AUChase's Top 25 Breakdown - Block 1
Article By: #1 -
LSU is the defending Champion in the conference with the best teams. They went on the road to Manhattan in Week 1 to play a sneaky good Kansas State team. It was fairly close but their defensive playmaking set them apart in the 2H. LSU is locked in until someone unseats them.
#2 -
Texas scheduled good for a power team with a high win goal. They went on the road to Iowa and West Virginia. Coach Bigred and Coach Mallen both looked good last season. BenedictJRod left OU for a much better Texas Squad and it's hard to rank them anywhere but #2 right now.
#3 -
Coach Dcane doesn't get enough credit for the job he's doing at UGA. Yes, they are loaded with talent but you have to perform on a consistent bases to still have them 4 seasons in. His OOC may be the most aggressive for a CFP caliber team with road games at Michigan and Notre Dame. Great tone setter win vs Notre Dame that may be useful for the future CFP later down the road.
#4 -
Alabama's offense is super impressive. On one hand when you score a lot you give up a lot and vise versa but they also gave up 49 to Nebraska. I know Beefy games do not count but a quick glance shows they also gave up 41 points and scored 69 (nice). Is this a trend of scoring fast leading to more posessions on defense? It will be interesting to monitor heading into conference play but Alabama looks like an elite team with an elite coach.
#5 -
It's tough to punish a team that has not played a game if you know they are going to be solid and they are trying to play their games. Clemson has a Block 1 matchup on the road in Lawrence, Kansas to take on new coach Suddenblues and the Jayhawks but an early season bye in Week 3 before the Textile Bowl matchup with NCSU in Week 4 should let us know quick where Clemson belongs.
#6 -
Outside of the curse of JiggyJrRod, Coach Vegas has been almost unbeatable since the return of the NDL. The Vols open with 3 straight weeks on the road against quality teams. There won't be a lot of people walk into Lane Stadium and hand Virginia Tech such a convincing loss this season and a road win. Combined with a win on the smurf turf, The Vols are building an impressive early szn resume.
#7 -
Coach Shel has so far avoided any of his once per season inexplicable losses after a 33-0 thrashing of the Cal Bears. Oregon may need to publicly lobby for themselves because they have 2 byes in the first two blocks of the season. A road win at Cal and a potential home win vs the Beavers in the Platypus Bowl will not have the media singing their praises. Week 7 is their first real test at OSU.
#8 -
There's no one with a bigger reputation than Coach MC and the Utah Utes. The team is flying back and forth from Estonia for practice but that hasn't stopped the team from getting out to a 2-0 start on the season after a near miss at the hands of Indiana. Coach Phoneybadger played for the win (I respect that because I would too) but a failed 2 point conversion saved Utah's perfect season aspirations. After an impressive campaign with ODU, it's hard not to project Utah to make the playoffs this season.
#9 -
Abandoning his heathenous Flexbone ways, Coach Smitty and the Rebel Land Shark Bear Labrador Retrievers are off to a solid 1-0 start after a 45-13 win vs Iowa State. They take on a BYU team and Coach BruisedBagel in Week 3 that is getting a lot of high praise recently in the media as well as traveling to BC and Coach Rohk who knows that program better than most.
#10 -
Colorado fell from grace and did not land in the Preseason Top 25. This feels like an oversight by most voters as they still have a lot of tallent and Coach Andy took over Kennesaw State last season and parlayed that into a Top Tier draft pick. He inherets a host of offensive weapons and should compete in the Big 12. The Buffs opened with a 48-14 win at Kentucky and a 44-14 win at Duke.
#11 -
Coach BigMike is back with his Gators and looking for vengeance. I project they will likely finish much higher than this when it's all said and done but for now the Gators rank #11. The Gators took care of rival Miami in the tricky shadows of Hard Rock Stadium and won at home vs Virginia Tech. They have a big challenge going to Kyle Field to visit the turnover prone Aggies who are fresh off a loss to Penn State.
#12 -
Coach Srgtzt took TCU to the playoffs last year and parlayed his success into the Louisville job. The Cards are respected in the polls but talk in media circles seems to indicate they are being doubted by many. After a 2-0 start with a road win at Illinois and home blowout of ECU, The Cards need an impressive showing at an upstart Georgia Tech fresh off an upset of FSU to show the voters they mean business.
#13 -
Coach Reign has found himself in the playoff discussion every season at Notre Dame. I'm not sure the Fighting Irish can go out and find a better coach after a combined 35-6 record but at some point you expect the Fighting Irish to get over the hump in the playoffs and make a deeper run. The Irish fight for control of the State against Purdue and Indiana in the coming weeks and have the oppurtunity to bounce back after a tough game against one of the best teams in the game in the Georgia Bulldogs.
#14 -
Missouri comes in at #14 in this weeks poll voting. When you look at the totality of Mizzou's schedule it's not very impressive. Wins against Western Michigan and App State will not be seperators for them if they continue to have success this year as their Conference SOS has them avoiding some of the best teams in the league. They still catch Auburn, Bama, OU, SC, and Arkansas but the Tigers won't get any early season poll love with their out of conference scheduling. This high powered offensive team should be in the conversation as the season progresses.
