Week 11 Rankings

I think I had a tougher time making this week's rankings than ever before. There are some inconsistencies and arguments can be made (i.e. Arkansas ranked ahead of USC...West Virginia ahead of Louisville), but I ranked teams in order that I feel they should be ranked. Two weeks ago, Louisville was better than West Virginia. This week I feel West Virginia is better. Two months ago USC was much better than Arkansas, now I feel the Razorbacks are slightly better. All in all, this was a very difficult week to rank teams. As such, I expect another big shake-up either next week or the following week due to some teams being ranked too high or too low. Nevertheless, here is what I think for now and I expect some controversy...

My 2006-07 Preseason College Basketball Rankings

It is my custom to rank the top 65 college basketball teams since that is the number of teams that make the tourney in March. However since these are preseason rankings, I have no desire to breakdown, let alone list, all 65 ranked teams. Instead I will keep it short and sweet by just listing the top 25 (in reverse order for dramatic effect) and let you agree or disagree. As always, comments are welcome!

25. Marquette Golden Eagles (AP-16, Coaches-17)
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (AP-23, Coaches-21)
23. Southern Illinois Salukis (AP-27, Coaches-29)
22. Wichita State Shockers (AP-26, Coaches-27)
21. Nevada Wolfpack (AP-24, Coaches-25)
20. Creighton Bluejays (AP-19, Coaches-23)
19. Memphis Tigers (AP-14, Coaches-14)
18. Texas Longhorns (AP-21, Coaches-21)
17. Syracuse Orange (AP-20, Coaches-20)
16. Texas A&M Aggies (AP-13, Coaches-13)
15. Arizona Wildcats (AP-10, Coaches-10)
14. Connecticut Huskies (AP-18, Coaches-18)
13. Washington Huskies (AP-17, Coaches-16)
12. Boston College Eagles (AP-15, Coaches-15)
11. Duke Blue Devils (AP-12, Coaches-11)
10. Georgetown Hoyas (AP-8, Coaches-8)
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (AP-11, Coaches-12)
8. UCLA Bruins (AP-6, Coaches-6)
7. Kansas Jayhawks (AP-3, Coaches-3)
6. Pitt Panthers (AP-4, Coaches-5)
5. Wisconsin Badgers (AP-9, Coaches-9)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (AP-7, Coaches-4)
3. LSU Tigers (AP-5, Coaches-7)
2. Florida Gators (AP-1, Coaches-1)
1. North Carolina Tar Heels (AP-2, Coaches-2)

Preseason College Basketball Rankings on Hold

I am still in the process of researching college basketball teams so I apologize for the delay in the rankings. I wanted to have them up a week or so ago but I have only had enough spare time to fool with college football stuff. Hopefully I can post my preseason rankings Friday night. I will tell you right now that I am in strong disagreement with several teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP and Media polls. That's all I can tease you with for now!

To my Anonymous Rutgers Fan...

Rejoice, this post is especially for you. I am picking 8 games this week and highlighting the schedule will be the Thursday night game between Louisville and Rutgers. I have heard all year from you how I am not giving Rutgers the respect they deserve, when in fact I have the Scarlet Knights ranked slightly higher than the AP and Media polls. That's ok that you feel they deserve more respect, I understand. I dedicate this to you because I want you to know I am giving Rutgers all the respect they deserve this week. That's right, I am predicting Rutgers to defeat #3 Louisville this week. I hope you enjoy this.

#3 Louisville -29 @ #14 Rutgers -31
My "master plan" of assuring that Ohio St. & Michigan have a rematch for the National Championship continues with Louisville losing at Rutgers.

#37 Miami (FL) - 9 @ #23 Maryland - 17
The Hurricanes look like a bunch of bums and I am finally a believer in the Terps. I like Maryland at home in a low-scoring game.

#27 Nebraska - 20 @ #22 Texas A&M - 15
Nebraska got back on track last week with a home win against Missouri. Let's see if they can get a key conference win against a Big-12 South opponent. This should be a very good game, I like the Huskers here by less than a touchdown.

#42 South Carolina - 17 @ #10 Florida - 19
I really want to go with the underdog here, but two things have become apparent about these two teams. First, Florida seems to always win ugly. Secondly, South Carolina is good enough to compete, but not good enough to win. Thus, I will go with Florida in a tight one.

