jones Top Ten - Week Four - 2011

by Barking Carnival Staff on Sep 25, 2011 4:27 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Football

The storefront reads "In God We Trust." It’s written in biblical/motivational font on a functional building in a dilapidated strip center. I assume it is either a Charismatic church of some sort, or else it is a very clever front for a counterfeiting operation. Or was I should say. There is a FOR LEASE plastered over the "We." Let’s save the metaphors of a failing American economy for Thomas Friedman. The back story is probably not social justice, but indifference. Guy starts a congregation, rents some cheap space, expects people to show, or maybe God to provide. No one buys what he is selling, God doesn’t provide (or at least the bank doesn’t consult God) and someone selling used office furniture picks up his sanctuary on the cheap.

This is hardly a failure of capitalism, simply another dream deferred.

Alabama 38
Arkansas 14

Oklahoma State 30
Texas A&M 29

Two schools trying to build something, both with rabid fans, both with old tradition, both with coaches given the time to put all of their pieces on the field and both, on Sunday morning, are deeply disappointed. For Arkansas, it is simple. The Razorbacks are not as good as Alabama, not in Tuscaloosa, not in Fayetteville, not in week four or in week twelve. No shame in that. The Tide defense withstood an early touchdown. Trent Richardson did his Michael Irvin "big players make big plays in big games" act. Marquis Maze did an incredible job of setting up blockers on a back-breaking punt return where Maze changed speeds like it was the Tour de France. Alabama football.

Texas A&M is just depressed. The Aggies led a showcase game in front of their home crowd 20-3 at halftime. It disappeared in a flood of turnovers and miserable pass defense. Oklahoma State’s three best receivers caught 31 passes for over 330 yards. You cannot simply cover Justin Blackmon (and the Aggies didn’t in the second half), you also must also account for the underrated Josh Cooper and Hubert Anyiam.

A bitter pill for Arkansas and A&M, but with an immediate chance for redemption. They play each other next week. But next Sunday, one of these top ten hopefuls will be on a two game losing streak.

West Virginia did not play poorly in a 47-21 loss to LSU. The Mountaineers even cut an early deficit down to a manageable 27-21 late in the third, then promptly gave up a 99-yard kickoff return to Morris Claiborne and that was that. For the third time, the Tigers beat a ranked team. In all of them, the losers played decent football and flat got swamped at a crucial point in the game. Ironic that LSU’s first victim this year was Oregon because that’s exactly the script the Ducks followed last year. I think LSU is the best team in the country. Their resume is unmatched at this point.

Oklahoma held serve with a 38-28 win over Missouri. Are the Sooners vulnerable because of a ten-point win and yielding 532 yards to the Tigers? I doubt it. The Sooners were pretty dominant through three, leading 31-14 well into the fourth. They resemble the old "defense when it matters" crew of 2008.

Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma are the best teams in the country. My hunch is that Wisconsin could play with them, but the Badgers have yet to prove it. Running South Dakota through a 59-10 cheese grating does not count. But Nebraska awaits. The Cornhuskers beat Wyoming 38-14.

Arizona fascinates me. Last week, I wrote this:

Stanford’s allegedly dangerous road test at Arizona ended 37-10…almost an exact replay of last year’s game (Stanford 42, Arizona 17). Arizona played an exact replay of their Alamo Bowl loss to Oklahoma State last week. So next week I am going to go out on a limb and predict a 19-point loss hosting Oregon.

This week Oregon beat Arizona, 56-31. LaMichael James ran for 288 yards and the Ducks had an incredible 415 total. Last season, Oregon won 48-29 and rushed for 389 total yards.

There can only be one conclusion: Arizona is trapped in some alternate reality where they are forced to replay their entire 2010 season. Next week, I predict a tough, three-point loss to USC.

Boise State beat Tulsa 41-21, taking the fourth quarter off. Kellen Moore was highly efficient. He threw four touchdowns, no interceptions, barely any incompletions, ate a balanced dinner where all the food groups were represented, read to a group of kindergarten children, aced his organic chemistry exam on Thursday and made it to church on Sunday.

This was the first full weekend with a minimum of pay-to-play exhibitions. The bottom half of the top 25 was great. Clemson posted a very un-Clemsonlike 35-30 win over FSU. Across the state, South Carolina showed well in every aspect of the game other than Stephen Garcia (four picks, but that’s who he is, man, no reason to get all up in his grill about it) in a 21-3 win over Vanderbilt. Freshman Jadeveon Clowney again made an unwelcome appearance in the opposing backfield at a key point in the game. He is the most unblockable 18-year-old I have seen in a long time.

