After three weeks we’re already down to just a half-dozen non-AQ schools with a real shot at taking down the establishment and busting their way into the BCS. The predominance of teams from the WAC and Mountain West — especially the latter, given that all three of the WAC teams listed in this week’s Power Rankings are moving to the MWC — testifies to the real depth of football talent out west. Two more of their schools also found themselves on the cruelest, narrowest of losing margins in big non-conference battles. Next season the Mountain West might be losing BYU and Utah, but the addition of Nevada, Boise State and Fresno State keeps them at the forefront of the BCS Buster fight…
But there’s always going to be some team that keeps the good fight up out east every year as well, and despite seeing Conference USA dropping out of the battle with the defeats of Houston and East Carolina there’s still a dog in the fight as we start to round the quarter pole of the season’s marathon. That certain former BCS squad from Philly is in the fight as well, and they have a real chance to hoot their intentions loud and clear next weekend when they take on a Big Ten powerhouse. There’s been some shifts as we rank the teams on their current projected strength, but everything is penciled in at the moment. There are opportunities yet for each of these teams to write their case in stone for the voting coaches and the Harris pollsters and the six computers to distill and deny at their own peril…
1. BOISE STATE BRONCOS (WAC/2-0)
- LAST WEEK: 1st
- LAST GAME: W @ Wyoming 51-6
- NEXT WEEK: Sept. 25 v. Oregon State
The Broncos needed to come out and make a big statement after James Madison tarnished the luster of their win against Virginia Tech. They came to Laramie to face a Wyoming team that had given Texas fits in the first half of last weekend’s game in Austin. Boise State looked far better than the Longhorns did against the Pokes, sealing the victory before the first quarter was even through. The defense clamped down against the run, though the Broncos need to cut back on penalties and turnovers. Chris Petersen’s team, now on a 17-game winning streak, hosts Oregon State next week with one more chance to bolster their BCS credentials before the heart of WAC play…
2. TCU HORNED FROGS (MWC/3-0)
- LAST WEEK: 2nd
- LAST GAME: W v. Baylor 45-10
- NEXT WEEK: Sept. 24 @ SMU
It wasn’t even close in the battle between former Southwest Conference foes as TCU routed Baylor to move to 3-0. RB Ed Wesley racked up 165 rushing yards, QB Andy Dalton completed over 90% of his passes (21-of-23 for 267 yards and two TDs) to set the school record for single-game accuracy. The defense bottled up Baylor’s dual-threat QB Robert Griffin, and the Bears were sent back to Waco with their tail between their legs. Gary Patterson’s team gets another former conference opponent in SMU under the Friday night lights this week, one more national showcase to add to their BCS resume…
3. UTAH UTES (MWC/3-0)
- LAST WEEK: 4th
- LAST GAME: W @ New Mexico 56-14
- NEXT WEEK: Sept. 25 v. San Jose State
We have some movement in the Power Rankings as the Utes put together a dominant performance against New Mexico to leapfrog Fresno State. They didn’t even need their starting QB to notch the decisive win, as backup Terrence Cain came in for injured Jordan Wynn and did his best Dalton impression. The senior was 20-of-23 for 248 yards and a trio of TDs to cap a career night and set the Utah completion percentage record held by Sugar Bowl hero and current QB coach Brian Johnson. The Utes are ready to capitalize should TCU falter and have the name recognition and current poll position to bust the BCS in their last opportunity to pull off the feat before joining the ranks of the automatic qualifiers in the Pac-10…
4. NEVADA WOLF PACK (WAC/3-0)
- LAST WEEK: 8th
- LAST GAME: W v. California 52-31 (9/17)
- NEXT WEEK: Sept. 25 @ BYU
I damn near moved the Wolf Pack up past Utah as well into the three spot after their 52-31 battering of Pac-10 border rival California on Friday night. Consider me on the Nevada bandwagon — Chris Ault’s team is going to give Boise State a true battle for the conference this year and bolsters the Mountain West further as an elite conference when they join next year. QB Colin Kaepernick continues to bushwhack through defenses with his arm and his legs, torching Cal on 10-of-15 passing for 181 yards and two TDs and with 17 carries for another 148 yards and three more scores. Kaepernick (dare I suggest it?) should garner some Heisman hype if he keeps up his present pace…
5. FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (WAC/3-0)
- LAST WEEK: 3rd
- LAST GAME: W @ Utah State 41-24
- NEXT WEEK: Sept. 25 @ Ole Miss
Why did the Bulldogs drop? After all, they pulled out a 17-point win on the road to get a conference victory and set themselves up to be a third contender in the WAC. But they allowed the Aggies to stay in the game through the first three quarters, playing from behind or dead level for 45 minutes until uncorking the offense in the final period for the difference. Pat Hill’s squad plays some nasty defense as a top-20 unit, and the offense averages 34.5 points a game despite gaining less than 340 yards a game. Can they keep up the momentum? They get a reeling Ole Miss squad next, a game that looked like a marquee contest on the schedule but can only be a trap for the Bulldogs. Fresno beware when they travel to Oxford…
6. TEMPLE OWLS (MAC/3-0)
- LAST WEEK: 7th
- LAST GAME: W v. UConn 30-16
- NEXT WEEK: Sept. 25 @ Penn State
The Owls keep taking a licking but they keep on ticking, the only team left outside the Mountain West (between its 2010 crop and its three entrants for 2011 and beyond) to still be undefeated among the non-AQ schools. They got their first win of the year against a BCS opponent when Connecticut came to town. Picked by many as a preseason contender for the Big East title, it was the former Big East school beating one of its current number. RB Bernard Pierce is a top-tier running back, gashing the Huskies for 169 yards and two rushing TDs as well as a 27-yard TD pass and inserting his name into the Heisman race as a mid-major darkhorse. If they can knock off their more storied in-state foe next week when they go to Happy Valley to take on Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions, watch them stay in the discussion as the first BCS Buster from east of the Mississippi…
OUT OF THE HUNT…
Last week I said it was crazy to think that only ten undefeated teams remained. But this week we saw four of those ranks tumble from their lofty perches. It was sad to see them all go, as each brought their own promising traits to the table. East Carolina couldn’t discover just what it was that gave Boise State and James Madison the edge over Virginia Tech; thier fellow Conference USA title game contestant from last season, Houston, likewise fell to BCS competition when they traveled to Los Angeles and fell in the Rose Bowl to UCLA. Worse still for the Cougars, they lost record-setting QB Case Keenum for the season to a torn ACL.
The Mountain West also saw two of its teams drop out of the true Buster ranks when they fell by identical 27-24 margins to Big XII opponents. San Diego State was a true darkhorse in the MWC fight, but took Missouri to the wire in Columbia. Air Force, meanwhile, went to Norman and gave the Sooners a real scare. Stifling QB Landry Jones just like they did BYU’s passing attack, the Falcons nearly pulled off a monumental upset but fell just short in the end.
Two eventual blowouts of C-USA teams; two heartbreaker defeats for MWC squads. That is the difference going forward as the mid-majors separate more and more into the haves and have-nots when it comes to the voter credibility…
| (5.) |  |
Air Force Falcons (MWC/2-1) |
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| (6.) |  |
Houston Cougars (C-USA/2-1) |
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| (9.) |
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East Carolina Pirates (C-USA/2-1) |
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| (10.) |
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San Diego State Aztecs (MWC/2-1) |
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