NFL Surprise Teams

Through three games of the 2011 NFL Season, we've seen some pretty remarkable things- Cam Newton's back-to-back 400 yard games, Tom Brady trying to annihilate every individual single-season passing record by week 8, and two former doormats in Buffalo and Detroit rising up the NFL's totem pole. After both teams scored impressive comeback wins last week against divisional foes, everyone wants to know if they're legitimate contenders or pretenders. Let's dive in and take a look at them.

Buffalo Bills 
Offensive Rank: 3
PPG: 37.7 (1st)
Defensive Rank: 26
PA: 24.3 (21st)






Team Leaders
Offense:
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Harvard): 72 of 111 (65%), 9 TD, 3 INT, 10 carries, 20 yards
RB Fred Jackson (Coe College): 47 carries, 304 yards (101 ypg, 6.4 ypc), 3 TD, 8 receptions, 115 yards
WR Steve Johnson (Kentucky): 20 receptions, 256 yards (85.3 ypg, 12.8 avg.), 3 TD

Defense:
LB Nick Barnett (Oregon State): 29 tackles (17 solo), 2 TFL
2 tied with one sack apiece
CB Drayton Florence (Tuskegee): 8 tackles, 2 INT, 4 passes defended

A couple things jump out to me statistically about the Bills. The first and most alarming to me is that they've only managed a whole two sacks in three games so far, on pace for a total of 12. It's clear they'll need more from Shawne Merriman if they want to sustain their success as a team. The second stat I found was that the Bills have scored on an insane 50% of their possessions this year. (I can't remember where I saw this. I'll look for it later and add the link once I find it.)

Offensively, I think the Bills are better right now than every team in the league save New England and Green Bay. You have to give Chan Gailey a ton of credit for what he's been able to do with this group of unheralded players. Look at where these guys went to school- their QB went to an Ivy League school, their top RB went to a Division III school, their top defensive back went to a D-II school and their top wide receiver went to one of the SEC's bottom feeders. Regardless, Gailey has taken these players and expertly crafted an offensive system tailored to these players' strengths. Ryan Fitzpatrick is no Mike Vick when it comes to arm strength, but he is a highly intelligent QB whose great mental capacity when it comes to reading the coverage and getting the ball out on time is on par with the game's best at the position. I'm not going to be so arrogant as to claim I predicted Fitzpatrick would be a success, but considering who drafted him (Mike Martz) and when (7th round), I remembered to keep my eyes on him. Remember, Martz discovered and developed Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger while in St. Louis. He has a good track record of acquiring QB's and has an eye for talent at the position.

WR Steve Johnson

At WR, everyone knows Steve Johnson, he hasn't been alone at WR either- David Nelson has a catch-to-target ratio of nearly 75% and provides a great red zone target at 6-5, 215. Shawn Chandler has been effective down the middle for Fitzpatrick. Having a great set of route runners like Johnson and Nelson to go along with a couple of security blankets in Chandler and RB Fred Jackson are a huge help to the Bills' mediocre offensive line.
Speaking of Jackson, he doesn't look like an elite back at all but during his career, he's beaten out two former high-first round picks who were given starting roles ahead of him. He's had a fantastic year and is one of the NFL's best yards-after-contact runners in the game. He seldom gets stuffed and has great hands out of the backfield, too. Former Bills RB Thurman Thomas nailed it this week when he commented on Jackson: 

"People should be kicking themselves in the butt right now and saying 'Why didn't we take a chance on this guy?' He's just an outstanding leader for the Buffalo Bills. He fits the Bills. He fits the Buffalo, New York area,  as far as being a blue-collar guy. He's a perfect example of what hard work and heart will get you." 

Outstanding stuff, Thurman.

