COLUMN: Adam’s WAC football power poll: Week 2
Week one in the WAC saw some great games, most notably Boise State’s thrilling 33-30 win over No. 10 Virginia Tech. Where do the conference’s teams stack up after finally taking the field? Here’s my power poll going into the second week of the season.
1) Boise State (1-0): I won’t go so far as to say the Broncos are the best team in the entire country, but they belong in the discussion after their amazing comeback win over Virginia Tech. Not only is Boise’s defense head and shoulders above the rest of the WAC, but Kellen Moore proved why he’s a Heisman trophy candidate by directing the team on its game-winning, fourth-quarter drive.
2) Fresno State (1-0): No one knows how good Cincinnati will be this year without former coach Brian Kelly, but Fresno State’s 28-14 win over the Bearcats shouldn’t be overlooked. QB Ryan Colburn looked to be in midseason form tossing four touchdowns, while the Bulldog defense stifled one of the Big East’s best offenses.
3) Nevada(1-0): Is Colin Kaepernick a perfectionist or what? Despite throwing for 306 yards and two scores (and rushing for two more TDs), Kaepernick said he played “just OK” in Saturday’s 49-24 win over Eastern Washington. The Wolf Pack offense certainly looked good in the win, but after giving up 432 yards to the Eagles, one has to wonder if they’ll be able to stop some of the more prolific WAC offenses later in the season.
4) Utah State (0-1): Just how good will the Aggie offense be this year? Consider that USU put up more than 400 yards of offense on one of the nation’s best defenses in Oklahoma, and did so without their top RB and two best WRs. After an entire offseason hearing that the USU defense would be better in 2010 than it was in 2009, the Aggies lived up to expectations against OU, sacking QB Landry Jones three times.
5) Idaho (1-0): The Vandals out-gained a decent North Dakota team 547 to 270 yards, but also benefited from five turnovers. Twelve penalties have to be worrisome to coach Robb Akey, but the program’s shutout of the Sioux – the first shutout by a Vandal team since the 1997 season – is a promising sign following last year’s defensive woes.
6) Hawaii (0-1): Believe it or not, the Warriors actually out-gained Southern California last Thursday night, finishing with 588 yards to USC’s 524. Shane Austin and Bryant Moniz were effective at QB for the Warriors, but the big surprise was receiver Kealoha Pilares, who averaged a ridiculous 35.2 yards on five catches in his three-touchdown effort. Allowing 7.0 yard per rush is disconcerting for the defense, however, and it remains to be seen if week one’s competitive loss to USC was a fluke or a sign of things to come.
7) Louisiana Tech (1-0): The Bulldogs looked shaky at times in their opening 20-6 win against Grambling, managing just three points in the second half. QB Ross Jenkins managed the game effectively in head coach Sonny Dykes’ debut, but Louisiana Tech’s offense left much to be desired. Playmaking receiver and return man Phillip Livas had a quiet afternoon, and will need to have a bigger presence in the offense if the Bulldogs are to stand a chance against Texas A&M next week.
8) San Jose State (0-1): Can’t fault new head coach Mike MacIntyre for week one’s loss to Alabama, as the Crimson Tide came into the game ranked first in the country. Still, it wasn’t as though San Jose State put up much of a fight in the 48-3 route. Alabama out-gained the Spartans 591 to 175 yards, while the Spartans were only able to convert a single third down on 13 attempts. Think that sounds bad? Consider the Tide put up 257 rushing yards on SJSU even without Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram.
9) New Mexico State (0-0): The mystery of year two under DeWayne Walker continues for another week, as the Aggies were off in week one. There’s no telling how they’ll do against San Diego State on Saturday, but they can’t do any worse than their in-state rival, New Mexico. The Lobos lost 72-0 to Oregon last Saturday.
Got beef with my picks? Think I missed the mark? We want to hear from you. Drop me a line at adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu.