PaulinMyrBch said:
- FSU -Boston College played them the toughest, 48-34.
- Auburn (Loss to LSU)
- Alabama (Loss to Auburn)
- Stanford (Loss to Utah, Southern Cal)
- Baylor (Loss to Oklahoma State)
- Michigan State (Loss to Notre Dame)
- South Carolina (Loss to Georgia, Tennessee)
- Missouri (Loss to South Carolina, Auburn)
- Ohio State (Loss to MSU)
- Central Florida (Loss to South Carolina)
11th would be a coin flip between Clemson/Oregon.
1. FSU (Not sure how any argument could be made against them. They might not have played the toughest schedule, but they did what they needed to and did it in convincing fashion. The only game that you could even remotely call a "stinker" is the BC game and they still won by two touchdowns. Other teams played tougher schedules, but all had games that they didn't look good and/or lost against inferior opponents. FSU just rolled all season, and there numbers couldn't have been outrageous had they not basically played backups in the second half for almost every game).
2. Auburn: Again, just not sure how you can't put them here. The dethroned the kings, and did what they needed to in the SEC championship game. Defense is susceptible, but the offense is the real deal.
3. Alabama: Probably the hardest choice in the entire top ten for me. It came down to them and the next two teams, and ultimately, I just think their talent, coaching and experience puts them here. If they played Auburn 100 times, I'm not convinced they don't win the majority of the time.
4. Michigan State: Again, tough call, but that defense is AWESOME. Seriously, one of the best defenses I can remember in college football. I hate, HATE that they lost to Notre Dame early in the season, because they were playing the best football in the country for the past month or so, IMO. Offensively, they have issues, but damn, I was so impressed by them coming down the stretch, and I can't even begin to say how little I thought of them early in the year.
5. Stanford: Again, defense, defense, defense. I like MSU's defense more, by a pubic hair, but I like MSU's offense by more than that. I just think Cook is a better QB than Hogan, and while Hogan has some more weapons around him in Montgomery, Gaffney, Cajuste, etc., I think Cook is better by a higher margin that he makes up the difference. However, I really do like Stanford, and think if they had a better QB, they would probably be undefeated and talked about as one of the best teams in recent memory, not from the SEC.
6. Ohio State: Just a really good team that knows how to win, and has great coaching. They lost one game, to IMO, a great football team, so it shouldn't detract too much from their ranking.
7. Baylor: Another tough call for me. Obviously, their offense is the real deal, but if they ran up against a Stanford or a Michigan State, I think they get worked just like Oregon did against Stanford. Fun to watch, but I'm not even sure they are as good as #7.
After that, I'm not sure it matters. I think you can change in or out South Carolina, UCF, Missouri, Clemson and Oregon pretty much however you want, but those teams in the top 7 are a step above them.