Will the real #1 please stand up?

[whodey21]

Who do you think is the best team in the country?

Oregon looks great, but has yet to play anyone in the top 15 in the country.

Notre Dame has looked sloppy this season, but is still undefeated.

Kansas State has a Heisman candidate, and actually probably gets my vote.

Alabama has a loss, and has an incredibly weak nonconference schedule.

Ohio State had a rough start to the season, and also has a weak nonconference schedule.

My Top 5 probably goes (if anyone cares):
Kansas State
Oregon
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Texas A&M

[NDfanatic]

Obviously, I want Notre Dame in the #1 position, but I think the top three will end up

Oregon
Kansas State
Notre Dame

I was watching the game at a fire station of all places on Saturday evening, in New Jersey, and most of the men in that room probably had notions to throw me out when the Irish won, but I think we're pretty good this year. Unfortunately, I think it'll take Kansas State or Oregon losing one and us continuing to win for the BCS to put the Irish on top.

[Patrick D from 83]

Originally Posted by whodey21

Who do you think is the best team in the country?

Oregon looks great, but has yet to play anyone in the top 15 in the country.

Notre Dame has looked sloppy this season, but is still undefeated.

Kansas State has a Heisman candidate, and actually probably gets my vote.

Alabama has a loss, and has an incredibly weak nonconference schedule.

Ohio State had a rough start to the season, and also has a weak nonconference schedule.

My Top 5 probably goes (if anyone cares):
Kansas State
Oregon
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Texas A&M

Sorry, but OSU isn't top 5, let alone #3. I'd go Oregon, K-state, Notre Dame, Georgia, Bama right now.

The Big Ten is awful this year, and Ohio State being undefeated isn't that impressive right now. I dislike Notre Dame big time, but at least they have big showcase wins over Stanford and Oklahoma.

[whodey21]

Originally Posted by Patrick D from 83

Sorry, but OSU isn't top 5, let alone #3. I'd go Oregon, K-state, Notre Dame, Georgia, Bama right now.

The Big Ten is awful this year, and Ohio State being undefeated isn't that impressive right now. I dislike Notre Dame big time, but at least they have big showcase wins over Stanford and Oklahoma.

I agree, the Buckeyes aren't that impressive, but those showcase wins for ND are countered by 3OT against Pitt (who lost to my YSU Penguins) at home. Before that, I had ND over Alabama for #1. And I can't justify putting a team that lost over a team that didn't (Georgia). I guess I'm just not as high on the SEC as ESPN wants me to be... This'll be fun to revisit in January, though.

[Patrick D from 83]

Originally Posted by whodey21

I agree, the Buckeyes aren't that impressive, but those showcase wins for ND are countered by 3OT against Pitt (who lost to my YSU Penguins) at home. Before that, I had ND over Alabama for #1. And I can't justify putting a team that lost over a team that didn't (Georgia). I guess I'm just not as high on the SEC as ESPN wants me to be... This'll be fun to revisit in January, though.

Well if you want to count that against Notre Dame, certainly the OT win against Purdue is just as bad when looking at Ohio State. The difference is Notre Dame has those other 2 signature wins to still talk up after their close victory over a crappy team.

I wish I could talk up OSU more, I live around plenty of Big Ten haters and I'm a Big Ten alum.

[Stewee28]

Bama may have lost, but I still believe they are one of the Top 3 teams. They play in the SEC, and we all know the SEC is the toughest conferene to play in....hands down!!

I think people have trouble with K-State because they came out of no where in the last two years. They arent the prototypical team everyone is used to i.e. LSU, USC, Ohio State, Florida, Oregon. They have been sleepers up to this year, but damn are they good.

Oregon is the most explosive team out of these three. Their offense is scary good and they are doing it with a True Freshman QB. Kenyon Barner and the D-Train (DeAnthony Thomas) are unbelievable.

Notre Dame is undefeated, which is good, but they have been very sloppy this year. The win against Pitt proved they are still working on the Brian Kelly Perfection. USC will be their big test.

Ohio State shouldnt even be in this discussion because they are ineligable for a bowl game. Come next year at this time, their name may be in the mix.

As of right now, I rank the teams like this:

1.) K-State - they are rightfully deserving of the #1 ranking. Undefeated and have handed some pretty lopsided losses to some ranked teams this year.

2.) Oregon - undefeated team who explodes onto the scoreboard because of a fast paced offense. Defense struggles at times, but man are they fun to watch

3.) Alabama - they may have lost to A & M, but they still may be the best team in the country. Tough loss for a team who has been strong all year

4.) Notre Dame - may be undefeated but their struggles against unranked teams has them behind Bama. Brian Kelly has done a great job and Notre Dame is returning to the storied program it was "back in the day."

I would really like to see the Oregon vs Bama National Championship. Watch Oregons offense vs. Bamas defesne. Would be a great game. I just dont see K-State losing another game. Cant wait for the playoff bracket to start. That will be some fun football to watch.

[BengalHawk62]

1. Notre Dame- played thru the toughest schedule in college football and is still undefeated. Beat Oklahoma and Miami by a wider margin than K-State did. That's why they should be #1.

2. Kansas State- Great team, great QB, great Coach. Undefeated, worthy of the #2 ranking.

3. Oregon- Undefeated, High explosive offense. No denying that fact. But tell me, who have they played? Name one, just one top 20 defense they've faced this year? Stanford, Oregon State and the Pac 10 title game will tell us all just how good this Oregon team is.

