From the pressbox: AP Top 25 weekly review (Sept. 11, 2007)

By T Erickson  |   Wednesday, September 12, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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LSU made up a lot of ground on the inactive USC Trojans in this week's poll. Other major movers include South Carolina (plus-16), Oregon (plus-10) and Georgia Tech (plus-6). Dropping out: Auburn, Boise State, and TCU.

NO. 1 USC TROJANS (1-0). The Trojans had the week off, and they needed it. Several injured players were able to rehab and look to be ready for this week's road game in Lincoln, Neb., against the 14th-ranked Cornhuskers. WR Patrick Turner looks like a "go" for this week as well as LB Brian Cushing. RBs Joe McKnight and Chauncey Washington are hopefuls. The biggest disappointment to Pete Carroll's defense is the loss of DB Josh Pinkard, who will need surgery and won't be back this season. You won't be able to spot LB Rey Maualuga on the field by his long hair anymore--he's sporting a cooler look these days. Note: Pete Carroll hates playing on artificial surfaces.

NO. 2 LSU TIGERS (2-0). The game with then-No. 9 Virginia Tech in Baton Rouge last Saturday was supposed to be a defensive struggle. In a way, that was true -- LSU's defense dominated and Tech struggled. In the process of rolling to a 48-7 victory, the Tigers rolled out not one but two heirs to JaMarcus Russell, as both Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux played well at quarterback. Keiland Williams made the highlight reels by leaping over a tackler at the beginning of a 67-yard scoring run, and the LSU defensive line ate Tech's O-line for dinner. This week, Les Miles' team hosts Middle Tennessee, which scored 42 points as Louisville last week. Don't expect that to happen in Tiger country.

NO. 3 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (2-0). My, how times have changed. Five, 10 or 15 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes would have taken the Sooners to the limit and, quite likely, would have won on the road in Norman. In fact, the last three times these two teams met, which was back in the 1980s, Miami took all three contests. Not this year. The Okies toyed around with Miami for a couple quarters, taking a 21-10 lead into the locker room at the half. Final scoreboard: OU 51, Miami 13. Ouch. Sooner redshirt freshman QB Sam Bradford was 19 for 25 for 205 yards and five TDs. The Hurricanes had to put ousted senior QB Kyle Wright back into the lineup, but it didn't help. Next up: another breather at home, versus Utah State (0-2).

NO. 4 WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (2-0). Intrastate rival Marshall played Wiley Coyote to WVU's Roadrunner last Saturday, taking a 16-13 lead with 9:30 left in the third quarter before ... Beep! Beep! QB Pat White broke a 20-yard touchdown run and Steve Slaton sliced into the end zone from 2 yards out, followed by Noel Devine, Slaton and Devine again on scoring bursts. Maryland might be more of a test this weekend, and the Mountaineers' defense appears to be lagging behind the offense. Of course, so is everybody else.

NO. 5 FLORIDA GATORS (2-0). Tim Tebow has gone from sideshow to the main act at Florida without breaking stride, throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 93 more in a 50-31 rout of Troy State. What was that guy's name who played quarterback last year, again? The defending national champions have Tennessee -- one of their archrivals -- this weekend, and Tebow says he's excited about it. After last week, he probably is.

NO. 6 TEXAS LONGHORNS (2-0). The Longhorns continued their struggles at home against the formerly ranked TCU Horned Frogs, losing at halftime 10-0. The second half was all burnt orange as Mack Brown's troops totally shut down TCU's offense, giving up only 32 yards in the third quarter. In fact, the Frogs didn't get a first down in the second half until midway through the fourth quarter, and the offense only scored two field goals in the game. TCU's touchdown came on an interception return. Longhorn RB Jamaal Charles rushed for 134 yards and a TD on 22 carries. Next up: a very dangerous road game against Central Florida (1-0), which had a bye last week.

NO. 7 WISCONSIN BADGERS (2-0). As they say, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." The Badgers are sure hoping that slogan is true because they really didn't look like a top-10 team against the Rebels on Saturday. They were tied 13-13 with lowly UNLV with less than two minutes remaining in the game when QB Tyler Donovan scored on a 29-yard bootleg. "I'm happy to get out of here winning by one or seven, 18 or whatever it is," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. P.J. Hill paced the Badgers' ground attack with 147 yards rushing on 20 carries. Wisconsin hosts D-IAA The Citadel this week in Madison.

NO. 8 CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (2-0). Cal jumped two spots in this week's poll, which is a compliment to the winless Colorado State Rams. The Bears struggled the entire game against the Rams but finally prevailed 34-28. Heisman hopeful DeSean Jackson had seven touches for 117 yards in the game (five receptions, 39 yards and two carries, 78 yards), including a 73-yard touchdown scamper on a reverse. A home game this week with Louisiana Tech should be the perfect tune-up for the Bears because their Pac-10 schedule commences the following week on Sept. 22.

NO. 9 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (2-0). OK, Brian Brohm is an air ace (25 of 31 for 401 yards and four touchdowns), Anthony Allen staked a most emphatic claim to Louisville's starting running back spot with 275 rushing yards, and Steve Kragthorpe's team scored 58 points. But, uh, Steve, how about the defense? Middle Tennessee scored 42, and things have to get better on the other side of the ball this Saturday or Kentucky QB Andre Woodson is going to making his own statement. The Wildcats outscored their first two opponents 106-30, and the game is at Lexington.

NO. 10 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (2-0). Head coach Jim Tressel knows this week's road game in Seattle against the undefeated Washington Huskies is going to be a heck of a lot tougher than it looked like on paper a year or two ago. The Huskies mauled Syracuse two weeks ago and flattened formerly ranked Boise State last week. Conversely, the Buckeyes feasted on smaller instate programs Youngstown State and Akron. "Everyone in our building knows that it's time to turn it up a notch," Tressel said. Will Ohio State prove it is a top-10 team this week and expose Washington as an impostor? Or will Washington prove it belongs among the ranked once again? Stay tuned.

NO. 11 UCLA BRUINS (2-0). The Bruins jumped two spots on the strength of holding off defending Mountain West Conference champs BYU last week, 27-17. BYU out-gained UCLA in total yards by a huge margin, 435-236, and with the score 20-17 and 10 minutes remaining, the Cougars had a first down on the Bruins' 13-yard line. Preseason All-America defensive lineman Bruce Davis managed to force a fumble on the next play to stifle the upset. Either the Cougars are pretty good, or the Bruins are not so hot, but this week's road game at Utah won't prove anything on that note. The Utes, who will be playing without their starting QB, RB, and leading WR, lost at home to Air Force last week. This should be a yawner for UCLA, and they'll need it, because Washington is coming to town next week.

NO. 12 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0). Once again, the Nittany Lions are on the prowl toward top-10 status ... Running back Austin Scott had a private talk with the offensive line at halftime after picking up only 39 yards on 11 carries against Notre Dame. It seemed to work because Scott registered 77 yards and two scores on the ground in the second half. The Lions didn't look great in their 31-10 victory over the Irish, but it was decisive nonetheless. Still, it didn't seem as if they were really tested. And with Buffalo coming to Happy Valley this week, Penn State has to wonder if it is really going to be ready for Big Ten play the following week. Fortunately, they'll knock helmets with a deflated Michigan team on Sept. 22.

NO. 13. RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (2-0). Up top, the Big East is looking like a megaconference. Last week, Ray Rice became the career rushing leader at Rutgers (come to think of it, how many other Rutgers running backs can you name?) and QB Mike Teel played just well enough to sink Navy, 41-24. This week it's Norfolk State, which is probably wondering whose idea this game was, especially after news from last week's game about Rutgers students disrespecting and mocking the Naval Academy. Nice going, boys. Maybe the Pentagon will reinstall the draft just for you.

NO. 14 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (1-0). Nebraska knew that Wake Forest would be a tough game last week, and sure enough, the Demon Deacons almost pulled off the upset -- with a backup QB! Heisman candidate Marlon Lucky was held to 90 yards rushing on the day, and the Deacons had a chance to take the lead with under two minutes to go, but backup QB Brett Hodges' pass was intercepted. The Huskers will do battle with the USC Trojans this week for only the fourth time in the program's history. USC owns the series, going 2-0 with a 21-21 tie back in 1970. Last year, the men of Troy dominated Nebraska in the Coliseum, 28-10. Coach Bill Callahan says he's treating this game just like any other. Yeah, right.

NO. 15 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (2-0). Let's see -- Virginia Tech got whacked by LSU last Saturday and Miami was destroyed by Oklahoma. Neither Clemson nor Florida State looked all that impressive on defense when they played each other, and Wake Forest lost big to Boston College. So who's going to be the top dog in the ACC this season? Just ask Samford, which gave up nine rushing touchdowns in losing 69-14 to Georgia Tech. Of course, the Yellow Jackets haven't played anybody, winning their opener against some team from the Midwest (oh, yeah -- Notre Dame). This week will help define the Jackets, as they host BC.

NO. 16 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (1-0). To paraphrase the band Dire Straits, Arkansas got its ranking for nothing last week -- always a nice bonus. The Hogs took a week off after trampling Troy, 41-26, in their opener, but still moved up two spots in both major polls. Now, they have to travel to Alabama; coach Houston Nutt has been tinkering with a sputtering passing game to take some of the pressure off 1,000-yard rushers Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. This is not a good time to play the Crimson Tide (now 2-0) because of the orgy of enthusiasm over new coach Nick Saban, who hasn't yet been proven mortal.

