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My AP Top 10 as of October 30nd, 2022
The top 10 were pretty quiet this week. However, we still have plenty of shake ups. Let’s get into it.
#1 Tennessee- I’m not really sure how it could be anyone other than Tennessee. Georgia and Ohio State looked dominant at times, but Tennessee put together the most complete game this weekend slaughtering rival #19 Kentucky. This mean Tennessee has now beat formerly ranked Pittsburgh, Florida and Kentucky and currently ranked Alabama and LSU. Those reasons alone should get them to #1. However, I think the floor for them is #2. That way they can drum up the Georgia Tennessee match being #1 vs #2.
#2 Georgia- Georgia is probably the most complete team in the country. Their win against Oregon continues to be an archer for some of their shaking games. Georgia played a dominant first half against Florida, however two of the touchdowns were a little fluky. Still, Georgia regrouped in the 2nd half to pull away from Florida.
#3 Michigan- Part of me hopes Ohio State and Michigan remain unbeaten until they play. There’s not much of a justification here other then I trust Michigan’s run game on bad days more than I do Ohio State’s passing game on a bad day. But who truly knows yet.
#4 Ohio State– By all accounts, Ohio State deserved to lose this game through 3 quarters. When Penn State went up 21-16 with about 9 minutes left, Ohio State turned on the jets scoring 4 touchdowns in 8 minutes. There’s still reasons to be concerned here as OSU has continued to settle for field goals. It’s that inability to finish drives that makes me nervous. However, a match up between Tennessee and Ohio State sounds like the most fun matchup for a bowl game this year.
#5 Clemson- No one believes in Clemson. Admittedly their resume took the biggest hit yesterday when Wake Forest and Syraucse both lost and NC State won by 1 point. They were on bye last week and remain unbeaten. However, TCU could jump them at this rate.
#6 TCU- There was some legitimate consideration for TCU at 5. This time next week and they could be. Their over KSU got a lot prettier (but at the same time going to OT with Oklahoma State now looks worse.). Needing to pull away from West Virginia late certainly limited their jumping potential this week. Still, I feel like they’ve accomplished more than Alabama up to this point in the season
#7 Alabama– Alabama was on bye.
#8 Oregon- Oregon just keeps on winning. Nothing really to add to that. They handled Cal last week.
#9 USC– USC went on the road and escaped an Arizona team. USC still has some its harder foes ahead of them, but they are 7-1 so far.
#10 UCLA– There wasn’t too much drama this week. Oklahoma State got bounced hard and Wake Forest got upset. This allowed for UCLA, who handled business this week, to climb back in the top 10. With Penn State losing and Ole Miss getting a good scare to an awful Texas A and M team, it left little doubt who was going land at the ten spot. Utah and Kansas State are two 2 loss teams with quality wins trying to get in. For now, UCLA was clear choice for this week.
My AP Top 10 as of October 22nd, 2022
What an interesting week. Georgia Michigan and USC were all byes. TCU and Alabama faced off against fellow ranked teams and UCLA and Ogregon battled each other.
#1 Georgia- My top two teams from last week were on bye. As a result there isn’t much to write this week.
#2 Michigan- See #1 above.
#3 Ohio State– Before it was Ohio State vs Alabama for the two spot. Now it’s Ohio State vs Tennessee for the 3 spot. I’m not upset either way. Tennessee has had some horrible defensive moments, while Ohio State’s best win is Notre Dame. Again, these things will sort themselves out in the end.
#4 Tennessee- With LSU most likely joining the ranks soon, Tennessee continues to have the best overall resume. The argument for who has the best win comes down to Tennessee over Alabama or Georgia over Oregon. Tennessee’s win holds value because of its historical significance and name recognition of who they beat, despite it being a walk off field win at home. While Georgia’s gets a lot of credit for how utterly dominant they were and how good Oregon has looked since.
