The Tennessee Volunteers have opened as three point favorites over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

It’s somewhat of a surprise, considering the product that the Vols have put on the field the past couple of weeks. But they are coming off a bye week and playing at home. That matters in the eyes of Vegas.

South Carolina blew out the Arkansas Razorbacks yesterday, 48-22. They’ve been up and down with wins over N.C. State and Arkansas, coupled with losses to Texas A&M and Kentucky. They probably should have lost to Louisiana Tech, however.

What are we going to see out of Tennessee? I don’t have high hopes. Butch Jones lost to this very team in a (somewhat) similar spot last year off of a bye. I don’t buy that Tennessee’s offensive issues will be solved by Saturday.

This line feels odd, right?

They say it’s easy to have a good plan until you get hit – I guess the football equivalent of that is that it’s easy to feel confident until you lose a game. Michigan played around in September, relying on comeback performances in the second half of games to pull out respectable (enough) wins. But that formula was only going to work for so long, and it finally bit the Wolverines on Saturday.

Now, the AP and Coaches Polls have had their say. Michigan dropped ten slots to #17 in the AP Poll, and dropped nine slots to #16 in the Coaches Poll as well.

Welcome to 2017.

Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images

It’s hard to say the Wolverines don’t deserve this – in fact, Michigan fans could see the writing on the wall throughout the season leading up to this point. We’ll see if a punch to the face is what this team needs to tighten their focus and their pride and start winning on both sides of the ball.

Following a decisive victory over Louisville on Thursday night, NC State moved up four spots in both the AP and Coaches polls. (They always tend to mirror each other, probably since half of the coaches in the coaches poll have graduate assistants submitting ballots for them.)

If NC State takes care of these next two weeks, I don’t think there’s any question that State will be ranked in the top 15 when it welcomes Clemson to town on Nov. 4. THAT would be fun, wouldn’t it. But I guess it’s probably best not to get too far ahead of myself here.

The Wolfpack will be a heavy favorite at Pitt and Notre Dame is legit and will be playing at home. But we can approach these bridges when we arrive at them. (Wait I think I messed up that cliche.)

For now we can just enjoy things, with no pressure, and also did you guys see where UNC is 1-5.

• I don’t know if Kendall Hinton should start, but it’s irritatingly enough of a question that I’m not sure. Hinton was 14/30 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, with no picks and 92 yards rushing including a nice 37 yard scramble. It was a pretty darn good performance against quite probably the best defense we’ll play all season.
• Speaking of defense, our defense had a rather admirable showing. After back to back touchdowns to start the game, Clemson didn’t score again until the third quarter. If our offense had been able to keep up, this game could have been very interesting. The defense was pretty darn stout, and we were +2 in turnover margin, which is always nice to see.
• I really hope Kelly Bryant isn’t too badly hurt. I never like to see anyone go down, especially not a player as fun to watch as Kelly Bryant,
• I feel for Mike Weaver. Shame they couldn’t review that field goal attempt. That is absolutely something that should be reviewable.
• I don’t want to put all of our scoring woes on the offense. Some off it is honestly the fact that Clemson’s defense is just that good. None of our receivers could get any space all day, and the Clemson front 7 is as nasty as any in the nation. Some people might say Greg Dortch disappeared, but seriously, the guy was covered all day ass well as anyone could possibly be covered.
• I still have faith we can make a bowl. I think we CAN beat anyone left on our schedule, with Duke and Syracuse being the most likely opportunities to pick it up. But I wouldn’t even call Georgia Tech a prohibitive favorite next week. A favorite, absolutely, but not a prohibitive one.
• I’m glad our bye week is now. It will give our defense a chance to prepare for the option attack of Georgia Tech, and hopefully some of our banged up players will get a chance to get healthy and ready to go. I’m almost looking at this bye week as a soft reset of the season, and I hope our team does too. The first half of the season was pretty much everything that could be expected, so let’s see if, for a change of pace, we can finish out the season strong as opposed to limping our way home.
• People might think both of our touchdowns were inconsequential because they were against the reserves of Clemson, but honestly, the reserves of Clemson are going to be as good as a lot of the first stringers on other teams. We’ll see what happens, but I’m certainly not writing off the season by any means.

Did I miss anything? Talk to me in the comment section. Hopefully next week will be back to your regularly scheduled 4U4D programming.. On to the next. Go Deacs.

—-SF

Beaver Nation is disappointed. No question, the term “disappointed” is a major understatement of how the Oregon State community feels after the first three games of the season. Coach Andersen has put it out there that nobody is more frustrated than himself. I hope this is true. Not because I wish for Coach Andersen to suffer complications due to a season-long period of extremely elevated blood pressure, but because he might get desperate enough to make some changes.

Coach Andersen needs to re-evaluate his approach to the game. Go back to the very beginning and challenge every assumption he’s made going back from the off-season until now. It is pretty clear that the assumptions and the approach he has been working with are failing him.

Malcom Gladwell, the famed economist and and author, wrote a book about underdogs titled David and Goliath. One anecdote that Gladwell used to describe how underdogs can be successful is a story about a girls basketball team in the Bay Area. The savvy coach, recognized that his team wasn’t the tallest or most skilled, so he implemented an incessant and harassing full court press. This hid the fact that other teams should have been far superior due to better talent and years more of experience and practice. This brand of basketball wasn’t traditional or pretty, but the team overachieved and won a bunch of games they shouldn’t have.

There is no question that Oregon State struggles to attract blue chip recruits. The state as a whole shares this burden. The Portland Trail Blazers are notorious for failing to land big-name free agents, and that’s the big city. The schmucks (Oregon) found a way to differentiate themselves through the use of Nike’s branding team – but even the schmucks had to alter their approach at times in order to stay relevant. For all his quirks, former Coach Chip Kelly often changed his team’s playing style and went against the status quo. Going for it on fourth down? Commentators loved to call Coach Kelly an idiot if it failed, but there is a bunch of data that supports the aggressive approach of going for it. It was different, exciting to watch, and ultimately (to my dismay) successful for the schmucks.

For all the lack of perceived talent on this Oregon State team, it simply is not an excuse for the uninspired play that fans have had to endure. Coach Andersen has many players that would be starters on other PAC-12 teams. The question then essentially becomes, “so why do we suck so bad?”

Coach McGiven stated earlier this week that the schemes are more-or-less okay, it’s a matter of missed assignments.

In other words, maintaining the mentality that after a million, “if we had only made the block”-esqe assessments, there is a deeper root issue that needs to be addressed: how about implementing a game plan and calling plays that are more forgiving of a missed assignment?

The spread offense developed largely at schools that struggled to have the strongest and most powerful teams. Instead of struggling to beat the big-dog teams with the best talent and athletes, the spread offense changed the approach to create different angles and spaces that might provide better opportunity to a disadvantaged team. In other words, the spread originated as an attempt at changing the playing field and being more forgiving to less talented teams.

Let’s be clear, I’m not advocating for Coach Andersen to roll out a new offense on Saturday. I am simply pointing out the obvious that drastic changes are needed to level the playing field. Same goes for the defense. I don’t expect Coach Clune to change to a 4-3 against WSU – especially given their Air Raid offense – but I am looking for a drastic change in defensive calls. A tweak here or there is not enough. Through three games, the Beavers have zero sacks and Oregon State ranks 128th out of 130 teams nationally in scoring defense. Maybe it’s time to re-think the three man rush and call safety blitzes every other down.

Coach Andersen needs to take a step back and realize that minor tweaks will not placate a fan base that may have already given up on the season. People are looking for dramatic change in all aspects of the game. How the offense is run (like actually running Ryan Nall more than seven times), to how the defense runs (like running after the opposing QB for a sack rather than running after opposing players headed to the end zone). I’d be happy to lose to Washington State if the Beaver offense tries to run the ball with their plethora of talented running backs 80% of the time (serving the dual purpose of putting the ball in the hands of our most talented position group as well as potentially shortening the duration our defense has to stay on the field). I also wouldn’t be opposed to shorter, quick passes being executed.