There were two incredible quarterback performances that went somewhat under-the-radar. Denard Robinson cracked 200 yards rushing in a 28-7 Michigan win over San Diego State. Robert Griffin was 29 of 33 with five touchdowns in a 56-31 Baylor win over Rice. That means RGIII now has a 13/12 TD/incompletion ratio. Try that on for size.

ESPN helpfully noted that Florida started off slow before "walloping" Kentucky. OK, but the game was 21-3 after the first quarter. I would hate to see Florida start off fast. So far, the Gators look like a well-oiled machine on offense. Not what I expected, but I dine on crow regularly regarding such matters. Tastes like chicken (cooked after the sell by date). Florida 48, Kentucky 10.

Arizona State steamrolled USC over the last 20 minutes to run away with a 43-22 decision. Perhaps ASU doesn’t have Michigan State disease.

Illinois is ranked. This week anyway, it may have gone to their collective head having to hang on to a 23-20 win over Western Michigan.

Georgia Tech and North Carolina played a great 11:00 game. Tech won it late, 35-38. This was about the same time Notre Dame was holding off Pitt, 15-12 in a game only the players’ mothers and NBC executives could love.

South Florida beat UTEP, 52-24 and TCU crushed Portland State.

In the "huh?" category, put Temple’s 38-7 thrashing of Maryland.

Putting aside the numerous domestic disturbance calls, most of the Big 12 is undefeated. Kansas State, ostensibly not a good football team, shocked Miami for 28-24 road win on the strength of an amazing goal line stand at the end. Texas Tech survived Nevada late.

Impressive Showing of the Week: Alabama

1. LSU

2. Alabama

3. Oklahoma

4. Vacant, but reserved for Wisconsin

5. Oklahoma State

6. Boise State

7. Oregon

8. South Carolina, yes I know Stephen Garcia is a head case, stop with the e-mails already

9. Arkansas, who will be punished very harshly for losing a game almost every other team in the top 25 would have lost

10. Stanford

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Comments

I hate missing Texas home games but watching LSU/Bama in Tuscaloosa may be too much to pass up again this year.

by shirtonbackwards on Sep 25, 2011 5:02 PM CDT reply actions

what is your email address? i need to send you one regarding stephen garcia…

by mileslong on Sep 25, 2011 5:51 PM CDT reply actions

(grimaces standing up for the admittedly lying aggies) How do you justify a 1 point loss to the #5 team as being at least 6 spots below them?

For as bad as they were in the third, I think they just forgot there was a second half. Once they remembered in the fourth they almost got it back.

I think ATM is 10 and the fighting Steven Garcia’s are 11. That’s just me though.

by uttuck on Sep 25, 2011 6:36 PM CDT reply actions

Horns are undefeated on bye weeks during Mack Brown’s tenure.

by Alan Couchman on Sep 25, 2011 6:38 PM CDT reply actions

(grimaces standing up for the admittedly lying aggies) How do you justify a 1 point loss to the #5 team as being at least 6 spots below them?

Well 2 of those aggy points were unearned.

by Dionysus on Sep 25, 2011 6:45 PM CDT reply actions

@UTTuck, I think the character of the loss is the reason for the fall. It wasn’t as close back-and-forth the whole game with the Pokes only barely edging out. The Aggies collapsed in the second half, dropping a 20-3 halftime lead, scoring only once in the second half (the final safety doesn’t really count). They can make up for it next week if they beat Arkansas (though Ark is now ranked 18th in AP and Coaches poll).

by Canuck Horn on Sep 25, 2011 7:06 PM CDT reply actions

There may have been some Cowboy points, uh, left on the field, too. Not hard to see it is a 10 point road win.

by J Blackmon on Sep 25, 2011 7:08 PM CDT reply actions

pokes had one TD called back on penalty and other TD lost when blackmon walking into endzone drops the ball through the back for a touchback and of course the safety on purpose. this was like a 16 point victory instead of a 1 point victory…

by mileslong on Sep 25, 2011 7:22 PM CDT reply actions

mileslong – you can always comment at jonestopten@sbcglobal.net, happy to hear from you

uttuck – some of the other posters have hit it on the head. The Aggie collapse was disturbing and OSU did leave some points on the field. It won’t matter by the end of next week.

Unlike blogpoll, JTT is a power poll (well, it’s not a poll, there is only one voter…). I do care somewhat about resume, but not at all about schedule.

All things equal (neutral field rule), I think South Carolina is better than most others do. That’s cool. I am either right or wrong, but they are immensely talented and tend to play to the level of their competition. I don"t like Steve Tanneyhill against the Gamecock pass rush one bit.