#5 Clemson- Let’s get the negative comments out of the way now. Clemson continues to start slow. Clemson continues to look beatable. Clemson continues to make it hard to defend a team that has now beaten three ranked opponents. Three teams that Clemson was their first loss. NC State, Wake Forest and Syracuse all watched perfect seasons die to the Tigers. Even FSU was a solid team. Still, it is the best 4 game stint the ACC has thrown at Clemson in a long time. I wish Clemson would have delivered knock out blows earlier in each match. But they’re undefeated. That counts for something. I consider Alabama the cut off for tier S. If Clemson keeps struggling early, Alabama will jump them.
#6 Alabama- Even if I think this is the worst Saban team in a long time, it’s still hard to bash too hard on this team. Alabama didn’t give Mississippi State the thrashing most teams get from Alabama. Yet, this was still one of, if not their best win of the season. With close calls against Texas, Texas A and M and Tennessee, and they allowed Arkansas to climb back in for a quarter, it must have been nice to not have to sweat a power 5 matchup. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to do with Alabama. As TCU has the better win and is undefeated. They’ve earned a higher spot than Alabama. Oregon has the worse loss, but a better resume as a whole. I feel like they’ve earned a higher spot as well. Though, I’m not sure either of those teams could win at Alabama. Yet, Alabama has been horrible on the road and would probably lose at either of their home fields.
#7 TCU- TCU has now beaten Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State in consecutive weeks. They are now just a win over Texas away from most likely being undefeated heading into the B12 Championship Game. I think a dominating performance against Texas could elevate them over Alabama since Alabama struggled to the Longhorns.
#8 Oregon- Oregon is probably wishing they played anyone but Georgia in week 1 as they have been rolling people. UCLA and Oregon were two of the hottest teams in the country and Oregon extinguished UCLA seemingly before the opening kickoff. It was truly a game that was never in any real doubt. Its hard to hold week 1 against them, you just wish they had shown a pulse at some point in that game. Otherwise, this team would be battling for the 5 spot.
#9 Oklahoma State– With Ole Miss and UCLA thumped, it vacated two new spots. Oklahoma State is the most deserving team to take that 9 spot. Their only loss is to unbeaten TCU. They responded to that loss by handling a red hot Texas team. They find themselves in a decent spot to make a run for the title game.
#10 Wake Forest– Wake Forest is benefitting from two things. A. Both USC and Utah are on byes (as though would be two teams gunning for this ten spot.). B. They have a QB that can play with anyone. This is supported by the fact their only loss was in overtime to Clemson. They might not quite be a juggernaut or household name, but I like them a lot up to this point in the season.
So that’s my top ten. I had a Halloween party yesterday so I don’t have a lot of other predictions. I will say the B12 probably takes a big hit as I think K State and Texas could drop out of the rankings. While the SEC will get a nice bump as LSU and South Carolina look to jump into the top 25.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day.
My NFL Power Rankings as of October 4th, 2022!
This week saw multiple teams in my top 10 face each other. As a result, we got some good shakes up coming today. The Chiefs routed the Bucs in a game that was rarely close. The Bills had an heroic comeback to edge the Ravens. All the while the Rams solidified they aren’t ready to be the premier NFC team to beat this season.
#10 Buccaneers– I was tempted to drop them out of the rankings but the Rams stunk it up on Monday night. This allows the Bucs one more week to get it right. They find themselves on a two game losing streak which would be more concerning if the losses were not to the Chiefs and Packers. The division looks beyond dreadful, so it’s not all doom and gloom, yet. Fittingly, Bucs and Falcons play each other this week for the right to be atop the woeful South.
#9 Bengals- Two weeks ago the Bengals were in a whole different position. They lost to the Steelers and Cowboys and were 0-2. They looked as if they were superbowl hungover or got lucky last year. Well, they’ve turned it around quickly. They grabbed a pair of wins over the Jets and Dolphins. They now play fellow top 10 rival, Ravens, this weekend. A win Sunday could go a long way to repeating as AFC champions.
#8 Cowboys- Move over Eagles, Cooper Rush is also unbeaten. Not only is Rush undefeated, he’s got some quality wins to his name. In his debut, he beat the Bengals. He then followed that up by handing the Giants their only loss of the season. If the Cowboys beat the Rams, it will officially cause a narrative shift. The NFC East will go from disfunctional and downright awful, to the best division of football. While over on the West, all those teams could end up being overrated and bad. What a year this could be.
