TAE Top 25 Wk. 4

[The Ancient Enemy]

Here are the rules: You win the national title, you stay on top until you lose. I don't care if you lose all 22 starters, your coach goes to the NFL, and your mascot gets raped. You lose, you automatically lose at least 7 spots. I will determine how many you fall after that.



1. LSU (2-0)
WK 1= Beat Appalachian State handily. Thank God Walter noticed how I strayed from my own Top 25 heritage and he slapped some sense into me. =WK 2= Had a bye this week as the battle against Nicholls State was postponed due to people crying over the weather again. Big game against TAE's own Mean Green this week. =WK 4= Finally get a decent opponent this week, key word is decent. Should not have as much trouble with Auburn as many would like to believe.

2. USC (2-0) (3)
WK 1= Probably the most impressive win of the week, but Virginia sucks. =WK 2= As a Big Ten fan I am dreading this upcoming game against Ohio State. With or without Wells. USC has the best coaching staff in the nation. =WK 4= Probably the best team in the nation. That Ohio State game was over 4-mins into the 2nd quarter. I was very impressed with USC at each position.

3. GEORGIA (3-0) (4)
WK 1= Something about this team just doesn't sit well with me. =WK 2= Anoth unimpressive win, and for this team being the preseason number 1, they sure dont get much press. Even with this week's game against So. Carolina being a conference battle, I'm not expecting much of a game. =WK 4= They make mistakes and they have weird coverage. This team is in a lot of trouble when they play Florida. This week? Arizona State. Nothing special.

4. FLORIDA (2-0) (5)
WK 1= Took awhile to crush Hawaii, might be a bit overrated. They have a tough rivalry game against the Canes this week. =WK 2= Were tested by a hated rival, but ultimately won big. =WK 4= Was off in week 3, this week they get a Tennessee team that is terrible. No chance. UF by 30.

5. MISSOURI (3-0) (6)
WK 1= Great win against a top 25 school. =WK 2= Big cupcake win. This week they get Nevada. If that Nevada defense learned anything from Texas Tech last week, this could be a great game. =WK 4= Well, it wasnt a great game, or even a good game. Missouri continues to wallop people. They should skate through the North. Poor Buffalo. They really are making progress, but this week they get pounded.

6. OKLAHOMA (3-0) (7)
WK 1= Should get a nice test this week against Cincinnati. =WK 2= The Nati hung with them for awhile, but OU covered even a 21 point spread. Washington will probably have something to prove this week, and I am expecting OU to run the score up en route to looking once again like the nation's top team before they lose to someone like Baylor. =WK 4= They look good but Oklahoma always pulls an Oklahoma.

7. TEXAS (2-0) (8)
WK 1= Looked impressive against a good FAU squad. Should murder UTEP. =WK 2= No real trouble in this non-existent rivalry. Still think this team lacks the physicality to do anything other than waste my time. Anything less than a 30-pt win this week against garbage Arkansas would be a disappointment. But... Texas will win close because they are Texas. =WK 4= Arkansas game was postponed, and Arkansas better be glad it was. Texas and Rice have a long and storied rivalry, which is evident in how they schedule eachother every year. UT by 25.

8. TEXAS TECH (3-0) (9)
WK 1= Big-time test this week against Nevada, coming off a closer-than-we'd-like win over a I-AA school. I have a feeling this season is going down in flames. =WK 2= Another less than stellar game, but Nevada is better than people think. Big win over SMU this week coming up. =WK 4= This team is going to lose 3 games. Mark it down. 3 regular season games. Big matchup this week against Umass, buddy.

9. ALABAMA (3-0) (10)
WK 1= Looked excellent versus Clemson. This week they crush Tulane. =WK 2= Tulane showed signs of life for the first time in years, but the Tide prevailed. Western Kentucky this week. =WK 4= No trouble last week with WKU, this week... oh man. This week Bobby Petrino sees how a real coach does it.

