ISU Game Recap

What was Awesome?

Pretty much everything but Tress Way's punting (is he hurt?). A dominant performance by OU against an ISU team that did nothing on offense to make it easy for OU (no turnovers, few penalties, huge punt game from Matt Fish Sticks), and OU was finally able to empty the bench again.

Other thoughts on OU

How ridiculous is OU's depth and talent at RB? Finch looks as advertised by the OU coaches, and Clay after a drop looked great running the ball in his extended opportunity. Despite the obvious comparisons to Q, Finch to me seems to have faster acceleration and perhaps more homerun speed. It's going to be fun to see how he compares against a great Sooner RB.

The return of DE Frank Alexander was great to see. Alexander basically got called out in Bob's news conference earlier in the week. Apparently that was all the motivation Alexander needed as he looked like the impact DE Sooner fans have been expecting.  In addition, it was also nice to see reps for RJ Washington at DE. Too many Sooner fans are quick to write off guys like RJ, sometimes patience is needed. OU's going to need those two players to step up in 2011 after Beal leaves to provide a real pass rush.

It might have been ISU, but OU seemed to be getting more plays from DT in a healthier Adrian Taylor, Stacey McGee (who ISU couldn't block without holding), and Jamarkus McFarland. If that trend continues, the Sooner D could be very good.

Now Demarco Murray is certainly breaking Steve Owens record in a different era of football, 12 to 14 game seasons, much higher scoring. One thing to consider though is that Murray scored 58 TDs while sharing time with Chris Brown for 3 seasons and Allen Patrick for one season. During those 3 seasons, Brown and Patrick scored over 44 TDs. Owens never had to share the ball with anyone to that degree. Murray's total, while sharing time with two other RBs, is a pretty amazing accomplishment.

Again, it was ISU, but it was hard to tell if that was Sam Bradford or Landry Jones quarterbacking OU. 89% completion stats are just absurd. Landry may not be ever be as good as Sam (and that appears to be NFL franchise QB good which sets the bar impossibly high), but he's improving this year and take advantage of all the weapons OU has available.

Other thoughts on football from Saturday

What a colossal choke job by the AggieHuskers on Saturday. At home, with all the momentum and a mentally shaky whorn team coming into town, the AggieHuskers laid a massive egg. Horrible game plan by NU on offense, and NU's D had to be prepared for some QB running game from UT. Add in the terrible game from the pitch fork like hands of the NU WRs, and you have a crushing loss for the AggieHuskers.

Jerrod Johnson, preseason All Big 12 QB? Johnson in the two games that I have watched, looks just awful. Bleeding turnovers against OSU, or incapable of completing passes against Missouri, you have to wonder when Sherman will bench him. Speaking of ATM, their home performance against Missouri makes you wonder why anyone continues to talk about the home field advantage of Kyle Field. Anyone can walk in there and beat the Aggies.

For the last 3 years all we've heard is about SEC quality defenses. Well when Auburn versus Arkansas is 44-43 heading into the 4^th quarter, you have to ditch all conversation about SEC defenses this year. That's a Pig team that only scored 24 on a terrible ATM defense last week. In addition, you have South Carolina and Kentucky in a 31-28 shootout.  Now, SEC defense do appear to get one huge break this year, that's playing Urban Meyer and the inept UF defense. UF has now lost two games at home to LSU and Miss State. OU fell off last year due to injuries and inexperience, but OU didn't drop two games at home. Brantley for all the hype looks terrible and UF has no playmakers at all.

If I had a Heisman vote, right now it's going to Cam Newton at Auburn. He's almost single handedly beating teams. If the Heisman is about value to the team, Newton is the most valuable player in the nation. Auburn probably has 3 losses without him.

