Who's Really Top 10 Calibur?

It’s October and the college football has reached the middle of its season. Quite frankly, this season is exceptionally zany. Upsets a plenty have plagued many a team and stars have immerged as potential Heisman winners. As an avid watcher of college football I have my own, sometimes very strong, opinions about everything. I have an especially strong opinion on who really are the top 10 teams in the country. Let’s just get things started with number 10…

10. Hawaii (7-0): “Wow!” That’s what you’re thinking right? What you should be thinking is, “Yeah, he’s right.” The Warriors are the Boise State of the season. They’ve put a stomping on a majority of their opponents (UNLV and Idaho, to name a few) and have shown they can battle back when the odds are against them (Their 4th quarter charge against San Jose State… on the road!) And with Colt Brennan taking the snaps (2395 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 7 games) those wins are going to keep piling up. Not to mention their defense is allowing an average of 24 points per game and their offense is scoring an average of 52 points per game. Honestly, a majority of the top 25 would not be able to Hawaii. They just wouldn’t.

9. Oregon (4-1): I can hear the screams now. “BIASED!” You may be right, but check out the schedule. The Duck’s wins have come with a margin of at least 20 points and their only loss came to a Pac-10 powerhouse known as Cal (Where will they end up? Hmmm…) Dennis Dixon and the spread offense is a lethal weapon and their defense is surprising this year as well (Even if they did allow 31 points against Stanford, who are being sold short in the Pac-10.) No matter who carries the ball (Jonathan Stewart of Dixon) or catches the passes (Jaison Williams, Cameron Colvin, or Brian Paysinger) the Ducks will score and, in college football, that’s what wins games.

8. Oklahoma (5-1): At the beginning of the season, the Sooners were early favorites for National Championship contention. Now, in the middle of the season, the Sooners aren’t looking so impressive. They gave up a game against the Buffaloes and struggled against an extremely overrated Longhorn team. The Sooners have faltered and that has affected their ranking in my world. Still, the Sooners have a good offense and defense behind them and are capable of finishing the season off strong and possibly winning the Big 12 Championship (If Mizzou doesn’t totally spoil their hopes.) Maybe Adrian Peterson is missed more than we originally thought.

7. West Virginia (5-1): To keep up with the tread I seem to be setting, the high octane rushing offense of the Mountaineers bowl over the three teams behind them. Pat White and Steve Slaton can pound the run down your throat (As East Carolina found out when West Virginia ran an impressive 397 rushing yards on them.) But their rushing attack can be contained (As South Florida showed us by containing them to 188 yards on the rush.) Still, White is a potent QB and can make the throws (71.6% on his completions and 1 interception versus 7 TD passes.) Once again, offense prevails in the college football world and the Mountaineers certainly have a good one.

6. USC (4-1): I don’t know what’s more surprising… USC not being in the top 2 or the Trojans suddenly dropping off the face of the planet in the eyes of the media after their loss to Stanford. Certainly, SC should have won that game, but if you follow the Vegas lines for games then you probably shouldn’t even claim to be a sports fan. Yes, the game was at home, but the Pac-10 has become quite a competitive conference and every team is starting to shine. Still, the Trojans have Pete Carroll calling the plays and he’s the best play caller in college football. (Sorry, Jim Tressel.) USC will get back on their high horse and ride victorious once again.

5. South Carolina (5-1): Stop the presses! A team has broken the top 10 who doesn’t have a reputation for a powerhouse offense. That’s right. The South Carolina Gamecocks is the first team in my top 10 to be recognized for defensive achievements. The better of the two USC’s (I can’t believe I am saying this!) has an impressive pass defense and they are lead by some new coach that I’ve never heard of… Steve Spurrier or something like that. He’s pretty impressive. He may end up in the record books some day. A good defensive and impressive coaching cause the Gamecocks to be the first to break the top 5.

4. South Florida (5-0): The Bulls from the Big East are the surprise this season. Their 2006-2007 team went 9-4. This year they are destined to finish better than that and I believe win the Big East Championship. The Bulls had an impressive game against fellow Big East juggernaut West Virginia (As I already pointed out) with their defense being the star. However, their biggest win seems to be over looked. Has everyone forgotten SF going into Auburn and taking down the Tigers? I haven’t. The South Florida Bulls deserve their position inside the top 5.

3. Boston College (6-0): The Eagles have emerged once again as an ACC threat and have done so in a big way. Their opening 3 games were against ACC opponents, 2 of which being against Wake Forest (Coming off a great season in the ACC) and Georgia Tech (Who at the time was ranked 15th in the nation.) The Eagles are winning and winning convincingly. Matt Ryan is a potential Heisman front runner and if his team finishes the season out strong (Which they will) then we may be hearing his name being called out in New York.

2. LSU (6-0): Take that all of you SEC fans! The Bayou Bengals are not my number 1 and with good reason. Their prior game against Florida was a close call and I am beginning to think their team is slowing losing their resilience they were believed to once have. Still, LSU is an incredible team and deserves a shot at the title (Right now!) To stay up there they need to get by Kentucky first.

1. California (5-0): The Golden Bears aren’t just the best Pac-10 team anymore; they are now the best team in the nation. Cal is a stout team (Wins over UT and Oregon key wins.) Their offense is putting up impressive numbers (1137 passing yards and over 585 rushing yards) and the Bears are looking like they are only going to improve. Look out! The Golden Bears are clawing for a national title.

There you have it, my top 10. Controversial? No doubt. I don’t have Ohio State in the top 10 (I cannot respect the Big 10 right now, I just cannot) and Hawaii is number 10. It’s crazy, but it’s what I honestly believe. You can disagree if you want; in fact it’s encouraged that you raise doubt and argue with me. Still, keep your anger in check and stay tuned. I have more college football action to unleash… including game predictions that will rival my brother’s. Bwa haha!