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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=4480677
Two weeks of the 2009 college football season are in the books, and the SEC and Big 12 remain the sport's best conferences.
The Mountain West made the biggest move after two weeks, climbing to No. 4 in the conference rankings, ahead of three BCS leagues (the ACC, Big Ten and Big East). Conference USA also helped itself tremendously with Houston's 45-35 upset of then-No. 5 Oklahoma State last week.
1. SEC
The SEC has four teams ranked in the top 10 of USA Today's Top 25 coaches' poll -- No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 7 LSU. The Gators and Crimson Tide looked pretty strong in their first two games, but the Rebels and Tigers must improve to justify their lofty positions. No. 20 Georgia is the only other ranked SEC team, but Auburn could join the Top 25 with a home victory over West Virginia on Saturday night. The Auburn Tigers might be the country's most improved team, especially on offense. Arkansas also looks much better and could gain some attention if it upsets Georgia at home.
2. Big 12
The Big 12 probably isn't as strong as it was last season, especially after reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford suffered a shoulder injury in Oklahoma's stunning loss to BYU in its opener. But No. 2 Texas is still a legitimate national title contender, and five other Big 12 teams (No. 12 OU, No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 18 Nebraska, No. 23 Kansas and No. 25 Missouri) are ranked in the Top 25 of the coaches' poll. Oklahoma State's stunning 45-35 loss to Houston might end up costing the Pokes a BCS bowl invitation. The Big 12 really could use a marquee nonconference victory, and Nebraska has a chance to earn it Saturday at No. 14 Virginia Tech.
3. Pac-10
USC once again showed it's the class of the Pac-10 by beating Ohio State 18-15 on the road this past Saturday. The No. 3 Trojans face a road game at Washington, which might end up being more difficult than most people believe. No. 7 California looks like the league's second-best team, but the Bears face a difficult road test at Minnesota. UCLA helped the Pac-10's cause with a 19-15 victory at Tennessee last week, and No. 24 Oregon State has a chance to bolster the league's reputation in a home game against No. 21 Cincinnati on Saturday.
4. Mountain West
It's another big weekend for the Mountain West, which already boasts victories over then-No. 3 Oklahoma, Colorado and Virginia. No. 9 BYU hosts Florida State on Saturday, and No. 16 Utah plays at Oregon. Colorado State can improve to 3-0 with a home victory over Nevada, and Wyoming should have a chance to make Colorado's season even worse. The MWC took a couple of hits last week, though, as Air Force lost at Minnesota and UNLV lost to Oregon State at home.
5. ACC
There probably isn't a truly great team in the ACC right now, but it would be hard to find more exciting games and closer competition. No. 13 Georgia Tech and No. 22 Miami play Thursday night, and the winner will move to the top of the ACC pack. If No. 14 Virginia Tech beats Nebraska at home, it could restore much of its reputation that was damaged in a Week 1 loss to then-No. 5 Alabama. No. 19 North Carolina looks to be overrated after its narrow victory over Connecticut last week. Wake Forest helped the ACC by coming back to beat Stanford, but Maryland and Florida State didn't look good against FCS opponents James Madison and Jacksonville (Ala.) State, respectively.
6. Big Ten
No. 11 Ohio State missed a golden opportunity to gain national respect by losing to USC on a last-minute drive. But the Buckeyes were at least competitive in a big game. No. 5 Penn State continues to steamroll lesser competition, and Iowa bounced back with a 35-3 win over Iowa State after a one-point win over FCS foe Northern Iowa in its opener. Minnesota is a surprising 2-0 after beating Air Force last week, and an upset of California at home would go a long way toward returning some pride to the Big Ten. Michigan State's stunning 29-27 loss to Central Michigan didn't help the league's cause.