10. OHIO STATE (2-1) (2)
WK 1= Not the most impressive win, but they're the best team in the nation on paper. They get Ohio this week. I don't like how they have thrown Pryor out there already just to keep up appearances. =WK 2= They might lose to USC by 40 points. =WK 4= I don't even know what to say. If this is the best team in the Big Ten, this conference doesn't deserve a BCS bid. Flat-footed against USC is an understatement. This week, they take on Troy. They'll beat Troy by 15 meager points.

11. OREGON (3-0) (11)
WK 1= Showed some nice stuff against UW, keep an eye on this Johnson kid. =WK 2= I wish I could say this team was for real. But in the end, Oregon will pull an Oregon and lose two or three games. Ducks travel to Purdue this week, and I am expecting a blowout win over annually-overrated Purdue. =WK 4= Won a tough squeaker on the road, but lost their QB in the process. Boise this week, and I'm not sure that back-up (who himself is the back-up) can beat Boise.

12. PENN STATE (3-0) (12)
WK 1= Got a lot of experience all around against helpless Coastal Carolina. Will get a big defensive test this week against Oregon State. =WK 2= No trouble at all with a team that should have given them trouble. This week they beat Syracuse by video-game numbers. =WK 4= It got ugly quickly. This week, Lions take on Temple. Getting a little old.

13. WISCONSIN (3-0) (14)
WK 1= Ran Hill into the ground for some reason. This week they travel to Fresno State for win 2. =WK 2= I lied, they played Marshall. And struggled for awhile, too. They'll run PJ Hill to death this week as they beat Fresno. =WK 4= Another supposed top-notch Big Ten team, and they have just as many problems as everyone else. This team is not good. They beat an average Fresno.

14. ILLINOIS (2-1) (13)
WK 1= Are explosive but might be lacking a bit on defense. =WK 2= Got back on track with a win over an FCS school. Playing a La Lafayette team this week from a conference that already pulled off some nice upsets. =WK 4= Almost lost to Lafayette, and once again it looks like another Big Ten team wasn't worth the hype.

15. AUBURN (3-0) (15)
WK 1= Can't wait to see Paul Rhodes show his true colors in SEC play. =WK 2= Another yawner. This week they get Miss. State and they will be in a dogfight from start to finish. =WK 4= Beat Mississippi State 3-2 in a very ugly game offensively. They play like that this week against LSU and they'll lose by 20.

16. SOUTH FLORIDA (3-0) (16)
WK 1= Looked pretty solid in week 1, should have a battle in week 2 against UCF. =WK 2= Beat UCF in OT. Should be able to finally end all this Kansas nonsense this week. =WK 4= Thank God they beat Kansas. Showed a lot of poise in that comeback, but I am still worried about this team laying a massive egg. Bulls get FIU this week. Haven't seen FIU yet (one of about 3-4 teams I havent seen) but I dont think I'm missing much.

17. WAKE FOREST (2-0) (18)
WK 1= No trouble with Baylor. I have them losing this week to Ole Miss. =WK 2= Showed alot of character against Ole Miss when they drove down the field, against the momentum, and won that game. Maybe Wake Forest is pretty good after all. =WK 4= Was off in week 3. FSU this week, and I can't wait to see Wake pound them just to show those idiots that beating 2 I-AA teams should NOT get you ranked!

18. EAST CAROLINA (3-0) (19)
WK 1= They actually should have never needed a blocked punt to beat Virginia Tech. They're going to push WVU. =WK 2= Exposed WVU like they get exposed every year, but I honestly dont think this team goes undefeated in the regular season. They're good, though. They have Tulane this week, and do not discount ECU when Tulane gives this a nice test. =WK 4= Struggled with a Tulane team that is a lot better than people think they are. Classic trap game this week against NC State. Wouldn't be surprised to see an upset here.

19. WEST VIRGINIA (1-1) (20)
WK 1= Did not look great defensively against a poor Villanova squad. Should get tested versus ECU. =WK 2= Was exposed and shut down by ECU. =WK 4= Didn't play this week. For some reason, Stewart was given a 6-yr extension. Jumping the gun a little bit, fellas? Bigtime test this week on the road against Coloradie.

