An ironic title, I suppose, considering Michigan (despite the thrilling win) does not make an appearance on my Week 3 ballot for the SB Nation BlogPoll.
But I just needed to vent. We came so damn close to landing that kid and our offensive outlook this season (or the last two, for that matter) would have looked exponentially better if we had. It makes me sad.
Anyhow, follow the jump for the rankings. As promised, there was considerable shuffling this week since this was my first opportunity to see more than half of these teams in action.
- LSU Tigers (+2) — No one else has a better win than Oregon.
- Alabama Crimson Tide (-1) — Thought they should have beat Penn State worse than they did.
- Oklahoma Sooners (-1) — Absence does not make the heart grow fonder. Big week ahead.
- Boise St. Broncos (+2) — I might have underrated them a little.
- Florida St. Seminoles
- Stanford Cardinal (-2) — Didn't measure up to my expectations in live action.
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Oklahoma St. Cowboys (+2) — Defense much better than I expected. Offense is frighteningly good.
- South Carolina Gamecocks (+2) — The masters of winning ugly. Both wins away from home.
- Oregon Ducks (+3) — Perhaps I overreacted a little last week...
- Arkansas Razorbacks (+4) — Just quietly destroying people in Fayetteville.
- Michigan St. Spartans (+5) — Second-best team in the Big Ten? Possibly the best defense.
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (-4) — Maybe the Big Red should take up welfare fraud, too. Very ugly win.
- Virginia Tech Hokies (-6) — Way overrated. Seriously, unable to score against ECU?
- Florida Gators (+1) — We'll find out what Muschamp's bunch is made of against Tennessee.
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West Virginia Mountaineers (+2) — Outscored opponent 45-0 in second half. Air Holgorsen!
- Ohio St. Buckeyes (-5) — Toledo should have won. Miami very well might.
- Baylor Bears (+1) — Beneficiaries of Mississippi State's demise.
- Auburn Tigers (NR) — Hate 'em all you want, but they're addicted to winning.
- Arizona St. Sun Devils
- South Florida Bulls (+1) — Notre Dame win already losing luster, but still good while supplies last.
- Mississippi St. Bulldogs (-8) — Throw the ball. Extend the game. And play some damn defense.
- TCU Horned Frogs (+1) — Good win at Air Force, but hardly a complete redemption.
- Texas Longhorns (NR) — I reserved this spot for the BYU-Texas winner. Unsure they'll keep it long.
The number in parentheses is the delta, or the change in ranking from last week's ballot.
Dearly Departed: No. 22 Missouri, No. 24 Penn State