Weekly Top 5 - Dotting the i
November 6th, 2007, 8:45 am · Post a Comment · posted by patrickdonohue
1. Ohio State - I’m a believer, a hesitant believer but I believe in this Ohio State team. A young offense is counterbalanced by a tough, consistent, solid veteran defense. While it could certainly be argued that coach Jim Tressel could do no wrong in the state of Ohio, he does have to redeem himself and the program after last year’s national championship no-show.
2. Oregon - Beat USC, Arizona State and Michigan and you get to be number 2. The Ducks appear to be all contender as they continue to dominate every opponent standing in their way. It doesn’t hurt that they have the Heisman trophy frontrunner under center and that Johnathan Stewart is having the breakout year that most expected.
3. LSU - Perhaps the luckiest team in college football, the Bayou Bengals survived a trip to Tuscaloosa thanks to John Parker Wilson’s butterfingers, still have a shot at the national championship. Obviously, the road gets a little easier from here for Les Miles’ Squad with Ole Miss and Arkansas remaining and then the SEC Championship game in Atlanta the week after. I don’t think the Tigers, who have now won at least two games they probably should have lost, deserve the nod over Oregon.
4. Kansas - I still think the Jayhawks are pretenders. A laughably weak non-conference schedule, a conference schedule that doesn’t include Oklahoma are all the evidence you need to explain Kansas’ poll position. I see them possibly losing to Oklahoma State this weekend in Stillwater, definitely losing to Missouri in Kansas City the last week of the season and, if they make it there, getting obliterated by Okahoma in the Big 12 Championship. Play somebody and then come talk to me.
5. Oklahoma - You never know what Oklahoma team is going to show up week to week and that’s why I can’t put them above a Kansas team that I think they will inevitably beat. Oklahoma will end up winning the Big 12 but not without some challenges. They have a trip to Lubbock next weekend to face Graham Harrell and that explosive Texas Tech offense before finishing the game with Bedlam game against Oklahoma State in Norman.
