BleacherCoaches.com

Here it is, folks. The real top 25, not some AP or Coaches Poll bullsh*t. I see more games than probably all those bozos and being the expert I am, I have full right and knowledge to post a true top 25. No playing favorites, no politics.


WEEK 3:

TOP 25:
===================

1. Southern Cal:
- They are loaded all over the field, and have left their opponents in a wake of death. They even scared Hawaii so much that Hawaii changed their uniforms (they look horrible, at that.) There is no place for last-season's antics to be included in a top 25 poll, but the number one spot should always be reserved for the former national champion until they lose. USC has the right to defend that crown until they lose a game. They start at #1.

2. Virginia Tech:
- It's a close one to rank the next few teams, but the Hokies are thunderous on both sides of the ball.

3. Texas:
- Look unbeatable, and should continue that way through a weakened 2005 Big 12 conference. Pulled out a great victory against Ohio State, and is poised to make a serious national title run.

4. Florida State:
- Say what you want, but this team won 2 big games so far. They aren't the FSU of old, but they earned this spot with wins over 2 teams that will finish in the top 15 this year.

5. Florida:
- Meyer has this team close to running on full throttle. Chris Leak looks amazing. Look for the Gators to continue chomping up these supposed SEC badboys.

6. LSU:
- Only played 1 game so far but did beat a very solid ASU team in the desert.

7. Georgia:
- Has a little more swagger than usual, and may be finally on the right track after years of disappointment at the top.

8. Ohio State:
- Not pretty usually but they are loaded with talent and will probably win the conference. Lost a heartbreaker to Texas, which is not so bad.

9. Michigan State:
- Three great performances from the Spartans so far. John L. Smith has had this team slowly moving towards super-stardom and this may be the year. This is probably the most under-rated team so far of 2005.

10. Alabama:
- Tide did a number on the Gamecocks as well as 2 other opponents. The defense is fabulous, and the offense isn't too bad either. Very solid team.

11. Miami:
- Canes brought the A game to death-valley and came home with a win over a ranked opponent. Lost a close one to FSU, though. Look to be almost at 100% efficiency under Wright.

12. Louisville:
- Won a squeaker against UK and beat the **** of Oregon State. This team is almost back to where they left off in 2004.

13. Notre Dame:
- Playing inspired football, beat 2 ranked teams, lost a heartbreaker to a very under-rated MSU.

14. Arizona State:
- Very explosive offense, but lost a close one to LSU on a controversial call.

15. Tennessee:
- Not sold on this team at all. Does not look anything near to being the hyped up monster we heard about. Nevertheless, still a solid team.

16. Purdue:
- Shown competence in their outings, returns all 11 defensive starters. This is very much a better team than 2004.

17. California:
- Just not impressed with this team. Seem to be ranked in other polls just to generate market-value for a weaker conference. But they are still pretty good.

18. Georgia Tech:
- Very explosive offense under Reggie Ball. May be on the verge of great things.

19. Michigan:
- Was highly over-rated as usual, but still needs to be ranked simply because of talent.

20. UCLA:
- This team has a 3 headed monster on that offense and is very good. Dorrell is an excellent coach and is on the verge of making UCLA a serious contender in the Pac-10.

21. Iowa State:
- Somehow, Dan McCarney has his team playing well. I wonder how long this will last?

22. Iowa:
- Lost to Iowa State, which is still frowned upon. Need to impress me more, offense seems slow at this point.

23. Boston College:
- Still one of the best teams in the country.

24. Wisconsin:
- Alvarez has this team back on the map.

25. Texas Tech:
- 3-0 over super-cupcakes, putting 80 on a I-AA team is a sure-fire way to show people you have a weak schedule.

========================

Honorable Mention in Order:

- Minnesota
- Clemson
- Oregon
- Virginia
- West Virginia

My own top 25 goes something like this....

1. USC
Averaging over 66 points per game, even against two horrible teams, is pretty good.

2. Texas
Beating Ohio State showed that they are for real, and Vince Young showed that he can actually throw the ball.

3. Florida
Beating Tennessee's tough defense with a spread offense and Chris Leak is doing pretty darn good. This team is worth looking out for.

4. LSU
Despite having their first game rescheduled, and a less than stellar outing against ASU, requiring a 4th quarter comeback to win, the important thing is coming out with the win. The come from behind victory shows the mental toughness and fortitude of this team.

