Power Rankings (Week 6)  

#2 Michigan

Walter: While the Manningham injury will hurt the Wolverines, they should still have enough talent to win out until Ohio State. What Manningham's loss may mean, however, is that Michigan might finally be forced to play a game where they don't win by more than two touchdowns. Learning to win close(er) games is not necessarily a bad thing. That said, with their defensive front seven and Mike Hart in tow, blowouts up until Ohio State is not out of the question.


#3 Florida

Walter: The LSU win was very nice, but I think we are going to learn a lot about Florida this week when they play at Auburn. The Tiger's are going to be jacked up to prove the Arkansas game was a fluke and that they still belong among the nation's elite. In Auburn, Florida will face the most physical offense and defense they have seen this season (LSU was fast, Auburn is just big and nasty). If the Gators go into Auburn and win they will deserve a #2 ranking, and I may have to eat some crow about calling them soft. That said, Arkansas beat Auburn by lining up and going right at them. That is a lot different than, in the words of my esteemed co-blogger, running wide reciever sweeps on first and goal.

Frazier - The Gators won a huge game Saturday, make no mistake about it, they were the better team out there. Also, their win in Knoxville is looking better and better as Cal has improved and the Vols thumped Georgia. I still worry about them being physical enough, and they have shown some USC as well, the inability to put away teams. They let Alabama hang around for far too long. They just haven't been as dominant as Michigan or Ohio St. although they have some excellent wins. Let's see how it goes against Auburn. A big, bruising victory will answer any lingering doubts about the heart of this team.

#4 USC

Walter: I do not like what I am seeing out of this team. They have been listless on offense all season, and recently they have shown an inability to stop talented passing games (Washington State and Washington). That is not a good combination in the wide open, air it out Pac-10, and it is certainly far from the blueprint that Pete Carroll has used for the balance of his tenure at USC. Getting Jarrett back will help, but the Trojans have been living dangerously and they haven't even entered the hard part of their schedule yet. True they get Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame at home, but I don't see how they win all three. Cal is the best team in the Pac-10 right now, and frankly it doesn't appear even close.

Frazier - Well, the difference between USC and Cal is that USC has trailed for 4 minutes all year, and Cal got stomped in Knoxville. Is that enough of a difference for you? The Trojans are undefeated, and while Carroll's teams have appeared listless in the past (and downright uninterested for periods last year) they have generally played their best against quality opposition. They destroyed Oklahoma for a title, and pounded Michigan for part of another, and they generally dominated ranked opponents, just like they did when they crushed Nebraska this year. I definitely have concerns about USC this year. They haven't looked great yet, and they haven't put away opponents like they need to. That being said, they are the reigning champs of the Pac 10, and will continue to be so until someone actually beats them.

This is what USC should be doing against second
class opposition. So far they have lacked that killer instinct.

#5 Louisville

Walter: If I were Bobby Petrino I would do everything I could to make sure Brian Brohm did not play in this week's game, but did play next week against Syracuse. No reason to risk his health if he is still recovering, but as a Cardinals fan I would feel a lot more comfortable against West Virginia is Brohm had some game experience. As for this week, last time the Bearcats came to Papa John's Stadium they stomped on the Cardinal at midfield before the game. Louisville proceeded to paste them by 63 points. I'm guessing they'll try a different motivating tactic this week.....it won't matter.

Frazier - Agreed, Brohm needs some game action before the epic showdown. But no reason Hunter Cantwell can't be the one to demolish the Bearcats. This team looks like it is on cruise control. I love the way they've played, the poise they've shown, and the fact that they have the best offense in the country without two legitimate Heisman candidates. Damn.

#6 West Virginia

Walter: The Mountaineers are undefeated but they have played poorly on the road all season. That is somewhat worrisome since their entire season is going to come down to a single game on the road (at Louisville). That said, if they win that game I might have to take a mulligan on my statement that they still wouldn't get into the national title game. After the Nov. 2 date with Louisville, the Mountaineers face a bear of schedule ending the season at Pittsburgh, and then at home against South Florida and Rutgers. If West Virginia wins at Louisville, keep an eye on that South Florida game. Stephen Nicholas and Ben Moffit are fast, sure tackling linebackers who could give the Moutaineers' spread offense fits. You heard it here first.

Frazier - While the SEC teams are in a battle to the death the Big East is playing out exactly as we expected. Two great teams (Louisville, WVU) one good team that will benefit from a soft conference (Rutgers) and the dregs (pretty terrible everywhere else). WVU has to get more comfortable away from those Country Roads. Still, they figure to be undefeated heading into their one game that matters. Then we'll finally see if they are really any good.