DT Kyle Williams

Defensively, Buffalo has few good pieces, specifically guys you've heard of like Nick Barnett and former 1st round pick Leodis McKelvin. Neither one of them is their best defensive player, though. DT Kyle Williams has blossomed into one of the NFL's very finest interior linemen in the league, and rookies Marcell Dareus and Aaron Williams are slowly becoming solid NFL players in their own right and Jairus Byrd is a starting-caliber safety. Buffalo's biggest issue on defense stems from their lack of a pass rush. As stated above, they have just two sacks for the whole season, and that simply won't cut it for a team with playoff aspirations, either. They've been gashed in two of their three wins too, escaping the Raiders and Patriots. They can't expect to sustain that for an entire season, especially when Buffalo's weather turns sour and the passing game slows down.

Unfortunately for the Bills and their fans, the schedule is about to get a great deal more difficult for them. After this week's tilt with the Bengals, they face the entire NFC East and the Jets sandwiching their week 7 bye week. After those games, they face the Dolphins twice, the Jets again, the Chargers, Broncos, and Titans before finishing the season off at New England in the season finale. That's pretty rough. The Bills should be favored in about six of those games and probably lose the rest of them. How they fare within their own division will decide their season.

Verdict: They're for real, but should be taken with a grain of salt. There is still a decent chance they finish 3rd in their division come December. 

Detroit Lions 
Offensive Rank: 10
PPG: 33.7 (4th)
Defensive Rank: 6
PA: 15.3 (3rd)






Team Leaders
Offense:
QB Matthew Stafford (Georgia): 79 of 118 (67%), 977 yards (325.7 ypg), 9 TD, 2 INT, 3 carries, 0 yards
RB Jahvid Best (California): 49 carries, 143 yards (47.7 ypg, 2.9 ypc), 1 TD, 15 receptions, 182 yards (60.6 ypg, 12.1 avg), 1 TD
WR Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech): 16 receptions, 225 yards (75 ypg, 14.1 avg.), 6 TD

Defense:
LB Justin Durant (Hampton): 21 tackles (18 solo), 3 TFL
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska): 3 sacks
CB Chris Houston (Arkansas): 12 tackles, 2 INT, 5 passes defended

If Buffalo built their team through sneaky front office moves and unheralded guys, the Lions are the complete opposite. One look at their offensive leaders tells the story: Stafford, Johnson, and Best were all 1st round picks. This is a team built on "hype" and highly-regarded talent. To that end, they've evaluated and drafted their talent well.

RB Jahvid Best

Offensively, you know what to expect from Detroit- a heavy dose of underneath passes to RB Jahvid Best and TE Brandon Pettigrew or Tony Scheffler. Oh, and they'll probably throw to that Calvin Johnson guy once in a while, too. Nate Burleson is a serviceable possession WR and Titus Young has shown plenty of promise a slot wide receiver for their offense. Detroit has had plenty of issues on their offensive line. Like Buffalo, this is Detroit's weakest offensive link. Unlike Buffalo, their schedule has Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, or Clay Matthews on it six times a year. By comparison, Buffalo's division has one elite pass rusher in it- Miami's Cameron Wake. This issue is even more troubling when you consider the injury history of Matthew Stafford.

FS Louis Delmas

When people talk Lions defense, you know who to talk about, first and foremost. The "House of Spears" provides the spirit and intensity the rest of the defense feeds off of. Going along with Suh is pass-rusher extraordinaire Kyle Vanden Bosch and eventually first-round pick Nick Fairley, who was the nation's most dominant defensive player a year ago at Auburn. However, once you move back through the Lions defense, some problems crop up. Eric Wright and Chris Houston, their starting corners, don't scare opposing passers. SS Amari Spivey is a solid run-support type safety, but his limited range in passing coverage can be exploited. FS Louis Delmas is their lone back-7 stud. In spite of their perceived talent deficiency, this group has played well, held together by their glue, Delmas.
The LB's for Detroit are about as unknown as they come but they're serviceable, especially tackling machine Stephen Tulloch.