4. Georgia- Coming on lately after a terrible loss to South Carolina. Geogia and Bama will be a great game to send the winner.........to the Sugar Bowl.

5. Alabama- LSU exposed some warts on that "untouchable" defense. Johnny Football and Texas A&M burned those warts. A team loses, they fall down the rankings.

[whodey21]

Originally Posted by Patrick D from 83

Well if you want to count that against Notre Dame, certainly the OT win against Purdue is just as bad when looking at Ohio State. The difference is Notre Dame has those other 2 signature wins to still talk up after their close victory over a crappy team.

I wish I could talk up OSU more, I live around plenty of Big Ten haters and I'm a Big Ten alum.

I'm not trying to talk them up, but single overtime is better than triple overtime, a win over a Big Ten team is better than a win over the Big East, and let's not forget that Nortre Dame only squeaked by Purdue themselves. Notre Dame has a better defense, and Ohio State has a better offense. Again, I just think this will be fun to compare with the final poll.

[Stewee28]

Originally Posted by BengalHawk62

1. Notre Dame- played thru the toughest schedule in college football and is still undefeated. Beat Oklahoma and Miami by a wider margin than K-State did. That's why they should be #1.

2. Kansas State- Great team, great QB, great Coach. Undefeated, worthy of the #2 ranking.

3. Oregon- Undefeated, High explosive offense. No denying that fact. But tell me, who have they played? Name one, just one top 20 defense they've faced this year? Stanford, Oregon State and the Pac 10 title game will tell us all just how good this Oregon team is.

4. Georgia- Coming on lately after a terrible loss to South Carolina. Geogia and Bama will be a great game to send the winner.........to the Sugar Bowl.

5. Alabama- LSU exposed some warts on that "untouchable" defense. Johnny Football and Texas A&M burned those warts. A team loses, they fall down the rankings.

Oregons next two games will determine whether or not they will be the number one team or not.

vs. Stanford
vs. Oregon State

Then if they win both of those, they will play for the Pac 12 Championship where they could face USC, Stanford or Oregon State again. That is one hell of a way to finish the year. They have, by far, the hardest remaining schedule left and if they can go undefeated, they will be the number one team come seasons end. I do not believe Notre Dame will be in the top 3 at seasons end. Alabama will win their SEC Championship and finish the year at #3.

National Championship - Oregon (#1) vs. Kansas State (#2)

Then the other BCS game will be - Alabama (#3) vs. Notre Dame (#4)

[Funkysylvanelf]

Originally Posted by Stewee28

Oregons next two games will determine whether or not they will be the number one team or not.

vs. Stanford
vs. Oregon State

Then if they win both of those, they will play for the Pac 12 Championship where they could face USC, Stanford or Oregon State again. That is one hell of a way to finish the year. They have, by far, the hardest remaining schedule left and if they can go undefeated, they will be the number one team come seasons end. I do not believe Notre Dame will be in the top 3 at seasons end. Alabama will win their SEC Championship and finish the year at #3.

National Championship - Oregon (#1) vs. Kansas State (#2)

Then the other BCS game will be - Alabama (#3) vs. Notre Dame (#4)

I think Notre Dame is a lock for the Rose bowl against whoever wins in Indy.

[VCU Rams]

Originally Posted by Patrick D from 83

Well if you want to count that against Notre Dame, certainly the OT win against Purdue is just as bad when looking at Ohio State. The difference is Notre Dame has those other 2 signature wins to still talk up after their close victory over a crappy team.

I wish I could talk up OSU more, I live around plenty of Big Ten haters and I'm a Big Ten alum.

to be fair purdue took nd to the wire as well...but that was when everybody thought purdue was a possible b-10 sleeper.

[SunsetBengal]

Wow, Stanford playing Oregon real tough tonight.

[whodey21]

Ok, after last night I have to update this.

My new #1 is Ohio State. They reached 11-0, and I think they will reach 12-0 based on emotion alone. They've had some unimpressive games (Purdue, Indiana), but they won them. At 10-0 they were still underdogs against Wisconsin, and it's time to give them some respect.

My #2 is Notre Dame. Also 11-0, they face a battered rival in USC at the Coliseum. This will be a tough one, as the Trojans will want to salvage their entire season by toppling the Irish. If they do win, close home victories against Pitt, Purdue, and BYU have them a notch below OSU in my book.

My #3 is Texas A&M. They have the best player in college at QB, and they have gotten consistently better as the freshman has matured. Finally, they beat the then-#1 team in the country in Alabama in impressive fashion.

My #4 is Stanford. When you beat the best, you should earn their spot (but not really). They lost in OT at Notre Dame, and their loss at Washington is balanced by the fact that they beat #2 Oregon on the road. It's all about momentum.

My #5 is a tie between Alabama and Oregon. Alabama is probably a better team, but has looked worse in individual games (LSU, aTm), despite only losing once. They didn't even attempt to schedule a decent nonconference schedule, either. Oregon has also lost, but it was close all game, and was the only time this season that their offense has been slowed down.

[Slappy from New Haven]

Originally Posted by whodey21

Who do you think is the best team in the country?

Oregon looks great, but has yet to play anyone in the top 15 in the country.

Notre Dame is still undefeated.

Kansas State has a Heisman candidate, and actually probably gets my vote.

Alabama has a loss, and has an incredibly weak nonconference schedule.

Ohio State had a rough start to the season, and also has a weak nonconference schedule.

My Top 5 probably goes (if anyone cares):
Kansas State
Oregon
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Texas A&M

I fixed it for you