How the AP Top 25 Should’ve Looked.....

[dukluk]

I think this came from Saturday Down South:


How the AP Top 25 Should’ve Looked:


1. Ohio State (3-0) — It wasn’t pretty by a longshot against Northern Illinois, but until an opposing team knocks off the defending national champions, Ohio State deserves top billing.

2. Michigan State (3-0) — The Spartans failed to cover, but fought off Air Force to avoid a setback following a signature win over Oregon.

3. TCU (3-0) — Gary Patterson’s team scored two touchdowns in every quarter including the final 14 points of the game to beat SMU.

4a. Georgia (3-0) — The Bulldogs dismantled South Carolina, scoring the most points they ever have on a Steve Spurrier-coached football team. Greyson Lambert shook off doubters with a record-setting 24-of-25 performance from the pocket as Georgia cruised.

4b. Ole Miss (3-0) — Fueled by the best game of Robert Nkemdiche’s career, the Rebels succeeded in a hostile environment and beat Alabama on the road for the first time since 1988, pushing into Sunday’s Top 5. But instead of putting Ole Miss tied for third in the country with TCU, I’d place the Rebels in a fourth-place tie with Georgia. I think both teams have passed the eye test through three weeks as the SEC’s best from each respective division.

6. LSU (2-0) — With Leonard Fournette as the obvious Heisman front-runner, LSU has the look of a Playoff team if it can continue its dominance at the line of scrimmage. The Tigers are the only team in the nation that’s already beaten two ranked teams in conference play. My belief that there are three SEC teams currently better than Baylor is why I have the Bears ranked below the Bulldogs, Rebels and Tigers in the Top 10.

7. Baylor (2-0) — BYE

8. Alabama (2-1) — Ranked No. 12 in Sunday’s update, Alabama’s definitely one of the 10 best teams in the country and I’m surprised there are that many voters who think otherwise. The Crimson tide nearly erased a three-score deficit down the stretch, but five turnovers proved too much to overcome.

9. Notre Dame (3-0) — Without Malik Zaire at quarterback, the Irish posted their most noteworthy win of the season, knocking off 15th-ranked Georgia Tech in South Bend, 30-22.

10. UCLA (3-0) — Despite three interceptions from Josh Rosen, the Bruins held off BYU’s late rally with an 80-yard touchdown drive with less than five minutes remaining.

11. Florida State (3-0) — The Seminoles blanked Boston College on the road Friday night, 14-0.

12. Clemson (3-0) — Benefiting from spotty clock management in crunch time, Clemson survived a challenging road matchup with Louisville last Thursday.

13. Oklahoma (3-0) — Quarterback Baker Mayfield managed a school-record 572 yards of offense and six touchdowns during a 52-38 win over Tulsa.

14. Texas A&M (3-0) — Saturday’s win over Nevada was never in doubt, but if you watched the game, you’d notice that the Aggies still have secondary issues that have lingered from last season. Texas A&M’s once again generated consistent pressure along its defensive line and Kyle Allen was superb with five total touchdowns, but weaknesses against the pass must be corrected before this team’s moves closer to the Top 10 once they win their next two SEC games prior to the bye week.

15. Oregon (2-1) — With quarterback Vernon Adams on the mend, the Ducks scored 61 points for the second time in three games.

16. USC (2-1) — The Trojans had no answers for Stanford’s offense on Saturday night, falling by 10 points at home to lose control of their own destiny in getting to the Playoff.

17. Arizona (3-0) — Through his first three starts as a sophomore, quarterback Anu Solomon’s thrown for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception.

18. Northwestern (3-0) — Despite accumulating only 271 yards of total offense, the Wildcats kicked three field goals and returned a kickoff for a touchdown during a 19-10 win at Duke.

19. Utah (3-0) — The Utes’ first real test comes Saturday at Oregon.

20. Georgia Tech (2-1) — At-large Playoff hopes were damaged with a loss at Notre Dame, but the Yellow Jackets could still run roughshod through the ACC when play begins Saturday at Duke.

21. Stanford (2-1) — David Shaw’s squad gets back in the Top 25 thanks to Kevin Hogan’s masterpiece at USC.

22. BYU (2-1) — The luck finally ran out on the Cougars at UCLA despite a valiant effort.

23. Wisconsin (2-1) — Back-to-back convincing wins following the season-opening loss to Alabama puts the Badgers back in the Top 25.

24. Mississippi State (2-1) — The Bulldogs are a made field goal away from being unbeaten with a quality win under their belts. Mississippi State set a single-game total offense record against Northwestern State and Dak Prescott’s one of only two SEC starting quarterbacks without a pick through three games. He has played lights out.

25. Oklahoma State (3-0) — Possessing one of the Big 12’s most underrated defenses, the Cowboys are a team that could upset TCU, Baylor or Oklahoma later on this season.

[Deltamud77]

If State can get past Auburn this weekend (a tall task IMO), then they are set up to really compete in the SECw. Playing at aTm will be tough, but I still don't know that the Aggies are as good as some believe. State gets Bama and Ole Miss at home and that is HUGE.

I will go on record (with the assumption Dak stays healthy) and predict that State wins at least one of the two games against Bama and OM.

State is sitting pretty to go 9-3, maybe even 10-2, with a few breaks.

[eSJay]

[camlock]

[Deltamud77]

[camlock]

I think Auburn's biggest problem this season so far has been they tried to run a different version of the Malzahn offense to fit Jeremy Johnson being more of pro style QB...Malzahn needs an athlete, he's proven he can win with that offense and a mobile QB and mediocrity on defense

[gator]

state beats auburn going way.

sorry, esjay, nothing personal buddy.

gator

[Rice]

There is a part of me that says a team with a ton of talent at home with their backs against a wall has an advantage but LSU didn't put them against a wall...they beat them so badly they aren't even in the building. #hailstate 41-35 wit a almost miracle ending

[eSJay]

[mshunter77]

[Deltamud77]