And I think Arkansas is still borderline one of the best ten teams in the country. They are certainly not 18th.

by jonestopten on Sep 25, 2011 7:38 PM CDT reply actions

Gamecocks are hard to see in the top 10. Head case at QB and the most talented defense they pretends to be a speed bump. On potential they are top 10, but they have done nothing to deserve that ranking

by codaxx on Sep 25, 2011 8:44 PM CDT reply actions

“Clemson posted a very un-Clemsonlike 35-30 win over FSU.”

You’re so money that you don’t even know it.
My dad and I had just had a discussion on Friday about how, well, for lack of a better word, Clemson-like Clemson always seemed to play, and that they would probably end up dropping this game.

I’m glad they played un-Clemsonlike, and it’s good to know we aren’t the only two guys who think it makes sense to say that Clemson generally plays like Clemson.

by redfoot on Sep 25, 2011 9:10 PM CDT reply actions

Texas at #17 seems a little high to me, but last year’s team would be one game under .500 at this point.

by uthookem on Sep 25, 2011 10:03 PM CDT reply actions

I wouldn’t put Okie Lite or A&M in the top ten. Both teams left points, both defenses took naps, both teams were undisciplined. Much too early for good rankings yet, but both teams are going to need to play much better to hang with Baylor, let alone OU. By mid October, we should know a lot more. We’ll know more about A&M and Arkansas this weekend. I’d love to see B12 teams in the top ten, but let’s wait til they earn it.

by ethorn on Sep 26, 2011 6:05 AM CDT reply actions

Faking of injuries, numerous cheap shots, and designed chop blocks by the aggies. Can’t remember the last time I enjoyed watching a team lose that much.

by Art Vandelay on Sep 26, 2011 8:37 AM CDT reply actions

I think “earn” is a dangerous word. “Deserve” is worse (“deserves got nothing to do with it” — Right, Mr. Eastwood?).

The key statement in this week’s offering is here:

“I dine on crow regularly regarding such matters. Tastes like chicken (cooked after the sell by date).”

We all do over the course of a college football season. Week four doesn’t really tell us anything. Wisconsin certainly doesn’t “deserve” a top five ranking, but if you ask me if Wisconsin is one of the best five teams in the country, then I would say absolutely.

As for this:

“Both teams left points, both defenses took naps, both teams were undisciplined.”

That’s true not only of Oklahoma State and A&M, it is also true of Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma (and every other team in the top ten). I’ll bet there are Arkansas fans right now typing: “Well, Alabama scored twice on special teams and once on defense, so we really held them in check. If we didn’t give up the 60 yard screen pass to Richardson, we could have won that one.”

It’s not true. But someone right now is rationalizing that point.

As for South Carolina, they have beaten four good (and competently coached) football teams—albeit none of them great. Believe it or not, that’s more than any other team in the top 10 can claim (LSU has beaten two very good teams, one borderline excellent one and had one scrimmage, so it is probably a wash) . We are a couple of weeks from the computers “connecting” teams, but any cold-hearted analysis that does not take into account Stephen Garcia’s mental state would put South Carolina at least in the top dozen and likely higher.

by jonestopten on Sep 26, 2011 10:12 AM CDT reply actions

Was the whole diatribe about a failing church supposed to represent Aggieland in some way? If not, I don’t see the point of the introduction to this rankings conversation.

As a Michigan fan (my love for the Blue ranks 2nd to my love for the Longhorns, but not by much) I regretfully have to contend with the “incredible performance” and “somewhat under the radar” comments you made above about Denard. He was nominated on ABC for one of the “Top Performances”, and though he can juke the hell out of average DL’s and LB’s, his accuracy was dreadful (<50%) and he threw for 2 picks and no td's. He seems to have gotten less accurate as the season progresses under the hybrid west-coast/spread system. As they face more capable run defenses, Michigan will lose a bulk of their conference games unless he completes a much higher percentage of his passes and they develop another credible running threat.

by SlowSand on Sep 26, 2011 10:31 AM CDT reply actions

I actually agree with that…but my God it is fun to watch the kid run.

by jonestopten on Sep 26, 2011 10:59 AM CDT reply actions

“But next Sunday, one of these top ten hopefuls will be on a two game losing streak.”

ANd for that we thank you.

If I had to pick it would be good ol’ aggy who will go back to BCS (and NO that has NEVER stood for Bowl Championship Series for aggy) to lick their wounds or perhaps to find a collie to lick his.

this loss for aggy will put an end to their misplaced Top Ten hopes. What right does aggy have to dream of top ten status WITHOUT the benefit of blatant cheeting? The answer to that of course is NONE.

They will be soundly beaten by a mediocre SEC team, yet again, leaving the one or two among their faithful who can actually add 2+2 to wonder just what the hell they were they thinking when they decided to leave a “mediocre” Big XII that they could not compete in to an SEC because there is better football there.