I like Coach Andersen as a person and a leader of the Oregon State football team. That being said, I’ve been disappointed with his ability to execute game plans, make in-game adjustments, and get the most out of his players. There’s still time to turn things around this season. It starts with accepting that this team is more than just a few plays away from being successful. Big fundamental changes are needed. The worst that can happen is that we lose in a different way.

After rumors and speculation of a potential injury to Jordan Jones ran for 24 hours, Coach Stoops first question answered what is on everyone’s mind:

“Yeah, Jordan won’t play this week. He is out this week and we’ll see.”

Stoops went into detail with the bottom line being that Jones will be week to week with an undisclosed shoulder injury. Eli Brown will start in his place at the Will linebacker position.

“Eli has played well,” Stoops said. “I was really looking forward to seeing him get more reps this past Saturday, but when he made that foolish penalty, it kind of aggravated us. He’s been playing good. He’s really had a solid camp, so I’m looking forward to seeing him play. I’m sure he’ll be excited and he’s going to play a bunch of snaps and he’ll have to play well for us.”

Kentucky will also be using Jamar Boogie Watson more with Jones sidelined. Watson has rarely seen the field, but Stoops is confident the redshirt freshman can make an impact.

“We have a lot of confidence in him,” said Stoops. “He’s a guy who can play multiple positions. We’ve been working on him learning linebacker and defensive end in some predictable pass and 3rd-down packages. He can do many things.”

Beyond Jones being out, no other major injuries will hamper the Cats going to Columbia.

Kentucky has one more practice Friday before travelling to their first SEC game of the year against the Gamecocks. The Cats have owned USC the last 3 years, looking to extend the streak to 4. While both teams have the same record, UK is the underdog.

The prognosticators are leaning heavy on South Carolina. With UK not looking like world beaters the first two weeks, USC has won both of its games on the road. Their wins however may be deceiving.

The Gamecocks were outgained in total yards in both contests, won the turnover battle, had short fields for easy touchdowns, and had a kickoff return for a touchdown. If the Cats can limit turnovers and correctly cover kicks, this gives them a fighting chance.

Having won with a very young team in Columbia two years ago, the Cats will be bringing some experience with them. Denzil Ware, as a freshman, returned a fumble off of a 2 point conversion 97 yards. Chris Westry, also a freshman, had an interception on USC’s last gasp drive. That experience should carry over.

This may be the tone setter for the rest of the season. If Kentucky goes down and wins, the potential for a special season will be within its grasp. If they lose then the Florida game becomes that much more important.

USC will be ready with a sold out crowd, a “blackout” for the fans, and the most annoying chicken call coming from the loudspeakers. The majority of analysts say the Gamecocks will own UK. I say they’ve got another thing coming. Give me Cats 27, Gamecocks 17.

Let’s keep this train running.

This is the first installment of Pick-Six, a weekly rundown of notes about UCLA football and its upcoming matchup.

1) Rosen Watch has officially begun. So far, the junior quarterback hasn’t disappointed, compiling 820 passing yards and nine touchdowns across two games.

If he continues this torrid stretch, he will easily surpass Brett Hundley’s record for most passing yards in a season. The now-Green Bay Packers quarterback accrued 3,740 yards in 2012 to set the record.

Rosen, should he average 410 yards per game like he has, would set the record Nov. 11 against Arizona State. Sure, he’s not likely to garner that many yards every game, but he doesn’t have to. All he has to do is average about 293 yards per game for the rest of the regular season to capture the record.

If he does so, it would truly be a special year for projected first-round draft pick.

2) While the aerial attack has always been dangerous with Rosen in the pocket, the running game has been nearly nonexistent for much of the past two seasons. But after the Bruins accumulated 132 yards on the ground last week against Hawai’i, they could rush for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time in more than a year.