#7 Tennessee

Walter: Personally I wanted Texas ranked ahead of the Vols because I still don't really believe they are one of the seven best teams in the nation. True they beat Cal, but that was at home, the first week of the season, with the Bears QB coming off a major injury. The Georgia victory was dominating, but do we really know how good the Bulldogs are? The Vols lost their only other tough game to Florida, and while the game was close it was not as close as the score indicated (thanks to a phantom punt return penalty). Tennessee has yet to play the rest of the SEC elite, and with games against Auburn, LSU and Arkansas coming up, this high ranking may come to look foolish.

Frazier - I know the big man hates Tennessee, and that's super. But they smoked our #8 team, and absolutely destroyed Georgia between the hedges. I think Georgia is pretty lousy, but it's hard to walk into Athens and drag the home team behind the woodshed. The Vols may have lost to the Gators, but it was by a single point, while Texas got thoroughly dominated by Ohio St. Talk about a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated! The fact remains that they dominated a pair of quality teams, with 4 of their wins coming against BCS programs, while Texas has only beaten a pair (Iowa St. and Oklahoma). Maybe Texas is the better team, but they haven't proven it yet. The SEC will continue to be pretty tough, and Tennessee may take a couple of hits, but they'll definitely hit back.

#8 California

Walter: If you can't tell, I am of the belief that if the Vols and Bears played again right now, Cal would run Tennessee off the field.....even if that field was Neyland Stadium. California's offense may be the fastest in the nation, and Nate Longshore seems to have developed a near psychic connection with WR Desean Jackson that is rivaled only by the Henne-Manningham combination. What might take this team to the next level (a Pac-10 title), though, is its defense. Daymeoin Hughes continues to outproduce his own talent, and the rest of the Bears D takes its cues from him. This overachieving unit would give the Bears a chance to win every week, even if they weren't consistently scoring 40+ points. The fact that they are means that the defense gives them a chance at a blowout every week. I don't see the Bears losing the rest of the year, including the bowl game. A final #2 ranking is not out of the question.

Frazier - Wow, my esteemed co-blogger is back on the bandwagon! The Bears have looked excellent recently, although I fail to see how destroying an overrated Oregon team at home is better than destroying an overrated Georgia team on the road. Maybe this team is the one we expected to see at the beginning of the year, and maybe it's not. I still don't trust them. They beat an underachieving Minnesota team, a terrible Arizona St. team, Portland St. (enough said) the terrible Beavers and overrated Ducks. As I said, that doesn't really give me a lot to go on. I think it's a little too early to crown them anything.

This is what my esteemed co-blogger looks like when discussing

the Bears. Although he is delicious with butter and maple syrup.

#9 Texas

Walter: The Longhorns seem destined for an 11-1 record after beating up on the Sooners this past weekend, but I am at least one fan hoping they don't get even a sniff of the national title game. Texas' schedule and conference are a joke, and they proved earlier this year that they don't belong in the same stadium as Ohio State. I must say, though, that I am impressed with the development of Colt McCoy. He has a little Major Applewhite in him, and that is just about the greatest compliment I can give a Texas QB. The Longhorns all of a sudden look like a near lock to open the 2007 season as #1.

Frazier - Texas looked very good against an Oklahoma team that, frankly, hasn't. Remember, the Sooners barely escaped UAB in the opener. Their best win of the year may be at home against Washington, and both they and Oregon look overrated now. So what does Texas win tell us? I don't know. The Big 12 is looking pretty small these days. A trip to Nebraska might look difficult, but I have visions of the Trojans dismantling the Huskers dancing in my head. So maybe they'll have a sterling record heading into their bowl game, where a one-loss team from a legit conference knocks their heads off. Awesome.

#10 Clemson

Walter: The best of the rest. How good is Clemson really? Well, we don't know, and we have the ACC to blame. The Conference has been an absolute joke, and it has totally been put to shame by the previous BCS whipping boy, the Big East. Three, possibly four, Big East teams would currently be dominating the ACC (Louisville, West Virginia, Rutgers, and possibly Pitt), so I think it's time we stop with the griping about the Big East getting an automatic BCS bid. That said, the mediocrity of the ACC notwithstanding, Clemson is an incredibly talented team that is one questionable non-interception call at BC (I was there, I saw it) away from being undefeated and ranked in the top 5. They actually seem to be deserving of this spot, and they seem the best bet to break the curse of the 323 #10 spot with a game against Temple this week.....let's just hope the Tigers don't suffer an injuries, I couldn't live with myself if we cost them ANOTHER starter.

Frazier - Ugh. Look, I don't love the Tigers, in fact, I think they may actually stink, it's hard to say. But they have some talent, a good record, and I can't even consider the other Tigers (Auburn, LSU) for the way they stunk out the joint Saturday. So the best team in the ACC gets the nod, and an automatic victory over Temple for their efforts. Now, everyone say a prayer for your ACL's this week. If someone gets injured we're skipping #10 and replacing it with #11 for the rest of the year. I can't live with this on my conscience.