Casey's Call: Tuesday's Top 10
1. Alabama (2-0): Hands down the best team in the country. The Tide feasted on Penn State freshman quarterback Robert Bolden, picking him off twice and holding him to 144 yards. 'Bama has a whole new defense from the vast turnover last year but Nick Saban doesn't rebuild…he reloads. On offense, Trent Richardson continues to feed into the thought that he's even better than Mark Ingram. But the most dangerous sight for opponents is the progression and maturation of quarterback Greg McElroy. 'Bama is more than enough to deal with on the ground, but now you have to worry about the aerial assault. As Joe Paterno would tell you, there's no stopping the Tide… This week: @ Duke
2. Boise State (1-0): For some absurd reason the Broncos were off this week. I have no idea how/why a team would have a bye in week 2 but who am I to judge? As Boise State gets ready for cupcake Wyoming this week there will no doubt be a chip on their shoulders. Why?...because Virginia Tech who they got so much credit for beating last week lost at home to James Madison this week. Critics are out in full force trying to downplay Boise's marquee victory. Coach Peterson will be happy to know that I'm not one of them. The Broncos are a great team and I'm not taking anything away from their win over Tech… This week: @ Wyoming
3. Ohio State (2-0): The Buckeyes passed a huge test against Miami on Saturday. Terrelle Pryor showed why he's on a completely different level than his counterpart Jacory Harris. While Pryor was slashing the 'Canes defense, Harris was tossing interceptions left and right. The Buckeye defense confused and rattled a good Miami offense. Jim Tressel's group showed mid-season crispness and discipline as they completed the 36-24 win. They'll need to keep that up because it looks like the Big 10 is be the nation's best conference this year… This week: Ohio
4. TCU (2-0): Saturday was just another day at the office for TCU. Playing Tennessee Tech doesn't give you a great barometer of anything. But all you need to know is that coach Gary Patterson did everything he could do to prevent his team from running up the score in the 2nd half, and they still scored 28 points to win 62-7. Even though the competition was garbage, you have to be impressed with TCU on both sides of the ball. They're clicking on all cylinders, but let's see if they can do it when the lights are bright… This week: Baylor
5. Oregon (2-0): After a slow start, the Ducks rolled off 45 unanswered points to embarrass Tennessee 48-13 in Knoxville. That is no easy feat despite the Vols being down this year. I've been more impressed with Oregon than any other team to this point. LaMichael James celebrated his return from suspension by rushing for 134 yards on just 16 carries. New quarterback Darron Thomas continues to make strides and most impressively the Ducks defense has stifled everybody their paths. Despite no Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon may have a shot at the BCS title after all… This week: Portland State
6. Iowa (2-0): It's no secret that I love this Hawkeye team. It wouldn't shock me one bit if they eventually take home the Big 10 crown. They were awfully impressive in their 35-7 thrashing of Iowa State. The defense held the Cyclones to just 275 total yards. They hounded quarterback Austen Arnaud and intercepted him 3 times. On the other side of the ball is where the Hawkeyes really showed off. Ricky Stanzi was near perfect and we saw the emergence of a 2 headed monster with running backs Adam Robinson (156 yards, TD) and Jewel Hampton (84 yards, TD)… This week: @ Arizona
7. Texas (2-0): All eyes were on quarterback Garrett Gilbert against Wyoming on Saturday. After his shaky first game, Longhorn fans wanted to see progression out of their quarterback and they got it. Gilbert wasn't spectacular against the Cowboys but he did show off his big arm several times throughout the night. However, as we know, it's one thing to get it done against Wyoming and another to against a legitimate Big 12 opponent… This week: @ Texas Tech
8. Nebraska (2-0): The Cornhusker defense was on display Saturday against Idaho. Vandal quarterback Nathan Enderle had no idea what he was getting himself into in this game. Nebraska was all over him from the start and forced him into 5 interceptions. They also sacked him 7 times. Simply put, their defensive line was out of this world. It was men against boys in Lincoln. Idaho didn't fare much better on the other side of the ball. They let up 360 rushing yards including 157 to Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez. Roy Helu Jr. also passed the century mark posting 107 yards. The one concern for coach Bo Pelini is the 4 turnovers and 10 penalties his team committed. They have to clean that up going forward… This week: @ Washington
9. Wisconsin (2-0): It wasn't pretty for the Badgers on Saturday against San Jose State but they'll take it. The defense was strong for the most part, but there were a couple breakdowns in the secondary. Another kink to iron out is the careless turnovers they've been committing. In the end, the storyline followed a similar tune on offense as Wisconsin rode running back John Clay to victory. Clay rushed for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. I would like to see a little more out of quarterback Scott Tolzien but there's plenty of time for things to come together for him. Bottom line is the Badgers have now won 26 straight out of conference games and 15 straight at home… This week: Arizona State
10. Oklahoma (2-0): I had begun to doubt the Sooners, but quarterback Landry Jones proved my concerns to be premature. He passed for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns against Florida State. Top receiver Ryan Broyles got loose all day in the secondary as he caught 12 balls for 124 yards and a touchdown. Even more impressive was the Sooners ability to shut down Christian Ponder, holding him to just 113 yards passing. They also picked him of twice. I'll keep a close eye on Oklahoma the next few weeks to see if the progression continues, but I'm very impressed at what I saw in their 47-17 domination of the Seminoles... This week: Air Force
Check back on Friday for my preview of all the best games of the weekend.
Questions?... Comments?... Email me: ckeefe@wfan.com
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