“If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience? “
To be fair, George Bernard Shaw died way before college football became what it is today. Only two weeks into the season and we have already seen the fall of five more teams from the ranks of greatness. Each team finding themselves suffering the same fate and falling under same circumstances. With the arrival of another week, we turn our eyes to the possibilities that lie within the heart of college football. Here is this week’s Top 25:
1. Alabama
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #1
Rolling to another win, the Crimson Tide seemed to have no real problems manhandling Western Kentucky on Saturday. Shutting out the Hilltoppers 35-0, quarterback AJ McCarron looked good, putting up four touchdowns over the course of the game on 14 of 19 passing for 219 yards. The only downside for Alabama was the relative absence of the run game which only rushed for 133 yards as a team (that isn’t counting the -38 McCarron had), the lowest total since last year’s 9-6 overtime loss to LSU. The Crimson Tide have their second big challenge of the young season this week as they travel to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. Tough defensive play will be the key to take down a team that will be looking to bounce back from one of the hardest hitting loses in the BCS era. Alabama can’t overlook Arkansas if they want to make a run for the national title.
2. USC
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #2
The Orangemen played a feisty game, but quarterback Matt Barkley was ultimately too much, leading to the Trojan’s 42-29 win in East Rutherford. Although Syracuse had USC on the ropes after a 14 point third quarter that put the game within six, the Trojans answered back with 14 of their own at the start of the fourth that helped extend the gap. Barkley threw for six touchdowns despite only having 187 yards passing. USC will have another tough road game this week with a trip to Stanford. USC has lost the last three games in the series with the Cardinals, including an epic overtime game last year. A test for the potential national champs, the Trojans will have the advantage of not seeing former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck on the field, a key reason why they lost to Stanford in 2011.
3. LSU
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #3
2-0 on the season and 3-0 in the series, LSU cruised past Washington 41-3 in Death Valley on the backs of an improved offense and dominate defense. The Bayou Bengals held up-and-coming quarterback Keith Price to a mere 157 yards passing, intercepting him once, while at the same time keeping the Huskies to a pitiful 26 yards rushing on 24 carries. Offense wasn’t an issue for the Tigers luckily. LSU running-back Alfred Blue rushed for his second 100 yard game in a row while quarterback Zach Mettenberger had a consistent 190 yard passing day. While LSU has played strong the first two weeks, they find themselves with their most difficult and dangerous game to date as Death Valley will be invaded by the Mighty Vandals of Idaho this weekend. Could this be the end of the title hopes for Coach Miles? It would be awesome for this writer if it was, but LSU will probably win by 40 points and move on to 3-0.
4. Oregon
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #4
Running-backs Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas are an incredible duo. In Oregon’s 42-25 romp of Fresno State, the tandem combined for 303 yards and five touchdowns to give the Ducks all the punch they needed to get by the Bulldogs. Barner’s 201 yards actually ended up being more yards than the entire Fresno State team combined. While the Ducks did have three lost fumbles, for the most part they played pretty consistent ball even late in the game when starters were being benched. Oregon hasn’t really been changed so far in 2012 and that won’t change with a game against Tennessee Tech. In fact, it might be weeks till Oregon actually has competition on their level.
5. Oklahoma
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #5
Those who were worried about Oklahoma following their close call with UTEP didn’t have much to be concerned about this past weekend. The Sooners knocked Florida A&M around in only a way that a elite team trying to make a statement could, winning 69-13 in Norman. Running-back Damien Williams ripped the Rattler defense, rushing for 156 yards and recording four touchdowns. The Sooners will get the benefit of a week off now to prepare for their match-up with Kansas State on the 22nd. The game against K-State is the first of two games against Top 25 opponents in the next three games for the Sooners. A gut-check time for Oklahoma, the results of these games will determine whether or not a title shot is in Bob Stoop’s future.
6. Georgia
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #6
Just when Missouri thought that their debut in the SEC was going to start in a big way, Georgia decided to crash their party. After falling behind the Tigers 17-9 early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs battled back to score 32 of the game’s final 35 points. Quarterback Aaron Murray threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns while Georgia as a team rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns. A big reason for Georgia’s 41-20 win over Missouri was the defensive play of the Bulldogs down the stretch, forcing a fumble and an interception to keep the Tigers from finding any consistency. Georgia should have no problem handling Florida Atlantic and will finally have a chance to work out a few of the kinks that have been dealing with over the opening weeks.
