In Week 5 of the college football season, we learned there’s the cream of the crop then everyone else much like last season.
First there was the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide hosting No. 7 Florida Gators in Tuscaloosa, AL. Some people thought that the Tide might have some trouble with the Gators. After all the Tide nearly lost in Arkansas and the Gators seemed to get their offense going against Kentucky. The Tide dominated this game despite being outgained on offense 281 yards to 273. The difference was the four turnovers, two of them interceptions by Gators’ quarterback John Brantley. The only thing the Tide allowed was two field goals in their 31-6 victory.
On this coast there was the showdown at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR between the No. 4 Oregon Ducks and No. 9 Stanford Cardinal. It was a matchup between finesse and power. Stanford jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter thanks to two turnovers which led to touchdowns. The Ducks got it to 31-24 at the half and shutout the Cardinal in the second half. So if you take away those two turnovers deep in their territory, the Ducks actually won the game 52-17. I think the finesse won on this day.
So this brings us to the LAist-CS Top 16 Rankings. This season the two other voters decided not to participate due to time constraints, so it’s just me people. Here we go.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 SEC) - They look well on their way to defend their title.
2. Oregon Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) - The Ducks will quack their way to Glendale at this rate.
3. Boise State Broncos (4-0, 1-0 WAC) - They did what they needed to in their 59-0 whooping of New Mexico State on the road.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) - Quarterback Terrelle Pryor got injured during the second quarter of this game. It shouldn’t have mattered since the Illini aren’t that good.
5. TCU Horned Frogs (5-0, 1-0 Mountain West) - Like Boise State they did what they needed to in shutting out Colorado State on the road.
6. Nebraska Corn Huskers (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) - They just stayed on the sidelines this week watching whatever was left of the Red River Rivalry.
7. Auburn Tigers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) - Here’s where the drop off starts. I don’t know what a 52-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe does, but the close games against Mississippi State and Clemson still linger in my mind.
8. Stanford Cardinal (4-1, 1-1 Pac-10) - The Ducks really put it to the Cardinal in the second half, but I don’t expect quarterback Andrew Luck to stay down for long.
9. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) - If Bob Stoops liked what he saw on Saturday, he’s smoking and not sharing.
10. Utah Utes (4-0, 2-0 Mountain West) - Soon-to-be Pac-12 team also sat out the week. They haven’t been challenged since their opening week win over Pitt.
11. Arizona Wildcats (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) - Another team that was helped with a bye. That last minute win against Cal is a bit unnerving though.
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-0 Big 10) - Iowa had only given up three points since losing to Arizona two weeks ago - a field goal to Penn State on Saturday.
13. Michigan Wolverines (5-0, 1-0 Big 10) - Denard Robinson is the only reason Michigan is winning. That defense giving up 35 points to Indiana sure aren’t helping.
14. Florida Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC) - That was a stinker, but thanks to how bad everyone else is their fall isn’t so bad.
15. LSU Tigers (5-0, 3-0 SEC) - An abomination. They need to send Knoxville a nice present in return for that gift. By the way, nothing is more amusing to watch than Ryan Theriot watching an LSU game.
16. Michigan State Spartans (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) - Their beatdown of Wisconsin was actually quite impressive.
