Foul Balls College Football Rankings - Week 2

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	--
2	LSU	--
3	West Virginia	--
4	Oklahoma	4
5	Florida	1
6	Texas	1
7	California	--
8	Penn State	6
9	Wisconsin	3
10	Louisville	--
11	Rutgers	4
12	Ohio State	1
13	Nebraska	3
14	South Carolina	12
15	Georgia Tech	11
16	UCLA	2
17	Oregon	9
18	Tennessee	1
19	Arkansas	--
20	Clemson	3
21	Boston College	1
22	Virginia Tech	13
23	Georgia	11
24	Texas A&M	1
25	South Florida	1

Dropped Out: Auburn (#13), Boise State (#20), TCU (#21), Hawaii (#24).

Another week, and another shuffled ballot. Obviously the biggest story around here is Michigan losing again at home. The good news is that at least they faced a Division-I team this week.

Still, it's become apparent that this team is in some real trouble. They basically quit on themselves in the second half, and I'm not sure how they'll rebound next week. Fortunately for them, they'll be playing another bad team.

Yeah, Notre Dame lost again, but were you really expecting anything different? I already expressed my feelings on the Irish's biggest problem at FanHouse, but I am pleased with the play of Jimmy Clausen thus far. Still, I don't want to waste any more time in this post talking about teams that aren't even on my ballot.

So let's get to the teams that matter.

• LSU - LSU looked fantastic on Saturday night. I was confident they'd beat Virginia Tech, but I didn't think they'd destroy them. I may have USC at #1 still, but LSU is more a 1a than a 2.
• Virginia Tech - Speaking of VT, they also happen to fall the furthest in my ballot this week. I dropped them from #9 to #22 as Sean Glennon went out and confirmed my doubts about his ability to lead the Hokie offense. Granted, it was against what could be the best team in the country on the road, but the Hokies looked bad.
• Oklahoma - After seeing the way they dismantled the Hurricanes, there was just no way I could keep them out of my top five this week. I can't wait for the Oklahoma/Texas game.
• Penn State - I bumped the Nittany Lions up quite a bit this week. I know they haven't played much in ways of competition, but from what I've seen they're the best team in the Big Ten right now. Anthony Morelli hasn't convinced me of anything yet, but he hasn't made any huge mistakes either.
• South Florida - I'm not really convinced they're a top 25 team yet, but anytime you can go into Auburn and beat the Tigers, I have to give you some props.
• South Carolina - Spurrier might be on the verge of making the Gamecocks a real threat after all. Going into Georgia and beating the Bulldogs is a huge win for a program that's struggled against the SEC elite the last few years.

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

College Football Rankings - Week One

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	--
2	LSU	--
3	West Virginia	2
4	Florida	2
5	Texas	2
6	Wisconsin	1
7	California	6
8	Oklahoma	2
9	Virginia Tech	1
10	Louisville	1
11	Ohio State	2
12	Georgia	--
13	Auburn	1
14	Penn State	2
15	Rutgers	2
16	Nebraska	2
17	Tennessee	2
18	UCLA	1
19	Arkansas	1
20	Boise State	2
21	TCU	--
22	Boston College	3
23	Clemson	3
24	Hawaii	--
25	Texas A&M	2

Dropped Out: Michigan (#4).

Now that we all actually got a chance to see everybody play, it's a lot easier to fill out my ballot. There weren't that many changes to my ballot this week, but teams did move around.

The only team to drop out of my rankings is obviously Michigan. If you lose at home to Appalachian State, you don't deserve to be ranked. I don't think it takes a genius to figure that out. Still, I'd like to thank the Wolverines for lessening the sting of Notre Dame's 33-3 loss. I mean, I wasn't expecting the Irish to win much this season anyway, so knowing that Big Blue's season is already over as well is nice.

As for the rest of the movement.

• LSU - LSU didn't look like the #2 team in the country for most of their 45-0 win against Mississippi State, but that just shows you how talented they actually are. They don't play well and still win by 45.
• Texas - I dropped Texas a few spots because, even though they won, they should have beaten Arkansas State a lot worse than 21-13. Another performance like that next week against TCU, and the Longhorns will lose.
• Cal - Cal made the biggest jump in the polls thanks to their win over Tennessee on Saturday night. For any SEC team or coach-Les Miles-who thinks that the Pac-10 doesn't have the same kind of speed the SEC does, I hope they saw DeSean Jackson and the Bears running away from the Vols all night. Don't go giving the Trojans the Pac-10 title just yet.
• Virginia Tech - I knocked the Hokies down a few spots because my fears about Sean Glennon still haven't been answered. Glennon struggled against a good East Carolina defense, and he'll have to face LSU in Baton Rouge next Saturday night. It could get ugly for the Hokies.
• Clemson - Clemson is the only new team on my ballot, thanks to their victory over Florida State Monday night. If they're going to win the ACC though, they'll have to develop more of a passing game. Don't get me wrong, I would just keep giving the ball to James Davis and C.J. Spiller too, but it's not going to work all season. Florida State nearly came back from a 21-point deficit when the Tigers running game came to a halt in the second half.