20. BYU (3-0) (23)
WK 1= Nice win over a garbage opponent. Will get a big test versus Washington this week. =WK 2= It was a terrible call in the U-Dub game, but don't hold it against BYU. They blocked the kick when it counted. The BYU Pac-10 tour continues this week against an energized UCLA. =WK 4= Complete annihalation of UCLA. This week the second teamers get in by mid-quarter when BYU scores 90 on a Wyoming squad that almost lost to North Dakota State.

21. UTAH (3-0) (24)
WK 1= Beat Michigan in the Big House. Will get win 2 versus UNLV as they march ahead to that BYU game. =WK 2= Struggled for awhile with UNLV, but those teams are rivals. Speaking of rivals, Utes get Utah State this week, and even though it seems lopsided, anything can happen in a rivalry game. =WK 4= Nice rivalry win over Utah State. They have Air Force this week, and this will be an awesome game.

22. OKLAHOMA STATE (3-0) (NR)
WK 3= oSu is a very dangerous team, especially on offense. Zac Robinson is probably the most underrated QB in the BCS. =WK 4= They're off this week.

23. OLE MISS (2-1) (NR)
WK 3= It's hard to justify adding them after beating Samford. But this team is very talented, lost to Wake on a last second 40+ FG, showed tremendous poise to take the lead before that. Very sneaky little team, here. =WK 4= Should get a huge test this week against a deceptive Vanderbilt team.

24. NORTH CAROLINA (2-0) (NR)
WK 3= They have the horses to make a lot of headway this year. Might be the best WR corps in the nation. =WK 4= We'll see what they are made of this week against a V-Tech squad who still sucks but has a couple nice players.

25. BALL STATE (3-0) (NR)
WK 3= They are Indiana away from an undefeated season. Took care of Akron last week. =WK 4= This is it, Indiana is here. Ball State is getting their Top 25 shot, let's see if this team is for real. I think they are.


HONORABLE MENTION (in no order):
==================================
Clemson (2-1), Stanford (1-2), Colorado (2-0), Arkansas State (2-1), Florida State (2-0), Nebraska (3-0), Tulsa (2-0), TCU (3-0), Rice (2-1), Arizona (2-1), Fresno State (1-1), Boise State (2-0), Iowa (3-0).


FALLING FROM RANKINGS:
===============================
CALIFORNIA (2-1) (17)
WK 1= Was surprised by how well Cal did against Michigan State. Should handle Wazzou easily. =WK 2= I wish I could say Cal was for real, but Cal will ultimately pull a Cal and lose 2-3 games. Did I write this before? They should beat Maryland by 80. =WK 4= Seriously, Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee.

KANSAS (2-10) (21)
WK 1= Very, very overrated but they aren't horrible. They'll get a major test against Louisiana Tech this week. =WK 2= If that was a major test, KU is the best team in the nation. They aren't. They aren't even "good". Finally playing a decent team for the first time in 2 seasons this week. =WK 4= Lost to USF after having a huge lead. This program is not mature enough yet. I'm glad they lost, because Kansas makes me sick. Sam Houston State this week.

UCLA (1-1) (22)
WK 1= Gritty win over annually-overrated Tennessee. Craft looked excellent in the 2nd half. =WK 2= Were off, played Thursday. Can Neuheisel follow up that Tennessee win by ending the BYU hype? =WK 4= That offensive genius scored zero points against a team who returned 3 defensive starters. They also gave up 59 points. Arizona this week, and its anyone's guess as to which UCLA and which Arizona team will show up.

ARIZONA STATE (2-1) (25)
=WK 2= Beat a good Stanford team handedly. This week they take on a deceptively tough UNLV club. =WK 4= UNLV is better than you think, but there's no excuse. Georgia this week, and it'll be close.

SOUTH CAROLINA (1-2)
WK 1= The most underwhelming 33-0 win in a long time. This team needs a lot of work if they plan on contending in the SEC. =Wk 2= Is Steve Spurrier the reason why this program can't make any headway? They'll follow up that performance by getting crushed this week by Georgia. =WK 4= Spurrier's insane QB rotation is the sole reason why South Carolina will never make progress until he leaves.