#7 Packers- Packers are scoring high on everybody’s list. Maybe rightfully so. This is not a star studded team. But they are getting wins some how. They had multiple chances to blow it last week at home against a 3rd string rookie. But they didn’t. They held on. If they can handle the Giants this weekend in London, maybe they can crack the top 5.
#6 Vikings- Just like the Packers, a win is a win. Outside of thoroughly rocking the Packers in week 1, the Vikings have failed to impress. The Saints should have been overwhelmed without Winston, Kamara, or Michael Thomas. Still, the Saints found a way to only lose by 3. With that said, the Vikings have managed to keep a winning record going. I expect them to secure the win over the Bears this weekend as this is not the game they want to be slipping on.
#5 Ravens- I continue to give the Ravens a pass. The Ravens have, 2 out of the last 3 weeks, looked like they were going to make statement wins and climb to number 1 on the rankings. Yet, here they are at 2-2 because they cannot close out games. They were up 20-3 before letting the Bill’s score 20 unanswered. 2-2 is still a respectable record with losses to two teams ahead of them on this list. But a lose to the Bengals will shake this whole list up.
#4 Dolphins- We’ve come full circle. Everybody made excuses when the Dolphins beat the Ravens and Bills in back to back weeks. Now, on a short week, coming off of two emotional wins while watching their QB get knocked out of the game concussed, we find the Dolphins with their first loss. Dolphins are dropping hard on peoples rankings, but I’m going to give them 1 more week to prove it was a fluke this weekend. They play the Jets which should be a game they come out swinging in. Win it for Tua, boys.
#3 Bills- The Bills have not looked nearly as dominant lately as they did to start the season. Still, there’s no doubt in my mind they are one of the best teams in the league. They needed late game heroics from Allen, which you expect from a guy like him, and some questionable coaching from the Ravens, which you don’t expect from them, to snatch the win. If they rip the heart out of the Steelers then everything is back on track in Buffalo.
#2 Chiefs- As long as the Chiefs have Reid and Mahomes, they will always be my pick for the AFC. The AFC is fierce this year with at least 6 legitimate contenders and a handful of dark horses, but they continue to step up and just out last the best teams. I knew the Colts game was a fluke, but they don’t need anymore performances like that with all the talented teams chasing them.
#1 Eagles- I don’t know what to make of the Eagles at the moment. I would pick the Chiefs to beat the Eagles if they played tomorrow. However, if this defense keeps getting better, the Eagles will keep making the strongest case for #1. Falling down 14-0 early against one of the most red hot teams in the league didn’t matter. They forced 5 turnovers on young Trevor Lawrence. Many will wonder if it didn’t rain that game, would he have had as many turnovers. We don’t know. Maybe we can get a superbowl rematch?
My NFL Power Rankings as of September 28th, 2022.
Alright. This wacky year of NFL where no one is safe continues. Giants and Lions sat outside my top 10 last week and each choked away games they probably should have won. The Chiefs and Bills lost but that was nothing compared to what the Cardinals and Chargers went through. Here’s my Top 10 heading into week 4.
#10 Jaguars- Boy, oh boy. Jaguars were a popular dark horse heading into the year. T-Law was expected to make the leap in his sophomore season behind a new coaching staff. I get that. What I didn’t see happening was two fold. A. Them to blow the Colts and Chargers out. B. For the AFC South to be awful like this. Colts and Titans were suppose to be competing all season for that division. The Titans were the #1 seed last year and the Colts were a mistake free QB away from the wildcard. All this while the Jags were the worst franchise in the NFL last year. What a difference one year makes.
#9 Buccaneers- This defense might keep them in the top 10 long enough to get their offensive playmakers back. I do believe a healthy Buccaneers team will be one of the ten best teams at the end of the season. However, there is no denying that this team is extremely beatable in the meantime. The Bucs play the Chiefs next week. If that game gets ugly, Buccaneers could be out next week. Brady and this defense are going to try to keep the cannons firing though.