With all due respect to the upcoming ISU game, at 5-0 it seems like as good a time as any to do a mid season review based on some items from the preseason outlook

1. How is the OL playing?

I'm not implying the OL is up to the gold standard of the 2008 OL, but it's been doing a solid job providing both passing blocking and run blocking. The Sooners have been leaving some points on the field, but it's not been the fault of the OL directly.  OL Penalties are down, key drive killing penalties are way down from the OL. OU's averaging over 30 points a game, a total that would have been good enough to win all but one game last year. In particular, OU is doing a great job on 3^rd and short and finishing drives in the red zone.  OU is not settling for red zone fgs this year, a key reason behind the losses of 2009. Those data points are very much in support of an improved OL.  OU has pretty good depth with 3 tackles, 4 guards, and two centers.  There's still a lot of potential for improvement, but compared to last year it's night and day. In addition, OU has only burned one redshirt (Bronson Irwin) off their great OL class.

2. What's Landry's ceiling?

Last year Landry was about a 5-6. Landry got off to a rough start with the USU game, and then played his best game versus FSU by a wide margin. The biggest signs of improvement have been the games against Cincinnati and UT, road win and a win against an elite secondary (UT's front seven may be suspect, but their back 5 is top ten in college football). Landry showed signed signs of reading coverages, stepping up in the pocket, and testing defenses downfield. The improved play by Dejuan Miller and the progression of Kenny Stills has given Landry 3 WRs that he now trusts. Landry is never going to be Sam Bradford, but right now it's not hard to imagine him as a conference championship QB caliber player.

3. Impact of the Cali 3

Well the only real negative in this item was the injury to Brennan Clay which has stalled his development to a degree. Tony Jefferson looks like he will be a 4 year starter impact player for the Sooners on defense. He looks every bit the top 10 player in the nation he was ranked at one point early before his senior year. Kenny Stills is the second best WR on the team, and led OU in WR yardage versus Texas.  If Ryan Broyles were to leave early, OU can relax knowing that they have their go to WR already on campus. UT is still searching for one guy, meanwhile OU has two.

4. Has a kicker been found? Not really, but it hasn't mattered as much. And key points have been added via the FG game. O'Hara looked solid early before getting hurt, and since that injury opportunity Stevens is kicking the best attempts of his OU career. Still OU's offense is leaving points on the field when they are in the opponents 25 to 35 yard area. OU is getting into 3^rd and long situations and instead of nimbling for yardage for FGs, OU is trying to go for the full amount. Somewhere in Bob's, Kevin Wilson's, and Landry's mind they know that 47 yard FGs are just not going to be kicked to many meaningful percentage.

5. Does OU have a TE weapon again? It's nowhere near where OU was with Jermaine Gresham, but OU has red zone TDs from Millard, Hanna, and Ratteree.  The situation is vastly improved over last year. Hanna has been banged up some, but looks close to putting it all together at TE. In fact, Hanna has been solid enough that we haven't seen much of Austin Haywood at all. Hopefully OU can redshirt Austin.

6. How badly does OU miss Gerald McCoy? It's hard to over estimate how much OU misses McCoy and a healthy Taylor (Taylor's been barely 70% for most of the season). Beal's sack totals are down, and he's constantly being held. OU's no longer getting the automatic one holding call due to Gerald McCoy. Is McCoy the difference in the 4^th Qtr problems? Well his interior pass rush was huge weapon against teams trying to pass their way back into the game. It's not hard to imagine Gerald's pressure and sacks stalling some of those successful drives. The AFA game would have been 48-0 if McCoy and Taylor were manning the middle. Still, OU's been getting solid play from young DTs Stacey McGee (looking very McCoy like on some tackles for loss) and Daniel Noble. McFarland is struggling a bit to make an impact, and Adrian Taylor is gamely helping OU at 70%. Fortunately, Lewis is playing LB at a high level, and the newcomers in the back 7 are playing pretty well. Tom Wort just had his best game in a Sooner uniform against Texas by a wide margin. Jefferson is a star, Hurst as well (more on that).  Fleming before getting hurt was playing CB at an elite level. In fact, save for Wort's missed tackles the biggest breakdowns have been with Quinton Carter (Cinci game, UT game) who despite some huge INTs is having an average year.