#38 Texas Tech - 28 @ #17 Oklahoma - 38
Texas Tech can score, but they have been unimpressive on the road. I like Oklahoma to pull away in the second half.

#15 Tennessee - 27 @ #8 Arkansas - 16
Technically, this is an upset pick by rankings, but I think these two teams are fairly even. If I had to pick a team in my rankings that I feel I may overrated, it is Arkansas. They should be a Top-15 team, but Top-10 maybe a bit high. Nevertheless, that will sort itself out, should Tennessee win. If Arkansas wins, than I guess I was right all along.

#20 Wake Forest - 10 @ #35 Florida State - 17
Another upset pick here as I think Bobby Bowden has lit a fire under the rears of his players. I was really impressed with their dominant performance last week and would not be surprised if the Seminoles win out. Wake Forest is a good team and will keep it close, but I like FSU by a touchdown.

#26 Oregon - 23 @ #9 USC - 45
Some may think this will be close, and it may be at halftime, but USC needs a convincing win against a good team. I see the Trojans turning this game into a blowout in the second half, winning by 3 TD's.

Week 10 Rankings

Tough week for me with my picks as I went 5-5. Even with my five wins, my scores were way off, so I am looking forward to doing a better job next week. As for this weekend's games, I think it's safe to say some teams were looking ahead in their schedules too much (ehem Michigan & Ohio St.)! In the top 25, there were not many drastic changes, other than Wake Forest and Maryland moving up (replacing Clemson and Tulsa). With Louisville's big win, I moved them to 3rd and dropped WVU to 7th. Things got crazy when ranking teams 26-50 as there were some major changes. There were so many upsets of the middle-tier teams that it was quite difficult to rank. Elsewhere, the surging Hawaii Warriors (7-2, 5-1) move up to 32nd in my rankings and have become the first team to accept a bowl invitation. Hawaii will play a "home game" in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve against a Pac-10 team (likely Arizona State).

Top 50 Rankings

1. (1) Ohio State (10-0, 6-0) Won @ Illinois, 17-10
   
2. (2) Michigan (10-0, 6-0) Won vs. Ball State, 34-28
   
3. (4) Louisville (8-0, 3-0) Won vs. West Virginia, 44-34
   
4. (5) Texas (9-1, 6-0) Won vs. Oklahoma State, 36-10
   
5. (6) Auburn (9-1, 5-1) Won vs. Arkansas State, 27-0
   
6. (7) Notre Dame (8-1, 0-0) Won vs. North Carolina, 45-26
   
7. (3) West Virginia (7-1, 2-1) Lost @ Louisville, 44-34
   
8. (9) Arkansas (8-1, 5-0) Won @ South Carolina, 26-20
   
9. (10) USC (7-1, 5-1) Won @ Stanford, 42-0
   
10. (11) Florida (8-1, 6-1) Won @ Vanderbilt, 25-19
    
11. (14) LSU (7-2, 3-2) Won @ Tennessee, 28-24
    
12. (12) California (8-1, 6-0) Won vs. UCLA, 38-24
    
13. (15) Wisconsin (9-1, 6-1) Won vs. Penn State, 13-3
    
14. (13) Rutgers (8-0, 3-0) IDLE
    
15. (8) Tennessee (7-2, 3-2) Lost vs. LSU, 28-24
    
16. (16) Boise State (9-0, 5-0) Won vs. Fresno State, 45-21
    
17. (18) Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2) Won @ Texas A&M, 17-16
    
18. (19) Georgia Tech (7-2, 5-1) Won @ NC State, 31-23
    
19. (20) Virginia Tech (7-2, 4-2) Won @ Miami (FL) 17-10
    
20. (29) Wake Forest (8-1, 4-1) Won vs. Boston College, 21-14
    
21. (17) Boston College (7-2, 3-2) Lost @ Wake Forest, 21-14
    
22. (21) Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2) Lost vs. Oklahoma, 17-16
    