Junior Bolu Olorunfunmi and sophomore Jordan Starks were the only players to receive carries in both games thanks the absences of Nate Starks and Soso Jamabo. But Nate Starks is back and Jamabo could return, though his status is still up in the air.

Memphis’ run defense acts as more of a sieve than a brick wall, allowing opponents to exploit holes frequently throughout games. The Tigers allowed 100 rushing yards or more in 11 of their 13 games last year.

They surrendered 200.1 rushing yards per game last season, ranking 85th in the nation. Thus, while Rosen will be slinging tons of passes, the Bruins could have a chance to make their running game respectable again.

3) Memphis coach Mike Norvell isn’t new to the Pac-12 scene. Prior to joining the Tigers, he was the offensive coordinator at Arizona State, shredding defenses apart, as we mentioned Wednesday.

In three of his four years in Arizona, his teams ranked in the top 20 in points per game – from 2012-2014 – with 38.4, 39.7 and 36.4, respectively. In his first year at the helm for Memphis, his team averaged 38.8 points, boasting yet another daunting offense.

Not only that, but each time he’s faced off against the Bruins, his offense compiled hundreds of yards.

The Tigers averaged 304.4 total yards per game, ranking 15th in the country, so UCLA’s defense will probably need to step up on the road this weekend after a lackluster showing against Hawai’i.

4) Senior linebacker Kenny Young is undergoing a concussion protocol after being on the bad end of an egregious hit by Hawai’i tight end Metuisela ‘Unga, so he will likely be out against Memphis.

Young spoke out at Pac-12 Media Day about the danger of concussions. Sadly, he’s become a victim now.

Fellow linebacker Josh Woods will be on the sidelines for at least one half thanks to a targeting penalty last weekend. This leaves the linebacker position pretty shallow against an above-average running team.

Linebackers Brandon Burton, Krys Barnes, Leni Toailoa and Lokeni Toailoa should all earn more playing time due to the absences.

5) We discussed how good Memphis’ offense is, briefly mentioning wide receiver Anthony Miller. But just how good is he?

News flash, he’s really good.

The Memphis native broke essentially every one of the team’s single-season receiving records last year. And the previous record holder for catches and yards in a season has some pedigree – former NFL star receiver Isaac Bruce.

Miller’s line last season: 95 catches, 1,434 yards, 14 touchdowns. He also had 15 receptions in one game against Houston, which set another school record.

The Tigers’ offense focuses primarily on the ground, but Miller is obviously someone to keep an eye on for the Bruins’ defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.

6) UCLA owns a 7-7 record against teams currently in the American Athletic Conference dating back to 1937 – yes, you read that correctly. Most of the bouts were against Houston and SMU, although it matched up against Temple and Memphis once apiece as well.

The one time the Bruins took on the Tigers was in 2014, when Brett Hundley and Paxton Lynch squared off in an offensive shootout. UCLA claimed the victory 42-35 at the Rose Bowl thanks to a Thomas Duarte touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bruins’ defense kept the Tigers off the board for the remaining 10-and-a-half minutes of the game.

Paul Perkins pitched in 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Hundley finished with 422 total yards, three passing touchdowns and an interception. Lynch amassed 332 total yards with both a rushing and passing touchdown.

7) Extra Point! – this will tend to be a quirky or random fact about either UCLA or their opponent.

Coach Jim Mora is pretty good in whatever turns out to be his team’s third game of the season. As a head coach, both in college and the NFL, he’s posted a 7-1 record in those games. And that one loss didn’t come since he’s been in Westwood.

So if you’re a believer in superstitions, then UCLA has a good chance of coming out on top against Memphis.

Few outside of Oklahoma would’ve expected that the Oklahoma Sooners would leave Columbus last weekend with a mammoth victory in hand, let alone such a resounding one. Outside of the exemplary road performance from Baker Mayfield — a side of him fans have come to know quite well in these types of settings over the years — a few more unlikely names proved to be just as clutch on the big stage. Leading the way was none other than do-it-all fullback/H-Back Dimitri Flowers.