#8 Packers- This was a big win for the Packers. There’s no denying that. Both teams entered banged up and the Packers escaped with the W. This puts them firmly ahead of the Bucs for now, while slightly behind the Vikings. At the end of the day though, there’s not too much more to add. Like the Bucs and Chargers (and I’m sure a few more teams), they need to get it together and get healthy by post season.
#7 Vikings– Things were dicey there for 3 and half quarters, but the Vikes avoided being the Yikes. Week 1’s thrashing of the Packers seems like a whole season ago at this point. As they followed that victory up with getting embarrassed by the Eagles on Monday night. Than again, by trailing the rebuilding Lions for 80% of the game. There are definitely some 2-1 teams getting better each week that are nipping at a top 10 spot (such as Cleveland), that would love for 1 more uninspired game. All that said, they are worthy of the 7 spot. They beat fellow top 10 team in the Packers, and extinguished the Lions fire, who was America’s sweetheart. Their only lose was to the Eagles who are out here stomping everyone.
#6 Rams- Standing right outside the top 5 are the Rams. They had one of the better wins pulling away from the Cardinals. Which is good as they have looked Superbowl hung over prior to this weekend. They play the 49ers, which could be a statement game. With the Bill’s and Ravens facing each other this weekend, The Rams could jump in the top 5 with a clean victory.
#5 Ravens- Well, the Ravens have as good an argument for #1 as about any team on this list. People seemed to forgive the loss to the Dolphins due to defensive injuries. This is the NFL though. Last year, the Ravens were beating people with their 3rd string QB. They were a defensive meltdown away from being the number one team in the league. I can’t make excuses either because you have Lamar, everybody’s MVP favorite right now. Run the clock and get out of there. Lamar continued to shine against the Patriots. If he destroys the Bills, the Ravens could have a claim as the number 1 next week. Remember, win and all is forgiven.
#4 Chiefs– I told you guys with a loss they wouldn’t fall out of the top 5. Now, if they lose at the Buccaneers this weekend it could be a different story. I’m still not sure how you lose to the Colts, but I’m gonna say that was there one stinker and they get right this weekend. Otherwise we will see how far they fall. As, in hindsight, their close win against the Chargers might have been more telling then we realized.
#3 Bills- For two weeks in a row, people disrespect the Dolphins. Again, I’m not making excuses for the losing team here. The Bill’s had the ball for 40 minutes and even got a safety. I continue to hear that the Dolphins beat another banged up secondary. Which has some merit, but why couldn’t this Bills high powered offense score more than 19? The Dolphins only scored 21. Josh Allen should get 22 on a bad day. The Bill’s and Ravens are set to square off in the Excuse Bowl next week. The winner moves into top 3 if not higher. Should be an awesome game.
#2 Dolphins- I’ll be the one person to give Tua and the Dolphins some darn respect. They beat arguably the two best teams in the league. Sure there were injuries and its still early in the season. But for ranking purposes, we have to respect the results. They do not look as dominant as the Eagles, but their wins are easily the best of anyone this season. I know if they lose the press will come after them, so I’m going to let them enjoy it while it last. Fins up, baby.
#1 Eagles- I wish the Eagles and Dolphins could play each other this week to settle things. This was a hotly contested argument in my head. I almost went Dolphins, again off of their wins. Everyone I have talked to says Eagles for #1. At the end of the day, if they did play tomorrow, I would go Eagles. The Eagles really need to start facing some tough opponents though. This matchup against Jacksonville should give up a better picture.
My AP Top 10 Today! September 25th, 2022
This week delivered us two losses to top 10 teams so we have some shake ups. Florida State and Kansas remain unbeaten and look to sneak into the rankings. Wake Forest and Florida hope their close showings against Clemson and Tennessee are enough to stay ranked. While Oklahoma and Arkansas pray for mercy after nail-biting losses. Let’s break down our new top 10!
#1 Georgia- I really wanted to be a prisoner of the moment and have Ohio State ascend to #1, but I couldn’t. Georgia had the weakest showing of the top 3 for once. It still resulted in a double digit victory, but they let Kent State have a pulse for way too long.