#15 -
Ohio State is always tough to figure out. They have a CFB 25 history of starting slow or not having many games played and then you blink a few times and they have 10 wins. The Buckeyes have plenty of room to grow in the polls in the mid-season blocks but early on their OOC schedule is not going to win them any votes. They are a talented team with a Veteran coach but find themselves in poll purgatory for me.
#16 -
Texas Tech is a highly skilled team with a coach that knows how to play to his team's strengths. They are going to be in the mix for the Big 12 title this year. The Red Raiders are 2-0 in league play and 3-0 in Beefy Cup play and they may not be getting enough love from the media. They opened with wins against Maryland and Minnesota befor their next block with includes a home game vs UMASS and road game at ASU. Texas Tech Boosters elected to fire Coach AUChase who is now with the Sundevils. He is totally not holding a grudge from two season ago so that should be an interesting matchup at least for 1 quarter.
#17 -
BYU has turned into a bit of a media darling.They come in at #17 after fighting off the triple option against Army and everyone's favorite North Carolina transplant Coach PacksyD and the Tarheels. The Cougars have shown an ability to light it up offensively but one of the best defensive coaches in the league Coach Smitty and the Ole Miss Rebels come to town in the next block. In the event of a loss, I would not overreact when it comes to BYU because this team is talented and after multiple seasons Coached BruisedBagel knows his team inside and out.
#18 -
Coach UF and the Yellowjackets pulled off an impressive upset win of Florida State in Block 1 which lands them inside my Top 25. Georgia Tech may not be long for this world though as their season includes games vs Missouri, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, VTech, Miami, and NC State. For now though they have earned some recognition for a big win.
#19 -
Coach "Niddier" and the Nittanty Lions are as consistent as you will find in the NDL. Their SOS and performance so far typically has them in the 17-25 range and after a bye and impressive win at Texas A&M they land at #19 this week. They turned the ball over a lot at A&M which they will have to clean up but the schedule is very mangable through the midway point of the season. I expect Penn State to climb for a few weeks.
#20 -
If we were ranking on skill alone, Central Michigan would be much higher but Coach FiredUpChip is one of the most loyal and consistent fans of a program you will find in the league. With some of the other big named coaches moving on from the G5 level, this may be the year CMU breaks into the playoffs. The Chippewas have traditionally scheduled a bit too tough for their team's overall talent level but with some scheduling strategy involved and several unmanned teams on the schedule, they will be a G5 favorite all season as they go for a third straight MAC Championship.
#21 -
Indiana is a bit of a dark horse in the Big Ten due to all of the talented teams but a quality win against one of the best G5 Coaches BigZ and SDSU + a failed 2 point conversion away from the upset vs Utah shows the Hoosiers aren't a team you want to sleep on. Coach PhoneyBadger was confident heading into the game and backed up the talk on the field. Indiana deserves a lot of love for the tough scheduling and results.
#22 -
Is there anything more fitting than a coach moving across the country to North Carolina and then taking over the State's flagship program? (sorry Holmey). After an impressive season at ECU, Coach Packsy (Petty) D is off to a 1-1 start after a high scoring loss to BYU and a close win against Wisconsin. UNC will compete for the conference title this season and we shouldn't make too much of the loss to BYU. The Tarheels will likely be favored in 75% or more of their games. I feel like we may be looking at that Boston College and NCSU rivalry game as marquee games late in the season.
#23 -
After a close win against who some (not me of course) consider to be the best team in the Big 12 and a close loss to North Carolina, The Badgers are off to a solid start to the season. This ranking is just as much a projection as it is anything else. Coach RB is in his 2nd season with the Badgers and experience in a P4 conference can take you a long way. Wisconsin could shock the world with a win against Alabama who has one of the league's best offenses but again I wouldn't make sweeping judgements about them if they lose this game. They have a managable B10 schedule and should hover in the Top 25.
#24 -
Coach TexaNole deployed 1 of his 47 playbooks to get a Week 1 35-0 win at Colorado State. There's some key games on the horizon at a very talented Arizona squad and then immediately home to Michigan. USC/UM are both in a tier trying to make a jump to the top of the conference race so this will be a pivotal game. USC has a lot of speed on offense and after a solid season at KState, Coach TexaNole should have the Trojans on the rise if they can get through these next few weeks unscathed. #24 feels like the floor for this team but the Big Ten is a tough league and everyone cannot win.
#25 -
#25 was a tough pick. Kansas State, Miami, Northwester, Wazzu, etc.. There's so many good teams deserving but Coach Sammy and the Noles make the Top 25 cut for me. A proven coach with a team that needs a little nudge to get over the hump. The close loss at Georgia Tech stings but don't sleep on the win at BC. Rohk knows the team and area better than most and is a great coach. The Noles get their turn on the blue turf in Week 3. If they can slow down Genty that sets them up for conference games against Cal, SMU, and Clemson. We will know a lot about this team by the end of Block 3.
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