Just like Buffalo, the Lions' schedule is about to get a lot stiffer. The rest of the schedule doesn't feature a three-week stretch like the one the Lions have enjoyed over the first three weeks. Apart from games against Denver, Minnesota, San Francisco, and Carolina, the Lions will be slim favorites or underdogs in the rest of their games. Games against the Saints, Packers, Falcons, Bears, Raiders and Chargers will reveal the destiny of these "new" Lions. To that end, we'll see how the former perennial losers of the NFC North handle their new-found success and whether they can adjust to playing with much larger expectations they've ever faced in their brief NFL careers.

Verdict: A fine team but the schedule and division do them no favors. Plenty of promise for the future. I think they're a year away from solid, consistent playoff appearances. The road to the Wild Card is just too difficult in the NFC for Detroit considering that A. the NFC East has three (maybe four) quality playoff-worthy teams this year and B. The NFC South has another 3 playoff-worthy teams and C. The Bears are still a threat in this division. 

NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Last Week	Off. Rank	Def. Rank
1	Green Bay Packers	-	8	29
The Packers have been giving up boatloads of passing yards on defense, but their red zone defense has been stingy. They just had their first turnovers of the season in last week’s game against the Bears. They will need Clay Matthews to get going on defense, though.
2	Baltimore Ravens	-	11	13
If Torrey Smith can keep taking the top off of opposing defenses the way he did last week in St. Louis, they will become an even better offense. They have had some issues against the pass, but I’m not worried about a secondary led by Ed Reed just yet.
3	New England Patriots	-	1	32
They can score with anyone, but so do their opponents. Tom Brady was a victim of Bill Belichick’s egotistical playcalling. They threw the ball too much despite leading 21-0. They let the Bills right back into the game. What are the odds Tom Brady has another 4 INT game the rest of the year? Less than 2%? Under 1%? If they don’t fix that defense, they could find themselves going home early in the playoffs for the 3rd straight year.
4	New Orleans Saints	-	2	21
Including the Week 1 loss to the Packers, they have blistered 3 solid opposing defenses in the first month of the season. Once they get Mark Ingram and their running game going, they’ll be even more unstoppable. I think they would do well to blitz less and help their secondary out more, instead of exposing them so often.
5	Buffalo Bills	-	3	26
They looked like the Bills of old when they fell behind 21-0 last week. You had to be wondering if they were a fluke, then the 2nd half happened. Wow. Chan Gailey is absolutely on fire as a playcaller and Ryan Fitzpatrick looks like Joe Montana right now. They have the offensive firepower, but their secondary has had major issues so far.
6	Detroit Lions	-	10	6
They passed the road test at the Metrodome last week and Matt Stafford has been dominant. They’ll go as far as he’ll carry them. The schedule has been kind to them as they still haven’t faced an elite QB.
7	New York Jets	-	16	11
Where is the running game? For a team that prided itself on smashmouth, “ground and pound” football, the running game has been pedestrian at best. Mark Sanchez can’t win games by himself, especially when he can’t get the ball into Santonio Holmes’s and Plaxico Burress’s hands on a consistent basis. Was the loss of Nick Mangold that devastating to their offense?
8	Houston Texans	-	9	14
So much for that top-ranked defense. Granted, New Orleans can do that to a lot of defenses. Unfortunately, there are a lot of good offenses in the playoffs, should the Texans make it that far. The offense’s red zone woes have to be fixed. It cost them last week.
9	Pittsburgh Steelers	-	13	2
Despite their god-awful offensive line play, they still remain one of the AFC’s elite teams. Sure, Warren Sapp would have you believe they’re too old to dominate on defense, but after the Ravens debacle, they’ve been merciless against opposing offenses.
10	San Diego Chargers	-	4	8
They haven’t impressed at all, barely beating two bottom feeders in Minnesota and Kansas City at home and getting whooped at New England, but a 2-1 start is miles ahead of where they usually are this time of year.
11	New York Giants	-	20	18
Beat them now, because that defense and Eli Manning are only going to improve as the year goes on. They dominated the Eagles last week.
12	Dallas Cowboys	-	5	5
The most-discussed team in the NFL silenced a few (but not all) naysayers with a nice comeback win on Monday night.
13	Tampa Bay Bucs	-	22	24
Their offense has been mightily struggling but the Bucs have played scrappy football well enough to start with 2 wins. The offsides penalty induced by Josh Freeman at the end of the Falcons game was one of the cleverest plays of the week. As he improves, the Bucs will. They need to do a better job running the ball, though.
14	Philadelphia Eagles	-	6	12