#2 Ohio State- This game was never close. Ohio State was up 14-0 before I had a chance to blink. Wisconsin tried to make it respectable but that is a tough task. Week 1’s slugfest with Notre Dame is looking like a fluke more and more. I know people will probably keep Alabama at two after thrashing Vanderbilt. I said last week this debate would rage on all season, and both teams looked darn good this Saturday.
#3 Alabama- Hard to rag on them too bad for beating up Vandy, as Vandy had the best record of any team they’ve played this season. Still, it’s hard to say if they’ve truly cleaned up both sides of the ball when roughing up perpetual bottom feeders. We will learn a lot about Alabama as they get into the thick of their SEC schedule.
#4 Clemson- Here we are. Clemson has been on the outside looking in for the top 4 all season. This weekend really helped push the top 3 versus the field narrative. As no one outside of the top 3 looked that good. Still Clemson had to handle some real adversity, as they were down late on the road to a QB that could sling it. It’s hard too imagine them moving much higher than this without one of the big 3 losing. And a QB switch might not solve their problems. DJ played solid, but the defense gave up big play after big play. And then there’s the over 100 penalty yards. Those need to be cleaned up quickly.
#5 Michigan- We thought there was a chance Michigan could end up in a dog fight with Maryland and we got it. The Wolverines managed to pull away late, but Maryland cut it back to one score. Michigan is probably better for the near death experience, though. Up to this point they had yet to be tested. Their previous opponent’s only had 1 combined win.
#6 Tennessee– Call it a hot take or click bait if you must. But the teams that were ahead of them just didn’t not feel me with confidence. Now, you could just as easily move Kentucky to 6 on account of their game with Florida wasn’t nearly as close as Tennessee’s was. Still, I don’t think Kentucky looked great this weekend. Tennessee can now brag about their wins over Pitt and Florida.
#7 Oklahoma State– Oklahoma State gets the benefit of being on bye this week. As a result, there’s no chance to sky rocket up or plummet down the rankings. We will learn more when a potential top 15 matchup takes them to a tough Baylor team.
#8 USC- We were almost given the double upset special. Oklahoma failed to pull off their comeback, while USC fended off a tricky Oregon State team. As a result, USC could go 1 of 2 ways in the official rankings. Move to number 6, jumping OU, or, fall a little for narrowly escaping. I’m parking them here at 8 and seeing how they regroup.
#9 Kentucky- Kentucky has played 1 inspired game of football up to this point. That was against Florida. If you get up to face all your difficult teams, but then cruise control past lesser opponents, I will get nervous. I could possibly be overreacting. The poll could squarely rank them higher than this.
#10 NC State– Number 10 is the spot I’m more curious about. Oklahoma and Arkansas both lost close games, so I don’t think either fall from the top 20. Arkansas lost a game they had in total control. Meanwhile at Oklahoma, you don’t expect them to give up that many penalty yards again, especially not at home. Back to NC State I was quick to write them off after a 1 point victory over ECU. However, they’ve quietly turned it around these last 3 weeks. Now, that win over Texas Tech finally looks a little better. That’s why I have NC State at #10.
I think Oklahoma and Arkansas will remain top 20 teams (as the teams below them all made pushes to move into the top 15). I vote to keep Wake Forest in at #25. We should boot out Miami and Texas and move Kansas and Florida State into the top 25.
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My AP Poll Today! September 18th, 2022!
Week 3 is behind us now. It was easily one of the most boring weeks for upsets in recent memories. A few teams got pushed (Kansas, Notre Dame, Texas, Arkansas Wake Forest and Florida), but ultimately I think only three ranked teams lost, and two of them lost to ranked opponents ( BYU and Miami), leaving Michigan State as the true disappointment of the weekend.
#1 Georgia- Theres nothing to add here. Their signature win against Oregon got a lot better. They added their first SEC win of the season to their resume and that game was never close.
#2 Ohio State- Ohio State and Alabama will probably be a debate for a while. Alabama will get chances at some ranked opponents, though the West looks pretty up and down so far, while Ohio State is hoping Michigan and Penn State remain in the top 10 in order to get some quality wins.
#3 Alabama- Alabama will remain #2 in the official AP Poll, I’m sure. But until Alabam Crushes a real opponent, I’ve got to sit them here at #3. There’s enough doubt around an Alabama team for once. You could make the argument for them at #5, but the #1 philosophy of college football is don’t bet against Saban. So I’ll park them at #3.
