Yeah, that went about as well as could be expected for Hoke’s squad. Vastly overranked at 8, they got chewed up and spat out by a reloaded Alabama team that, under Saban, is producing NFL players at a terrifying clip.
Even overrated, this was about what we expected from any Big 10 – Alabama matchup. Recall what the 9-3 2010 Alabama team did to Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, which remains the only time I’ve ever seen a team forced to punt on 4th and goal.
Also as expected, Alabama snags the top spot in the polls, leapfrogging even sportswriter fave USC in the process; the Trojans don’t play quality until November (Oregon on the 3rd).
LSU will drop again before they rise, since they’ve opted to open against creampuffs (and even their SEC schedule starts soft, with Auburn on the 22nd; they don’t play a quality team until Florida in October).
Rightly or wrongly, Michigan counts as a quality win, and those are in short supply early in the year (even if, after the rout, they’ve been dropped to #19).
The new top 10:
- Alabama
- USC
- LSU
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Florida State
- Georgia
- Arkansas
- South Carolina / West Virginia (tie)
FSU is way overrated. I’m shocked that South Carolina is still in the top ten, too, given their shaky performance over the weekend — the Gamecocks only barely escaped Vanderbilt.
Bama should cruise over Western Kentucky next weekend without trouble, but meets Arkansas the week after in the first (or second?) real test of the season.
Roll Tide, and pass the whiskey.
Michigan is continuing a long tradition of being overrated in the preseason poll and generally amounting to nothing halfway through the year. The only thing we’ll have to worry about in the B1G (Just switch names with the Big 12 already) is a resurgent Ohio State under Meyer in about 5 years.
Of course Michigan is over-rated. Remember a few years ago when they were stunned at season’s opening by lowly Appalachian State (who is the alma mater of my brother in law, one of the best geek buddies, a work colleague, and, oh yeah, my wife)? Recent reports suggest that the Michigan players in that game were actually stoned out of their minds. Ha!
But damn, I sure did like what I saw from the Tide this weekend. They were relentless. They do have an upcoming weekend of creampuffery with Western Kentucky, but that’s okay because I’m going to be at a trade show and won’t be able to watch it anyway. Florida State, errrrr, well, they looked good against Murray State I suppose, but I suspect when they hit their first serious opponent, they’re gonna fold faster than Superman on laundry day. Roll Tide!