They can’t stop the run, Mike Vick can’t stay healthy, and their offensive line is a mess. Other than that, the Eagles are a solid team. The secondary had been playing well until they got shredded by Eli Manning and Victor Cruz last week.
15	Atlanta Falcons	-	19	22
1-2 wasn’t the start they were hoping for, but a schedule featuring the Bears, Eagles, and Bucs isn’t fun for any team, no matter how good. They need to get Michael Turner in a rhythm to help Matt Ryan.
16	Oakland Raiders	-	14	28
No team is more impressive when they step on the field for pregame warm-ups. They’ve got a ton of big and fast guys. Hue Jackson has been pushing all the right buttons so far and training camp sensation Denarius Moore has lived up to the hype in limited duty. They’re one defensive meltdown at Buffalo away from 3-0 and have to be causing shudders down south in San Diego.
17	Chicago Bears	-	23	25
I continue to hold out hope that the Bears will one day fix their offensive line, which has been truly offensive to Jay Cutler all year. So much for committing to the running game- Cutler was the leading rusher against Green Bay with a whopping 11 yards. Mike Martz needs to protect his quarterback, not get him killed. Must the defense do everything for the Bears?
18	Washington Redskins	-	15	16
THAT looked a little bit more like what we expected from Rex Grossman at the beginning of the year. Still, He’s worked well under Mike Shanahan and sudden QB development after age 30 isn’t unheard of- guys like Rich Gannon, Trent Green, and Brad Johnson all improved their accuracy well after the big 3-0. Maybe Rex is one of the next members of that group. If he is and can keep it up, that defense will keep them in the thick of the NFC East. The early win over the Giants could be huge down the stretch.
19	Tennessee Titans	-	17	1
Chris Johnson has been awful and Kenny Britt is done for the year. They’ve outperformed expectations on defense. They might’ve been good enough to sneak into the playoffs but the loss of Britt is devastating to their offense and I frankly wonder how they’ll move the ball if Johnson can’t get it going.
20	Carolina Panthers	-	7	17
Cam Newton is human, after all. And finally gotten that first win too. They are now his team. Jerry Richardson has to be thrilled about the youngster’s development and what he means for the team both financially and football-wise. DeAngelo Williams has proven to be totally unworthy of his big contract.
21	San Francisco 49ers	-	32	7
They are this close to being 3-0. That’s all with Mr. Checkdown at QB, too. Can Jim Harbaugh still play QB? The pass defense has been spotty, but overall their defense has been decent.
22	Arizona Cardinals	-	18	27
1-2 with losses to Rex Grossman and Tavaris Jackson. That’s not what the Cardinals expected when they traded for Kevin Kolb. He has to play better or someone else in the division will get hot and pass them by while they’re stuck in neutral.
23	Cleveland Browns	-	26	9
Quick, name any 2 of their WR’s. You couldn’t do it, either? They need to get Colt McCoy some weapons, and fast. Montario Hardesty looked pretty solid for a guy making his NFL debut last week.
24	St. Louis Rams	-	21	31
Is this too high for a winless team? Maybe, but their schedule has been brutal and they do have talent.
25	Miami Dolphins	-	12	30
Tick…tick…tick….the time-bomb attached to Tony Sparano’s coaching position keeps on ticking. When it’ll blow, no one knows!
26	Jacksonville Jaguars	-	28	4
How Jack Del Rio has stayed their coach is quite beyond me. They aren’t going to the playoffs so coddling Blaine Gabbert only hurts them more. Which is probably exactly what they’ll do. That’s why they’re the Jaguars.
27	Cincinnati Bengals	-	25	3
Classic Bengals- show some promise one week, then end up with your starting RB facing a suspension and your #2 WR facing a police investigation the next. I’m half-impressed, half-shocked that Marvin Lewis has managed to stick around as long as he has.
28	Minnesota Vikings	-	24	20
No team has been better for the first halves of games so far this year. Correspondingly, no team has been worse in the second halves of games this year either. You have to wonder why Adrian Peterson got 5 carries in the second half. You don’t see elite offenses taking the ball out of their best player’s hands.
29	Denver Broncos	-	27	15
The Tim Tebow debate is slowly killing this team. Although they haven’t shown it, John Fox and John Elway have to be privately steaming about the public relations mess it is making. The more they lose, the louder the pro-Tebow sentiment gets. The real loser in the whole mess is Kyle Orton.
30	Seattle Seahawks	-	31	10
The good news: they won a game! The bad news: Tavaris Jackson stays at QB for another week.
31	Indianapolis Colts	-	29	19
Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck might be the best timing for the release of a franchise QB in league history, should the Colts land the #1 pick. With this offense, they’re heading that way.
32	Kansas City Chiefs	-	30	23
They have put the suck in the “Suck for Luck” campaigns so common in the NFL right now, sadly.

