Gothamist's Div. 1A Top 15

Hmm, these are a little late, but Gothamist was a bit busy, but here are this week's rankings for Div. 1A. Compare and contrast with last week's rankings.

1. Oklahoma – Passing game struggled vs. the Horns, but no worries when you have a freshman RB in Adrian Peterson who can get loose for a deuce and a quarter (225 yards). Another win over Texas, ho hum!

2. Auburn – Wins over Tennessee and LSU look even better now in the wild SEC. Arkansas is a dangerous trap game this week though if the Tigers are unprepared.

3. Men of Troy – (they apparently dislike being called “southern cal”) – Survival is the best way to describe their win over California, as the Bears out gained them 2-1 and stud QB Aaron Rodgers of Cal completed 23 straight passes at one point. But USC made the stops when they had to and escaped with the win. This team is not nearly as dominant as last year’s version, but so far they have found ways to win...watch out for Arizona State this weekend though!

4. Miami – Tough game coming up vs. Louisville, still probably only a matter of time before Brock Berlin falls apart and costs them a game.

5. California – Awesome performance vs. USC, but couldn’t finish the job. If they can bounce back mentally, shouldn’t lose again the rest of the season.

6. Purdue

7. Virginia – Why are Purdue and Virginia, both undefeated, behind one loss Cal? Because we think they will both lose this week (to Wisconsin and Florida State)

8. Wisconsin – Impressive win at the Horseshoe. Great defense and running game, we like their chances to win at Purdue this week.

9. Arizona State – Now they get their chance vs USC. QB Andrew Walter is a stud and Cal proved you can move the ball in the air against the Trojans. Question is, can the Devils get it in the endzone? If USC has a letdown after the big Cal win, they could easily lose this on.e.

10. Utah

11. Florida State – Miserable performance against a terrible Syracuse team. But expect a much more inspired performance at home vs. Virginia. The ‘Hoos are a very good team, but we just can’t pick them to win at Doak.

12. Texas – Anyone surprised by another loss to OU? Look up “hot seat” in the dictionary, and find a picture of Mack Brown. But hey, at least he didn’t lose by 50 points this year!

13. Tennessee – Quite a turnaround from last week! That’s not usual with freshman QB’s: terrible one week, very good the next. Defense shut down the Dawgs between the hedges.

14. Georgia – What happened? We just can’t figure out this team. Plenty of talent, but they’ve been terrible in every game, except the one where they destroyed a talented LSU squad. This team is bipolar.

15. Michigan – Finally squeak back into the rankings with comeback win vs. Minnesota. Another team going with a green but very talented freshman QB (Chad Henne). Thing is, Henne’s numbers this year compare favorably to last year’s numbers of 5th year senior John Navarre. Sky’s the limit for this kid. Still, relying on freshman like Henne and RB Mike Hart will make this year’s squad inconsistent, as we’ve already seen. Look for a much improved team by the end of the season, but the OL must avoid any further injuries and step up their play. Lloyd Carr still doesn’t seem to have a clue on the road, so Illinois may be closer than many think and you have to expect the game at Purdue in 2 weeks to be a loss.

Knocking on the door: Louisville, Oklahoma State, Boise St.

- Rankings by Justin S.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By tien mao on October 12, 2004 11:25 PM

Comments [rss]

Paz

Best bar for Badger games is probably Kettle of Fish at Christopher St and 7th Avenue (verify address - i may be on crack). Pretty good crowd - mostly UW alums, with a belligerent Ohio State fan in attendance last Saturday.

tien

i'm in the process of researching (damn the slow connection) some schools, but i know michigan watches the games at the park ave. country club. but if you're a wisconsin fan, you might not want to go to those.

larry dvm

You'd think I'd know after 3 years in town, but does anybody know a good bar for watching Wisconsin (and other Big 10) games?

fredeeky

big game for my canes tomorrow nite against undefeated louisiville. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't nervous.

K

USC has an easy schedule compared to FL.

Justin

USC has won 14 games in a row and defending cochampion. I say they are #1 until proven otherwise.

Also, I think UCLA could prove tough for Cal, esp since Lyman is gone for the year.

cheers!

tien

that loss florida had on saturday was tough.

K

Baseball is barely a sport. I'm sick of the idiots up here that pay more attention to this than to college football -- which involves a bit less $ and a lot more athleticism. On that note, being a UF fan, I have to plug Chris Leak as being one of the best QBs in a long time. Although the Gators have two losses - to two great teams - I think they're still to watch. The SEC is the most talented conference and I'd argue the Gators have one of the most challenging schedules. Compare this to overrated Miami (good point on Brock - he's mediocre at best) and the official rankings seem questionable.