7.  Is 2010 looking like 2006?

Well OU is 5-0, instead of 3-2 and now holds the critical tiebreaker over UT in the Big 12 South, so that is different. However, OU does appear to be on a collision course with Nebraska for the Big 12 Title and in theory could play Boise in a bowl game if they win that title. OU's key obstacles  to that destiny are once again at Columbia (Missouri just like 2006 looking for that big win over UT/OU), and at College Station and Stillwater. So the second half of the season could look pretty similar.

Other thoughts

1. A truly great freshman class.

Daniel Noble/Trey Millard/Aaron Colvin/Corey Nelson/Trey Franks/Kenny Stills/Tony Jefferson/

That's just who has already made an impact with Clay and Finch possibly getting their chances in the second half.

Right now, the recruiting class has 4 starters (Millard/Jefferson/Stills/Colvin). Texas was supposed to have an awesome recruiting class but if you are a longhorn fan it has to worry you that of the five best true freshman in the Cotton Bowl

1. Millard
2. Jeffcoat
3. Jefferson
4. Stills
5. Colvin

Only 1 is a Horn. (Mike Davis was hurt, so the Horns might have 2. OU fans will counter that our freshman RBs are just waiting to make an impact due to our great RB depth. Whereas the Horns have no RBs)

2. The second coming of Derrick Strait

Demontre Hurst. Hurst isn't the biggest Sooner DB, but neither was Derrick Strait. All I know is that Hurst is pretty much locking down his WR and playing a great CB position for OU. Hurt, Fleming, Javon Harris, and Aaron Colvin seem to be pieces for OU's secondary next year. Hurst like Corey Nelson was a signing day defection, and you have to be glad that the OU coaching staff did not give up recruiting this kid. What a steal, and what a loss for OSU.

3. OL development plan bearing fruit.

Currently OU is playing about 7 to 8 kids at OL. Now there has been some rumblings about OU playing five guys and focusing there. However, it appears to be working, and there's a sense of competition and depth on the OL that OU didn't have last year. Back in 2006/2007 OU played 7 OL guys (Branndon Braxton and Brandon Walker), so it's worked before. In addition, OU has been able to redshirt Austin Woods, Adam Shead, Darryl Williams, and Tyrus Thompson. So OU will go into spring with 7 experienced players in Jarvis Jones, Stephenson, Evans, Habern, Good, Ikard, Irwin, while developing the next wave of the OL. OU seems ready to break the cycle of having to start freshman at center every 4 years (Habern- sophomore, Ikard - redshirt fr, Woods - freshman). The only real issue is lack of depth behind Jones and Stephenson at OT. Josh Aladenoye right now is the only other non redshirting OT, so a JUCO OT could be a key piece in preparing for Jones/Stephenson departures.

4. OU has a very young, very talented football team.

I've already talked about the recruiting class, but when you start adding up the redshirt freshman and sophomores also making a huge contribution, it's easy to see that OU with a veteran QB returning is poised for a successful run. What's missing?

• Proven pass rushing outside threat (a healthy Frank Alexander would help here as would RJ Washington fulfilling his vast potential. However, it could be Ronnell Lewis after a year learning the position)
• Difference maker at DT  (Noble, McFarland, McGee?)

There maybe players on the roster or on the way for those spots, but right now replacing Jeremy Beal and Adrian Taylor look like the biggest issues for future Sooner rosters.

So Oregon is our new number one, Why? Offensively they are a juggernaut and their win over Stanford is the best win by anyone in the top five. Ohio State can blame their sleep walking effort against the Fighting and about to be fired Ron Zooks for being number two. Beat Wisconsin and things might change. Also that Miami win is looking less and less impressive.

In the Boise v TCU matchup, I think the Frogs are the better team right now due to the better defense. However, both teams are in danger of losing their spots to undefeated teams in the Big 12 and Sec.