A few quick notes on Tags

Since I intend to write about so many different teams and sports, I'll frequently tag posts I've written to make it easier for you to find items of interest to you, such as certain frequent columns (like Top 25's, Top 5 lists, Power Rankings, Bracketology, etc.)
For common and recurring articles, I'll use the sport codes (see below) and the the name of the column. So for my NCAA Football Top 25 poll, I will tag it CFB Top 25. For an NFL Power Rankings post, it'll be tagged NFL Power Rankings This will make it much easier to differentiate between the college sports' Top 25 lists.

Team names and players will be spelled out in their entirety to avoid confusion. For example, I'll use 'Arizona Wildcats' to tag them instead of just 'Arizona' because that could mean the Diamondbacks or Cardinals. I won't abbreviate team names in tags either.

The key is as follows:

CFB = College Football

CBB = Men's College Basketball

NFL = National Football League

NBA = National Basketball Association

MLB = Major League Baseball

I will only tag specific teams when the article specifically deals with that team or a player or players on that team specifically. (for example, if I write about AFC East Quarterbacks, I'll tag the post with "Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins, Mark Sanchez, New York Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills")

Pretty simple. Hopefully this will make the blog much easier to follow along with.

Week 5 College Football Top 25

My inaugural college football Top 25 (on here of course)

1. LSU - The clear top dogs in college football. No one even comes close to their resume. Heck, most teams barely get to play three teams as good as Oregon, Mississippi State and West Virginia in a whole season! That rumble with Alabama in Tuscaloosa on November 5 looks to be game-of-the-year material.
Next: vs. Kentucky, October 1

2. Oklahoma - Sorry Sooner fans. It seldom seems the #1 team in the nation drops in the polls after a hard-fought win, but that's where Bob Stoops and Co. find themselves this week. After two closer-than-expected wins against Florida State and Missouri, there might be some small concern, but it should be negligible. Don't forget- Mizzou beat the Sooners last year.
Next: vs. Ball State, October 1

3. Alabama - Ho-hum. The Tide rolls on, once again driving Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks absolutely nuts in the process. Sure, Saban's boys aren't sexy, but this is a classic Alabama team. They run the ball well with Trent Richardson and play phenomenal defense. Their LSU game might devolve to a game of 10, as in whoever scores 10 first wins. Up next is a roadie at the Swamp to tangle with the new-look Gators.
Next: vs. at Florida, October 1

4. Oklahoma State - That sure was some win in College Station wasn't it? I hate the "A Tale of Two Halves" cliche, but in this case, it applies. For two quarters, Texas A&M was having their way with Mike Gundy's boys. Once halftime was over, it was the Brandon Weeden show. If he keeps that up, the Pokes will have their first Heisman winner since that Sanders guy played RB in Stillwater.
Next: vs. Kansas, October 8