NO. 17 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (2-0). The Fun and Gun at Florida has become the Kick and Pray at South Carolina, but Steve Spurrier will take a victory over Georgia any time. Ryan Succop booted three field goals and Cory Boyd scored the game's only touchdown as Spurrier's Gamecocks won their SEC opener on Saturday, 16-12. Best of all, it came Between the Hedges in Athens, where Spurrier was soundly booed for his past sins. Now, the Ol' Ball Coach gets an in-state sparring partner, South Carolina State, to help him work the kinks out of his offense.

NO 18 VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (1-1). The only good thing that came out of a 48-7 debacle at LSU was a new quarterback, with nimble freshman Tyrod Taylor replacing battered pocket passer Sean Glennon via a battlefield promotion. Given the way Tech's offensive line has played, Frank Beamer really needed a quarterback with some escape moves. Another problem was that the Tigers' O-line manhandled Tech's defensive front. The ugliest stat from last Saturday? Try a 2 of 14 success rate on third down. Over the next two weeks, though, the Hokies have Ohio University and William & Mary in Lane Stadium, and Baton Rouge might begin to seem like a bad dream.

NO. 19 OREGON DUCKS (2-0). So, is Oregon pretty good, or is Michigan just really bad this year? We probably won't know the answer for a few more weeks when current No. 8 ranked California comes to town. In the meantime, the Ducks can have the glory of handing the Wolverines their worst home loss since 1968, 39-7. Other than that, Appalachian State stole most of the thunder out of Oregon's victory with its landmark win the week previous. Fresno State comes to town this week and it is not the Bulldogs of old. It might be a bit of a match for a half, but the Ducks should breeze easily in this one and can then start licking their chops -- er, beaks -- with the thought of playing Stanford next week.

NO. 20 CLEMSON TIGERS (2-0). Where have you been all this time, Cullen Harper? In two games this season, the new Clemson quarterback -- who warmed the bench behind Charlie Whitehurst and Will Proctor for three years -- has completed 34 of 50 passes for 430 yards and seven touchdowns, including a school-record five TD passes last Saturday in a 46-26 rout of Louisiana-Monroe. Coupled with the ACC version of Thunder (James Davis) and Lightning (C.J. Spiller) on the ground, the Tigers' defense is beginning to look like a runaway force. That probably won't change this Saturday against visiting Furman.

NO. 21 BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (2-0). The ACC will begin to sort itself out Saturday night when 2-0 BC travels to Georgia Tech. Both teams have been impressive so far, but the Eagles are now 2-0 in league play, having disposed of Wake Forest and N.C. State (honchoed by former BC coach Tom O'Brien). The Eagles may just be the most underrated team in the country, featuring an experienced quarterback (Matt Ryan), their two top rushers from 2006 and a veteran defense that intercepted State's Harrison Beck five times last week.

NO. 22 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (1-1). Southern Mississippi was supposed to be a trap game for the Volunteers last week, and the Golden Eagles did lead UT 13-10 after a quarter. But then the Erik Ainge-led offense heated up, and Philip Fulmer's team put USM in the rearview mirror, 39-19. RB Arian Foster had one of his best outings as a Vol; new receivers Austin Rogers, Lucas Taylor and Josh Briscoe combined for 241 receiving yards while the defense stifled USM in the second half. Of course, that was Southern Mississippi -- this week it's Florida, in Gainesville.

NO. 23. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (1-1). What a difference a week makes. Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs started off their season with a convincing smackdown of well-regarded Oklahoma State, then turned around and produced precious little offense at home while losing to South Carolina, 16-12. Winless Western Carolina is no Appalachian State, and the Catamounts' visit to Athens on Saturday may be just what the Dawgs need to get better in a hurry.

NO. 24 HAWAII WARRIORS (2-0). Hawaii tumbled four spots in this week's poll after struggling through a 45-44 overtime shootout with lowly WAC opponent Louisiana Tech. Can they blame their poor defensive performance on the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty they got for performing the "haka" dance before the game? June Jones doesn't think so, and he vows that his Warriors will continue the emotional chant before every game in front of their fans. This week's road contest at UNLV looked to be another pushover game until the Rebels played tough against Wisconsin last week. However, the Badgers are a run-first team and that's a far cry from Hawaii's air-it-out-at-any-cost philosophy.

NO. 25 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (1-0). The Aggies dropped two slots this week after their triple-overtime, 47-45 win over Fresno State on Saturday. Jorvorskie Lane, the 6-foot, 268-pound bruiserback, lugged the rock 23 times for 121 yards and four scores to lead the Aggies. We'll find out this week if the Bulldogs really provided a valid test for A&M when it plays at Oregon. In the meantime, the Aggies get a breather with Louisiana-Monroe at home this Saturday.

ON THE BUBBLE: South Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Washington, TCU, Arizona State, Auburn, Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Florida State
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