2012 Week Two Top Four: USC, Alabama, Clemson and Georgia
By Rich Lynch
My pre-season Top Four was: Clemson, Georgia, LSU and USC, not ranked in order. After evaluating these teams and watching others, there’s some change. Below are the top four teams in college football heading into Week 2.
1) USC – The Trojans dominated Hawai’i by a score of 49-10. Matt Barkley led the offense with 394 yards and four touchdowns, which went to three different receivers: Robert Woods with two scores, Marqise Lee (who had 197 total receiving yards), and Randall Telfer who scored in the fourth quarter.
2) Alabama – The Crimson Tide dominated Michigan 41-14. Alabama was lead by A.J McCarron and T.J Yeldon. McCarron threw for194 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yeldon ran 11 times for111 yards and 1 touchdown. The Crimson Tide defense stopped Michigan Heisman candidate and one-man wrecking crew Denard Robinson by holding him to 227 total yards, two touchdowns and intercepting him twice.
3) Clemson – The Clemson Tigers beat SEC stalwart Auburn 26-19. Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd threw for 208 yards with one touchdown and one interception despite top receiver Sammy Watkins not playing due to suspension.
4) Georgia – The Bulldogs beat the Buffalo Bulls 45-23. Georgia was led by dark horse Heisman candidate Aaron Murray who threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Bulldog running back Todd Gurley accumulated 100 yards even and two touchdowns on eight carries.
Teams on the Outside looking In:
1) LSU – The Bayou Bengals looked great in beatingNorth Texas 41-14. LSU was dropped from the rankings on account of Tyrann Mathieu leaving the team before the season.
2) West Virgina – The Mountainners dominated in-state rival Marshall 69-34 in Morgantown.
Look for my “Thoughts for Thursday” post predicting the marquee Thursday game of the week and my “Thoughts on Three” post prognosticating the three best games on Saturday.