5. Boise State - The Broncos are at it again. After a stiff season-opening game in Atlanta, Chris Petersen's boys are at it again, pulverizing any lesser team unfortunate enough to be in their way. Unfortunately, the week was not all good news as TCU's loss of Tanner Brock makes them a less impressive win should Boise beat them in a few weeks.
Next: vs. Nevada, October 1

6. Wisconsin - The Badgers have been absolutely dominant through their first four games, admittedly against far inferior competition. The offense hasn't missed a beat at all, even with the losses of Scott Tolzien and Gabe Carimi. Russell Wilson looks like this year's Cam Newton, though he'll be hard-pressed to put up the gaudy numbers Newton did last year at Auburn.
Next: vs. Nebraska, October 1

7. Stanford - Luck and co. have picked up right where they left off last year. The Pac-12 is completely wide-open for them (Oregon travels to Palo Alto this year) and QB Andrew Luck is making it look too easy as well as getting every professional scout, GM, and personnel director salivate at the thought of drafting him. Luckily for the Cardinal, that draft won't happen until April.
Next: vs. UCLA, October 1

8. Nebraska - The moment the Huskers have waited for has finally arrived- their first Big Ten game. Unfortunately, it's a date with the best team in the conference in their house. We'll see just how much Taylor Martinez has matured.
Next: at Wisconsin, October 1

9. Oregon - Maybe that LSU game was just an anomaly. Since that game, the Ducks have piled up 181 points and 1764 yards of offense (60.3 PPG and 588 YPG). Life in the Pac-12 is a lot easier on the Ducks' offense, it would seem. Granted, LSU can make life hard for anyone. It's clear that Oregon is back on the right track and not at all ready to go quietly.
Next: vs. California, October 6

10. South Carolina - The Gamecocks are just riding Marcus Lattimore to the promised land. It's obvious Steve Spurrier doesn't trust Stephen Garcia to take them there. Garcia's maddening inconsistency might spell doom for the Gamecocks. It's obvious the defense and running game won't be their problems. How long of a leash will Spurrier have before he puts Connor Shaw back into the starting lineup? We'll see.
Next: vs. Auburn, October 1

11. Virginia Tech - The Hokies haven't exactly been taking names on the gridiron like many expected but they're undefeated. What many assumed to be an easy ride through the ACC suddenly looks a lot harder with the emergence of both Clemson and Georgia Tech. Logan Thomas has been efficient and solid for them and the rest of the Beamer Ball boys have been up to snuff, especially RB David Wilson, who already has over 500 yards rushing.
Next: vs. Clemson, October 1

12. Florida - Snuck up on you a little didn't they? Florida is flying under the radar as much as they can this year. Will Muschamp's crew haven't had a particularly difficult schedule yet (that will change with SEC play about to start). John Brantley looks a lot more comfortable in Charlie Weis's offense than he did in Urban Meyer's.
Next: at Alabama, October 1


13. Clemson - Easily the surprise team so far in the nation, the Tigers have been playing solid football under Dabo Swinney and are 4-0 for the first time since 2007. The offense has really been off to a good start with Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins making big plays for the Tigers. Going to Blacksburg will be a big test for them. If they can win there, they'll be coasting to the ACC Championship game. After Va Tech, only one of their next five games pits them against a ranked opponent. (at Georgia Tech on October 29)
Next: at Virginia Tech, October 1


14. Texas A&M - I'm interested to see how the Aggies bounce back from a disappointing loss last week as they now face an Arkansas team that just got smacked around by Alabama at Jerryworld. Where did the offense go in the 2nd half? They missed an important chance to get a leg up on the rest of the South division.
Next: vs. Arkansas, October 1 (at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas)

