College Football Rankings: Week One

Again, kind of a cheat because it's being done after the fact, but again these were written down beforehand, I swear. Skipping straight ahead, with previous week's spot in parentheses:

1) USC -- 28-point victory over Idaho has some questioning if the Trojans are as good as the hype suggests they will be. A 28-point win to open the season causes questions? I say this proves they're probably pretty darn good. (1)
2) LSU -- The offense wasn't nearly as good as the final score suggests, but no other teams jump out, unless Oklahoma can continue to drop 80 points a week. (2)
3) Florida -- This just in - Tim Tebow can throw. Top two SEC teams, then Georgia a bit behind, are a head above the rest of a very good conference. (5)
4) West Virginia -- I'm even less certain about their D than for the Wolverines. Still, Steve Slaton and Pat White are pretty much the best QB/RB tandem in the country. Yes, this is the same as last week. Yes, it still holds. (4)
5) Oklahoma -- 79 points. That was a lot of points. That was also North Texas. Still 79 points is 79 points. They could have done a Michigan... (7)
6) Cal -- Best win of the week by a non-HOT HOT HOT team. Game wasn't even as close as the final score. Jackson and Best may be fastest/quickest two players in pads in the country. (8)
7) Georgia -- Definitely the 3rd-best team in the SEC right now. (ed - HA) Oklahoma State is actually pretty good, but the Bulldogs won handily. (12)
8) Louisville -- 73 is -also- a lot of points. Can anybody stop this offense? Cardinals jump a lot of relatively unimpressive wins. (14)
9) Texas -- 21-13 over Arkansas State isn't confidence-inspiring. Longhorns were outgained in this game, and must wake up before a good TCU team rolls into Austin. (6)
10) Wisconsin -- Uninspiring victory over a bad Washington State team that kept the game close for 3 quarters. Still, a 3-TD win over a BCS opponent. (9)
11) UCLA -- The Bruins pulled away in the 2nd half without much trouble. Stanford's passing yards are distorted by 59(!) attempts, and the run game was totally shut down. If the offense stays this good, this team will be tough to beat. (13)
12) Ohio State -- Youngstown State. Yawn. However - 41 rushing attempts but only 147 yards (3.6 average) is a very bad sign against such a weak team. (10)
13) Virginia Tech -- The game was probably not a good reflection of the team, with the obvious exterior pressures surrounding it. Still, whither the offense? (11)
14) Penn State -- 59 to 0 is a nice way to start the year. A non-entity of an opponent, sure, but pitching a shutout is never easy. Crunchy goodness of Notre Dame next - let us prepare the defenders for a feast! (15)
15) Arkansas -- Felix Jones outshines McFadden. Felix who? He's the Razorbacks' other 1000+ yard rusher from last season. Potential one-two playmaker punch makes Razorbacks very dangerous. (16)
16) Rutgers -- Buffalo. Boring. Ray Rice begins a season that will probably conclude with his legs falling from his body. (17)
17) Nebraska -- The Husker offense rolls over Nevada. Solid start. Deposed Arizona State QB Sam Keller looks good. (21)
18) Hawaii -- Colt Brennan? Yes. Yes indeed. A guy throws 6 TDs in a half, you notice. (20)
19) Auburn -- War Damn Eagle will struggle offensively all season, but their defense is absurdly fast (you could probably say this about 8 or 9 SEC teams, honestly). Like with VT, this is the same as last week, and it, too, still applies. (19)
20) Georgia Tech -- Demetrius Jones is searching for a cleaner to remove grass stains from his hypodermis. Ouch. (NR)
21) Texas A&M -- Blah blah Montana State blah blah. Fresno State should be a lot more fun. (22)
22) Tennessee -- Losing on the road at Cal isn't that bad of a loss, as the Golden Bears will probably post 40+ on almost everybody they face. (18)
23) Boise State -- Lots of points against a crappy team. Wake me when they get to Hawaii. (24)
24) Clemson -- Bowden the Younger wins this round. Game wasn't nearly as close as final score, as Clemson totally dominated the first half and checked out during the second - see a 51-yard safety, among other items, as evidence. (NR)
25) TCU -- Offense? Meh. Defense? Quite so. Texas will provide a fantastic litmus test. (NR)

Dropped Out - Michigan (3): Yeah, that wasn't quite right. Florida State (23): Basically swapped for Clemson. Duke (25): I'm shocked - shocked - that the Blue Devils couldn't hold onto that spot.