Stewart Mandel's Top 25: Week 1

2008-09-10T07:12:43-04:00

2008-09-02T13:29:43-04:00

2008-09-10T06:39:48-04:00

2008-09-05T02:08:42-04:00

Horn'em

Veradale 477259

"Cal, talent wise, is one of the top 10 teams in the nation, period. " - That's a joke. If that was the case then they would finish near the top each year or make a BCS bowl game. The fact they don't proves they don't have top 10 talent. Michigan State is no where close to being a top 25 team. "USC blows out a January bowl team = jumps 3 spots. Florida blows out a BCS bowl team = doesn't move at all." - C'mon dude. Everyone knows Hawaii shouldn't have made the BCS last year, it was a joke and they proved against Georgia they didn't belong. Aside from that, Brennan and Best are gone to the NFL so their top 2 players are gone. Hawaii is crap this year. 2667935

2008-09-04T17:12:39-04:00

LSU#1NATION

Savannah 93885

Just remember that you are giving-in to a Media-Hyped SC team that all of CFB knows circumvented the rules by using Reggie Bush (et al), while they were receiving money from Sports agents. All of CFB knows this to be true. You can not tell me that someone of Reggie Bush's status and reputation can buy a new car and SC's Compliance Department can state that they knew nothing of the matter. Or that, Reggie parents, who struggled to pay rent,, could suddenly attend games in Hawaii, take trips to Las Vegas and to the Heisman Awards? The NCAA has a difficult time proving these accusations, due to the fact that they are not a legal entity and lack supeona power. They, therefore, rely on the due diligence of the programs themselves to police their own. Many schools, such as SMU, Alabama, Oklahoma, and others have been severely punished...yet USC goes unpunished. It would be (IMO) the duty of the media to investigate USC because it concerns the absolute integrity of the game itself...instead USC remains the darling of the media! The media is always looking for a "Big" story and when one comes up that actually affects the game, as we know it, drops the story wihout a satisfactory conclusion. They should be reviled by the media not elevated by them. If the media wants to do CFB a real favor it needs to assist the NCAA in bringing USC to justice and hold them accountable for their trangressions...not promote them! 2665674

2008-09-03T23:58:19-04:00

MoCheeks

Arlington 502747

You're continued ranking of Tennessee eludes me. No properly ranked team should be on the receiving end of 4 first half INTs with only 14 pts to show for it at half time. To say nothing of the eventual loss to UCLA. It is not that UCLA is possibly a great team. It is that Tennessee is yet again of the overrated SEC teams. It's true the SEC is the best conference, but they are not the ninth NFL division that the writers would have us believe. Four ranked in the top nine?? American Idol has more accurate voting. Sadly Arizone St gave up too much on defense to likely prove my point against Georgia. But don't be surprised. 2657243

2008-09-03T23:58:03-04:00

MoCheeks

Arlington 502747

2008-09-03T21:34:48-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/216/64/thumb/Georgia_Tech.gif 95 GA

Sourgrapes

Marietta 21704

Dr N - great icon. I have NO idea why Pitt became a boutique "dark horse" pick. Dave Wandstat or however you spell his name is a great recruiter and a pretty good guy. Who knows why Pitt sucks so much. And DolphinsFan74.. I'd need to see Utah beat a.. you know, team that hasn't had half its guys transfer because the new head coach is installing a whole new kind of offense. But that's just me. Utah has a pretty good team, really. But a win against Michigan doesn't make them top 15 in my book. 2656469

2008-09-03T14:14:47-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/484/898/thumb/gob-bluth-12498.jpg 3 TX

Dr. Norris Camacho

San Antonio 485399

Can you please elaborate on why the media fell in love with Pitt during the off-season? It seems that just because they beat their arch-rival they were suddenly crowned the feel-good rebuilt team of the season. Apparently everyone forgot how terrible they looked in their 7 losses. They might have talent, but their coach is a proven loser, and they will continue to underachieve until they give him the axe. CFB is the only industry where a losing record can get you a contract extension and more money based on hype. 2652064

2008-09-03T13:36:12-04:00

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Dolphins Fan74

499268

I tried to send in my blog last week but I guess I did not have an account so it did not take, I can see from the entries since that there are a few of us on here that can't believe that you give props to long time historic teams like Bama and UCLA which in todays world are marginal but you seem to forget that there is a Team in Utah that actually has a solid team that went into the Big House and defeated Michigan on the road. If we had not made the mistakes we made it would have been by a few touchdowns at that. 2651496

2008-09-03T11:06:16-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/216/64/thumb/Georgia_Tech.gif 95 GA

Sourgrapes

Marietta 21704

Because all those returning starters couldn't beat Pitt, who returned a lot of starters that couldn't beat Bowling Green. Oh, and a new coach? 2649516

2008-09-03T05:16:54-04:00

berlinhusker

Lincoln 293141

WV @ 12? Can someone explain how a team that was 1 game away from playing in the National Championship Game, shellacked OU in the Fiesta Bowl, returned a hefty portion of their starters, returns a good portion of their coaching staff and had a solid opener doesn't debut in the top 10? Please? 2647427

2008-09-02T23:33:49-04:00

ebola

Baton Rouge 484780

USC #1! You must be kidding. How many times has Stewart said he doesn't move teams down for winning.Virginia is awful. Hawaii would've beaten Virginia and they got "shalacked" by Florida. Why isn't Florida #1? In fact after watching that USC-Virginia game, the only team in the top seven that wouldn't beat USC is Mizzouri. 2647028

<p>Taking into account the injury to Ohio State tailback Beanie Wells, SI.com's Stewart Mandel dropped the Buckeyes from No. 1 to No. 4 in <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/09/02/power.rankings/index.html" target="_blank">his lastest Top 25</a> and moved USC from No. 4 to No. 1. Moreover, he left Oklahoma and Georgia at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. What's your take? </p> 2173

The SI Staff

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