23. (33) Maryland (7-2, 4-1) Won @ Clemson, 13-12
    
24. (24) Oregon State (6-3, 4-2) Won vs. Arizona State, 44-10
    
25. (25) BYU (7-2, 5-0) Won @ Colorado State, 24-3
    

Teams rising up: #20 Wake Forest (+9), #23 Maryland (+10), #29 TCU (+6), #32 Hawaii (+8), #33 Houston (+17), #35 Florida State (+8), #36 South Florida (+15), #38 Texas Tech (+7), #39 Ohio (+7), #40 Western Michigan (+7), #43 Purdue, #44 Navy, #45 Arizona, & #46 Kentucky (+9), #48 Middle Tennessee (+8)

Teams fading: #15 Tennessee (-7), #28 Clemson (-5), #34 Tulsa (-12), #37 Miami, FL (-5), #42 South Carolina (-6), #47 Pittsburgh (-10), #49 Washington State (-15), #50 Alabama (-20)

Put a fork in 'em: The following unranked teams dropped out of my top 50: Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Georgia, Washington, Indiana, UCLA (note: all of these teams could still earn bowl berths, but nothing to write home about)

Today's Picks

I hope I can get my remaining 9 picks in before the first game starts at noon...

#33 Maryland -17 @ #23 Clemson -27
Maryland can't be as good as their record is. I like Clemson to bounce back from last week's loss.

#27 Penn State - 13 @ #15 Wisconsin - 28
Sadly, I can not imagine this as a close contest. Sure Penn State shut out Purdue last week, but it was only 12-0! Wisconsin looks like a much better team...this could get ugly.

#28 Missouri - 24 @ #31 Nebraska - 30
Nebraska needs to get back on track and a home win against a team ranked slightly higher than them should do the trick. I like the Huskers here by about a touchdown.

#14 LSU - 13 @ #8 Tennessee - 16
I have been back and forth on who to pick here. Lee Corso is infiltrating my mind about how LSU is the best 2-loss team ever, and maybe so. I just prefer to pick the home team in big SEC games as that seems to work best. Either way, a tight on in Knoxville.

#42 Oklahoma State - 24 @ #5 Texas - 42
Oklahoma State will compete...in the first half. Then Texas runs away with it, winning big.

#18 Oklahoma - 23 @ #21 Texas A&M - 30
Another game I have been back and forth with. The Aggies have continued to impress and surprise many so I will hop on board. College Game Day is at College Station so this would be a big win in Aggieland.

#17 Boston College - 22 @ #29 Wake Forest - 24
Upset #1: But is it really an upset when Wake Forest has a better record? Well B.C. is in the top 25 and Wake is not, so I guess that constitutes as an upset. Should be a very close game but I think Wake wins, vaulting them in the top 25.

#9 Arkansas - 29 @ #36 South Carolina - 31
Huge upset here! South Carolina gets a big win at home over a top 10 team. I personally don't think Arkansas is as good as I have them ranked. Play defense Gamecocks!!

#20 Virginia Tech - 10 @ #32 Miami (FL) - 18
Two thug schools, one ugly game. Hard to believe this is an upset pick. I reluctantly pick Miami.

Whew! 11:56AM, I just barely made it! Hopefully these picks don't suck.

#3 West Virginia @ #4 Louisville

Game of the Year...for now

On paper, I think West Virginia is a better team. My biggest problem with the Mountaineers is that they have yet to play well for all four quarters of a game. They seem to suck in the first half, and dominate the second, or vice versa. If they play that way tonight at Louisville, they will lose.

On the other hand, Louisville has looked mediocre as of late with slim victories against Cincy and Syracuse. Brian Brohm is back but does not look as good as he did before the injury, and Michael Bush is of course, out for the season. Kolby Smith, Bush's replacement, has filled in quite nicely though as he is coming off a career high 165-yard rushing performance against Syracuse with two TD's. If he fails to get 100 yards tonight, West Virginia will win.

However, I think the biggest story tonight will be from the winning team's defense. Neither team's defense is spectacular by any means. But at some point, there will be a big interception return to capitalize the game for the eventual victor. One final point, with the game being played at Papa John Stadium in Louisville, I think that neutralizes the superior talent of West Virginia. Whoever wins, will do so by a touchdown or less. I think this will more likely be decided by a field goal or less.

Prediction
West Virginia-27
Louisville-30

P.S. Louisville MUST contain Steve Slaton to <100 yards. I think they will handle Pat White.

- More predictions for Saturday's games to come on Friday.