7. Florida State
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #7
Savannah State deserves some kind of award or some type of fruit basket for all the pain they have had to endure. After getting destroyed 84-0 against Oklahoma State, they walked into an identical situation against Florida State. The Seminoles came to play, scoring 35 points in the first quarter of the game. FSU quarterback EJ Manuel had a reasonably good game, throwing for 161 yards and three touchdowns (all of which came in the first quarter) on 11 of 13 passing. Mother Nature took notice and decided that she would have mercy on the Tigers as the game was called due to poor weather conditions when the game was 55-0. FSU will get to take on Wake Forrest in a battle of ACC unbeatens. Florida State is 8-4 all time against the Demon Deacons, but has lost three of their last five match-ups.
8. South Carolina
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #9
During South Carolina’s season opener versus Vanderbilt, quarterback Connor Shaw went down with an arm injury that could have long term effects on his season. Playing a position on the field where one has to use their arm a lot can be a tough measure when it can’t be lifted. Knocked out for the second week of season, the Gamecocks turned to sophomore back-up Dylan Thompson in their 48-10 victory against East Carolina. Thompson had a stellar game, passing for 330 yards and three touchdowns in his first start. The Gamecocks needed this fire-power in a bad way as they saw running-back Marcus Lattimore have a lack luster 40 yards and one touchdown. Getting out of this game alive with a legitimate replacement for Shaw was what South Carolina needed. A game against UAB should help Thompson continue to progress as a starter if Shaw isn’t available to go or if he is kept out for a week to get healthy.
9. West Virginia
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #10
A week away from the light, the Mountaineers return to take on James Madison in Landover. Quarterback Geno Smith looked great in his opening week and should have a huge game against JMU. WVU has put up at least 500 yards of total offense in three straight games, which included a win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl last year. The pace has already been set for Smith, now he just needs to maintain it. Expect him to have a stat line of 350+ yards and at least four touchdowns in this game. WVU is only two games away from its Big 12 debut, so now is the best time to get everything ready for what will easily be their toughest conference schedule in years.
10. Michigan State
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #12
Following a difficult and hard fought game against Boise State, the Spartans found themselves with an enjoyable and easy going trip to Mount Pleasant last weekend where they beat Central Michigan 41-7 to move to 2-0. Quarterback Andrew Maxwell looked more comfortable in his second game as a starter, throwing for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Week 1 MVP running-back Le’Von Bell had a modest week, rushing for 70 yards and two touchdowns. A cake walk for MSU, the Spartans will have a big test in front of their home crowd in East Lansing this weekend. Notre Dame has been playing above expectations in this early season and can’t be overlooked for a second. MSU is 28-42-1 all-time against Notre Dame and have lost two of the last three games against them.
11. TCU
-2012 Record: 1-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #15
The Horned Frogs came close on Saturday to being the personification of perfection in their 56-0 season opening blow-out of Grambling State. Quarterbacks Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin combined threw for 276 yards and four touchdowns on 17 of 17 passing. The offensive scoring didn’t end there as TCU hit the ground running in a big way as the team rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns. The Horned Frogs also got some support from its defense and special teams as both units scored, one on a 28 yard interception return by Elisha Olabode and a 70 yard punt return by Deante’ Gray. TCU makes its Big 12 debut this weekend in a game that should be easily winnable against Kansas. TCU leads the all-time series against the Jayhawks at 16-8-4, but have lost three straight with their last match-up in 1997.
12. Clemson
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #16
Quarterback Tajh Boyd and wide-out DeAndre Hopkins were an unstoppable force in Clemson’s 52-27 win over Ball State in Memorial Stadium. The pair found each other for three touchdowns over the course of the game. Boyd finished the game with 229 yards, 105 of which went to Hopkins. Those two weren’t the only ones doing work for the Tigers. Running-backs Roderick McDowell and Andre Ellington combined for 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns, giving Clemson some versatility in their offensive attack. With Florida State just around the corner, Furman comes to Memorial Stadium in what could turn into a blood bath. Clemson needs to be in top form for the Seminoles, so this game could prove to be a practice of sorts in preparation. Watch for the Tigers to mix it up a bit on all fronts as they refine their game for a potential duel between two Top 10 teams.
13. Texas
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #17
Don’t let the 45-0 shut-out of New Mexico play tricks on the mind, quarterback David Ash and the Longhorns are still a long way away from being back at that elite status. New Mexico has only won four games since 2009, so this game ended as it should have. Ash’s performance was slightly better than the week before with him throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns. It still remains to be seen if he has progressed enough in his play to play ball with the big boys. A road trip to take on quietly undefeated Ole Miss could prove to be difficult if the team underperforms. The Longhorns have a rough set of games coming up with OKST, WVU, and Oklahoma. This game could either start it off right or send it down the wrong track.