7. Big East
The Big East probably has the most at stake this weekend. Only one Big East team is ranked -- No. 21 Cincinnati, which plays at Oregon State. But a few Big East teams can earn some respect with big nonconference victories. West Virginia plays at Auburn, Syracuse hosts Northwestern, Connecticut plays at Baylor and Louisville plays at Kentucky. The Big East really needs to win at least a couple of those games.
8. Conference USA
Houston's 45-35 upset of then-No. 5 Oklahoma State was Conference USA's biggest victory in several seasons. The league has a chance to gain even more respect this weekend: Southern Miss hosts Virginia, East Carolina plays at North Carolina, Tulsa plays at Oklahoma and SMU plays at Washington State. Memphis and UTEP have been disappointments so far.
9. MAC
The MAC enjoyed a huge week, with Central Michigan stunning Michigan State 29-27 and Toledo trouncing Colorado 54-38. Three other MAC teams were competitive in close losses to opponents from BCS conferences: Western Michigan lost at Indiana 23-19, Eastern Michigan lost to Northwestern 27-24 and Bowling Green lost to Missouri 27-20. Ball State and Buffalo, the class of the MAC in 2008, are both struggling so far this season.
10. WAC
Boise State continues to carry the WAC flag, but a couple of other WAC teams showed life last week. Fresno State suffered a gut-wrenching 34-31 overtime defeat at Wisconsin, but the Bulldogs will have a chance to bounce back when they host the Broncos on Friday night. San Jose State also was surprisingly competitive in a 24-14 loss to Utah. The league has a chance to raise eyebrows this weekend in three nonconference games: Nevada plays at Colorado State, San Jose State plays at Stanford and Hawaii plays at UNLV.
11. Sun Belt
Sun Belt schools scored a couple of big victories last week: Louisiana-Lafayette won at Kansas State 17-15, and Middle Tennessee State beat Memphis 31-14. Sun Belt schools have a quartet of upset chances this weekend: Louisiana-Monroe plays at Arizona State, Middle Tennessee plays at Maryland, Louisiana-Lafayette plays at LSU and Florida Atlantic plays at South Carolina.
Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at [email protected].
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=4480677
Two weeks of the 2009 college football season are in the books, and the SEC and Big 12 remain the sport's best conferences.
The Mountain West made the biggest move after two weeks, climbing to No. 4 in the conference rankings, ahead of three BCS leagues (the ACC, Big Ten and Big East). Conference USA also helped itself tremendously with Houston's 45-35 upset of then-No. 5 Oklahoma State last week.
1. SEC
The SEC has four teams ranked in the top 10 of USA Today's Top 25 coaches' poll -- No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 7 LSU. The Gators and Crimson Tide looked pretty strong in their first two games, but the Rebels and Tigers must improve to justify their lofty positions. No. 20 Georgia is the only other ranked SEC team, but Auburn could join the Top 25 with a home victory over West Virginia on Saturday night. The Auburn Tigers might be the country's most improved team, especially on offense. Arkansas also looks much better and could gain some attention if it upsets Georgia at home.
2. Big 12
The Big 12 probably isn't as strong as it was last season, especially after reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford suffered a shoulder injury in Oklahoma's stunning loss to BYU in its opener. But No. 2 Texas is still a legitimate national title contender, and five other Big 12 teams (No. 12 OU, No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 18 Nebraska, No. 23 Kansas and No. 25 Missouri) are ranked in the Top 25 of the coaches' poll. Oklahoma State's stunning 45-35 loss to Houston might end up costing the Pokes a BCS bowl invitation. The Big 12 really could use a marquee nonconference victory, and Nebraska has a chance to earn it Saturday at No. 14 Virginia Tech.
3. Pac-10
USC once again showed it's the class of the Pac-10 by beating Ohio State 18-15 on the road this past Saturday. The No. 3 Trojans face a road game at Washington, which might end up being more difficult than most people believe. No. 7 California looks like the league's second-best team, but the Bears face a difficult road test at Minnesota. UCLA helped the Pac-10's cause with a 19-15 victory at Tennessee last week, and No. 24 Oregon State has a chance to bolster the league's reputation in a home game against No. 21 Cincinnati on Saturday.