Why the big Bama drop? South Carolina dominated Bama for significant stretches, this was a not a case of a number one team having a turnover meltdown and losing a game they should have won. Bama got beat in all phases of the game. Losing 35-21 while allowing your opponent to complete 85% of their passes isn't getting upset, it's getting beat. So they have to be ranked behind South Carolina. And right now all the zero loss teams ahead of Bama have solid resumes.

Some very random thoughts on OU v UT

Normally you can see all kinds of matchups being projected from various web sites.

The real problem with that is that these teams walk into the Cotton Bowl with serious gaps that make predictions almost impossible.

Liabilities:

• UT cannot run the ball at all and doesn't have a reliable feature back
• Gilbert is struggling to get the passing game going and no one among the UT WRs has established themselves as the go to WR.
• UT is having major issues protecting the football the last two games
• UT's defense got absolutely shredded by an average UCLA running attack
• UT's offense resembles FSU far more than any other OU opponent

• OU's running game is struggling at times, but does have good RB talent with Murray and Madu (OU has been good so far on 3^rd and short and running in the red zone)
• OU's defense has only played 3 sustained qtrs of assignment sound football.
• OU's defense has given up big plays on the ground and in the air.
• Field goal kicking game is still a kick to kick adventure

Strengths:

Now I could kick around all kinds of discussion on these liabilities but the game will be decided by the strength on strength matchup. (Unless one team suffers a major breakdown in special teams or there's a huge disparity in the turnover battle. Right now OU comes into Dallas ahead in the turnover ratio department, and Landry Jones has been doing a much better job protecting the football)

• OU can throw the ball effectively

• UT can defend the pass effectively (based primarily on the Tech game)

OU will be the best passing attack that UT has seen by a wide margin, and UT will be best secondary that OU has seen.

This game will be decided by this matchup.  As much as Sooner fans have dreams of just lining up and smashing the Horns based on the UCLA game, UT will scheme to stop the run. Sell out might be a better description. Now everyone raves about Muschamp's defense but he has not really stopped OU's passing game in 3 games.  Even last year, Landry Jones was able to move the ball at times through the air.  OU unfortunately settled for FGs (2), missed a FG, and fumbled a ball on 4 drives inside the UT 30 last year. Those missed opportunities cost OU dearly.

OU comes into this year's game with a more complete passing attack than last year by a pretty large margin (with the only elite offensive player for either team). This is the main reason why I think that OU will win this game.

Players to Watch (ignoring Landry and Gilbert)

Ryan Broyles:  He's really the number reason why I think that OU wins the game. No one yet has been able to stop him to any meaningful degree. Through 4 games, he's the best WR in the country

Aaron Williams:  UT fans like to argue that he's the best CB in the country. Well he's going to get to prove his fans right by covering Broyles. The more help he needs, the more gaps appear in UT's coverage

Jeremy Beal: OU's best defender has not been getting his regular allotment of sacks. He's ready for a big game, and Gilbert is the least mobile QB target that OU will have faced.

Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat:  You have to pressure Landry Jones to stop the OU passing game and the young Horn DEs are the key to that strategy. If they are contained, then Landry will have time to find his WRs.

Demontre Hurst: Through 4 games, it's almost like teams have stopped throwing in Hurst's direction.  "Hurst Island" might be an exaggeration, but you figure UT will have to attack Hurst and fellow CB Fleming if they cannot get their running game going.

Kenny Stills/Dejuan Miller: I think that UT will try and sell out to stop OU's running game, knowing that if OU can run the ball then this game is over.  This will leave holes in their pass defense. UT must also roll additional coverage on Broyles. This will leave open space for Stills and Miller to make plays with single coverage. Stills and Miller have been improving week over week and Stills in particular could be due for his national coming out party.

Mike Davis: Davis is banged up which is bad news for the Horns because he's close to being that go to WR that the Horns badly need. Gilbert does not have the same safety blanket like Jones has right now.

