Power 22: Week One

Reminder that my poll is based on how teams are playing right now. After watching every game I could this weekend, here is how things shake out.

1. Auburn - I didn't start them here, but they played ridiculously well. Other than a slight bust in the secondary, the offense looks unstoppable and the defense played solid. I can't wait til the date with LSU.

2. LSU - Defense played dominating ball and the offense took care of business. I'll get a better feel for LSU after they play Arizona this coming weekend. Zona isn't great, but they are more along the lines of a Wazzou and definitely an upgrade over Louisiana-Lafayette.

3. Texas - The defense looked incredible, and though the offense looked good, it was against North Texas. The test comes this weekend against Ohio State.

4. USC - They looked mortal at times, but are still clearly the frontrunner in the Pac-10. Pete Carroll continues to plug and chug.

5. West Virginia - Yes, it was Marshall, but sadly, this may be one of their tougher games. The Mountaineers still looked great, and with Louisville RB Bush going down for the count, West Virginia's chances of winning the Big East and running the table just increased exponentially. And if they do run the table and get left out, I don't feel one bit sorry for them. I'm a bitter Auburn fan.

6. Tennessee - Questions answered. Bring on Florida.

7. Ohio State - The offense was great. Twenty-eight points in the first quarter was fantastic. However, the competition was hardly stiff, and the Texas defense will make life a bit harder. The defense is the reason for the drop. Northern Illinois RB Garrett Wolfe ripped the Buckeyes a new one. I tend to believe Texas is better. We'll see.

8. Michigan - The defense looked great (only a trick play prevented a Vandy shutout), and the offense sparkled and then died. Michigan showed signs of what it could do, and it looked fantastic. However, the offense just didn't click after the opening drive, really. If they don't get it together soon, they won't stay this high for long. Let's see what they do against Notre Dame.

9. Louisville - Loosing Bush hurts big time. That kid is just plain good. Luckily, Louisville has capable backups and a great QB in Brian Brohm. Add in a fairly easy schedule, and only Miami and West Virginia stand in their way. The defense is a major question mark, though, after giving up twenty-eight points to Kentucky.

10. Iowa - They have all the pieces, and they looked good. Nothing much to stay until they play some better teams.

11. Clemson - See Iowa. Yay, a win over Florida Atlantic. Hell, my flag football team would look good against them.

12. Notre Dame - The Irish struggled mightily in the opener, but they got the win. I did like what I saw on defense, but GaTech is not known for its offensive explosiveness. The Irish get Penn State this weekend, so lets see what new QB Anthony Morelli can do to the secondary.

13. Penn State - Speak of the devil. The Nittany Lions looked good in the opener, and the new QB played quite well. I am worried about the running game, though.

14. Virginia Tech - New QB Sean Glennon fit right in, going 15-18 for 222 yards. Nice debut. We won't know anything about the Hokies until late September.

15. Florida - Not a great start to the year. I was not impressed by what I read/saw about this game. Florida should run laps around Southern Miss, and that's certainly not disrespecting Southern Miss. It's time for Florida to put up or shut up or the Vols will do it for them.

16. Florida State - After watching the FSU/Miami game, I don't think either team deserves to be in the Top 25. Not really, but that was an awful game. Both offenses looked pretty bad for most of the night. Each had flashes of brightness in which it looked like the offense had practiced before, but they were few and far between. Yes, the defenses played well, but the offenses were TERRIBLE. The 'Noles cannot ride their defense all year with the meager offensive performance they got tonight. The running game was also horrendous.

17. Nebraska - Nice debut against LaTech. The Huskers were a little slow out of the gates, but it was clear they were trying to establish a running presence before they busted out the big guns. The win was solid and convincing, so let's see what they do from here.

18. Georgia Tech - Yes, I feel this is a little low. However, the offense continues to not play up to potential. The defense played well, as it usually does. Georgia Tech's mental fortitude is always a question, though. They are guaranteed to win at least one game that they shouldn't and lose two that they should.

19. Miami - The secondary was ridiculously good. They played lights out. However, the offense was terrible. FSU's defense was good, but there were way too many mistakes in the 'Canes opener, including (in case you missed it) a dropped handoff, a snap to the center's butt, and a dropped pass in the hands. I belive that was in order and occurred on the most important series of the game. Hmm...no surprise they picked up the L.

20. Georgia - Serviceable win. Nothing great against Western Kentucky. Solid performance that everyone expected. Tereshinski looked average, and Stafford looked good. I wonder how long Stafford will stay on the bench next week.

21. Oregon - Oregon turned in a solid performance against Stanford. Nothing much to take away from week one. Let's see if they can challenge USC for Pac-10 supremacy.

22. Arkansas - What? Didn't they let USC put up fifty against them? Yes, they did. However, the defense played well. The offense put them in horrible positions all night. I did, though, see highly touted QB Mitch Mustain come in and prompty direct a very short touchdown drive like it was a high school game. I liked that. Spot number 22 for the Hogs is really one for the boys. This is a morale booster. There were lots of good things to take away from this game, and the SEC West just got a lot more dangerous.

On the Cusp: Texas Tech, TCU, Fresno State, South Carolina, Oklahoma.