Welcome to the first Top 25 of the new college football season. For newcomers to my blog, let me remind you of how my Top 25 is slightly different from other national ones:
1. I do not consider the point spread of games against FCS opponents. For those games, I only count whether they won or lost. A team that loses to an FCS opponent has a much reduced chance of appearing in the Top 25 (so, for instance, Kansas State and Oregon State are unlikely to appear in this year's Top 25)
2. No team with a negative point differential (points scored - points allowed) against FBS opponents will appear on the Top 25. While this sounds obvious, in years past the AP and ESPN polls have placed teams on their Top 25 due to one or two outstanding games, and expectations of better results, when the teams had struggled earlier.
3. The position is based upon overall record and a complicated calculation of Strength of Result, which considers: point spread, average record of opponents (based upon their records over the past five years), strength of opponent (based upon the strength of the opponents' opponents over the past five years), and result of various game stats.
Top 25
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) : Although the offensive line looked a bit confused in Week 1, this team is still one of the most potent in the nation.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) : Buffalo showed this week that their offense isn't that great, so the Buckeyes' Week 1 performance hurts them, but they still shine in most game stats.
3. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) : They've put together two of the best performances of any team so far this season.
4. Oregon Ducks (2-0) : Their offense is high-powered; no loss of punch with the departure of Chip Kelly. Their demolition of Virginia, who upset BYU in Week 1, marks them a strong National Champion candidate.
5. LSU Tigers (2-0) : They followed up a strong performance against TCU with a destruction of UAB.
6. Louisville Cardinals (2-0) : No QB is putting up better numbers than Teddy Bridgewater
7. Michigan Wolverines (2-0) : After demolishing Central Michigan, they had no problems against Notre Dame
8. Florida State Seminoles (1-0) : Before their bye week, they schooled Pitt in what it takes to play in the ACC
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0) : Two strong and consistently well-played games gives them the edge in the Big XII
10. Clemson Tigers (2-0) : They showed great poise and control in the victory over Georgia. In fact, Georgia's strong game this week boosted Clemson's position.
11. Georgia Bulldogs (1-1) : The Bulldogs beatdown of South Carolina helped get them here, but they need to play better in the first half of their games.
12. South Carolina Gamecocks (1-1) : They had Top Ten potential before Georgia knocked them up. Where was the defensive power in that game?
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0) : The Cornhuskers were actually helped by Wyoming's dominant performance this week, as Nebraska barely snuck past them last week. The Cornhuskers redeemed themselves against Southern Miss
14. Miami Hurricanes (2-0) : Already on my radar before this week, their pressure against Florida QB Jeff Driskell showed why this team is dangerous
15. UCLA Bruins (1-0) : A thoroughly dominance of Nevada shows that UCLA might take the Pac-10 South title outright this year.
16. Texas A&M Aggies (2-0) : While Johnny Manziel has looked good on the field, I still question how far A&M will go against strong defenses. Manziel seems to think he is unbeatable, and that's not true.
17. Stanford Cardinal (1-0) : Nice dismantling of San Jose State
18. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) : The Sooners would have been higher based on last week's performance, but a struggle against West Virginia leads me to wonder how good their offense really is
19. Michigan State Spartans (2-0) : Two good victories, but it looks like they will again play close games
20. Baylor Bears (2-0) : They scored 30 more points against Buffalo than Ohio State did, and allowed one less touchdown. This team could move up fast
21. Northwestern Wildcats (2-0) : They followed up an offensive blitz against Cal by scrubbing Syracuse. They seem to let up late in games, though, allowing their opponents a chance to bridge the gap. They can't do that in close games, or they'll lose.
22. Washington Huskies (1-0) : They dismantled Boise State, but the jury is still out on Boise's strength. The Illinois game may now become more crucial, after Illinois shocked Cincinnati this week.
23. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-1) : Michigan exposes some flaws in this team. They need to improve or they may lose their Top 25 position
24. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) : Their defense is solid. Despite low strength of opponents so far, this team is now the favorite to win the first American Athletic title, after Illinois dismantled Cincinnati
25. Arizona Wildcats (2-0) : UNLV had already lost a game, so their dominant performance this week didn't help them as much. Beating Washington in three weeks might be their best chance for a Top 25 boost.
Contenders who fell this week: USC Trojans, Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Cincinnati Bearcats, NC State Wolfpack
On the Edge: Texas Longhorns (1-1), BYU Cougars (1-1), Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0), Auburn igers (2-0), Tennessee Volunteers (2-0), Maryland Terrapins (2-0), Arkansas Razorbacks (2-0), Bowling Green Falcons (2-0), Ball State Cardinals (2-0), Utah State Aggies (1-1), Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0)
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