Kirkendoll/DJ Monroe/Marquise Goodwin: If Davis can provide an outside threat, it's going to be up to someone from the Horns WR corps to be a threat at the slot position. Cincinnati's biggest successes through the air came via DJ Woods from the slot position.  Jermicheal Finley torched OU in 2007, and then Shipley in 2008. Shipley played outside last year and OU shut him down.  Slot WRs/TEs have been the bane of Venables' defenses in recent years.

Trey Millard: Millard is the only complete player in the TE/H-Back mold for either team. He's a load blocking in the run game, and is dangerous in the passing game. Millard's versatility has restored OU's no huddle ability to run or pass. Millard getting into space could cause huge problems for UT LBs and give Landry a key check down option on 3^rd downs.

So no major changes at the top, save for Iowa falling after that close loss in the desert. Of course, if Iowa falls, then Arizona must climb.

I see no real difference between the 3 Big 12 teams, and by mid October those teams voters will have head to head comparisons to better judge who is the top Big 12 team. UT's win over Texas Tech in Lubbock improving Texas resume, and NU's demolition of the Huskies is reminiscent of OU's 2008 trip to Seattle. OU still has the best win, but their struggles with AFA are worrying (at least until we see AFA play TCU/Utah).

Pac 10 might be the best conference in America with Oregon, Arizona, Stanford (Andrew Luck is the best pro QB prospect in college football), and Oregon State.

How far the gap is between Bama and the rest of the SEC will be clearer after their game with Arkansas. Bama is right now the only SEC team firing on both sides of the ball.

Tilting at Windmills Ballot - Week 4

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
2	Oregon Ducks	1
3	Ohio St. Buckeyes	-1
4	TCU Horned Frogs	--
5	Boise St. Broncos	2
6	Nebraska Cornhuskers	7
7	Oklahoma Sooners	-2
8	Texas Longhorns	7
9	Arkansas Razorbacks	12
10	Arizona Wildcats	12
11	South Carolina Gamecocks	-2
12	Michigan Wolverines	-4
13	Stanford Cardinal	-2
14	Auburn Tigers	6
15	Wisconsin Badgers	-3
16	Florida Gators	--
17	Utah Utes	--
18	Iowa Hawkeyes	-12
19	USC Trojans	4
20	LSU Tigers	-6
21	Michigan St. Spartans	3
22	Oregon St. Beavers	--
23	Penn St. Nittany Lions	-5
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
25	N.C. State Wolfpack	--
Dropouts: California Golden Bears, Air Force Falcons, Miami Hurricanes

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Air Force Recap

The Good

Demarco Murray - 3 TDs and Demarco is stalking the all time touchdown record in OU history of OU great Steve Owens. Demarco did a good job running the ball again, and is always a threat in the passing game. He's having a good senior. Also, had a very nice kickoff return to start the game.

Kenny Stills - Clutch 3^rd down catch to seal the game. Great RAC plays during the game. Stills was also open down field quite a bit if Landry could have found him (more on that later). Stills is close to the breakout game where his star status is established.

Ryan Broyles - Just hand him the Bilnetikoff already.

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Recruiting Update 9/17

OU Verbals

1. Kameel Jackson 6-1, 195, 4.45 WR Arlington,TX
2. Kendal Thompson 6-2, 180, 4.6 QB Southmoore, OK
3. Jordan Wade 6-4, 290, 5.0 DT Round Rock, TX
4. P.L. Lindley 6-3, 210, 4.5 LB Round Rock, TX
5. Danzel Williams 5-9, 190, 4. 45 RB/DB Arlington, TX
6. Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45 WR Whitehouse, TX
7. Brandon Williams 6-1, 190, 4.4 RB Brookshire Royal, TX
8. Cooper Washington 6-5, 225, 4.5 DE Muleshoe, TX
9. Marquis Anderson 6-3, 280, 4.8 DT Cibolo, TX
10. Nathan Hughes 6-5, 260, 4.7 DE Klein, TX
11. Max Stevenson, 6-5, 225, 4.6 TE Klein, TX
12. Jordan Phillips 6-6, 290, 4.9 DL/OL Kansas
13. Franklin Shannon 6-2, 210, 4.5 DB/OLB Dallas Skyline
14. Brandon Carter 6-0, 170, 4.5 CB/ATH Euless, TX
15. Dylan Dismuke 6-6, 290, 5.0 OL Duncan, OK
16. Derek Farniok 6-8, 320, 5.4 OL South Dakota
17. Dan Tapko 6-4, 235, 4.7 TE/DE Rockhurst, KS