4. Mountain West
It's another big weekend for the Mountain West, which already boasts victories over then-No. 3 Oklahoma, Colorado and Virginia. No. 9 BYU hosts Florida State on Saturday, and No. 16 Utah plays at Oregon. Colorado State can improve to 3-0 with a home victory over Nevada, and Wyoming should have a chance to make Colorado's season even worse. The MWC took a couple of hits last week, though, as Air Force lost at Minnesota and UNLV lost to Oregon State at home.
5. ACC
There probably isn't a truly great team in the ACC right now, but it would be hard to find more exciting games and closer competition. No. 13 Georgia Tech and No. 22 Miami play Thursday night, and the winner will move to the top of the ACC pack. If No. 14 Virginia Tech beats Nebraska at home, it could restore much of its reputation that was damaged in a Week 1 loss to then-No. 5 Alabama. No. 19 North Carolina looks to be overrated after its narrow victory over Connecticut last week. Wake Forest helped the ACC by coming back to beat Stanford, but Maryland and Florida State didn't look good against FCS opponents James Madison and Jacksonville (Ala.) State, respectively.
6. Big Ten
No. 11 Ohio State missed a golden opportunity to gain national respect by losing to USC on a last-minute drive. But the Buckeyes were at least competitive in a big game. No. 5 Penn State continues to steamroll lesser competition, and Iowa bounced back with a 35-3 win over Iowa State after a one-point win over FCS foe Northern Iowa in its opener. Minnesota is a surprising 2-0 after beating Air Force last week, and an upset of California at home would go a long way toward returning some pride to the Big Ten. Michigan State's stunning 29-27 loss to Central Michigan didn't help the league's cause.
7. Big East
The Big East probably has the most at stake this weekend. Only one Big East team is ranked -- No. 21 Cincinnati, which plays at Oregon State. But a few Big East teams can earn some respect with big nonconference victories. West Virginia plays at Auburn, Syracuse hosts Northwestern, Connecticut plays at Baylor and Louisville plays at Kentucky. The Big East really needs to win at least a couple of those games.
8. Conference USA
Houston's 45-35 upset of then-No. 5 Oklahoma State was Conference USA's biggest victory in several seasons. The league has a chance to gain even more respect this weekend: Southern Miss hosts Virginia, East Carolina plays at North Carolina, Tulsa plays at Oklahoma and SMU plays at Washington State. Memphis and UTEP have been disappointments so far.
9. MAC
The MAC enjoyed a huge week, with Central Michigan stunning Michigan State 29-27 and Toledo trouncing Colorado 54-38. Three other MAC teams were competitive in close losses to opponents from BCS conferences: Western Michigan lost at Indiana 23-19, Eastern Michigan lost to Northwestern 27-24 and Bowling Green lost to Missouri 27-20. Ball State and Buffalo, the class of the MAC in 2008, are both struggling so far this season.
10. WAC
Boise State continues to carry the WAC flag, but a couple of other WAC teams showed life last week. Fresno State suffered a gut-wrenching 34-31 overtime defeat at Wisconsin, but the Bulldogs will have a chance to bounce back when they host the Broncos on Friday night. San Jose State also was surprisingly competitive in a 24-14 loss to Utah. The league has a chance to raise eyebrows this weekend in three nonconference games: Nevada plays at Colorado State, San Jose State plays at Stanford and Hawaii plays at UNLV.
11. Sun Belt
Sun Belt schools scored a couple of big victories last week: Louisiana-Lafayette won at Kansas State 17-15, and Middle Tennessee State beat Memphis 31-14. Sun Belt schools have a quartet of upset chances this weekend: Louisiana-Monroe plays at Arizona State, Middle Tennessee plays at Maryland, Louisiana-Lafayette plays at LSU and Florida Atlantic plays at South Carolina.
Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at [email protected].
