While Alabama and their 52-0 thrashing of the Hogs left no doubt in our minds who’s #1 right now, we were surprised by USC‘s 21-14 loss to Stanford Saturday. The Cardinal proved to be the most physical team and dealt Lane Kiffin and the Trojans a blow to their National Championship hopes.
Both Florida State and Clemson had easy wins last week setting up this week’s top showdown in Tallahassee. The winner will have a clear path in the Atlantic Division to the ACC Championship game.
Our team of the week is the UCLA Bruins and their surprising 3-0 start. New head coach Jim Mora, Jr. and super frosh QB Brett Hundley (827 PaYds, 8TDs) have breathed new life into the program in a short amount of time. RB Johnathan Franklin (662 TotYds, 4TDs in 3 games) has given the offense great balance so far.
And finally, we welcome the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to our ballot for the first time in a while. We historically have been reluctant to rank the Irish — feeling they are usually more sizzle than steak. But their 20-3 win over Michigan State in East Lansing tells us that may not be the case this year.
You can find the complete BlogPoll here when it comes out each Tuesday. So, without further ado, here’s the RBN ballot this week:
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 3-0 | 1 | Tide hand Hogs worst loss in Fayetteville since 1919. |
| 2 | LSU | 3-0 | 2 | LSU rolls hapless Idaho 63-14. Travels to Auburn Saturday. |
| 3 | Oregon | 3-0 | 4 | Frosh QB Mariota throws for 4TDs in Ducks win over TTU. |
| 4 | Florida St. | 3-0 | 5 | Seminole defense holds Wake to 126 TotYds. Clemson next. |
| 5 | West Virginia | 2-0 | 6 | QB Geno Smith’s 411 PaYds, 5TDs make quick work of JMU. |
| 6 | Georgia | 3-0 | 7 | Dawgs roll up school record 713 TotYds in 56-20 FAU win. |
| 7 | Clemson | 3-0 | 8 | Tigers, College Game Day visit Tallahassee-ACC Showdown. |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 2-0 | 9 | After a week off, Sooners host QB Kline, KSU – first real test. |
| 9 | Ohio St. | 3-0 | 10 | QB Braxton Miller accounts for all 5TDs in 35-28 Cal win. |
| 10 | Stanford | 3-0 | 21 | Cardinal much more physical team, drop Kiffin, USC 21-14. |
| 11 | South Carolina | 3-0 | 11 | QB Shaw injured again as Spurrier gets 200th win vs. UAB. |
| 12 | USC | 2-1 | 3 | Trojans NC hopes wane after Stanford domination Saturday. |
| 13 | Texas | 3-0 | 15 | Longhorns roll Ole Miss 66-31. Soph QB Ash coming of age. |
| 14 | Florida | 3-0 | 16 | Gators control line of scrimmage…rush for 336 vs. Vols. |
| 15 | Kansas St. | 3-0 | 14 | After N.Texas win, tough task ahead as Wildcats visit OU. |
| 16 | Michigan | 2-1 | 17 | QB Robinson moves into 2nd all-time on Mich Tot Off list. |
| 17 | TCU | 2-0 | 18 | What’s up in Ft. Worth? Frogs struggle to put away KU 20-6. |
| 18 | UCLA | 3-0 | 22 | New HC Mora, QB Hundley are the “feel good story” in 2012. |
| 19 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | NR | Irish play well in 20-3 Mich St win. Best start since 2002. |
| 20 | Arizona | 3-0 | 23 | Zona, Rich Rod can score in bunches. Wildcats avg 43.3 PPG. |
| 21 | Michigan St. | 2-1 | 12 | Spartans 15-game home winning streak snapped by ND. |
| 22 | Nebraska | 2-1 | 24 | HC Pelini taken to hospital during 42-13 win over Gus, ASU. |
| 23 | Oklahoma St. | 2-1 | 25 | Super Frosh QB Lunt injures knee in 65-24 victory over ULL. |
| 24 | Virginia Tech | 2-1 | 13 | Hokies shocked by winless Pitt. Bowling Green next. |
| 25 | Tennessee | 2-1 | 19 | Vols ‘D’ shaken in 37-20 Florida win. QB Bray tosses 2TDs. |
| Others considered: Boise St., Louisville, Rutgers, Ohio, Mississippi St., Georgia Tech, BYU, Northern Illinois, Baylor, Cincinnati, UCF, Wisconsin, Arizona St., Texas Tech. | ||||