Stepping up in the right place, at the right time, for No. 1 option Mark Andrews after the Sooners lost the star tight end to a leg injury early on, the senior wasted little time in putting on a clinic in versatility and stealth-like efficiency from literally all over the field. Flowers, a natural blocker in the run game surprisingly led the Sooners in rushing in the absence of Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine in Ames a season ago (22 carries, 115 yards), and somehow on Sept. 9 he added a team-high in receiving to his growing resume, as well. In his biggest performance to date, the dynamic Flowers went for seven catches and 98 yards including a dazzling 36-yard gallop in the open field for OU’s first touchdown of the night.

We knew Dimitri’s all-around talents would be part of Oklahoma’s offense coming into the season. But in his biggest moment he comfortably became one of the go-to guys as if he’s tailor made for it.

At 6-2, 247 pounds, the easy-going, unassuming Flowers arrived in Norman three years ago carrying some favorable comparisons to former Sooner fullback Trey Millard, an excellent all-around player in his own right before a leg injury cut his career short in 2013. Fans and media alike got their first look at Flowers’ gifted backfield skill set that was on full display in Ames a year ago, but his play in the open field of Ohio Stadium catching passes with the ease and fluidity of a wideout took his game — and the Oklahoma offense — to another level.

It was a breakout performance that was truly something to behold. Many Sooners stepped up big on the road for Lincoln Riley and Mayfield last weekend, but no one’s impact on the offense was felt more than that of Flowers.

The senior was quite possibly the nation’s most versatile secret weapon coming into the Ohio State game with his ability to run the ball to go with his excellent blocking abilities as a natural fullback. He left Columbus as Oklahoma’s most impressive and possibly most dangerous player outside of its Heisman-contending quarterback.

The Buckeyes had no idea what was about to hit them and they are still probably scheming for how to match up with the multi-talented Flowers. He is one of the most unique football players to date, and I have a distinct suspicion the best is yet to come.

No other player at OU — perhaps anywhere in the country — could’ve replaced the special abilities of Andrews in quite the way Flowers did. North Carolina State H-Back Jaylen Samuels is one similar player who comes to mind. While Samuels has certainly been more productive statistically than Flowers as a consistent focal point of the Wolfpack’s offense the last three seasons, the 5-11, 240-pound senior hasn’t recorded a performance quite like this on this big a stage to date. Additionally, while Samuels is a good blocker, he’s not in the same league as Flowers as far as run blocking is concerned.

As far as overall versatility is concerned, it can be argued that Flowers is tops in the country. Arguments can be made for defensive players such as Florida State’s Derwin James or Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick, but I think it’s safe to say that he currently leads that race on the offensive side of the ball due to his ability to catch, run and block at an elite level as well as his ability to line up in a multitude of locations.

Baker Mayfield may be the most valuable and talented player at Oklahoma — arguably in all of college football — but Flowers could be considered the most impactful with his array of contributions in nearly every facet of the game. As freshmen Trey Sermon and CeeDee Lamb along with the electrifying grad transfer Jeff Badet broke out in their own right on the road last Saturday, Dimitri Flowers was the one who truly made things go.

It’s tantalizing for fans and nightmarish for opposing defenses to imagine what the new-and-improved Flowers can do when Mark Andrews returns. It’s an embarrassment of riches that just keeps getting richer.

There was not a matchup on the field that could slow him down, let alone stop him, on Ohio State’s roster. A player like Flowers illustrates in poetic fashion the true extent of Oklahoma’s quality depth, versatility and outlandish offensive capability — his unique display of power and grace that few could imagine, let alone replicate, seemingly on the fly in primetime.

The senior from San Antonio is one special player. And we as college football fans are truly lucky to see in front of us the unfolding of just how special he can be.