15. South Florida - Skip Holtz has been doing some good work in Tampa and the Bulls are riding high having notched back-to-back 50 point games. The season-opening win at Notre Dame was only one win, but it could have been the start of something big for them. They have to feel pretty confident going into their game at Pitt this Thursday.
Next: at Pittsburgh, September 29


16. Baylor - How good has Robert Griffin III been? To put it one way, he has more TD passes (13) than incomplete passes. Ladies and gentlemen, your Heisman dark horse candidate!
Next: at Kansas State, October

17. Illinois - Ron Zook has the Illini playing some of the best football the program has ever seen. The development of Nathan Scheelhaase (71% completion percentage) coupled with the emergence of freshman RB Donovonn Young has the Illini feeling pretty good. Even better, they miss out on playing Nebraska and Michigan State this year.
Next: vs. Northwestern, October 1


18. Michigan - Once again, the Wolverines enter Big Ten play undefeated. Brady Hoke's willingness to tweak the offense has paid off in a big way for Denard Robinson, who has been absolutely electrifying since the Notre Dame game. The defense has shown improvement as well.
Next: vs. Minnesota, October 1

19. Arizona State - The folks in Eugene and Palo Alto can't be please with what they just saw in Tempe, as Dennis Erickson's Sun Devils squashed USC at home. QB Brock Osweiler has been more willing to check down and not forced as many throws this year. Although they have that one loss to Illinois on their resume, wins against Missouri and USC are impressive. The Pac-12 South looks ripe for the taking. LB Vontaze Burfict has been an absolute terror for opposing offenses.
Next: vs. Oregon State, October 1

20. Georgia Tech - Quick, which offense has been better since week 2? Oregon or Georgia Tech's? Unbelievably, the Ramblin' Wreck has been the nation's most explosive offense, scoring at a 53 PPG clip, to go along with 630 YPG (of which nearly 400 are rushing yards). QB Tevin Washington has been a nice surprise, as has AB Orwin Smith and BB David Sims.
Next: at NC State, October 1

21. West Virginia - Sure, they got manhandled at home by LSU. So did Oregon. The sky hasn't fallen on them yet and they play in a winnable conference. The Big East looks a little tougher this year than originally thought at the beginning of the year with the emergence of South Florida. As the Mountaineers get more comfortable with Dana Holgorson's offense, they will steadily improve. The December 1 game at USF might decide the Big East's BCS bid.
Next: vs. Bowling Green, October 1

22. Texas - They just had an off week, but the offense looked a lot more crisp in its first week away from Garrett Gilbert under Case McCoy. Although it sounds weird, the Longhorns might sneak up on the Big XII this year. If they can get consistency at QB and on the ground (is Malcolm Brown the answer?), they could push as high as 2nd or 3rd in the South, ahead of even A&M and Oklahoma State.
Next: at Iowa State, October 1

23. Arkansas - Bobby Petrino has to be sick of losing to Alabama, considering that Arkansas has been good against everyone else in the SEC under his tutelage.
Next: vs. Texas A&M, October 1 (at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas)

24. Florida State - Things have gotten rocky in Tallahassee really fast after two tough losses for the 'Noles. One instant, they look ready to challenge Oklahoma, the next their QB is injured and they've lost at Clemson. They have to get more from the running game if they want to win. Leading rusher Chris Thompson is only averaging 2.9 yards a carry. Clint Trickett has plenty of talent but is still young and needs help from the rest of the offense. No one doubts their defense, even after getting pushed a little recently. The schedule will not be this difficult down the stretch for them, thankfully.
Next: at Wake Forest, October 8

25. Ohio State  - The Buckeyes still have issues, but freshman Braxton Miller injected some life into the offense against Colorado. Watching to see how he develops could decide the Big 10 race. The Buckeye's upcoming schedule is going to get a lot more difficult and it starts this week with Sparty coming to Columbus.
Next: vs. Michigan State, October 1

Just missed:
TCU, Notre Dame, Houston, USC, Auburn

Welcome

I hope you enjoy the blog. Let the posting begin!