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(CU Independent illustration/Kelly Kaoudis & Josh Shettler)
Oklahoma (4-0): beat Ball St., 62-6That’s right – the Sooners remain No. 1, even after falling to third in the associated press poll. The team who started on top will remain there until they lose. Quarterback Landry Jones and the fourth-rated offense in the FBS waltz into the Red River Rivalry with a chance to solidify their ranking. Next week: vs. No. 10 Texas (in Dallas)
2a. LSU (5-0): beat Kentucky, 35-7
LSU is one of two SEC West teams at the No. 2 spot, tied with division rival Alabama.After a mauling of Kentucky, the Tigers take on Florida, otherwise known as Alabama’s scraps. Only one month left until LSU and Alabama meet in Death Valley, where both teams are verylikely to be undefeated heading into the showdown. Don’t look now, but Tyrann Mathieu (akathe Honey Badger) is a Heisman candidate on defense.
Mathieu, only a sophomore has already set a school record with nine forced fumbles. Next week: vs. Florida
2b. Alabama (5-0): beat Florida, 38-10 Nick Saban’s defense allowed a measly 15 rushing yards on 29 Gator carries last week in “The Swamp.” The nation’s top defense looks more complete than it ever has before under Saban, a scary prospect for the SEC. It’s national title or bust now in T’town. Next week: vs. Vanderbilt
4. Wisconsin (5-0): beat Nebraska, 48-17 Quarterback Russell Wilson might just be the Heisman favorite at this point. It’s hard to imagine that Wisconsin offenses of past would ever hang 48 on a Bo Pelini defense. Wilson’s 255 passing yards and three total touchdowns gave warning to the nation that the Big Ten favorites are legitimate. Next week: vs. Indiana
5. Stanford (5-0): beat UCLA, 45-19
Phenom signal caller Andrew Luck does it all. He throws, runs, tackles on occasion (right,USC?), and now he even makes one handed catches look routine.
Now our beloved Buffs enter Palo Alto with a hampered secondary depending on players who started the season on offense. Uh oh.
6. Oklahoma St. (4-0): idle The Cowboys got a chance to rest after that wild, one-point win in Aggieland. As if things weren’t going good enough in Stillwater, the nation’s second-ranked passing offense welcomes Kansas – who ranks 120th out of 120 FBS teams in scoring defense. Over / Under 65 points for OSU? Next: vs. Kansas
7. Boise St. (5-0): beat Nevada, 30-10 Quarterback Kellen Moore looked uncharacteristically mortal on his home blue turf. His mere 142 passing yards and two interceptions, doubling his season total, may not reflect well on Heisman voters. But hey, the Broncos beat up on the team that took away their undefeated 2010 campaign. Now Moore looks to keep 2011’s unblemished record intact. Next: vs. Fresno St.
8. Oregon (3-1): idle
Last season, Cal came within a field goal of upsetting Oregon’s title hopes. That was in Berkeley. This time the Ducks and their top-ranked scoring offense welcome the Bears to the not-so-hospitable Autzen Stadium. Warning: you may want to turn the volume down. Next: vs Cal.
9. Clemson (5-0): beat Virginia Tech, 23-3. Is head coach Dabo Swinney’s team for real? The Tigers have dethroned three ranked teams in consecutive weeks for the first time in what seems like forever. But can they keep playing under pressure now that they have solidified themselves as the favorites in the ACC? The offensive combination of youngsters Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins is surprisingly good. Their speed should allow them to run through most of ACC schedule. Next: vs. Boston College
10. Texas (5-0): beat Iowa St., 37-14. A quarterback rotation of David Ash and Case McCoy has worked wonders so far for Coach Mack Brown. But a date with Oklahoma’s nasty defense in the Red River Rivalry could expose the inexperience of these two. They’ll rely on help from a run game that has overachieved to this point, lead by freshman back Malcolm Brown. Next: vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas)
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Michael Kurmholtz at Michael.krumholtz@colorado.edu.