14. Virginia Tech
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #18
No surprise upsets here. The Hokies got the job done just like they needed to with a big 42-7 win over Austin Peay. The offensive side of the ball was pretty par for the course for Virginia Tech. Quarterback Logan Thomas turned in another low 200 yard and two touchdown performance for the second game in a row while the team rushed for 187 yards and four touchdowns. The shining point for Va-Tech was the play of their secondary. Nabbing two interceptions, the Hokies held the Governors to just 62 yards passing. Strong defensive play is a huge selling point on this team’s ACC title chances. If they can keep restricting team’s passing offense in such an aggressive manner, they should be able to go a long way. Virginia Tech will take on Pitt in a game that should give them a bit of a push, but not enough of one to truly worry about.
15. Michigan
-2012 Record: 1-1
-Last Week’s Rank: #14
After a humbling loss to Alabama in Week 1, the Wolverines needed a big bounce back to get their mindsets on track. It’s hard to say whether or not their 31-25 win over Air Force actually accomplished that. On the bright side, quarterback Denard Robinson was in peak form, rushing and passing for 200+ yards (third time he has accomplished in a game) while scoring four times. Two of his touchdowns were on 59+ yard runs, making him the fourth player in the FBS this year with runs like this. Robinson’s performance still couldn’t hide the fact that the Wolverines almost dropped to 0-2. Air Force kept the game tight through-out a majority of the game and it never felt like Michigan was going to pull away. Thankfully a late turnover played into Michigan’s favor and they survived. Ann Arbor will play host to UMass this weekend in a game that the Wolverines should win by a large margin before a big game against Notre Dame.
16. Kansas State
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #19
Winning big against a good team in a convincing manner is usually good enough to get people talking, but every now and again something happens that completely overshadows it. That has officially happened to K-State’s 52-13 win over Miami (FL). Nobody really cares about quarterback Collin Klein’s four touchdowns or the nasty rush defense that held the Hurricanes to a measly 40 yards. This game is being summarized by one of the worst attempts at a score in recent memory. Up 24-3, K-State attempted a behind the back shuffle pass on third down that not only didn’t work, but turned into a fumble and a loss of around 10 yards. Its plays like this which prevent us from having nice things. Luckily it didn’t hurt them in the grand scheme of things and they were able to get by pretty effortlessly. North Texas comes to town this weekend, so expect Klein to have another big game and the Wildcats to roll into a huge match-up with Oklahoma with a bit of momentum.
17. Florida
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #21
It was a tough weekend for the new additions for the SEC. While Georgia was pulling away from Missouri, Florida was battling tooth and nail with Texas A&M in College Station. The 20-17 win for the Gators was mostly a byproduct of very good defensive play. Neither team really allowed the other to gain a substantial amount of ground or accomplish much offensively. Quarterback Jeff Driskel continues to be unimpressive. He might be a sophomore and still in development, but there really hasn’t been anything there that is convincing enough to warrant a starting position. Tennessee should provide Florida with a ton of problems on both sides of the ball. The Gators will rely heavily on their defense in this game as the offense has yet to prove it can do anything scoring wise. To Florida’s credit, they haven’t lost to Tennessee since 2004.
18. Louisville
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #22
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the Cardinals are looking better with every week. Their 35-7 win over Missouri State kept them as one of three undefeated teams in the Big East and puts them in a great position in the long term. Bridgewater’s progression as a starter is comforting for Louisville as they saw him throw for 344 yards and two touchdowns on 30 of 39 passing. The defense also shined again for Coach Strong, allowing only 249 yards on the day. Overall, Louisville benefits heavily from a weak schedule and gets to gain a bit of credibility in the national aspect this weekend against North Carolina. UNC might be under sanctions, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous. The Cardinals need to play strong to keep themselves in the hunt for the Big East title.
19. Stanford
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #23
The Cardinals didn’t need any “luck” to get past the Blue Devils in Stanford this last weekend. The 50-13 win was the byproduct of strong all-around play from all sides of the ball. The defense and special teams were the biggest driving force of the team, which recorded four turnovers (including a 71-yard interception for a touchdown). Along with that, the defense managed to hold Duke to a lonesome 27 yards rushing and the special teams added to the score by returning a punt 76 yards for a touchdown and knocking in a few field goals. This week is going to be a whole new challenge for the Cardinals with USC coming to town. This team is just not equipped to handle a team of that caliber at this point. They proved they can put up points, but it was against a team that is 12-26 over the last three seasons.
