SEC Coaching Boards - Week 4

Some movement going on in this week's coaching boards. While it won't be posted before the start of Ole Miss-Florida, their portions are already written, so everything is pre-Saturday games.

1. Urban Meyer
Florida
Meyer extends his streak over hapless Phil to four, but Meyer needs to dominate Ole Miss after the lackluster win over the Vols - pretty amazing when people are down on Florida after only beating rival UT by more than three TDs. Another poor showing against the Rebels combined with a big win in UGA/UA and the top spot might change.

2. Les Miles
LSU
So I think that Auburn is overrated, and yet move Miles up for the win over the Tigers? And over Nick f***ing Saban?!?! Well, Saban has never been able to leave Jordan-Hare with a win. Miles did it in his second try. Think that does deserve some credence - not to mention that he did it at night, which is pretty difficult, just ask Florida.

3. Nick Saban
Alabama
Saban's team completely decimated Arkansas last week, but the Tide's $4 million man fell a spot due to Miles' win in Auburn. A win over the Dawgs, and it would be almost impossible to keep Saban out of No. 1.

4. Mark Richt
Georgia
I expect UGA to win tonight; you expect UGA to win tonight; hell, even this Redneck expects UGA to win tonight, so a win won't necessarily move Richt ahead of Saban. However, a blowout win akin to the blackout stomping the Dawgs gave Auburn last season will make it difficult not to move Richt to at least number 3.

5. Tommy Tuberville
Auburn
Still scratching my head over the move to the spread, but Auburn still played LSU close. However, after seeing the Bayou Bengals in person, I am not convinced that they are a top 5 team.

6. Steve Spurrier
South Carolina
Gamecocks stuggled last week against lowly Wofford last week. Another close win this week against UAB could give enough room for Bobby Johnson to move up, and an Ole Miss upset of Florida would push Spurrier to the southern half of the SEC rankings - I think Spurrier will keep his No. 6 spot going into next week's game against the Rebels.

7. Bobby Johnson
Vanderbilt
Bobby's finally starting to get the credit that he deserves, but this ranking is probably too high. Sure he's done well with a team of mostly marginal talent, but would you really rather have Johnson walking the sideline than Nutt, Petrino or even Rich Brooks? Well, maybe more so than Rich Brooks.

8. Houston Nutt
Ole Miss
I took the Rebels and the points today; this is the type of game that Nutt makes a statement with - I mean he loses, but he doesn't get blown out. If he were to somehow win this game, Nutt would shoot up these rankings. The Rebels are on a winning streak in Gainesville though.

9. Rich Brooks
Kentucky
The Wildcats have quietly gotten off to a 3-0 start, which should be 4-0 heading into the Oct. 4 match-up with Alabama. Which makes me wonder, if Bama wins today, will Gameday head back to the state of Alabama for next week's matchup? That might seem odd, but with the way gas is disappearing in north Georgia, the Gameday guys may be lucky to get back to Atlanta.

10. Philip Fulmer
Tennessee
Fulmer rallied the fan base last week before the UF game; he wanted everyone ready to go against the hated Gators. Then he as taken to the woodshed. Think it's safe to say, Fulmer really needs the win today over Auburn. Fans are getting restless.

11. Bobby Petrino
Arkansas
Petrino is the X's and O's guy; the offensive genius that made Louisville explosive, and was ready to take Mike Vick to the Super Bowl. So how is it that his Arkansas team, one that was always a factor in the SEC West, couldn't contain Alabama? Oh, I guess that's somebody else's job; Petrino's the offensive genius - well then, nice 14 points you scored, and 14 points your QB handed to the Tide defense. Enjoy that Texas-sized beat-down today.

12. Sly Croom
Mississippi State
Croom says not to mark off his Dogs, even with the lousy 1-3 start. With MSU headed to Baton Rouge today, I have no problem marking Croom and Family as 1-4 and listing him at the bottom of the SEC - which isn't that bad - it'd make him in the top half of the Big East.

ACC Coaching Boards - Week 4

A shake-up in the ACC board - Jim Grobe has come through at the top. He's getting credit for not only creating a dominant ACC team in Winston-Salem, but also the barriers he has for recruiting to a school like Wake, which is counter to the minimal respect Vandy's Bobby Johnson, Northwestern Mark Dantonio and Baylor's Art Briles receives for coaching under the same burdens. Of course, none of those guys have a conference championship.

1. Jim Grobe
Wake Forest
Grobe takes over the number one spot after his second straight win in Tallahassee. And, more so, it was a dominating win - well, maybe not as much as the 30-0 crushing they put on the Seminoles in '06, but the game was much worse than the 12-3 score indicated. In the 2006 championship season, Wake seemed to shift their way through the schedule, now they're a team that knows how to win, and the confidence Grobe has created is nothing short of amazing.

2. Frank Beamer
Virginia Tech
Beamer gets leap-frogged by Grobe, but moves ahead of Bowden. The loss to East Carolina still stings, especially with the Pirates losing to N.C. State, but Beamer needs to show that the Hokies are still a team to remain on the national radar - luckily he has that chance today against Nebraska.

3. Bobby Bowden
Florida State
Bobby has become a caricature of his former self. He's staying on just to try to wrestle the all-time win total away from JoePa (and frankly, that's the only reason, other than he may think he'll pull a Bear Bryant and wind up dead six months after retirement). But JoePa has already gotten a game-and-a-half up on Bobby, and the way the teams look, the distance will only grow. Bowden did amazing things in Tallahassee, but it's time; and after my rant, I'm going to start penalizing him more for this season.

4. Paul Johnson
Georgia Tech
Paul Johnson's running attack thrashed Mississippi State for 38 points. GT has a bye this weekend, and the only threat of another loss is Duke, at least before the showdown at Clemson. The Jackets aren't ready to start competing for the ACC, but getting off to a 5-1 heading into Clemson would be a great accomplishment in Johnson's first season. Interested to see what Tech can do once he has time to recruit.

5. Butch Davis
North Carolina
Davis heads down to Miami for his first return to his old team - unfortunately for him, they got rid of the Old Orange Bowl, so it wouldn't be a complete homecoming. More unfortunate is the Heels playing without their starting QB. A win today in Miami would justify moving Butch up.

6. Tom O'Brien
North Carolina State
O'Brien's ranking was previously based on his time at B.C., but the win over unbeaten giant killer East Carolina, by a team that looked to be spiraling downward, shows that Tom has earned this spot.

7 .Jeff Jagodzinski
Boston College
The Jag is still a wild card; there's not too much info to go off of, and the loss to Georgia Tech is a huge sour note as the 2-1 record is misleading, with wins over Kent State and Central Florida. Jag's Eagles play Rhode Island today, so there's more of a chance that Jag will get leaped than he moving up.

8. Ralph Friedgen
Maryland
What a win two weeks ago against Cal. The Terrapins looked to be the faster, more talented team, and Friedgen has to receive tons of credit for having his guys ready to play. He's going to need another effort like that if Maryland is going to have a chance today against Clemson.

9. Tommy Bowden
Clemson
Tommy finally gets the dunce hat off, and moved out from the corner. I think the blowout loss to Alabama easily justified Tommy being kept in the back of the back, and the win over NC State now looks good, even though the Tigers couldn't cover the spread. While initially Tommy's low ranking was a penalty, I'm beginning to wonder what Tommy has done during his time at Clemson to make him an elite (hell, even middle-of-the-pack) ACC Coach. A win today probably moves him over Maryland, but there needs to be a dominant feeling aobut the win.

10. David Cutcliff
Duke
Cutcliff has Duke off to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2003, but more so, they seem to be playing with some confidence. A win over Virginia today, which is expected as the Blue Devils are favorites, would justify Cutcliff being out-of-the-cellar of ACC coaches.