So I guess it’s time for the Anti-Preview. There is far less excitement for fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after last week’s 20-19 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. It’s not like the Irish got destroyed, and the destruction set the fanbase into rage mode – it was a one point loss that sent the Irish fanbase into rage mode.

No one should be hanging their hats on any type of moral victory, but opening up the window on the 28th floor seems unnecessary as well. It sucked, and the fact that Notre Dame has lost so many of these close games in the Kelly era makes the whole thing that much worse.

We need a cookie an energy bar. Perhaps the Irish can give them a shot in the arm on Saturday against the…

BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

Boston College has had their own problems over the past few years. Irish fans can relate as the Eagles have made poor coaching decisions over the past decade that has the program in a mess. While I would always think that a 7 win season with a bowl victory would be good enough for Eagles fans, it actually turns out that this is not the case.

Their fans are tired of the mediocrity – although they would take a mediocre offense over whatever the hell it is that they have been doing. A 34-10 loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons last week is a fair litmus test for what the Eagles will be this year.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?

This game is in Boston(ish), right? So… why don’t we pay a little homage to Boston’s good friend in New York, and make a few classics.

Long Island Iced Tea

Mix ingredients together over ice in a glass. Pour into a shaker and give one brisk shake. Pour back into the glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top.

Garnish with lemon.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE EATING?

There is no need to get complicated this Saturday. At the same time, however, there is no need to be boring. Highlight the best thing you can find with some garnishments. Yes, you can do this with food too.

Lobster Rolls

• 2 lemons, halved
• Sea salt
• 3 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-pound live lobsters
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 6 top-split hot dog buns
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped celery leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Cook your lobsters y’all.

Don’t hate me, boil me.

Roughly chop the lobster meat. Transfer to a bowl and chill 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons melted butter and the juice of the remaining lemon in a large bowl. Add the lobster meat and toss to coat. Season with salt.

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Brush the outside of the hot dog buns with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Toast the buns until slightly golden, about 1 minute per side. Divide the lobster salad among the buns. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with the celery leaves and celery salt.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE WEARING?

Both schools are “Under Armour” schools, so on Saturday… breakout that $253.00 outfit you bought after the win ver the Temple Owls, and tell those Eagles that your AD makes better statistical deals. (That’s all I really got).

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

That’s a hard question. There is nothing really good about this game. For Notre Dame, a win will prove almost nothing, while a loss would be near catastrophic. Quite simply – the Irish have to win this game (and by a fair margin) just to not feel as shitty as they do right now. The best thing? Notre Dame might have the same number of fans in attendance at this game as they did last week?

5 REASONS TO HATE BOSTON COLLEGE

1. 1993. [insert man setting an entire city on fire while drinking the cheapest gin]
2. Doug Flutie (both in the booth and the fact we have to watch that one fucking play over and over again each football season).
3. Mike Mayock, because he still won’t let go of the most unimportant detail from a play 3 years ago and repeats its flaws over and over and over again.
4. 2002. Green puke everywhere.
5. That wicked ugly SUPER FANS shirt.

SHAMROCK STARS

Dexter Williams. By some miracle, Williams will actually be able to carry the football this week, and just trucks the Eagle defense. This of course will only mean that he will be guaranteed to get >2 carries next week against Michigan State, but at least for now, Brian Kelly hears the thunderous mob and appeases its members. #FreeDexterWilliams

Jerry Tillery. Tillery has looked really good this season, and he came close to a few really big plays last week against Georgia. I’m not 100% sure what Boston College is trying to do on offense (and neither do they) but I think Tillery will be a major disruption up front. Think Jarron Jones vs Miami. He’s put in the work, and it’s about to pay off.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

I don’t like the game being moved from NOON to 3:00, but I understand why. At any rate, Notre Dame comes out focused and prepared and looking for blood. Look for a result somewhere in the middle of the Georgia and Temple games. IRISH 38, BC 13.