So what do you think? Any huge disagreements with my ballot? Please feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments.

In Remembrance Today

From mgoblog:

VT family members across the country have united to declare this Friday April 20th, an "Orange and Maroon Effect" day to honor those killed in the tragic events on campus Monday, and to show support for VT student, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and friends. "Orange and Maroon Effect" was born several years ago as an invitation to Tech Fans to wear orange and maroon to VT athletic events.

We invite everyone from all over the country to be a part of the VT family this Friday. To wear orange and maroon to support the families of those who were lost, and to support the school and community we all love so much.

So Foul Balls switches its colors today, and offers its prayers for the friends and family of those murdered, the people left behind who will have to try to put their lives back together after suffering an incalcuable loss.

The Horror At Virginia Tech

As you are all well aware, 32 people were killed yesterday at Virginia Tech by Cho Seung-Hui, a student at the University.

I have no words that can help anybody cope with the situation, nor can I help explain what happened. The whole thing is just a terrible, terrible tragedy. But before we turn this entire thing into a debate over gun control or whether or not VT responded quickly enough in warning its students, let's focus on those who lost their lives.

What's the point of figuring out who was wrong or right? It isn't going to bring those 32 students and professors back to life.

One student at Virginia Tech is Nick Dallamora. Nick is a colleague of mine from The Fanhouse, and one of the geniuses behind The Dugout.

He was in the building next to Norris Hall when the massacre took place, and he wrote about it over at The Fanhouse.

This is my third year studying computer science and mathematics at Virginia Tech, and I am a Hokie through and through. We own the entire town of Blacksburg and everyone likes it that way. Every gas station within a 10 mile radius is saturated with VT logos and miniature footballs. The student body has the sort of relationship you tell people about and they slowly nod and pretend to believe you. I've sparked more random conversations around campus than I'd be comfortable doing anywhere else.

This morning that friendly college town atmosphere was severely damaged as the death toll has now reached a nausea-inducing 33. I was in class in the building next to Norris Hall where a majority of the murders took place. In the middle of class I got this e-mail on my laptop:

"A shooting incident occurred at West Amber[sic] Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating."

Followed by this e-mail about half an hour later:

"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows"

I wasn't comfortable being in a classroom with one door and no windows so I left in search of safer ground. We had received two bomb threats the week before so I made for the doors. Crossing the street I saw what eventually became a pile of 50 cruisers and SUV's and what looked like one S.W.A.T. van. Several policemen assured me the safest place was inside another building, where I stayed for two and a half hours. From there I placed and answered phone calls to family and classmates until my battery died. When we were told it was safe to leave I went back to my room, charged my phone, and did the same thing again. The list of victims hasn't been released yet, but thank God nobody I've contacted yet was hurt.

The sorrow I'm feeling right now is indescribable. The initial report said one person had been killed and my eyebrows stood straight up. When the number then increased to 22 and then 33 I felt physically ill. Both my arms became numb and I needed to go outside for air. Walking to my car, which normally takes 10 minutes, took me 45 minutes after I walked to the wrong parking lot and then couldn't keep focus long enough to even comb through the second lot. As I randomly stumbled between cars I started to think about the kids who were actually in that classroom. How helpless they must have felt in their final moments. It's the most unfair situation you can possibly be put in and now their families are left with nothing. He was killing himself anyway and decided to go out with a bang and take as many people as he could along with him.

My heart aches for all those directly affected today. You live through Tech.

I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like for Nick and the other Virginia Tech students who had to endure this. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that lost somebody yesterday, and to those students who survived.

Choke Job In Columbus

What a horrible way to end a season.

The Illini had a 10 point lead at 52-42 over the Hokies with 4:28 left, and then managed to get outscored 12-0 and lose 54-52.

It was ugly.

Make no mistake about it, they choked. The Hokies full court pressure completely baffled the Illini and exposed the fact they don't really have a great ballhandler. Turnover after turnover after turnover while facing the pressure cost the Illini. I have no idea why Bruce Weber would have Chester Frazier inbound the ball when he's the point guard, but that's what he did.

Rich McBride could barely walk, and couldn't dribble at all, yet he was the player the Illini kept inbounding too.

Just stupid mistake after stupid mistake.

They also choked at the free throw line, where Brian Randle missed three free throws down the stretch.

"It's an understatement to say we're disappointed,"Bruce Weber said. "But it's kind of typical of our season. We've led in something like eight or nine of our 12 losses, but just couldn't finish the game."

That's because the Illini don't have that player they can count on at the end of games to hit the big shot, and with Eric Gordon's switch to Indiana, they won't have one next season either.

Of course, the Illini weren't the only ones who choked at the end. The officials choked on their whistles. With Warren Carter going up for a shot to tie the game in the final seconds, he got the hell hacked out of him by by Hokie hero Deron Washington.

It was an obvious foul, but the officials either didn't see it or were afraid to call it.

Still, the officials should have never had to be in that position to make the call, so you can't blame them.

This loss belongs to the team and Bruce Weber. It's going to be a long off-season in Champaign.