So this is one of those stories that probably shouldn’t get written after the results of the previous week. Were it not for the overly optimistic posting of the same topic last week, this week’s discomfort could be avoided. However, despite
a humiliating loss to FSU, who had been embarrassed even worse by Louisville the week before, has not been enough to take USF out of the rankings radar.
The two most respected rankings are based on the polls at the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. These poll methodologies have been explained in a previous post, so they will only be summarized in this posting. Essentially, the primary difference is that the AP poll has 61 sports writers as voters, where the USA Today Coaches’ Poll utilizes 64 head coaches as voters. USF head coach, Willie Taggart is not a voter. Writers from the area who might have special insight or interest in voting for the Bulls are Gary Smits of Florida Times-Union, Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times, and former Tampa Tribune USF beat writer currently with ESPN, Brett McMurphy.
1 Alabama
2 Ohio State
3 Louisville
4 Michigan
5 Clemson
6 Houston
7 Stanford
8 Wisconsin
9 Texas A&M
10 Washington
11 Tennessee
12 Florida State
13 Baylor
14 Miami (FL)
15 Nebraska
16 Ole Miss
17 Michigan State
18 Utah
19 San Diego State
20 Arkansas
21 TCU
22 Texas
23 Florida
24 Boise State
25 Georgia
26 Arizona State
27 Oklahoma
28 North Dakota State
29 West Virginia
30 Virginia Tech
31 Colorado
32 North Carolina
33 Iowa
34 UCLA
35 Auburn
36 LSU
37 Western Michigan
38 Wake Forest
39 Memphis
40 Maryland
41 Toledo
USF does not make the AP poll this week, getting zero votes. They’re listed for context and to illustrate who is perceived to be better than them. Memphis and Houston are the sole vote-getters for the American Athletic Conference.
The coaches who vote in the USA Today Coaches’ poll who might have special insight into or interest in voting for USF are American Athletic Conference coaches Philip Montgomery of Tulsa, Tom Herman of Houston, Mike Norvell of Memphis, Chad Morris, of Southern Methodist, Scottie Montgomery of East Carolina and Tommy Tuberville of Cincinnati.
Coaches who have played USF this year who might have an interest in voting for USF are Dino Babers of Syracuse, Rod Carey of Northern Illinois, and Jimbo Fisher, Florida State. Regional coaches who might be familiar with USF are Mark Richt of Miami (Fla.) and Ron Turner of Florida International.
Former USF coach, Skip Holtz of Louisiana Tech, also has a vote.
1 Alabama
2 Ohio State
3 Clemson
4 Louisville
5 Michigan
6 Stanford
7 Houston
8 Wisconsin
9 Washington
10 Texas A&M
11 Tennessee
12 Florida State
13 Baylor
14 Miami (FL)
15 Nebraska
16 Michigan State
17 Ole Miss
18 Utah
19 TCU
20 Georgia
21 Florida
22 Arkansas
23 North Carolina
24 San Diego State
25 Texas
26 Iowa
27 Boise State
28 Arizona State
29 Oklahoma
30 West Virginia
31 LSU
32 Western Michigan
33 Memphis
34 Virginia Tech
34 UCLA
36 Auburn
37 Colorado
38 Navy
38 Minnesota
40 Wake Forest
41 Kansas State
42 Air Force
42 Toledo
44 Oregon
45 Maryland
46 South Florida
46 Troy
46 Appalachian State
The American gets a little more respect from the coaches than the writers. Houston is legitimately ranked in the top ten. Memphis, Navy, and USF are ranked in the “others receiving votes” category. USF received just one vote, meaning one coach thought that USF should be ranked 25th. The fact that they remain on the list might help if they should continue to win games. The loss to FSU will fade in time, especially if FSU continues to climb.
The next set of rankings are just as meaningful as those listed above in the sense that none of these polls really matters at this stage of the season. USF is still getting national attention in these rankings, which is noteworthy considering recent history.
The first of the other rankings shown here is the CBS Sports 128. They actually rank every single FBS team. USF was ranked in their top 25 last week, but dropped to 30th after the FSU loss. That’s still within striking distance, remaining a name that writers are reading regularly. CBS partners with 247Sports to poll their writers, who rank each team.
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0)
2 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)
3 Louisville Cardinals (4-0)
4 Michigan Wolverines (4-0)
5 Houston Cougars (4-0)
6 Clemson Tigers (4-0)
7 Stanford Cardinal (3-0)
8 Texas A&M Aggies (4-0)
9 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0)
10 Washington Huskies (4-0)
11 Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes (3-0)
12 Tennessee Volunteers (4-0)
13 Baylor Bears (4-0)
14 Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0)
15 Florida State Seminoles (3-1)
16 Ole Miss Rebels (2-2)
17 Utah Utes (4-0)
18 Boise State Broncos (3-0)
19 Florida Gators (3-1)
20 San Diego State Aztecs (3-0)
21 Texas Longhorns (2-1)
22 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1)
23 Michigan State Spartans (2-1)
24 UCLA Bruins (2-2)
25 TCU Horned Frogs (3-1)
26 Western Michigan Broncos (4-0)
27 Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1)
28 Oklahoma Sooners (1-2)
29 Toledo Rockets (3-0)
30 South Florida Bulls (3-1)
ESPN’s Power Rankings also lists every team in the FBS. They rank USF as 32nd in the nation and give them a 29% chance of winning the American Athletic Conference. Houston has a 60% chance, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. No other conference team is listed in the top 35.
1 Louisville, ACC
2 Alabama, SEC
3 Michigan, Big Ten
4 OSU, Big Ten
5 FSU, ACC
6 Clemson, ACC
7 Texas A&M, SEC
8 Ole Miss, SEC
9 Tennessee, SEC
10 Washington, Pac-12
11 LSU, SEC
12 Oklahoma, Big 12
13 Stanford, Pac-12
14 Miami, ACC
15 Auburn, SEC
16 Houston, American
17 Oklahoma State, Big 12
18 Baylor, Big 12
19 Florida, SEC
20 UCLA, Pac-12
21 UNC, ACC
22 Wisconsin, Big Ten
23 Nebraska, Big Ten
24 Boise State, MW
25 TCU, Big 12
26 VT, ACC
27 West Virginia, Big 12
28 USC, Pac-12
29 Colorado, Pac-12
30 Pitt, ACC
31 Iowa, Big Ten
32 USF, American
33 Texas, Big 12
34 Notre Dame, FBS Indep.
35 Oregon, Pac-12