20. BYU
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: #25
Looking as sharp as ever, the Cougars hit the ground running and routed Weber State 45-13 last Saturday to move the team to 2-0. As a team, BYU used ten players to rush for 225 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries. Quarterback Riley Nelson added to the diversity of the Cougar’s offensive attack by adding 244 yards and a touchdown while back-up James Lark provided an additional 45 yards passing and a touchdown (he also had one rushing touchdown). This week is a huge match-up for BYU as they take on in-state rival Utah in “The Holy War”. One of the biggest games in Utah, BYU has struggled over the course of the last 12 games in the series, going 5-7 over that time frame. They have fallen in this annual meeting two years in a row and this might be their best chance to end that streak. Utah isn’t as strong as they have been in the past seasons. BYU needs to jump out on the Utes as soon as possible to keep this game from being tight.
21. UCLA
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: NR
Surprising most who believe that the mediocrity of the Bruins was going to reach its third year in a row, Coach Jim Mora has turned UCLA around. Following a good win over Rice in Week 1, the Bruins followed it up with a hard fought 36-30 upset of Nebraska to push them into the Top 25. For a team that has only recorded five winning seasons since 2000, the win couldn’t have been better. The Bruins posted 653 total offensive yards on the Huskers, the most Nebraska’s defense had allowed in 661 games, only being topped by the 656 allowed in 1956 to the Sooners. On the flip side, this is the second game in a row that UCLA has gained more than 600 yards on offense. The Bruins are a dangerous team right now and could be on tap for a successful season. Looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2009, UCLA will host 0-2 Houston.
22. Notre Dame
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: NR
Off to their best start since 2008, the Fighting Irish didn’t look like the team that dropped 50 points on Navy in Week 1. Struggles were persistent during Notre Dame’s 20-17 win over Purdue on Saturday as the Boilermakers hung around till the final moments of the game. Kicker Kyle Brindza put in the game winning field goal from 27 yards for the Irish as the final seconds ran off the clock. Was this game just a bump in the road for the Irish? Did Purdue play better than expected? Are there holes in this team that we didn’t see before? A majority of these questions are going to be answered in the next weeks as Notre Dame’s schedule gets tougher. A trip to East Lansing is on tap this weekend to take on Michigan State in their first big game of the season. The Irish haven’t won on the road against the Spartans since 2006.
23. Tennessee
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: NR
Volunteer fans might be experiencing a bit of déjà vu right now which might be a bit concerning. For the second straight year, Tennessee is off to a 2-0 after two very convincing wins. Quarterback Tyler Bray has been huge for this team, recording 643 yards and six touchdowns (four of which came in their 51-13 win over Georgia State last weekend) over the first two games and is already 32% of the total yards he had last season. It is still to be seen if this team is a legitimate contender in the SEC or if they will be another flash in the pan getting hype for a good start. In 2011, Tennessee fell from the sky after their quick start. They went 3-7 to finish the season, including dropping four straight games in a row. Hosting the Gators will give them a chance to prove that 2012 isn’t just a replay of last year. The schedule doesn’t get easier either from here on out, with three games against Top 25 teams on their way.
24. Arizona
-2012 Record: 2-0
-Last Week’s Rank: NR
For at least a week, the Wildcats get the honor of making this list after bringing down the hammer on Oklahoma State 59-38 in Tucson. Out-shooting OKST isn’t an easy thing to do, but Arizona did it successfully. After falling behind 14-0 in the first, the Wildcats scored 30 unanswered points through the course of the first half and part of the third. Once the Cowboys did start scoring again, Arizona didn’t let up, only allowing the lead to get within as few as two points, but never losing the lead. Although they managed to knock a Top 25 team off the list, this is a team that has the potential to fall off after a short amount of time. They host South Carolina State this week, which should keep them in the Top 25 as they will move to 3-0. It’s a mystery after that as road games at Oregon and Stanford are coming up.
25. Nebraska
-2012 Record: 1-1
-Last Week’s Rank: #13
With Arkansas, Wisconsin and Oklahoma State all falling off this list, how does Nebraska not receive the same fate? Out of all the ranked teams that got beaten last weekend, Nebraska’s loss to UCLA was the least surprising. Theoretically, if UCLA hadn’t been struggling as a program over the last few seasons, they probably would have been a ranked opponent. The Blackshirts got lit up to a near school record breaking level and it was such an out of character sight that it through a lot of people for a loop. Thankfully for Nebraska, a pair of cupcake games against Arkansas State and Idaho State should be enough time to get their defense back in check before a struggling Wisconsin at home.
ON WATCH: Mississippi State, Oregon State & Baylor
DROPPED: Arkansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State & Washington
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