It was a great day to watch games on Saturday and as expected there was some movement in this weeks poll.
Major Movement - Georgia and VA Tech were the big movers going down with big losses. I'll address LSU in a bit, but VA Tech showed how average they are and further shows how pre-season hype can bloat a teams standings in the polls. After their win against ECU I thought the Hokies were going to have a tough time with LSU. In the pre-season I felt that if VA Tech was going to be in the hunt beating LSU was a must. NOT HAPPENING! They were absolutely crushed and they never knew what hit them. Georgia on the other hand was stung buy this new coach for South Carolina who suddenly wants to play defense. It looked like Steve Spurrier but I'm not sure it was him as this game was ALL defense.
Georgia Tech had some movement going up with their crazy win against Samford, as did aforementioned South Carolina. Oregon obviously gets the big jump with a very solid win against Michigan. I realize that Michigan is a lost cause for the season but the Ducks went into the Big House and just throttled Michigan. Dennis Dixon's not one, but two statue of liberty plays were ballsy to say the least and it showed that they would not be intimidated playing in that tough environment.
Questions, Questions - West Virginia's defense was not really as dominant as we have come to expect, they could easily get tripped up if they continue to play like they did in the first half against Marshall and after seeing Cincinnati smack around Oregon St. and South Florida take it to Auburn the Big East is starting to get some recognition. Wisconsin had a very disappointing performance against UNLV, as did Ohio State against Akron. Louisville was in a heck of a shoot out against Middle Tennessee and they could get bit just like WVU can if they don't put some of these lesser teams away sooner.
Nebraska has me scratching my head unless Bill Callahan is playing possum like some think USC did against Idaho But Keller isn't impressing me after that performance. I have no doubt that Nebraska will be up for this game at home so I am not discounting them yet. Then there is ucla, they did a great job at keeping BYU out of it in the first half but the let them back in it in the second half and were it not for some BYU mistakes and the solid play of Bruce Davis I could see Dorrell give this one back. The jury is still out on this team as they have the talent but the coaching is the millstone around their neck.
The Top Teams - USC had a bye week as they prepare for Nebraska. As I noted yesterday Texas was a bit of Jekyll and Hyde against TCU but they slammed the door shut in the 2nd half and won convincingly. Oklahoma had their way with Miami, a team that still has some talent but one that is clearly rebuilding, as the made a strong statement that they are back in it. Florida routed Troy but come on its like Troy shouldn't they drill them at the Swamp?
That brings us to LSU, it has been noted stated that that the ferocious style of play that they threw at VA Tech clearly shows them to be the best team out there right now. I will admit that The Hokies have garnered a lot of sympathy after the shootings in April and some thought that they would ride that wave of emotion to solid season but the fact is the are a very average team with a less than average QB so we shouldn't really be surprised that LSU hammered them AT HOME. They very well may get through the season unscathed but until they beat Florida, Georgia or Alabama I am sticking with what my friend Peter Bean always says "dinged Les Miles points" ...simply priceless.
New Entries - We already talked about Oregon and South Carolina but Washington breaks into my poll this week with an impressive win against Boise St. effectively ending their winning streak. Jake Locker is really going to be fun to watch,