11. Randy Shannon
Miami
Shannon, in my mind, still hasn't done much of anything. He's got a big game today against Butch Davis. A win, which should happen given UNC playing their back-up quaterback, could only help to move him up. A loss at home? Yeah, he might just want to get used to No. 11.

12. Al Groh
Virginia
Wow, Groh's time at Virginia has lead to this? For some reason, I just think UVA should be able to compete. Apparently they won't under Groh.

Big 12 Coaching Boards - Week 4

Ok, so has Texas or Oklahoma played anyone of note? It seems like their both shifting through the month of September waiting for the Red River Rivalry. While the Pac-10, Big Ten, and for the most part, SEC have the number one coach locked in place, the Big XII comes straight down to the Shootout in October. A win over Oklahoma, which no one is contemplating, would get Mack Brown to the number one position.

1. Bob Stoops
Oklahoma
Stoops has the Sooners rolling, but other than the victory over Cincinnati there's really not much to note. Sure there was the win at Washington, but that was to a demoralized Huskie team. At least Bob kept the anti-Pac-10 referee rhetoric from the 2006 Oregon game to a minimum.

2. Mack Brown
Texas
Again, this should really be considered 1b as opposed to number 2. Mack probably hasn't gotten as much out of his talent as Stoops has, and he's yet to prove that he can win consistently without Vince Young. Which reminds me, think there's someone who should question the type of players Mack is bringing in - Young, Cedric Benson and Ricky Williams don't really represent the university well.

3. Missouri
Gary Pinkel
I'm probably too hard on Pinkel. Not sure why exactly - perhaps its from how overrated they were four or five years ago. But I'm really beginning to think he deserves this spot. He has undergone some growing pains and he probably had too much expected from him too early in Columbia, but since 2005, he's steadily improved, and many people consider the Tigers to be the second best team in the Big XII - a mighty statement considering UT and OU have rules the roost.

4. Mike Leach
Texas Tech
Leach and Texas Tech are taking this week off. I can't blame them; I know most top ten teams probably would want a break after having Eastern Washington (D1-AA), Nevada, SMU, and UMass (D1-AA). Not to fear, Red Raider fans - Tech comes back from the break with a game at Kansas State... tough...

5. Dan Hawkins
Colorado
The Hawk might deserve to move up a little higher. He has the biggest win outside of Missouri toppling Illinois, as the Buffaloes knocked off Pat White and WVU last Thursday night. Now we'll see if Hawkins can take his team across the country to win a game that they should win, before returning home to the Big XII schedule. Right now, Hawk at No. 2 in the North is probably about right, and unless he knocks off UT in two weeks, there probably won't be much of a rise.

6. Mark Mangino
Kansas
Mangino lost at South Florida two weeks ago in the only real game they have until mid-October. Mangino gets the benefit of the 2007 Orange Bowl win to edge Bo Pelini, but the way that Kansas played against USF, Jayhawk fans may want to start considering how nice San Antonio is in December.

7. Bo Pelini
Nebraska
Things have gotten off to a good start in Pelini's first year, but the competition dial is about to be turned up to 11. Coming off the bye and 3-0 start against three less-than-stellar opponents, NU now faces Virginia Tech and Missouri before traveling to Texas Tech. Getting two out of three would rise Pelini's stock mightily.

8. Mike Gundy
Oklahoma State
Interesting that Oklahoma State, off to a 3-0 start with wins over Washington State (one of the worst teams in the BCS), Sam Houston State (D1-AA) and Missouri State (D1-AA), decided to take off the week before Troy. Think that somebody remembers this?

9. Art Briles
Baylor
Art Briles has probably reached his peak, at least as long as he's at Baylor. Unless he can somehow get the Bears to a bowl game (and considering they're 2-2, it's more likely that Nick Saban will bolt to be the defensive coordinator at New England... actually, one could hope that he would), Briles has reached the ceiling, by getting Baylor to .500 for the start of October.

10. Ron Prince
Kansas State
Ron Prince got eaten by one of his cupcakes... not to fear, Ronnie, you've got one more cupcake left.

11. Mike Sherman
Texas A&M
The Sherman era hasn't exactly gotten off to a rousing start - the Aggies lone win has come against New Mexico, but with Army up on Saturday, Sherman should get A&M back to .500 - well, maybe. If the same team that lost to Arkansas State shows up, then Sherman might as well pack it in for the season.

12. Gene Chizik
Iowa State
At one time, Iowa State would've loved the opportunity to have Kansas and Baylor lined up after a bye week. Not anymore. If would be amazing if the Cyclones could get to 4-2 before the meat of the schedule, but Chizik needs to start worrying about the possibility of a 10-game losing streak. The loss to Iowa wasn't unexpected; not getting the win over UNLV - with the Rebels coming off the high of beating Arizona State, was disappointing.

Big Ten Coaching Boards - Week 4

This week's Big Ten coaching boards... no movement at the top.

1. Jim Tressell
Ohio State
Yes, the Buckeyes looked horrible against USC, but that doesn't amek Tressell worse than the other coaches in the Big Ten, at least not yet. Even when considering the Oregon State win on Thurs night, most teams would find it challenging to come out of the Coliseum with a victory this season. With Buckie Wells coming back, OSU is going to be a formidable team; some other
people are already talking about this but don't be surprised if the Buckeyes are lurking at the top of the polls come Dec. 1.

2. Bret Bielema
Wisconsin
The Bielema has the Badgers unbeaten, even with the bad calls from the WAC officiating crew in Fresno. Regardless, Wisconsin is going to contend for the Big Ten championship and Bielema hasn't seen to miss a beat after taking over for Barry Alvarez, who, by the way, may have the largest hands in the world.

3. Joe Paterno
Penn State
I'm quite impressed by Penn State's start this season. The Nittany Lions should be getting a lot more respect than they are. The only question for Joe Pa is how many games will he distance himself from Bobby Bowden before the season's over, oh, and when he'll die on the field. I hope the answers are 8 and Nov. 7, 2009 against Ohio State at home. Tressell won't be able to gameplan for that.

4. Joe Tiller
Purdue
Tiller and Purdue lost to Oregon, but it was close and in overtime. The Boilermakers head to Notre Dame for their annual match-up against the Irish. I see Tiller getting one last victory over ND before retiring at season's end. Tiller could actually be removed from this list, considering he's gone next year, but he's actually a good buffer between the cream of the Big Ten crop and what could be dropped into the MAC without anyone really noticing.

5. Rich Rodriguez
Michigan
I really don't like lowering Rich Rod to far on this list just because of the horrible season he's having this year. Perhaps if this was year two, he'd get a farther fall. But he's still living off his days at West Virginia, which makes me wonder whether Rodriguez or West Virginia wishes that he would've stayed more...

6. Pat Fitzgerald
Northwestern
Probably shouldn't be giving Fitz this much credit with wins over Syracuse, Duke, and two non-BCS cream puffs, but Fitz has done a great job thus far in getting the Wildcats to 4-0. They travel to Iowa this weekend, and have a really good shot at getting to five before October, but it's going to be tough as Kirk Ferentz is starting to get some heat in Iowa City.

7. Mark Dantonio
Michigan State
After opening the season with the loss at Cal, MSU has beaten two nobodies before the big win over Notre Dame. While beating the Irish may not seem like much to any top tier BCS team, a Spartan win over the Irish is huge, especially given their mentality to choke when they see gold helmets. Dantonio is a good coach and cleaning up the mess of the John L. Smith era, but he needs to make a move on the upper teams in the Big Ten and needs to do it now - the talent of the Big Ten is going to see an increase soon.

