CFR's 2007-2008 Top Teams List: Week Four

As always, these are power rankings

1. USC - Steadily improving, getting a little of that 2002-2004 USC feel although not as explosive on offense.
2. LSU (+2) - Having fun and playing loose.
3. Florida (-1) - On again off again defense is the achilles heel here.  Tim Tebow desperately wants to win each and every down, haven't seen that from a player since Reggie Bush.
4. Oklahoma (-1) - You think they're trying to make a point?
5. West Virginia - Messing around and throwing the ball.  We'll check back again when they play Cincinnati and USF.
6. California - Was the second half against Arizona something to worry about or a good team simply letting off the gas?
7. Texas (+1) - Disappointing so far but psychologically I think this upcoming game against Kansas State could really set this team afire.
8. Oregon (+1) - They've always played the Bears tough and this weekend is an opportunity to prove superiority.
9. Boston College (+1) - Playing loose, almost too loose (slow start against Army).  The pieces are there on both sides of the ball.
10. Kentucky (NEW) - This may be too aggressive of a ranking but it's one big muddy mess after the top seven or so teams anyway.  Like Boston College, this team's motivated behind a senior quarterback destined for the first round of the NFL draft and playing solid enough defense.
11. USF (NEW) - George Selvie is playing out of his mind right now.  Versatile offense is fun to watch, really put on a show in the first half against North Carolina last weekend.
12. Rutgers (-1) - Hard to tell if this team's really improved from last year as they dance through a forest of cupcakes, but it's not like they're making mistakes either.
13. Alabama (-1) - Not a great team, but I'm chalking some of that loss up to Georgia being Georgia and getting one of those weird wins they get before looking good/not great for a few weeks.  Solid in the fourth quarter one week, pedestrian the next.
14. Arkansas (-7) - See Kentucky.  I'm not sold one bit on teams like Wisconsin, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech etc.  The 'Hogs made some egregious blunders but they've also narrowly lost to two teams ranked above them (here) and aren't all that bad of a football team considering that without a legitimate quarterback teams still can't stop either of their backs.
15. Ohio State (NEW) - Eh ...

- - - L u r k i n g - - -

In no particular order: Cincinnati, UCLA, Arizona State,Wisconsin, Penn State, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan

- - - O u t - - -

Tennessee, Louisville, Nebraska, South Carolina, Georgia Tech

Comments

[Jabba]

A bunch of crap teams this year, aren't there?

[CFR]

Sure seems like it.

I'm hoping that among the army of middling teams a few make a break here. Everyone outside of the top 4 has been marked, time for some to get past it and make a statement.

[Jabba]

Maybe WVU or the winner of Cal-Oregon, but that's about it. Plus the winner of Cal-Oregon will likely lose to USC, so any statement they might make would be premature.

It's interesting to hear people compare this USC team to the team that beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl to split a Title and the team that smoked Oklahoma to win the Title outright. My feeling is that this year's team isn't on that level, but because of the lack of any great teams this year, the '07 Trojans are looking almost as dominant as those past teams.

[heavy]

oregon sure didnt play cal tough last year

[james]

"Tim Tebow desperately wants to win each and every down, haven't seen that from a player since Reggie Bush."

Uhh...don't you mean to say "havent seen that since Vince Young?"

[CFR]

Last year being the exception re: Oregon/Cal. Remember Oregon almost ruined Cal's season in 2004.

No, Bush was a more demonstrably competitive guy on the field than Young, no smack on Young who obviously competed at an incredible level. It wasn't really reported but dude was pretty much unable to walk after several USC game in 2004 and 2005. He went through all that training with LaDainian Tomlinson, got his butt beat, kept coming back for more so he could handle a more intense workload. Just really showed an amazing effort out on the field particularly in pressure situations.

That second half against Arizona State with the USC team on the ropes, sun beating down, ASU knew what was coming as USC just decided it would live or die with the run during the comeback. Guy was spent in the first half and willed that team back offensively. Same story against Stanford '04, VT '04, Oregon State '04, Oregon '05, ND '05, Fresno State '05, fought like hell.

Anyway, Tebow's effort reminded me of that. Some guys can put a team on their back (like a Young, like a Tebow, like a Bush), but that high-level competitiveness I didn't see as much out of Young, but it just fired all the time with Bush and that fourth quarter was a sign to me that Tebow has that same fire. He took a beating and Florida wasn't thrilled with giving him that many reps but he kept plowing his body into stacked fronts in that fourth quarter to move the ball down the field for that field goal drive that took 5:55.

In HS Tebow in a state title game snuck into the defensive line late and played nose tackle before the coaches could stop him because he wanted so badly to make a play and win that game even though that wasn't his position and it was a critical time. He wins Florida's offseason "effort" awards and stuff like that, the legend is annoyingly true with him.

[Dawgy]

I like your interest in SEC teams but, Georgia and South Carolina are better teams than Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama. Kentucky's defense will cost them soon. Arkansas's defense has already cost them. Alabama is good because of effort but they couldn't beat a very young and talented Georgia and, they could not beat South Carolina.

You heard it here first, Florida will lose at least (2) SEC games.

Disagree if you like but, it will be born out in coming weeeks.

[CFR]

I hear ya Dawgy.

Actually in my notes as I was doing these rankings I kept writing "SEC mess". It's difficult to sort out that middle pack of SEC teams at the moment. Hopefully someone asserts themselves a little bit.

[Alex]

"Tim Tebow desperately wants to win each and every down, haven't seen that from a player since Reggie Bush." Seriously, CFR, I have no clue as to the thought processes that led you to write this sentence. Even in college, Reggie had somewhat of a reputation for ducking out of bounds instead of trying to muscle out a few yards. Luckily, at SC, he was fast enough to take advantage of the gaping holes provided by Matua, Justice, Lutui, et al, and more often than not he had the first down (or even the touchdown) without getting touched. In the NFL, his "hit-shyness" is seen fairly easily. It was Lendale who had the desire to "win each and every down," not Reggie. If I had to choose one tailback who exemplified will and who's played recently, it would be Adrian Peterson. Quarterback? Vince Young. But Reggie Bush? C'mon. That's borderline ludicrous.

[CFR]

Alex, until his junior year Bush was about 6-0/180. Collisions simply aren't his game. You can compete at the highest level in football without forcing unnecessary collisions and sparing the concussion which takes you off the field. I think Bush understood that. He still bulls people over once in a while just to prove that he can do it.

This is a huge bias most fans have. Nobody asks big backs to play fast and do the things their smaller peers do. Yet the speedier backs get challenged to play like guys much bigger and stronger than them.

Bush is a great player because he's incredibly competitive, physically gifted and finds ways to win through raw effort and unteachable instincts. Avoiding the occasional collision has nothing to do with lacking competitiveness. Your premise about Bush is absurd, just watch him play, how many times he basically strung together a bunch of challenging to impossible plays to carry USC on his back.

There are guys like Peterson who are consistently good and could carry their teams from time to time, and then there's just guys who get things done from something deep down. Tebow's 89-yard touchdown drive to tie Auburn was another example of that this weekend. Florida had no business moving the ball 89 yards on the Auburn defense, but they did it behind that guy. That goes beyond talent and consistency and enters that competitive realm I saw so much from Bush.