Recruiting Update?  How do you do a recruiting update, when there’s no real news.

• New verbals? Nope
• Lost recruits? None yet.
• New official visitors7? Not really
• New targets? None identified yet.

So let’s review some questions on recruiting

- What one recruit is flying under the radar but gives OU huge flexibility in using their final ships?

Brandon Carter at Trinity Euless. Carter is Ryan Broyles redux (5-11, 165, 4.5). Great football player who could be a CB or a slot WR. He’s not highly rated just like Broyles, but the kid is going to be a factor at OU.

So if OU does not add another WR like Ladarius Brown or DeAnthony Arnett, Carter could always move to WR. If OU strikes out completely at adding another CB, Carter had a great OU summer camp playing CB. (And if think about it, Ryan Broyles could probably be a great CB as well)

- What’s the number one thing missing from this recruiting class?

Elite OT. OU has two good prospects in Dismuke and Farniok along the OL. OU could use another OL in this class. Unfortunately there are no prospects on the board that are leaning or visiting OU. In addition, there’s no word on any JUCO OT targets either. This OT situation is more pressing when you consider the top 3 OTs on campus are Senior - Mensik, Junior- Stephenson, and Junior- Jarvis Jones, after that OU has Redshirt Freshman – Josh Aladenoye, redshirting Freshman Darryl Williams, redshirting Freshman Tyrus Thompson. There’s not a single Sophomore OT on campus. And while there has been some talk about moving verbal Jordan Phillips to OT, right now he’s having a dominating senior year at DT. I just don’t see Jackie Shipp easily giving up his next Gerald McCoy.

- Anthony Wallace is looking around a lot has OU lost their lead?

Well first, Skyline kids even after they verbal, still tend to look around. OU was able to grab Corey Nelson the last two weeks of recruiting for instance. OU should get a visit from Wallace before he verbals, and with his teammates attending OU and verbaled, I still like OU’s chances to land this elite MLB.

- Biggest surprise so far in recruiting?

OU’s lack of action in California. Perhaps OU is waiting on next season when the success of the California kids is better known? I have to admit that I’m surprised by the lack of offers or activity in the San Diego area.

- Who are the stars in this recruiting class?

OU has two five star elite players in Brandon Williams and Trey Metoyer. Just below that level is Jordan Phillips, Kendal Thompson, Marquis Anderson. In the next group, I’d put Kameel Jackson (his suspension is hurting the momentum generated by his summer camps), Max Stevenson, Dylan Dismuke, Nathan Hughes, Danzel Williams, Cooper Washington (He’s playing QB this year, but the kid will turn into an awesome rush end for OU). Under rated/under evaluated right now Jordan Wade, P.L. Lindley, Brandon Carter, Franklin Shannon, Derek Farniok, Dan Tapko.

- Biggest risk/reward for OU in recruiting?

OL. Dismuke and Farniok could turn into keystones of the OL with Farniok as a mauling RT while Dismuke has the elite athleticism to the ideal blindside LT protector. That’s the positive side. OU’s had significant OL attrition in the past and you have to wonder if Farniok at already 6-9, 320 has the mobility for the OU offense. With Dismuke, it’s simply a question of whether he can handle the offseason grind that seems to the downfall of OU OL kids. At least, Dismuke spent a lot of time with Schmidt before verbaling this summer. OL is an incredibly hard position to evaluate for the services since you never know if a kid has maxed out and that’s why he’s dominating in HS. OU’s current OL class is thriving from all reports with nothing but positive buzz. Every one of those kids were OU camp kids previously. Farniok and Dismuke were also camp kids, so the OU coaches at least have as much first hand info as possible.

