Garnet and Cocky’s College Football Top 25 Poll
Nov 24, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson (5) and running back George Atkinson (4) celebrate at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Notre Dame defeated USC 22-13. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE
For almost the last time this regular season, Garnet and Cocky is putting out its weekly college football top 25 poll.
Let’s not get too sappy and depressed.
25. Penn State Yes. The Nittany Lions. They’re 8-4 after losing their first two games to Ohio and Virginia by 10 and then one point(s). Their only other losses came to Ohio State and Nebraska. Bill O’Brien is my coach of the year and it isn’t even close.
24. Utah State 10 wins. I don’t care who they were against, but that’s good enough to get them in this top 25.
23. San Jose State Not only does this team have really good colors (that yellow and light blue gets me every time, no matter who’s wearing it), but it also has 10 wins. It just finished its season with a big W over everyone’s darling of a few weeks ago, Louisiana Tech.
22. Oregon State It might not feel like it after how highly they were ranked earlier this year, but no one thought this team was the 22nd best when the year started, so Beavers fans should be proud of their team this year.
20. Cincinnati The Big East is awful, but Cincinnati lost early enough and won late enough to find themselves in one of the last egular season editions of Garnet and Cocky’s top 25.
19. Texas Even after their loss to TCU, the Longhorns can still have a pretty good season. They’re 8-3, and with two wins to close out the year (one in a bowl) they can finish with a 10 win season, something Texas fans have become accustomed to.
18. Kent State Ohio is a good team. Kent State destroyed them. How did these guys lose to Kentucky?
17. UCLA The Bruins lost to Stanford, but they get a chance for revenge in the Pac 12 championship game. They also have a shot at a 10 win season and a Rose Bowl birth in that game.
16. Clemson Man, that offense is something else, huh? What? They only scored 17 points on Saturday night at home? That had to be in the first quarter, right? WHAT? They only scored 14 in the first half?! So… So that means they only scored three points in the second half? Come on! That can’t be true! Oh… You say they played the Gamecocks? That team that’s stomped them three year’s prior to this? Well, you know… I thought they were just playing one of those ACC schools. I’m surprised they scored that much on a team outside their conference.
15. Vanderbilt Are they the 15th best team in the country? Before you answer that question, answer this one: Are the teams behind them deserving of this spot?
14. FSU The Seminoles were in solid position most of the game, but in the end Florida was just too much to handle.
13. Nebraska Wow. These guys climbed way up our poll after FSU, Clemson, Texas and UCLA lost. I mean, they are playing for the Big 10 championship game, so I guess that means they deserve to be this high?
12. Oklahoma The Sooners went boom on Oklahoma State in overtime of the game dubbed “Bedlam” to keep some BCS Bowl hope alive.
11. Kansas State I can’t even imagine how the Idle Wildcats feel right now.
10. Oregon It was close for a minute, or a few seconds, or something, but the Civil War was a Beaver bloodbath. Too bad Oregon can’t get to the Rose Bowl (see below).
9. Stanford It has to stink that after crushing UCLA Saturday, they have to go right back to work preparing to play them again in the Pac 12 Championship. Then again, UCLA has done what was asked of them (by whoever asks these questions) in order to get to that championship game.
8. Texas A&M Johnny Manziel is going to win the Heisman. His performance against the lifeless Missouri Tigers was the icing on his pre-celebration cake.
7. South Carolina I don’t know how the Gamecocks kept slipping in the BCS the past few weeks, but after their FOURTH STRAIGHT (four-in-a-row, haven’t lost in four years, four games four wins, 1, 2, 3, 4) win over Clemson, that slide is assured to end.
6. LSU Arkansas gave these Tigers a scare, but LSU prevailed and if they can lobby hard enough, they might be able to push Florida out of the Sugar Bowl (I doubt it).
5. Florida Even with FSU’s four first half turnovers, it looked like the Gators might’ve watched their BCS (Sugar, Title) hopes slip away. Alas, it wasn’t to be and the SEC chomped the ACC, as was the theme all day long. The Gators are almost certain to be playing in the Sugar Bowl now.
4. Ohio State There’s talk that the Buckeye’s will fight for an AP Title if they end up the only undefeated team in the land. I think it would be more fair if they got together with UNC to play the Probation Bowl. Winner gets free tats for life, or free access to sports agents for any players good enough to make the NFL. Whichever floats your boat, you know?
3. Georgia Another SEC, ACC rivalry game that proved just how good football in the South Eastern Conference is.
2. Alabama The Iron Bowl was more like the How-Bad-Will-Auburn-Get-Beat Bowl, and ‘Bama kept us guessing as far as that question goes all game.
1. Notre Dame I’m a pretty big ND hater, but they deserve to got the BCS Title game after what they’ve done this year (short of that near/should-be/how-didn’t-they loss to Pitt).