2012 Week Three Top Four: USC, Alabama, Georgia and LSU

Sep 8, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Robert Woods (2) breaks into the open field on his way to the end zone for a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

Week Two in college football had some surprises, with Oregon State upsetting Wisconsin, Savannah State beating the 70.5 point spread against Florida State (thanks to Mother Nature) and UCLA beating Nebraska in a shootout.  My previous Top Four rankings have included Clemson, which may have been a surprise to some.  However, this week there should be NO surprises.

1) USC(2-0)
Trending: Sideways | Previous Ranking: 1 | Next Opponent: Stanford Cardinal

USC beat Syracuse 42-29 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.  Weather delays impacted the continuity and final score of the game.  Look for another high scoring game and better defense by the Trojans next week against in-state rival Stanford.

2) Alabama(2-0)
Trending: Sideways | Previous Ranking: 2 | Next Opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks

After a week in which Alabama head coach Nick Saban berated local sports scribes for assuming a victory against Western Kentucky, the Crimson Tide defeated the visiting Hilltoppers 35-0. Alabama is taking on Arkansas at D.W.R Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville this Saturday.  Look for Alabama to beat Arkansas handily.

3) Georgia(2-0)
Trending: Up | Previous Ranking: 4 | Next Opponent: Florida Atlantic Owls

Georgia defeated Missouri in Columbia, Mo. 41-20 on Saturday.  The Bulldogs answered the trash talk of Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who described Georgia football as “old man” style by outclassing Missouri, even without starting safety Baccari Rambo.  Sheldon: is Rambo: First Blood an “old man” movie? Georgia has Florida Atlantic next up on the slate.

4) LSU(2-0)
Trending: Up | Previous Ranking: N/A | Next Opponent: Idaho Vandals

LSU smoked Washington 41-3 on Saturday.  Ironically, I did not have LSU ranked last week because they were missing Tyrann Mathieu.  I am adding the Tigers to the rankings this week on account of the fact that LSU won this week WITHOUT either Mathieu or starting tackle Chris Faulk.  LSU is loaded with talent and should have no problems next week against Idaho.

Teams on the Outside Looking In:

Clemson(2-0)
Trending: Down | Previous Rank: 3 | Next Opponent: Furman Paladins

First, a Paladin is a Christian Warrior…in case you wanted to know.  Second, Clemson was dropped from the rankings because they allowed Ball State to score 27 points in their contest on Saturday.

Oregon(2-0)
Trending: Up | Previous Rank: N/A | Next Opponent: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

Oregon has scored a total of 101 points in the first two games of the year for an average of 50.5 point per game average.  Look for Oregon to score more than that this weekend against Tennessee Tech.

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.