8. Kirk Ferentz
Iowa
I originally had Ferentz No. 5 on this week's board, but then had to take another look at why he should be so high... turns out, he shouldn't be. The Hawkeyes have played no one this season, and lost he close one to Pitt, who gets very little respect in my book. Five years ago Ferentz would've been in the top 5 easily; amazing to see how mediocre Iowa has become since then.

9. Ron Zook
Illinois
The Zooker has had two weeks off to prepare for the Penn State onslaught - actually, with games over Eastern Illinois and U-La-La, they should've had a month off to prepare, but the Rajin Cajuns came close to knocking off the Illini in Champaign. Zook probably deserves to be a little higher than this ranking, but he'll need a big game from Juice Williams to beat the Lions - a win in Happy Valley would push him toward the upper tier of this board.

10. Tim Brewster
Minnesota
Brewster moves up after getting the Gophers to 4-0. Sure the wins haven't come over anyone with a pulse, but that's a lot better than what went on last year in Minneapolis. Tim and Bill may be fighting to stay out of the cellar for the remaining of the season.

11. Bill Lynch
Indiana
Lynch drops following the loss to Ball State. I know he's in a tough situation, but there's really not much to go off of to grade him, and Brewster seems to have rallied his team - at least until the game against Ohio State this weekend. Lynch takes his team to face Michigan State in a big early conference game between two lower teir Big Ten teams.

Around the World of the Southern Fans

Checking in on the World of Southern College Football Pollsters:

The Railbird: Our very own UGA Railbird won't be sitting the rail this weekend in Athens. In fact he may be lucky to get to a TV for the monumental showdown between UGA and Alabama - this will only be the 65th match-up between these two charter members of the SEC (to put in perspective, Alabama has played Tennessee 91 times, and Georgia has played Auburn 109 times). But it's okay, Railbird, it's not like this is only Alabama's fourth trip to Athens in the past 20-plus years... oh wait... it is? Well I'm sure that's no comparison to the north Georgia mountains.

The Railbird decided that the use of the black jerseys, which I think actually helps Alabama in this game by empowering the underdogs, needs to have some parameters:

1. Don't do it opening week. There's enough build up already and the Dawgnation has way too much to think about with finding lost comrades and reinitiating old tailgating sites to their former glory. Concentrate on getting week 1 right, not adding extra flavor. For more click here.

He also went into a rant about the computation of polls. Hey, Railbird, let's not forget what we're doing over here on the Southern Fans' Poll, shall we?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SouthernSports365: The guys over at SS365 have created a nice recap each week of the top 5 Bombs of the Week:

#5 Notre Dame - Michigan St 23 Notre Dame 7
Although ND was an underdog in this game, we added them just because this was just an indication of how low Charlie Weis and his super star QB Jimmy Clausen has taken this once proud program. For the entire five, click here.

They also have the top 5 coaches on the hot seat:

5. Bobby Petrino - Arkansas
In a bit of irony, Ole Miss fans started a trend in SEC football, blaming the previous coach for the ineptness of the newest head man. I wonder if Ole Miss under Houston Nutt beats the Petrino's Arkansas if the Hog fans will still give him a pass. For the entire five, click here.

Finally, they put up their own team of the week. As we all know that the Southern Fans' Award is the supreme Team of the Week award, I cannot condone their choice.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coach Hal: Our Pollster and Bama fan, Coach Hal, gives his post-game Arkansas and pre-UGA thoughts heading into this weekend's game. One of his buddies also went into some detailed statistical digging to find Newt's Nuggets.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Old School Nasty: This Pollster has created two sites, though one is perhaps defunct considering his shoddy prognostications this season (again, I can't talk too much, as I'm still barely beating the Pick'em Chicken, who always takes favorites, and even forgot to get his picks on time last week. Thanks Whit). However, on his other site, he has discovered that LSU has an Official Team Hotsauce and a recipe to provide your tailgate with 50 Deviled Eggs. Hmmm, Salmonella... yummy... with hotsauce... awawwwwawwaaaa....

Big East Coaching Boards - Week 4

The Big East hasn't exactly come off to a rousing start, with only UConn and South Florida remaining undefeated coming into the last week of the September.

1. Jim Leavitt
South Florida
I hate Jim Leavitt. I really really do. Some people have questioned me why - was it because of the 2007 Auburn victory that I hold the grudge? I like to think not. What really bothers me about him is that he'll recruit players that couldn't make it through my junior high science class, and can't make a 12 on the ACT. Either way, I'm giving him respect for getting the Bulls to the top of the Big East and avoiding major NCAA sanctions along the way. Good job Jim.

2. Brian Kelly
Cincinnati
I like Brian Kelly. I really really do. I have faith that he'll overtake USF, at least before he takes a cushier job elsewhere. And that's another thing I dislike about Jim Leavitt - thinking that remaining in Tampa is a better gig than coaching a top tier SEC school. Jim Leavitt is a coward. Oh, right Kelly - his only loss is at Oklahoma in September, which is kinda common for anyone playing in Norman early in the season.

3. Randy Edsall
UConn
I've tried my best to keep the UConn coach near the bottom of the conference, but everyone else keeps bailing. The Huskies are unbeaten, with wins over Virginia and Baylor to hang their hats on. That's right SEC fans, all you gotta do to be in the top tier of the Big East is beat Virginia and Baylor. Not exactly South Carolina or Mississippi State, is it?

4. Greg Schiano
Rutgers
This is a ranking of the coaches and not the teams in-season performance. The Scarlet Knights have been a force under Schiano the last few seasons, and I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt through the rough 0-3 start. That'll be 1-3 with the win over Morgan State this weekend, but Rutgers heads to Morgantown next week in what's got to be one of the season's most disappointing match-ups. Schiano is hanging on to the fourth spot by a thread.

5. Steve Kragthorpe
Louisville
Coach Krag raises to No. 5 with his win over Kansas State - hooray, he's finally to .500 as UL's head coach. The win over Kansas STate was big, and (from my standpoint) surprising. The Cardinals host UConn this weekend in their first Big East contest of the season. UL was on the wrong end of a horrible call last season, that cost them to the game against UConn. Here's hoping they avenge the loss.

6. Dave Wannstedt
Pittsburgh
I guess the Stash hasn't righted the ship since the embarrassing loss to Bowling Green to start the season. Pitt's beaten Buffalo and Iowa since the opening season loss. Pitt is going to Syracuse this weekend, but Dave won't move unless it's down in the rankings following a loss to the Cuse.

7. Bill Stewart
West Virginia
And the weekly Tommy Bowden Waste of Talent award goes to...

8. Greg Robinson
Syracuse
'Cuse in the House?!?!! Not by far...

Pac-10 Coaching Boards - Week 4

Ok, can we disband the Pac-10? This rating system is damn near impossible. The group of coaches from 2-8 have gone 4-8 in the past two weeks, and that includes an inter-conference Arizona over UCLA win.

1. Pete Carroll
USC W - Ohio State (9/13)
Two games in four weeks makes for some ill will from this college football fan. Carroll got by Ohio State without a sweat, and the Pac-10 should pose less of a threat. Arguably the best coach in college football, Carroll (outside of the 2004 season) always seems to drop the game they should win - and they were close to doing that to the '04 UCLA as well. Carroll takes on Mike Riley and the Oregon State Beavers tonight - don't expect a replay of the 2006 game.

2. Mike Bellotti
Oregon W - Purdue OT (9/13), L - Boise State
Do I really have to pick a No. 2 coach? Wow, what a horrible few weeks for the Pac-10. Bellotti and Oregon drop their first game to a WAC team in 18 tries, and Boise State wins in Eugene for their first win ever over a BCS team on the road. Still, its better than what the other Pac-10 coaches have done recently.

3. Jeff Tedford
Cal L - Maryland (9/13)
Do I really have to name a No. 3? There should really be a tie for No. 8 with six coaches competing for it. I give Tedford the nod because his team's loss came two weeks ago... unfortunately it was at Maryland, who is in my grabbag of ACC teams that are horrible and wear red. I don't know what I'll do if this team drops this weekend's game to Colorado State.

4. Dennis Erickson
Arizona State L - UNLV (9/13), Georgia (9/20)
Dennis keeps this spot despite the two recent losses, but things need to turn around quickly for the Sun Devils. Arizona State gets two weeks to lick their wounds from the UGA butt-kicking and the embarrassment of losing to UNLV. Unfortunately they have to travel to Cal. The previously ranked Devils might easily open the season 2-3 before facing USC at the Coliseum on Oct. 11. Make that 2-4.

5. Mike Stoops
Arizona L - New Mexico (9/13), W - UCLA (9/20)
Stoops was able to have his team rebound from the embarrassing loss at New Mexico to beat conference foe UCLA last week, and it wasn't really close. Mike shoots up the rankings, but still I'm very skeptical as to whether he can stay. He should be able to hold this spot for at least a month - only Washington and Stanford await a 10/18 visit from Cal.

6. Rick Neuheisel
UCLA L - BYU (9/13), L - Arizona (9/20)
Perhaps I gave too much credit for the win over Tennessee; turns out the Vols aren't that good. I'm giving Neuheisel the benefit of the doubt as he is starting a LT at quarterback. Seriously though, more losses like the one to Arizona will have the ship sink to the top tier of the Pac-10... watch out Ty.

7. Jim Harbaugh
Stanford L - TCU (9/13), W - San Jose State (9/20)
Yes Stanford defeated Oregon State to open the season, but Harbaugh and the Cardinal have been virtually hapless since. A win over San Jose State doesn't alleviate the stigma of being TCU's only victory of the season. Harbaugh can move up quickly though, with games at Washington and Notre Dame in the next two weeks.

8. Mike Riley
Oregon State W - Hawaii (9/13)
Riley and the Beavers host USC tonight, for the Trojans return to the scene of the 2006 OSU victory. Things will go slightly different this time around. OSU hasn't played since beating Hawaii, but unfortunately neither has USC - and the Trojans have a little bit better head coach preparing for the game, and more importantly, a lot better players. STill, Riley probably doesn't deserve to be this low.

9. Ty Willingham
Washington L - Oklahoma (9/13)
Huskies open the season 0-3, yet Ty moves up. Well, guess they should have scheduled Portland State to make it 1-3.

10. Paul Wulff
Washington State L - Baylor (9/13), W - D-1AA Portland State
Not only aren't these Cougars close to being sexy, their damn near hideous. WSU beat up on Portland State last weekend, but are still 0-3 against teams with a pulse... wait, does Baylor have a pulse? Make that 0-2. Wulff has Cal and UCLA in the next two weeks; don't expect the coach or the win total to increase.

LSU Is National Team of the Week

For Immediate Release

With their second consecutive come-from-behind win over rival Auburn, the Louisiana State Tigers have been named this week's Southern Fans' National Team of the Week. Brandon LaFell caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Lee with 1:03 remaining to mark a 11-point halftime comeback. LSU won the battle of the Tigers, as the Bengal Tigers racked up 178 rushing yards to Auburn's 70. Lee shook off an early interception that was returned for a touchdown and finished with 182 yards in the air and two touchdowns.

LSU, which has suffered through multiple distractions due to hurricanes moving through the gulf, takes an early lead in the SEC West race. The Tigers take on Mississippi State this weekend, and have a week off to prepare for the showdown in Gainesville, Fla. on Oct. 11.

Other nominees for this week's Southern Fans' National Team of the Week:

Boise State (3-0)
W - No. 16 Oregon
All those quarterback injuries finally caught up to Oregon as Boise State upset the 16th-ranked Ducks 37-32 for their first victory on the road over a BCS-conference team. Though Oregon mounted a comeback, the game was really over when Kyle Brotzman hit a 34-yard field goal to give Boise State a 37-13 lead in the third quarter. Bronco QB Kellen Moore threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns in his first road start, while Boise State benefited from four Oregon turnovers, including three interceptions.

No. 4 Florida (3-0)
W - Tennessee
Florida pretty much ended this one in the first quarter when Brandon James returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown to give the Gators a 17-0 lead. While Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow was held to 122 total yards and two TD passes, Florida forced three Volunteer turnovers - one on the two-yard line and another in the endzone - as the Gators' gained their fourth straight win over rival Tennessee.

No. 11 Alabama
W - Arkansas
The Tide rolled to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter of a 49-14 cooking of the Hogs. Bama's RB Glen Coffee set the tone with an 87-yard TD run in the first and finished with 163 yards and two scores, while Alabama's Javier Arenas and Justin Woodall each scored on long interception returns to beat Arkansas for the second time under Nick Saban.

N.C. State (2-2)
W - No. 13 East Carolina
Andre Brown's 10-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted N.C. State to a 30-24 upset of 13th-ranked East Carolina. The win was N.C. State's second upset victory of the rival Pirates in two years, and also included the Wolfpack's first offensive touchdown against a D1-A team since last November. The Pirates had gained national exposure for beating nationally ranked Virginia Tech and West Virginia, but were unable to get by the ACC bottom dweller Wolfpack.


The Southern Fans' Poll began naming a national team of the week this season. Members of the Southern Fan's pool of voters decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the Southern Fans will name the National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.

2008 Southern Fans' National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Aug. 30: Alabama
• Weekend of Sept. 6: East Carolina
• Weekend of Sept. 13: Southern California
• Weekend of Sept. 20: Louisiana State

Win in Tempe Lifts Dawgs Back to No. 2

For Immediate Release

Southern Cal retained their top spot following another bye week; Oklahoma wasn't able to do the same. The Sooners fell after Georgia defeated Arizona State 27-10 on Saturday. Florida, which defeated rival Tennessee, remained at No. 4. LSU moved back to the number five slot for the second time this season, after the Bengal Tigers defeated rival Auburn 26-21. More importantly, LSU may found a starting quarterback, after Jarrett Lee came on to lead his team back from a 14-3 halftime deficit. The SEC has three teams ranked in the top five for the second time this season.

Missouri, which after beating Illinois to start the season, has beaten Southeast Missouri State, Nevada and Buffalo, to 4-0. The Tigers have a week off before facing Nebraska in their conference opener. Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama and Penn State round out the top 10.

Texas Tech fell back two spots after moving to 4-0. The Red Raiders have a week off after their grueling stretch of D1-AA Eastern Washington, Nevada, SMU and D1-AA UMass, none of which have beaten a Division 1A opponent. Texas Tech travels to Kansas State on October 4. BYU moved up three spots to No. 12, followed by a tie between South Florida and Wake Forest. Ohio State returns to the poll following a one week hiatus, followed by Auburn at No. 16.

Oregon and East Carolina both fell from the rankings.

Week 4 Poll

The Southern Fans' College Football Poll
September 15, 2008
27 Pollsters

Ranking	Team	Points	Previous
1	Southern Cal [19]	418	1
2	Georgia [5]	381	3
3	Oklahoma	369	2
4	Florida [3]	353	4
5	LSU	324	6
6	Missouri	297	5
7	Texas	261	7
8	Wisconsin	226	8
9	Alabama	206	11
10	Penn State	185	12
11	Texas Tech	176	9
12	BYU	117	15
13T	South Florida	85	14
13T	Wake Forest	85	NR
15	Ohio State	59	NR
16	Auburn	57	10
Other's Receiving Votes: Oregon 16, Vanderbilt 14, Utah 13, Boise State 8, Colorado 3, Kansas 2

SEC Coaching Boards - Week 3

1 Urban Meyer
With this season and this team, Meyer has to beat Fulmer to keep this top spot. While he's been good against the Vols, this seems to be the type of game Meyer blows (see: Auburn over the past few years). A big win cements him at No. 1... Well, at least until the Saban-Richt showdown next week.

2 Nick Saban
After the close win over Tulane, Saban has his team on track against Western Kentucky. The future 120th team in D1-A gave up 500+ yards to the Tide. Now Saban has to get his team geared up for the 119th best team in D1-A before the showdown in Athens next weekend.

3 Les Miles
LSU was finaly able to get on a field, and they showed no signs of a hurricane hangover (I've had quite a few of those, and they can be quite a pain... Thanks Patty O). Miles has a big showdown this weekend in Auburn, where LSU hasn't one since 1998.

4 Mark Richt
Richt won't drop any in my book for the close win. As he said, that game is a bloodbath. If UGA would get the Cocks at year's end, it wouldn't be close, but they always take USC's best shots. Richt will be able to show how great he is as a coach with Arizona St, Bama and the big rivalry game against Tennessee coming up in the next few weeks.

5 Tommy Tuberville
So this spread idea... Perhaps not such a good move. While a change was definitely needed (the Gorgeous Borges Gulf Coast attack had become stale), maybe Auburn shouldn't have switched to a spread without getting a few receivers to stretch the defense. A win over LSU though would quiet the Tiger fan base, that is getting pretty restless.

6 Steve Spurrier
I can't drop Spurrier even with the loss to UGA. I still scratch my head how he hasn't been able to change the losing mentality in Columbia. Seriously, if coaching giants Lou Holtz and Spurrier can't make the Gamecocks formidable in the West, is it time to think about trading S.Carolina to the ACC for GaTech? It'd help the ACC in basketball.

7 Houston Nutt
Nutt's got a big game against Vanderbilt this weekend. A win over the Commodores, while it doesn't appear to be much, would get the Rebels heading in the right direction. I really do think this team can make some noise in the SEC West... But then in our 20-person pick'em pool, I'm barely beating a guy who takes all favorites each week (It's like I'm edging the Pick'em Chicken).

8 Phil Fulmer
While the Auburn offense is painful to watch, UT's move to the spread hasn't appeared to be much better. Everything seems to be a struggle, and last week's game was not as smooth as the final score indicated, and it was against a poor UAB team. Fulmer desperately needs the win this weekend, especially after the goof loss to UCLA, which looks horrible now.

9 Rich Brooks
Hmm... Did Kentucky play last weekend? Doesn't really matter. Brooks isn't moving any farther up and it's tough to push him down. His win over Louisville looked good after the Wed night Cardinal beat down of Kansas State.

10 Bobby Petrino
Who would've thought that the Hogs would be unbeaten heading into the Bama game? Bobby's gotta be thankful that the UT game was cancelled so his team was able to rest enough to have a shot at the Tide... Actually, I think he'd be more thankful if there was a hurricane headed for Tuscaloosa... Forecast says nope Bobby. Hope you're ready for that first L.

11 Sly Croom
While the Auburn defense is obviously one of the best in the league, the Croom offense has become a joke. Was Croom on record saying he wished he had the Tiger O... He'd love to be able to get 3 points in a SEC Game. Croom keeps this spot based off last year's SEC Coach of the Year award, but unless something happens quickly, it looks as if Johnson will be edging past him.

12 Bobby Johnson
I'm now only keeping Johnson below Croom to irk our Vandy pollster... Actually, Croom is still getting a little respect for the season last year, but a win in Oxford will shoot Johnson up the rankings (and more importantly, hit my pocketbook for $20, which will go to the aforementioned Commodore).

Jackets Drop Close One in Blacksburg

By Jarad Wilson


Well you are always disappointed with a loss, and constantly arguing about a very questionable penalty call, but Georgia Tech lost this game; VaTech didn't win it. Yeah the Hokie defense held Dwyer to less than 30 yards, but stuffing him opened up Nesbitt, Cox, and the other B-backs. This game was lost by the Jackets, who TWO times fumbled the ball on good drives in VaTech territory, and lost the ball again on an errant pass by Nesbitt.

Props have to go out to both defenses, who held solid on almost all downs behind the ball. Further props have to go out to both QBs, who both kept their respective teams in the game.

Turnovers aside, the game came down to a third down rollout by Taylor, who looked like he was going to be sacked for a loss, but scrambled away, only to be "hit high, helmet to helmet" and get an automatic first down thanks to the 12th player on the field. A bad call, but I'm biased, that allowed VaTech to continue it's drive and get a game-winning field goal. Tech would threaten two possessions later, but Nesbitt overthrew Roddy Jones by a step, and Tech failed to get the first down.

The Loss aside, you have to be somewhat pleased with what Dr. Johnson has done with the Yellow Jackets. He's already ahead of schedule on the win category, and impressed me with how the team showed up in Blacksburg for yet another huge conference away game. With a little tweaking, and some better ball handling, this team is only going to get better. Dr. Wommack with the Defense has already truly impressed, managing to rush 4 most all the time, and still shut down opposing offenses.

Schedule in front of us really sets up well, and if we can get past Miss St, we can head into Clemson, 5-1

USC Is National Team of the Week

For Immediate Release

Southern California is not only the Southern Fans' top ranked team; the Trojans, fresh off their 35-3 victory of No. 7 Ohio State, has also been named the National Team of the Week. It turned out that without Beanie, there was a big problem for the Buckeyes as OSU had only 71 yards on 34 carries.

USC had the game in the bag after Rey Maualuga intercepted Todd Boeckman's pass and tore down the sideline 48 yards for a touchdown, giving the Trojans a 21-3 lead with 2:49 left in the first half. Mark Sanchez was 17-28 for 172 yards and four touchdowns.

Other nominees for this week's Southern Fans' National Team of the Week:

UNLV (2-1)
W - Arizona State
Malo Taumua blocked a field goal in overtime as UNLV upset Arizona State, 23-20, to complete a four-game weekend sweep of the Pac-10 by the Mountain West. UNLV controlled possession in the fourth quarter, running off 28 plays on two scoring drives that eventually tied the game.

South Florida (3-0)
W - Kansas
Freshman kicker Maikon Bonani kicked a 43-yard FG that just found its way inside the right upright as time expired for the win. Matt Grothe (32-45, 338 yards, 2 TD) engineered a 27-point second half to lead the Bulls to 37-34 win over the Jayhawks. Grothe and KU quarterback Todd Reesing combined for 711 passing yards in a game that saw nearly 900 yards of total offense.

Buffalo
W - Temple
Drew Willy threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Naaman Roosevelt on the last play of the game to give Buffalo a 30-28 win over Temple on Saturday. The last time Buffalo was over .500 and it not be Week 1 as a Division 1-A team was back in 1969, when the Bulls finished 6-3. Since becoming a Div. I-A team in 1999, Buffalo was just 5-33 in August/September games entering this season. They are 2-1 this season.

BYU (3-0)
W - UCLA
BYU extended the nation's longest winning streak to 13 game, as the Cougars waltzed into halftime with a 42-0 lead. Max Hall completed 27-35 passes for 272 yards and seven touchdowns, including six in the first half.

Wisconsin (3-0)
W - Fresno State
The Biggest Game in Bulldog Stadium history went to the vistors, as Wisconsin RB P.J. Hill rumbled for 112 yards on 26 carries. Bulldog kicker Kevin Goessling was 1-4 and missed a 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game at 13. The Badgers were able to salt the game away after Bill Rentmeester's eight-yard run when Wisconsin was pinned to its own 1-yard line with under two minutes left.

This week also included two inanimate nominees:

Scott Field Endzones
W - the Auburn and Miss. St. offenses
Aside from a safety they couldn't control, they showed complete domination in the game and left a clean sheet. From an informant at the scene, apparently the endzones were also impenetrable during the teams pre-game warm-ups.

Charlie Weis' Leg
W - Michigan DE John Ryan
Some may think that this would actually be a loss for the leg... not so fast my friend... While this may be a loss for Charlie Weis (who will have to undergo surgery at some point), this will mean that the leg gets a brace and perhaps crutches, which will obviously help support Weis' 4,838,435lb. frame.

The Southern Fans' Poll began naming a national team of the week this season. Members of the Southern Fan's pool of voters decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the Southern Fans will name the National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.

2008 Southern Fans' National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Aug. 30: Alabama
• Weekend of Sept. 6: East Carolina
• Weekend of Sept. 13: Southern California

Week 3 Poll

The Southern Fans' College Football Poll
September 8, 2008
30 Pollsters

Ranking	Team	Points	Previous
1	Southern Cal [22]	467	1
2	Oklahoma	433	3
3	Georgia [5]	411	2
4	Florida [3]	398	4
5	Missouri	366	6
6	LSU	329	5
7	Texas	281	8
8	Wisconsin	251	10
9	Texas Tech	183	11
10	Auburn	169	9
11	Alabama	164	15
12	Penn State	113	16
13	East Carolina	108	14
14	South Florida	97	NR
15	BYU	87	NR
16	Oregon	85	NR
Other's Receiving Votes: Ohio State 64, Wake Forest 43, Utah 10, Kansas 6, Arizona State 4, Illinois 3, Oklahoma State 3, West Virginia 2, North Carolina 2, Vanderbilt 1

SEC Coaching Board - Week 2

1 Meyer
Florida
Florida beat up on their in-state rival, but need to get some cheap scores in the fourth quarter to make the score look better. UF dominated the game on defense, but the offense still revolves around Tebow and Harvin. If Meyer can't find a way to open up the offense, then the Gators won't have a shot at the SEC, much less the national title.

2 Saban
Alabama
Saban didn't allow for a letdown game after the huge win over Clemson, but the Bama offense was horrible against lowly Tulane. The Tide D and special teams were able to win. I didn't expect Saban to allow for this sluggish home opener, but the Tide schedule does allow for some sleepwalking, at least until the SEC schedule kicks in. Saban will have his team unbeaten and ready to play against Georgia in two weeks.

3 Miles
LSU
LSU didn't play this weekend, as the Tigers had to postpone yet another game due to a hurricane. There is talk that this up-coming weekend's game may be postponed as well, and even if it's not, this just figures to be one more distraction for Miles' team before the showdown with Auburn in two weeks.

4 Richt
Georgia
Richt's team dominated last season's MAC champs, and the game was never in doubt. CMU is a pretty good team offensively, and the Dawgs held them to 17 points. Georgia's horrible slate begins with S.C. on Saturday (which is going to be a tougher game than people will be giving it credit for). Richt will have this team unbeaten for the late Sept. match-up against 'Bama.

5 Tuberville
Auburn The move to the spread started to show potential, but it was the Auburn defense that remains the staple. Obviously Tuberville can't make the running backs hold on to the ball, and Tubs is known for pulling backs who tend to fumble. The Tigers have plenty of running backs to take up the slack. Auburn will avenge that 2007 loss to MSU on Saturday, and be unbeaten with Miles coming to town on Sept. 20.

6 Spurrier
S.Carolina
I debated on dropping Spurrier below Nutt (and had the Rebels held on for the win at Wake, I would have), but I couldn't justify moving Nutt up two spots with a loss, no matter how meaningful it was. So Spurrier is barely hanging on to the No. 6 spot. The Cocks are down 0-1 in conference play, and still have Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and LSU to play. The SEC championship game is obviously moot at this point, but a 7-5 season and a bowl game are still attainable. That means a win over at least one of the above teams (and Clemson). This season will test Spurrier's resolve.

7 Nutt
Ole Miss
Nutt moves up after the loss, and while I hate the moral victory, the two-point loss on Saturday at Wake would not have happened under Oregeron. Nutt has the team believing it can win, and the Rebels almost pulled out one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Rebels may not be a match in the SEC, but I still think there's a shot of them making it into the top 3 of the West.

8 Fulmer
Tennessee
Fulmer falls and the Vols didn't even play. I just had more time to think about that horrendous first half at the Rose Bowl. He was totally out-coached.

9 Brooks
Kentucky
As long as the Cats don't pull a Maryland (and quite fankly, what state school sucks as bad as Maryland? ... Oh wait, Virginia), they should be unbeaten going into the Bama game. Notice that Brooks isn't sending him to the fifth smallest stadium in Tennessee.

10 Petrino
Arkansas
Arkansas is awful. I was expecting them to be competitive, but they have narrowly escaped Western Illinois and LaMonroe. The Hogs may not win an SEC game this season.

11 Croom
Miss State
Croom's team got back in the win column, and have Auburn up on Saturday. A second win over the Tigers would make that LaTech debacle a distant memory, and set MSU for another run at a bowl game, and would send Croom way up in these rankings. That win won't happen, and Croom is going to begin to feel the heat of the bottom of the SEC.

12 Johnson
Vanderbilt
What a win by Bobby J, but I still am not about to move him up. I want to see what his team does against the rest of their SEC slate. Beating up USC this season doesn't seem like it's going to be that much to write home about. (Of course, I guess if you're a Vandy fan, every win is something to write home about.)

Big East Coaching Board - Week 2

1 B. Kelly
Cincinnati
A 20+ point loss in Norman, and yet Kelly stays No. 1. Gotta love the Big East.

2 Leavitt
S. Florida
Jim Leavitt would write his players' essays for them, but Jim Leavitt is too dumb. Jim Leavitt also speaks in the third person.

3 Stewart
WVU
I wanted to move Stewart lower following the ECU loss, but there's nowhere for him to go with Schiano and Rutgers being blown out (again) at home. Stewart stays at No. 3.

4 Schiano
Rutgers
I moved Schiano to No. 4 last week, which seems prophetic considering the blow-out loss to UNC. Still can't move him lower.

5 Edsall
UConn
Uconn beat Temple 12-9. Wow. Way to keep that No. 5 slot Randy.
6 Wannstedt
Pitt
Pitt got their first win of the season over Buffalo 27-16. Well done Dave.
7 Kragthorpe
Louisville
UL is horrible. They're a gimme game at KSt this weekend. John L. Smith would be rolling over in his grave... If he were dead yet.
8 G. Robinson
Syracuse
Surely Robinson is fired before years' end. JoePa is going to put up 50 at the Carrier Dome.

Pac-10 Coaching Board - Week 2

1 Carroll
USC
USC has everything going it's way heading into the game against Ohio State. Carroll is the best big game coach in the country, and with two weeks to prepare, he's going to end up with a 10 point victory, but I think it's going to be closer than advertised through most of the game. Call it 38-27.

2 Bellotti
Oregon
Bellotti and the Ducks travel to West Lafayette for a big non-conference game against Purdue. With Slick Rick right on his heels, Bellotti needs a big win to stay at No. 2.
3 Neuheisel
UCLA
Neuheisel tries to improve to 2-0, but has to face BYU on Saturday. A win with his third string QB would move Slick Rick to No. 2; and even a close loss combined with a Oregon loss would move him up.
4 Erickson
Arizona St
So apparently the Sun Devils are calling for UGA. Dennis might want to remind them that though he's their coach, the team isn't anywhere near the players he had at Miami in the early 90's; hell they aren't the same team as he had in Corvallis in the late 90's.

5 Tedford
Cal
I think Cal won last week. Or maybe they didn't play; honestly don't know, and am too tired to check. Go Bears!

6 Harbaugh
Stanford
And Stanford was knocked back down to earth.

7 Stoops
Arizona
Hey look at that; Stoops moves up. Well done Stoops; thank Mike Riley for having a sucky team.

8 M. Riley
Oregon St
Riley and Co. were obliterated in Happy Valley last weekend. Things aren't going to get any better once the Pac-10 schedule picks up. (Seriously; I'm not kidding.)

9 Paul Wulff
Wash St
Wash St is god-awful; ESPN won't actually give score updates, but I think they lost to Baylor on Friday. Thank God for Washington.

10 T. Willingham
Washington
Everyone else blames the bad refs. I blame Ty for not coaching special teams.

Big Ten Coaching Boards - Week 2

1 Tressell Ohio St Yeah, I know. A stinker of a game against Ohio, but there's really no way to move Tressell down, especially after the comeback win. You've gotta give him some credit for keeping the troops together and not letting them fall apart when the game looked to be getting away from them. Call it a letdown game a week before the trip to the Coliseum. I had been calling for a USC victory before last Saturday's meltdown against the Bobcats, and now everyone-and-their-brother thinks this will be a blowout, but I don't think that'll be the case. These big games are what Pete Carroll has hung his collegiate coaching career on, but Tressell's team won't be run out of the stadium. It'll be similar to the Ohio State loss to Texas in the 2005 season.

2 Bielema
Wisconsin
The Badgers are finally repaying the Fresno-debt that the BCS teams have rang up. Over the past decade, Fresno State has had an anywhere, anytime mentality; since 2002, they've traveled to Oregon, Wisconsin, LSU, Washington, USC, Kansas State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Oregon State. Saturday's game isn't going to be a walk-in-the-park for the Badgers, so a close win won't drop Bielema; any loss though provides the opportunity to rise JoePa.

3 Paterno
Penn St
I expected a Nittany Lion win last week, but the dominating performace by PSU was not expected. The way this is shaping up, Paterno may be going out this year with a Big Ten championship caliber team. I won't be too upset about that, unless JoePa promises to die on the field. Promise me!

4 Rodriguez
Michigan
Notre Dame is horrible. If Michigan loses, then I'm somehow going to have to figure out a way to drop RichRod on this board... somehow...

5 Tiller
Purdue
In Tiller's final season, this game might go the farthest in determining just how good the Boilermaker's are. A win over Oregon would provide me reason to move Tiller higher in the rankings (and push RichRod lower), but I'm expecting a Ducks win (and a pretty big one at that).

6 Ferentz
Iowa
Still waiting for Iowa to actually play someone. Should be about 7 more weeks...

7 Zook
Illinois
The Zooker showed the Panthers of Charleston (IL) who the best D1-A team in Illinois is... Well, technically, the Fighting Illini are the only DI-A team in Illinois, but what's the problem? Another easy win for Zook will setup an interesting match-up in Happy Valley next week.

8 Dantonio
Michigan St
The Dantonio showed the Eagles of Ypsilanti (Mich) who the best team in Michigan is... well, perhaps the third best team. We'll be able to judge the Michigans after next week, when both teams have trashed the Fighting Irish.

9 Fitzgerald
N'western
Fitz took his team to 2-0 with the win over Duke in Durham. Northwestern should be unbeaten heading into the Iowa game at the end of the September. A win over the Hawkeyes and a 5-0 start would easily move Fitz up in the rankings.

10 B. Lynch
Indiana
Lynch needs to knock out David Letterman's Alma Mater this week before facing MSU in two weeks. A win over the Spartans would give Bill and the Hoosiers some much needed credibility.

11 Brewster
Minnesota
Frozen bodies lingering in Minnesota.

ACC Coaching Boards - Week 3

For more information on the coaching boards, click here.

1 Bobby Bowden
Florida State W
Nice blowout bottom-score-line win by the Bowden/Fischer combo over Western Carolina. Are the Seminoles going to be able to compete in the lowly ACC this season?


2 Frank Beamer
Virgina Tech W
Perhaps I was too hard on Beamer last week. I still think they should have beaten East Carolina, but the Pirates win over West Virginia makes ECU legit. Beamer stays at number two for now, but he'll have a chance to take back over the top spot pretty quickly. VT needs to use that great defense to destroy the GaTech option this weekend.

3 Jim Grobe
Wake Forest W
I give Houston Nutt a lot of credit, so I can't fault Wake for having to pull out the game in the last seconds. The Deamon Deacons give off that champion resolve; never seeming to get too down on themselves. Grobe has taken the team to the ACC mountain top, and, through the play of QB Riley Skinner, has them playing with confidence. The more that Wake looks like a ACC contender, the more it validates his No. 3 spot on this list. And I really want to nudge him higher.

4 Paul Johnson
Georgia Tech W
It wasn't pretty, but Paul Johnson offenses rarely are. Tech went into Boston College and came out with a huge win. The Jackets may actually be a formidable team in the ACC this season. Now I don't think they'll come away with a win over the Hokies, but a good showing will make Johnson's No. 4 spot secure on this list.

5 Butch Davis
North Carolina DNP
So apparently I miss read the UNC-Rutgers game; it's Thursday night. I still say the same thing, but with Davis being the mentor, I'm going to say that a win by the Tar Heels nets him nada, while a win by Rutgers will move him up to No. 2.

6 Tom O’Brien
North Carolina St W
NC State is laughable. O'Brien is going to stay above Jag just for the fact that Jagodzinski's success came off of O'Brien's teams. Unfortunately, I guess that means that I can't drop him too far. This show how crappy the ACC coaching group is. Put the lower 8 in a bag, and draw. No difference.

7 Jeff Jagodzinski
Boston College L
I was holding off on sending Jag up higher in the rankings until after this past weekend. I think that a more experienced coach probably comes away with a win over the Yellow Jackets (read: Tom O'Brien), so I feel justified in keeping Jag here for now. I have a feeling he is going to be a good coach for the Eagles, and he shouldn't be kept down here for too long. However, until there are more results on the field, he is still a relative unknown, and is not deserving of a top spot, even in the ACC.

8 Ralph Friedgen
Maryland L
Middle Tennessee State?!?! First off, does Maryland still do Crabcakes? Because they sure as hell don't do football. You in the world agrees to go to Murfreesboro, TN? What, was the Charles E. Bailey Sr. Sportplex taken? Maryland is a joke... I wonder if Middle Tennessee had a speaker system loud enough to play, "We Must Protect This House."

9 Al Groh
Virginia W
Hooray! Al Groh won a game... Oh, wait, it was against DI-AA Richmond? And they only won by 16? Well, I guess it's one more week before Cutcliff rises above Groh. Did this team seriously win 9 games last year. God the ACC sucks.

10 David Cutcliffe
Duke L
Duke stinks and yet, I still respect Cutcliff enough to put him at No. 10.

11 Randy Shannon
Miami L
Randy Shannon's team played well, but it's just so amazing to see how far the Hurricanes have fallen. This was the type of game that Miami lived for, and now they get beaten like a drum. The defense played well, but they couldn't get anything going against the Gators. This is still a joke to have Shannon this low though, but like Jagodzinski, until something happens on the field to show that he deserves the bump, he'll stay at the bottom of the ACC. oh, and Randy Shannon hates the man.

12 Tommy Bowden
Clemson W
Tommy's team discovered that they have two all-star running backs. Tommy's team put up 45 points against Citadel. Tommy's team is still a major favorite for the ACC title. If the Tigers don't win it, then I swear to God this had better not be Tommy's team in 2009.

Big XII Coaching Boards - Week 2

For more information on the coaching boards, click here.

1 Bob Stoops
Oklahoma W
Very impressed with how Stoops took out Cincinnati last week. I thought that it would be a better game between the two. Now, OU gets a nice out-of-conference away game against a demoralized Washington team. Should be fun to see how much the Sooners run up the score.

2 Mack Brown
Texas W
Mack and his Longhorns scored every way imaginable in El Paso last weekend. Well, perhaps not every way.

3 Gary Pinkel
Missouri W
Missouri scored 50+ points again last week. Quick question: Will Nevada, Buffalo or Nebraska be a bigger test for the Tigers? Not so fast Cornhuskers.

4 Mike Leach
Texas Tech W
The Red Raiders skirted past Nevada last week, as Leach's offense couldn't get going against the mighty Wolfpack. Tech should be undefeated going into the Texas game in early November. The Raiders face SMU, Umass, at KSt, Neb, at A&M, at Kansas. Nice opening 8 games Mike. Now just beat Texas (11/01) and Oklahoma (11/22) and you'll actually start to garner attention.

5 Dan Hawkins
Colorado W
To be honest, I just realized how bad CU's schedule is. While they squeeked by the DI-AA Eastern Washington last weekend, they've got West Virginia, Florida State and Colorado State, not to mention the Big XII North slate and Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. If Hawkins can get through this slate with 4 losses, I'll be impressed.

6 Mark Mangino
Kansas W
Mark Mangino once got into a fight with a high school referee. Apparently, Mangino mistook the referee's whistle for a Twinkee.

7 Bo Pelini
Nebraska W
The Cornhuskers get three weeks off (technically they play New Mexico St. on Sat.) before facing VaTech in Lincoln on Sept 27. I'm still thinking Beamer and Co. have that game, but a win over the Hokies will help the Cornhuskers against Missouri and Texas Tech in October.

8 Mike Gundy
Oklahoma St W
Win over Houston was bigger than Gundy's getting credit for. I expect his team to be unbeaten prior to the Oct. 11 match-up against Missouri.

9 Ron Prince
Kansas St W
Prince likes his cupcakes with Cardinal frosting.

10 Mike Sherman
Texas A&M W
Miami managed 3 points against Florida last week, and now the Hurricanes travel to College Station, where hopefully Hurricane Ike will provide some excuse for the horrid offensive display by both schools.

11 Art Briles
Baylor W
Hooray, the Bears got the first win of the Briles' era (and if you squint, then the recap says that they beat Northwestern and not Northwestern State). A horrid Washington State team comes to Waco, with the possibility of Briles actually taking Baylor to 2-1 and moving into the top 10 of the conference.

12 Gene Chizik
Iowa St W
This may not mean much, but ISU has the worst of all BCS school's when it comes to ESPN webpages. They're missing any type of video or pictures. Oh, and good job Chizik on the 2-0 start. I'll be impressed enough to move you if the Cyclones can somehow make it to 3-3.

An Inside Look: Steve Spurrier

With Vandy's victory last Thursday, the Commodores defeated an SEC opponent in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1998-99 (against South Carolina). But more importantly, the victory came against Steve Spurrier, who was the King of the SEC in the 1990's. Spurrier claimed one national title, six SEC titles, two SEC East championships, a first-in-the-SEC claim (in the 1990 probation season), and an ACC championship at Duke from 1989-2000. As of September 6, 2008, he has a record of 164-57-2. Thus this loss to the 'Dores garnered some interest - which teams have defeated the Ole Ball Coach in back-to-back seasons?

Well, upon beginning the research, there had to be some initial lines drawn. Do same season victories count (both Alabama and Florida State have faced and beaten Spurrier twice in one season)? Do we disregard the NFL hiatus (so that Auburn's victory over Florida in 2001 butts up against the 2005 victory over USC)? And what about the Duke years (where multiple ACC teams took shots at Spurrier's Dukies)? And finally, what about those damn tie games (Spurrier has two in his career)?

I'll delve into each of those questions; I'll count back-to-back games (so same season results count) and we'll look at the SEC first. The SEC teams that have defeated Spurrier are as follows:
1) Tennessee (Wins over Duke in 1989 and Florida in 1990; South Carolina in 2006 and 2007).
2) Auburn (Wins over Florida in 1993 and 1994; South Carolina in 2005 and 2006)
3) Alabama (Wins over Florida in 1999 Regular Season and SEC Championship Game)
4) Georgia (Wins over South Carolina in 2005 and 2006)
5) Arkansas (Wins over South Carolina in 2006 and 2007)
6) Florida (Wins over South Carolina in 2006 and 2007)
7) Vanderbilt (Wins over South Carolina in 2007 and 2008)

And that's it - LSU has had a little success against Spurrier, and the Tigers will probably be added to this list after the Oct. 18 game in Columbia (LSU defeated USC 28-16 in 2007). Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and South Carolina were all defeated in their most recent game against Spurrier.

Tennessee is the only team to defeat Spurrier at three different schools. Auburn is the only SEC team to defeat Spurrier in seperate back-to-back meetings at two different schools; the Tigers also have the longest winning steak against Spurrier, with three straight victories.

With regards to non-SEC teams, the following have defeated Spurrier in back-to-back games:
8) Wake Forest (Wins over Duke in 1987 and 1988)
9) Clemson (Wins over Duke in 1987 and 1988)
10) Florida State (Wins over Florida in 1992 and 1993; and in 1998, 1999 and 2000)
Notably, NC State went 2-0-1 against Spurrier from 1987-89; and Florida State was 3-0-1 from 1992-1994. Clemson defeated Spurrier last season, and hosts South Carolina to close out the season.

The Seminoles have had the most success against Spurrier, handing the Ole Ball Coach eight of his 57 losses. Tennessee has seven wins over Spurrier thru his head coaching career. Clemson has beaten the Ole Ball Coach four times.

East Carolina Is National Team of the Week

For Immediate Release

Following their second upset victory of the season, East Carolina was named the Southern Fans' National Team of the Week for the Sept. 6 weekend.

The Pirates defeated No. 8 West Virginia 24-3 in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday. This victory followed their 27-22 win over Virginia Tech on opening weekend. The win ended a seven-game losing streak to the Mountaineers; the win over VaTech ended a six-game skid. ECU also upset Boise State in the Hawaii bowl to close the 2007 season.

The East Carolina defense held star WVU QB Pat White to 72 passing yards and no rusher had more than 100 yards; ECU QB Patrick Pinkney was nearly perfect, going 22 of 28 for 236 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Other nominees for this week's Southern Fans' National Team of the Week:

Wake Forest
W 30-28 over Ole Miss
Sam Swank hit a 41-yard FG with three seconds left to give Wake Forest a two-point win over the Rebels in this early season ACC-SEC matchup.

Vanderbilt
W 24-17 over South Carolina
The offense, defense and special teams all contributed to help the Dores claim their first home win over a ranked team since 1992. Vanderbilt is unbeaten after the second week for only the third time in 32 years.

Penn State
W 45-14 over Oregon State
The Nittany Lions shoved aside the distraction created by the suspension of two defensive starters, then rolled over Oregon State, 45-14 on Saturday. Penn State easily handled the Beavers in the Big Ten-PAC-10 match-up.

The Southern Fans' Poll began naming a national team of the week this season. Members of the Southern Fan's pool of voters decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the Southern Fans will name the National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.

2008 Southern Fans' National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Aug. 30: Alabama
• Weekend of Sept. 6: East Carolina