With so many teams involved in nonconference action, there was plenty of potential for movement with big wins or losses. Instead, most of the teams in action won and we didn’t learn a whole lot about relative strengths of the conference. But rather than dwell on what we could have had, let’s dive into what we know about the conference after just two weeks.

1. #2 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0, Last Week: 1)
Last Week: Won at #2 Ohio State, 31-16

That was a huge win for Oklahoma, and it’s impossible to argue that anyone should have this spot over them. In fact, this win alone pretty much guarantees them the top spot until they lose.

Up Next: vs Tulane (1-1) at 5:00PM

2. #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0, LW: 2)
Last Week: Won at South Alabama, 44-7

A strange road game at South Alabama didn’t prove to be a test for this team at all. This week we’ll get to see how this team will handle itself on the road.

Up Next: @ Pitt (1-1) at 11:00AM on ESPN

3. #20 TCU Horned Frogs (2-0, LW: 6)
Last Week: Won at Arkansas, 28-7

Going in to Arkansas and dominating the game like that was most impressive, and so they get the nod in the 3 spot this week. They are heavily favored against a mediocre SMU squad, and I’m expecting them to show why.

Up Next: vs SMU (2-0) at 2:30PM on ESPNU

4. #18 Kansas State Wildcats (2-0, LW: 3)
Last Week: Won vs Charlotte, 55-7

Another sacrificial lamb for Kansas State. This week should allow us to actually get a sense of what this team is going to be like.

Up Next: @ Vanderbilt (2-0) at 6:30PM on ESPNU

5. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0, LW: 5)
Last Week: Won vs East Carolina, 56-20

They absolutely destroyed a bad East Carolina team, and this week should be more of the same.

Up Next: vs Delaware State (0-2) at 11:00AM

6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0, LW: 4)
Last Week: BYE

This is correcting the mistake I made in my first rankings, after I switched the Sagarin rankings of Texas Tech and TCU. A bye last week was not only strangely timed, but it means that they can’t add to any accomplishments to justify staying up in the top half of the league.

Up Next: vs Arizona State (1-1) at 7:00PM

7. Texas Longhorns (1-1, LW: 9)
Last Week: Won vs San Jose State 56-0

That score looks a lot closer than the game actually was. Some fortunate special teams plays turned into 14 points, but Maryland completely dominated the Longhorns on offense and defense. Not the debut that Tom Herman was expected to have. At least they weren’t Baylor though.

Up Next: @ #4 USC (2-0) at 7:30PM on FOX

8. Iowa State Cyclones (1-1, LW: 7)
Last Week: Lost vs Iowa, 44-41 (OT)

That was a nut punch of a loss. Iowa scored on a last minute drive to tie it, and you could tell in OT that the Cyclones were just completely deflated. I still don’t know if Iowa State is better this year or Iowa is significantly worse, but the next few weeks should give us all the information we need. If Iowa State can cruise through this game, I’ll be willing to move them up.

Up Next: @ Akron (1-1) at 11:00AM on CBS Sports

9. Kansas Jayhawks (1-1, LW: 8)
Last Week: Lost vs Central Michigan, 45-27

The ONLY thing keeping Kansas out of the cellar is the fact that Baylor lost again to a horrible team, and they showed just how inept their offense can be. If Kansas gets blown out on the road in Ohio this week, I might have to move them into the bottom spot regardless of what happens to Baylor at Duke.

Up Next: vs Ohio (1-1) at 11:00AM on ESPNU

10. Baylor Bears (0-2, LW: 10)
Last Week: Lost vs UT San Antonio, 17-10

Baylor absolutely embarrassed themselves this last week, and that’s pretty much the only reason I’m acknowledging them this week, despite Mike’s declaration that we should ignore them.

Up Next: @ Duke (2-0) at 11:30AM on ACC Network

Fun With Stats

Unfortunately, we once again don’t have anything that we can celebrate here, and I wasn’t in the mood to try and dig too deep to find something obscure. If we somehow magically pull off a win, I’ll make sure we get something here next week.