- How is OU going to end recruiting? The best guess right now

1. Charles Jackson- CB 5-11, 185. You can never have enough quality CBs. He’s the best CB on the board.,
2. Anthony Wallace- MLB 6-0, 225. This is a signing day prediction. It may get really wild between now and then. Just like Corey Nelson, OU makes way too much sense.

And two mystery men. OU is going to lose a verbal. It happens. I cannot predict who, but there’s no way to keep a class verbaled this early intact. One kid will decide to take some visits, and simply finds a better fit . Or a kid will slip academically, and OU will simply let the kid go. But there will be at least one kid. It’s happened the last 3 years

1. JUCO OT – It makes too much sense, OU needs to bring in competition and depth behind Stephenson and Jones for 2011, ideally a mid term juco.
2. Florida/Georgia DB – It may not be Marcus Roberson the elite DB, but look for Martinez to pull a prospect from his old recruiting territory, maybe a kid who has an awesome senior year, a late riser.

FSU Game Recap

So last week the good was short, and the bad was long. Well things are radically reversed this week.

The Good

1. Trey Millard: it doesn’t show up in the stats anywhere but Millard’s introduction at FB has restored OU’s no huddle ability to run and pass with no change of personnel. He adds huge flexibility to OU’s base personnel look. He might end up being the “Gresham” of the H-Back position resetting the benchmark for that position in Norman.

2. The TEs: Huge plays from the TE position. In fact, there were more big plays from the TE position in the FSU game than the entire year of 2008, and it didn’t involve Austin Haywood. Hanna’s seam route run and catch TD was a thing of beauty, and then Trent dragging two Seminoles was a great display of determination. Let’s hope we continue to see this production.

3. Kenny Stills and Dejuan Miller: Both WRs made key plays in the dominating first half. Stills hasn’t had a huge game yet, but he’s getting very close. Miller is also improving week over week. OU’s WR corps might be quietly coming together.

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Some explanations. This poll is very focused on a team's resume which in September can change drastically. It's not a static poll. The number 5 team doesn't stay at five automatically if they win. Who you beat and where you play them matters a lot.

So Bama just dominated Penn State and appears to be loaded on both sides of the football. They look ready for back to back titles. Ohio State just dominated Miami in the horseshoe, Pryor is playing very well. Oregon scored 41 straight at Rocky Top to defeat Tenn. OU after sleepwalking through USU just completely dominated FSU. TCU has a good win over Oregon State. Boise falls to five due to the uncertainty over what beating Virginia Tech really means. Iowa is serious sleeper team right now. Michigan has two wins as good as anyone in the country. South Carolina may win the SEC East.

Texas has proved nothing. Florida's offense looks very shaky. These teams all get better tests coming up this week to add to their resumes.

Tilting at Windmills Ballot - Week 3

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
2	Ohio St. Buckeyes	2
3	Oregon Ducks	-1
4	TCU Horned Frogs	1
5	Oklahoma Sooners	18
6	Iowa Hawkeyes	--
7	Boise St. Broncos	-4
8	Michigan Wolverines	11
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
10	California Golden Bears	10
11	Stanford Cardinal	6
12	Wisconsin Badgers	-5
13	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-3
14	LSU Tigers	-3
15	Texas Longhorns	-2
16	Florida Gators	--
17	Utah Utes	-8
18	Penn St. Nittany Lions	--
19	Air Force Falcons	--
20	Auburn Tigers	-5
21	Arkansas Razorbacks	3
22	Arizona Wildcats	--
23	USC Trojans	-2
24	Michigan St. Spartans	1
25	Miami Hurricanes	-17
Dropouts: Virginia Tech Hokies, Florida St. Seminoles

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