#4 Michigan- Truthfully, Michigan is my #2 right now. They just lack a quality win. But they’re the only team outside of Georgia that has showed zero flaws or concerns through 3 weeks. If they scheduled a tougher out of conference schedule, this would be a lot easier.
#5 Clemson- Clemson, to me, is like Oklahoma this year. I’m just not sure how good they are this year. The ACC has some tricky teams now in Florida State and NC State and maybe Wake Forest. So there’s chances to get some quality wins.
#6 USC- I really think people don’t know where to put USC. Their matchup with Oregon got a lot of luster back after Oregon dominated BYU. Washington also could be a sneaky good game. Still their offense can probably carry them to a ten win season at this pace.
#7 Oklahoma- The win at Nebraska was much needed. Nebraska had nothing to lose with this being their interims coach’s first game. The game was at Nebraska. And this is one of the most historic rivalries in the sport. Nebraska came out hungry, but ultimately OU was up 6 touchdowns in the 3rd, thus calling off the ponys. It was a dominating performance of a power 5 opponent OU desperately needed early in BV’s career.
#8 Oklahoma State- I’ve felt like, for the most part this season, Oklahoma State is probably the best team in the Big 12. But really, it is hard to take anything away from a 63-7 curbstomping of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. But hey, at least they handled business.
#9 Kentucky- Newcomer to the top 10, Kentucky took care of their FCS Opponent Youngstown State with ease. Shutting out the Penguins 31-0.
#10 Arkansas- By my estimation, Arkansas is the Lone team is danger of getting kicked out of the top 10. My money is on that they will stay here though. They struggled to Missouri State, losing for most of that game. Not a great look for a top 10 team. Luckily for them teams #11 (Michigan State) #12 (BYU) both got dismantled this weekend, while #13 Miami lost a weird one to Texas A and M. So Kentucky looks safe. I don’t think #14 Utah has the resume to jump all the way to 10. That leaves Tennessee has the only real threat to their top 10 placing.
Though it was a boring week, theres still some interesting things to keep our eyes out for. Do Florida State, LSU, Washington and Kansas finally Crack the top 25? Where do Oregon and BYU relocate to? Do Michigan State and Wake Forest fall out of the top 25 with their uninspired performances? That, to me, are the things to watch this week.
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What a Crazy 10 Days! (We’re Parents Now)
We talked about this a few weeks ago. Jessica and I had our first kid, our daughter Baby Hubbz April 14th, 2022. We then had our first anniversary on the 17th. And finally Jessica had her birthday on the 24th. I finally have my own family and I love them dearly. I took a week off to be with them. Today I returned to work. Anyway, were excited to see where our life goes from here.
It’s been a while.
Last year was the best year in our blogs history. And I really wanted to build on that momentum. And while some stuff definitely happened, I still could have.
I actually got really bad sick on New Years. I was running a fever of at least 103 and shaking. And a few days later on January 4th, one of my best friends and co-workers died suddenly. It was easily the worst week of my life as an adult. And it seems shallow in comparison to those things, my graphics card in my computer died. So I’ve been without my computer for a while now. Hence, while videos and post have stopped. I really feel like the world doesn’t want it to work out. I went to record a digimon box opening and pulled the Omnimon Ghost Rare and then the SD card died.
It was a string of back luck that made me question doing all this side stuff. Maybe I should just focus on work and family. At the end of the day, I still enjoy blogging and recording, but the set backs are rough. Mostly because they require time or money I don’t have. I mean, getting a graphic card is not going to be cheap, so who knows when I’ll get my computer back.
I do have plans for some new blogs, but I’ll either have to do them on my phone or Jessica’s computer. Which I guess isn’t that big of a deal. I just really like editing these post on my computer. My phone is very much a 7 out of 10 experience.
Oh, well. If you’ve stayed following the blog after another month break, thank you for understanding! I want to announce something big tomorrow. So here’s to hoping I can actually pull it off.
That’s all for today. Have a great day!
Da_Hubbz 