it mattered. He will probably play Nebraska for the Big 12 championship.
12) Nevada (11-1) – I’ll give some props to any team that wins 11 games and beats the mighty weeping Boise State Broncos in overtime, 34-31. The Wolf Pack was down 17 points and came back to snap Boise State’s 24-game winning streak, knock the Broncos out of the national title picture and maybe even a game offer from BCS. Go Wolf Pack, enjoy the loot of your work.
13) Virginia Tech (10-2) – Beat Virginia 37-7 to end the regular season. It won the Atlantic Coast Coastal Division title with a record of 8-0 and will face Florida State for the ACC title. Virginia Tech opened the season losing to Boise State and AA James Madison and has now won 10 straight; that’s a great coaching job and shows that the Hokies can bounce back from adversity.
14) Oklahoma State (10-2) – The Cowboys simply had to bounce back and lose to Oklahoma, 47-41, when it counted most. However, they did win a share of the Big 12 South Division with Oklahoma; both teams were 6-2.
15) LSU (10-2) – Sorry, LSU, I just can’t rank you any higher. You lost to Arkansas, and I don’t elevate teams that lose at the end of the year when it counts.
16) South Carolina (9-3): Beat Clemson 29-7 on the road in the final game. He will play Auburn for the SEC championship. Beat Alabama earlier in the year. He played the ninth hardest schedule among the AP top 25.
17) Alabama (9-3) – Lost to Auburn by one point, 28-27, after being up 24 points. He played the fourth toughest schedule among the top 25 teams.
18) Texas A&M (9-3): Beat Texas 24-17 in last game. Upset Nebraska 9-6. He played the second toughest schedule among the top 25 teams.
19) Florida State (9-3) – I just smashed Florida, 31-7. That’s a major and grand beating of the once mighty Gators, who have fallen into the swamp. He played the thirteenth most difficult schedule.
20) Boise State (10-1): Nevada dropped him a point or two, losing in overtime when the Bronco kicker couldn’t decide which foot to use. More than their normal competition, the Broncos will play their last game against a pathetic team from Utah State, ranked 114th out of 120 major college teams.
21) West Virginia (8-3) – Decided to bomb Pittsburgh, 35-10, in a road game, beating another complaining team. The next host is Rutgers. Let’s see if the Mountaineers can finish the season with a 9-3 record.
22) Notre Dame (7-5) – Stunned Southern California 20-16 in Los Angeles. It’s not usually easy to win in Tinseltown against the Trojans. Trainer Brian Kelly has the Fighting Irish on the rise.
23) Northern Illinois (10-2) – Finished the regular season by crushing a weak Eastern Michigan team, 71-3. It won the Mid American Conference West Division title with a perfect 8-0 record, and will face East Division winner Miami-Ohio for the MAC title. Come on Huskies!
24) Hawaii (9-3) – Beat a really bad New Mexico State team, 59-24, to end the year, just like TCU and Boise State do all season. He finally broke into the AP Top 25 at 25. Hawaii isn’t that great, but he still figured out how to win 9 games.
25) Washington (5-6) – Decided to throw the Dogs a bone. There are plenty of other teams with more wins, better talent and more talent, but Washington has played the toughest schedule among the 245 teams in Division 1-A and 1-AA. The Huskies have faced 7 teams that have ranked in the AP Top 25 this year and beat two of them: Southern Cal and Oregon State. They’re not bowl eligible yet, but they could be if they beat Washington State in their final game next week. Sagarin has the Huskies ranked 41st nationally despite being a 5-win team. Could the Washington Huskies be the best 5-win team in the country? Let’s find out.
Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley
