As I promised last week, the Week 3 Blogpoll ballot would tilt heavily toward resume and away from expectations. Then, what with Virginia Tech's stunning loss to James Madison, the biggest "quality win" of the year disappeared. And then was replaced in short order by Little Nicky (statue still under construction) and the Red Elephants. What I don't have time for this week are equations, so the 75/25 split on criteria emphasis will be less scientific than Week 2.
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Utah
4. Oklahoma
5. TCU
Alabama's win over Penn State was thoroughly dominating, giving the Tide the nod over the Buckeyes. Utah's win over Pitt will be more well-respected, I think, in the end than Oklahoma's win over Florida State. TCU's win over Oregon State was followed by an acceptable 62-0 thumping of Tennessee Tech
6. South Carolina
7. LSU
8. Michigan
9. Oregon
10. Air Force
After the Top 8, it gets really hard to identify teams that a) haven't lost and b) have beaten anybody worth a damn. Michigan and LSU are the only teams that have beaten two BCS opponents. Air Force looked good against BYU, and Oregon has thrashed New Mexico at home and Tennessee on the road.
11. Texas Tech
12. Nebraska
13. Texas
14. Boise State
15. Arkansas
Oh, great! It looks like we've gotten to the "reputation" portion of the ballot. That didn't take long. Texas and Arkansas have both looked sluggish at times. I'm high on Texas Tech because, well, because.
16. Auburn
17. Fresno State
18. Florida
19. Arizona
20. USC
Having allowed 8 points in 8 quarters, we think Arizona may have the defense statistics in the country. Of course, all they've beat is Toledo and the Citadel. Fresno State's win against Cincy still looks solid. And have you seen Cam Newton? Dude buttered some Mississippi State bread.
21. Iowa
22. Stanford
23. Wisconsin
24. Miami
25. Penn State
All of you are supposed to be good, right?