5. Florida State
After finally breaking the curse, and beating Miami due to Miami's ineptitude at kicking field goals (for a change), this team may be headed big places.

6. Georgia
Dismantling Boise State and winning a tight one against South Carolina is doing very well. D.J. Shockley is off to a nice start.

7. Virginia Tech
After pulling one over NC State, this team is good. However, I'm waiting for the ACC schedule before they move any higher, as Duke and Ohio prove nothing.

8. Ohio State
Texas isn't a bad loss, and this team should still be able to win the Big Ten. They aren't out of the national title picture just yet, and they have the defense to get things done...

9. Miami (FL)
Despite a heart breaking loss to Florida State on a miffed field goal attempt, a triple OT win over Clemson shows that this team is still a contender for the ACC.

10. Louisville
Winning a nail biter over UK shows grit, and beating the **** out of Oregon State puts their offense on display for all to see. However, I'm still waiting for Louisville to beat a tough team, but I'll be waiting for a very long time for that to happen. Get back to me in January.

11. Georgia Tech
Offense wins games, defense wins championships. With a defense like this, they might be able to make a good run for a shot at a championship. How many turnovers did they generate so far?

12. Purdue
They haven't lost yet, but they still haven't beaten anybody noteworthy. Check back in three weeks or so.

13. Tennessee
The defense is very solid. One weakness of note though: quarterback. If this team wants an SEC title, they need to find one fast.

14. Notre Dame
They definately have some things to work out after an overtime loss to Michigan State, but if they are anything like the Patriots that Weis used to work for, they'll come out even better after losing.

15. Michigan
This is a talented team, but blowing out EMU doesn't make up for losing to Notre Dame in the Big House.

16. Arizona State
The PAC 10 is overrated, but they did beat the crap out of Northwestern and lost a tight one (perhaps that they should have pulled out) to LSU. Maybe this team is for real.

17. Alabama
Beat a solid Southern Miss team, and beat up on a South Carolina team that looked poised for bigger things. That defense seems ferocious.

18. Boston College
Despite losing a tough game to Florida State, this team has grit and character, and is bound to make a big splash in the ACC.

19. Wisconsin
Isn't this supposed to be a down year for the Badgers? Their offense sure doesn't seem to feel that way.

20. Iowa State
Is the leader for a Big 12 North title after beating intrastate rival, Iowa.

21. Iowa
Needs to get running on all 8 cylinders, but once they do, they should be a contender for the Big 10.

22. Clemson
A triple overtime loss is nothing to be ashamed of, and with nice wins over Maryland and Texas A&M, they might be on track for a really good year.

23. UCLA
Beating Oklahoma is a fabulous win any other year, but Oklahoma is down. This is still going to be in the dog fight for second place in the PAC 10, and they'll give USC a very hard time later in the season.

24. Texas Tech
Blowing out Sam Houston state still means nothing, and trying to hang 100 on Indiana State is a cheap trick. I'm patiently waiting until the Big 12 shows how good (or not good) this team is.

25. Virginia
Al Groh's bunch always gets off to a good start, loses some games they shouldn't, and ends up in the Continental Tire Bowl. Why is that?


Worth Mentioning

Michigan State
Yeah, yeah, they beat ND, but they still let them take them to overtime after a two touchdown lead. I don't know how they got all that offense, but I need a good game against Michigan to convince me that they are for real.

Minnesota
Another team that needs the Big 10 schedule to jump into the top 25.

California
Whatever the junk is that they're selling, I'm not buying. Great, they beat up on Sacremento State, Washington, and Illinois. Watch the $hit hit they fan when they play UCLA, because their QB situation isn't good.

Texas A&M
They've got Reggie McNeal on their side, and I still think he's the best QB in the Big 12. Is that enough though?

TCU
No, they didn't look good at all against SMU, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they were caught sleep walking through the game, and thought they could get away with it. Nice wins against Utah and Oklahoma warrent them a spot in the top 20 otherwise...

I'm already regretting not making FSU #2. They beat two VERY good teams that will end up in the top 15 at the end of the year. Regardless of whether you think FSU can go undefeated, we're talking RIGHT NOW. They should be #2 in all the polls, the real ones, and mine. So I apologize to any Seminole fans (aka Dustin Faith) who is about to give me hell for accidentally slighting his boys.

You can't call Oklahoma a big win for TCU fleaflicker. Tulsa almost beat them and UCLA killed. Oklahoma is almost as disappointing as Pitt. Then again, they didn't lose to OHIO. Maybe you should but OHIO in the honorable mention.

