The Color & Pageantry Top 25

College Football

Top 25

1.    Alabama, 1-0, 1
2.    Washington, 1-0, 3
3.    Ohio State, 1-0, 4
4.    Southern Cal, 1-0, 5
5.    Clemson, 1-0, 6
6.    Penn State, 1-0, 7
7.    Oklahoma State, 1-0, 8
8.    Auburn, 1-0, 9
9.    Oklahoma, 1-0, 10
10.  Louisiana State, 1-0, 12
11.  Florida State, 0-1, 2
12.  Stanford, 1-0, 14
13.  Miami, 1-0, 11
14.  Wisconsin, 1-0, 13
15.  Michigan, 1-0, 16
16.  Georgia, 1-0, 17
17.  Notre Dame, 1-0, 20
18.  Virginia Tech, 1-0, 23
19.  Louisville, 1-0, 19
20.  Kansas State, 1-0, 21
21.  Oregon, 1-0, 24
22.  Texas Christian, 1-0, NR
23.  Washington State, 1-0, NR
24.  South Florida, 2-0, 15
25.  Nebraska, 1-0, 22

OUT: Florida (18) and North Carolina State (25)

VOTES: Tennessee, UCLA, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Utah, Georgia Tech,  West Virginia, Arkansas, Maryland, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Northwestern, Western Michigan, Kentucky, Boise State, Minnesota and North Carolina State.

ANALYSIS: There were two upsets of monumental magnitude. Howard, a 45 point dog at UNLV, won 43-40. UNLV, coached by local Tony Sanchez who led Bishop Gorman HS to national prominence there in Las Vegas, was defeated in large measure by the performance of Caylin Newton, the younger brother of former Auburn and current NFL star QB Cam Newton........Liberty, coached by former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill, won at Baylor. Sure, the Bears are reeling after an scandalous beat down, but this 48-45 win by the Flames was huge. Liberty cancelled classes. Great for Gill; one of the truly good people in coaching.....Many thought NC State, with 17 returning starters, would be a dark horse team out of the ACC, but they stumbled against what appears to be a middle of the pack SEC squad in South Carolina. Maybe not! Maybe Will Muschamp has something going in Columbia..... Texas A&M, after leading at UCLA 31-3 and 44-10 late in the 3rd, had a collapse for ages as Josh Rosen led the Bruins to a 45-44 victory. Already under immense fire, a member of the Aggies Board of Regents voiced desire to fire coach Kevin Sumlin; on social media. Imagine the professionalism? The game was a classic....Wisconsin, USC, Washington and Ohio State started slow, but won big. Texas got 51 and a loss hung on them at home by upstart Maryland, who is ascending rapidly....USF has won two games in lethargic fashion, which will end up dealing them a loss if Charlie Strong does not it fixed....Michigan looked decent dumping Florida, which continues to have significant issues at the quarterback position....Iowa held Wyoming in check behind the stellar play of LB Josey Jewell, who took a step toward the Butkus Award on Saturday as we see it.... Georgia Tech ran for some 600 yards and led by two touchdowns late but somehow fell to Tennessee.
*Florida State would have been ranked 7th in our poll, but due to the loss of QB Deondre Francois, they are ranked 11th.

NEBRASKA ANALYSIS: Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee looked as advertised, leading the 'Huskers to a victory Saturday night, one which was much too close for the liking of Big Red Nation. Up front offensively, the 'Huskers looked shaky in pass protection, but did generate some good run blocking. Tre Bryant got the start, and ran for 193. The receiving core looked strong, and as we expected, TE Tyler Hoppes had a breakout game. The new 3-4 defense was unimpressive. The line did not generate the type of pass rush desired, but Arkansas State was making quick throws. The linebackers were mixed, and it appears foot speed for some is an issue, particularly for a team like the Red Wolves that utilized the entire field. The secondary has good and bad moments, but did not give up an big plays, a significant note. It seemed Nebraska was holding back, so Oregon could not get much film. It almost cost the 'Huskers dearly. 

FLORIDA STATE ANALYSIS: Alabama, for the most part, controlled Florida State en route to a 24-7 victory. There are teams that can play with Alabama for a while, but the Crimson Tide force you into mistakes and tighten the screws hard on you when you make them. Alabama made FSU pay for a secondary mishap, nailing a 53 yard touchdown pass to Calvin Ridely. Even so, FSU had a chance to lead at halftime 14-10. The Seminoles were interfered with at the goal line on a pass attempt that was not called for some unexplained reason, forcing a field goal effort, which Alabama blocked. From there, there was a blocked punt and a fumbled kickoff return giving BAMA the ball inside the red zone. Although the defense down there was strong, Alabama eventually posted a touchdown. FSU QB Deondre Francois then tried to force some things, resulting in a pair of interceptions (Francois had never had a game with more than one interception). It was over, except for the season potentially being lost. Francois was eluding a blitz horizontally along the line of scrimmage when he was tackled from behind by Rasheed Wallace, turning his knee in the process. The tackle was clean, but Francois is now lost for the season with a torn patella. The loss of Francois is a brutal blow for the Seminoles, who will now start true freshman signal caller James Blackman of Belle Glade. While Blackman has great promise, it will be Fisher's best work ever if he can get Blackman to perform at a level allowing FSU to win the ACC Atlantic.