Oklahoma was a good win for a mid major school, especially since they held Heisman runner up Adrian Peterson to 63 yards rushing, and forced them to the air.

Since that was the first time I made my own top 25 this season, I think I have the right to make a switch since this is the first edition. I'm making FSU #2 and pushing Tech and Texas back a slot. No more mistakes.

Here it is, folks. The real top 25, not some AP or Coaches Poll bullsh*t. I see more games than probably all those bozos and being the expert I am, I have full right and knowledge to post a true top 25. No playing favorites, no politics.


WEEK 3:

TOP 25:
===================

1. Southern Cal:
- They are loaded all over the field, and have left their opponents in a wake of death. They even scared Hawaii so much that Hawaii changed their uniforms (they look horrible, at that.) There is no place for last-season's antics to be included in a top 25 poll, but the number one spot should always be reserved for the former national champion until they lose. USC has the right to defend that crown until they lose a game. They start at #1.

2. Florida State:
- Say what you want, but this team won 2 big games so far. They aren't the FSU of old, but they earned this spot with wins over 2 teams that will finish in the top 15 this year. They have clearly earned this #2 spot.

3. Virginia Tech:
- It's a close one to rank the next few teams, but the Hokies are thunderous on both sides of the ball.

4. Texas:
- Look unbeatable, and should continue that way through a weakened 2005 Big 12 conference. Pulled out a great victory against Ohio State, and is poised to make a serious national title run.

5. Florida:
- Meyer has this team close to running on full throttle. Chris Leak looks amazing. Look for the Gators to continue chomping up these supposed SEC badboys.

6. LSU:
- Only played 1 game so far but did beat a very solid ASU team in the desert.

7. Georgia:
- Has a little more swagger than usual, and may be finally on the right track after years of disappointment at the top.

8. Ohio State:
- Not pretty usually but they are loaded with talent and will probably win the conference. Lost a heartbreaker to Texas, which is not so bad.

9. Michigan State:
- Three great performances from the Spartans so far. John L. Smith has had this team slowly moving towards super-stardom and this may be the year. This is probably the most under-rated team so far of 2005.

10. Alabama:
- Tide did a number on the Gamecocks as well as 2 other opponents. The defense is fabulous, and the offense isn't too bad either. Very solid team.

11. Miami:
- Canes brought the A game to death-valley and came home with a win over a ranked opponent. Lost a close one to FSU, though. Look to be almost at 100% efficiency under Wright.

12. Louisville:
- Won a squeaker against UK and beat the **** of Oregon State. This team is almost back to where they left off in 2004.

13. Notre Dame:
- Playing inspired football, beat 2 ranked teams, lost a heartbreaker to a very under-rated MSU.

14. Arizona State:
- Very explosive offense, but lost a close one to LSU on a controversial call.

15. Tennessee:
- Not sold on this team at all. Does not look anything near to being the hyped up monster we heard about. Nevertheless, still a solid team.

16. Purdue:
- Shown competence in their outings, returns all 11 defensive starters. This is very much a better team than 2004.

17. California:
- Just not impressed with this team. Seem to be ranked in other polls just to generate market-value for a weaker conference. But they are still pretty good.

18. Georgia Tech:
- Very explosive offense under Reggie Ball. May be on the verge of great things.

19. Michigan:
- Was highly over-rated as usual, but still needs to be ranked simply because of talent.

20. UCLA:
- This team has a 3 headed monster on that offense and is very good. Dorrell is an excellent coach and is on the verge of making UCLA a serious contender in the Pac-10.

21. Iowa State:
- Somehow, Dan McCarney has his team playing well. I wonder how long this will last?

22. Iowa:
- Lost to Iowa State, which is still frowned upon. Need to impress me more, offense seems slow at this point.

23. Boston College:
- Still one of the best teams in the country.

24. Wisconsin:
- Alvarez has this team back on the map.

25. Texas Tech:
- 3-0 over super-cupcakes, putting 80 on a I-AA team is a sure-fire way to show people you have a weak schedule.

========================

Honorable Mention in Order:

- Minnesota
- Clemson
- Oregon
- Virginia
- West Virginia

I would flip-flop VT and Texas. Texas beat Ohio State @ the Horseshoe. VT did beat NC St. but not nearly as impressed at them so far as I am Texas. I'm not sure but didn't VT have to rally late to win that game.