Is the SEC the best conference from top to bottom in college football? The answer would be an overwhelming “Yes” if you asked the writers that make up the AP Top 25 poll.
If you asked the oddsmakers at Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the company that creates the majority of betting lines in Nevada, they would give some respect to the SEC but still believe the Big 12 is hands down the stronger of the two.
The AP poll has six schools from the SEC ranked in the Top 25, which is the most amongst all conferences. Vanderbilt helped the group after improving to 4-0 on the season with a 23-17 win at Mississippi on Saturday. It’s the first time in over 24 years that the Commodores have been listed in the poll.
While Vandy can stick its chest out a bit, the school doesn’t even get a sniff in the LVSC poll, which means the team will still be catching points throughout the season.
For the second straight week, the SEC and Big 12 both have seven schools listed in the LVSC Top 30. After the two powerhouse conferences, the remaining 16 spots are split amongst the Big 10 (4), Big East (3), ACC (3), Pac 10 (3) and the surprising Mountain West (3).
The MWC is led by the trio of Brigham Young (11), TCU (15) and Utah (20). The group can make a serious imprint on the rankings this week, when TCU heads to Oklahoma for a big non-conference battle.
The Horned Frogs aren’t expected to steal a win – at least by the oddsmakers. TCU has been tabbed a 17-point underdog against the Sooners. Most would expect OU to be ready for a possible upset on Saturday, considering head coach Gary Patterson and the Frogs shocked Bob Stoops and company 17-10 in 2005 as 25-point road underdogs.
Other non-BSC schools possibly making some waves in the next couple weeks are Tulsa and Boise State. The Golden Hurricane have dropped 45, 56 and 56 points in their first three games and the schedule sets up nicely for an undefeated run. Meanwhile, the Broncos just dropped Oregon 37-32 in Eugene and the toughest game remaining appears to be in the final week against Fresno State at home. Do we have multiple BCS crashers?
Below is a breakdown of this week's Top 30 along with notes from LVSC's Chief Operating Officer Kenny White.
| 1 |
Southern Cal |
115.2 |
1 |
Nations best team fresh for PAC 10 play. |
| 2 |
Oklahoma |
110.8 |
2 |
Can't afford to take Horned Frogs lightly. |
| 3 |
Florida |
110.4 |
3 |
Any Volunteers to play this team? |
| 4 |
Missouri |
109.9 |
4 |
Pressed a bit by Buffalo. Bigger fish to fry. |
| 5 |
Georgia |
109.8 |
5 |
Played with a chip on their shoulder. |
| 6 |
Texas |
108.0 |
6 |
Had a hoot of a time over Rice. |
| 7 |
Penn State |
107.7 |
8 |
Paterno putting up points with "O". |
| 8 |
Ohio State |
107.0 |
7 |
Pryor is now the man in Columbus… |
| 9 |
Texas Tech |
106.8 |
9 |
Red Raiders get a rest for conference play. |
| 10 |
LSU |
106.1 |
12 |
Staged nice rally and held on at Auburn. |
| 11 |
Brigham Young |
105.6 |
10 |
On cruise control. Disposed of Cowboys easily. |
| 12 |
California |
104.8 |
14 |
CSU could be tough test. |
| 12 |
Kansas |
104.8 |
15 |
Bye week, then off to Iowa State. |
| 14 |
Wisconsin |
104.2 |
16 |
Badgers pay a visit to the "Big House". |
| 15 |
Clemson |
103.8 |
18 |
Host a Maryland team brimming with confidence. |
| 15 |
Texas Christian |
103.8 |
18 |
Big shot this week on a big stage. |
| 17 |
South Florida |
103.5 |
17 |
Visit upset-minded Wolfpack, who beat ECU. |
| 17 |
Alabama |
103.5 |
25 |
Ripped Razorbacks, turning some heads. |
| 19 |
Oklahoma State |
102.9 |
21 |
A pair of relatively easy games on tap. |
| 20 |
Utah |
102.8 |
23 |
Hard fought road win at Air Force. |
| 21 |
Auburn |
102.4 |
20 |
Tough pill to swallow against rival LSU. |
| 22 |
West Virginia |
102.1 |
12 |
Too many blunders to survive at Colorado. |
| 23 |
Cincinnati |
102.0 |
27 |
Impressive win over Red Hawks |
| 24 |
Tennessee |
101.9 |
21 |
Licking their wounds after being routed at home. |
| 25 |
Arizona |
101.0 |
NR |
Big road win at UCLA. |
| 25 |
Virginia Tech |
101.0 |
28 |
Hokies earn big victory at North Carolina. |
| 27 |
Wake Forest |
100.9 |
NR |
No touchdowns, 4-7 on FG's in win over FSU. |
| 28 |
South Carolina |
100.8 2 |
4 |
Another cupcake should build confidence. |
| 29 |
Nebraska |
100.1 |
29 |
The Hokies invade Lincoln on a roll. |
| 30 |
Michigan State |
100.0 |
28 |
Continue to improve. Solid in win over ND. |
| The Next 10: Tulsa, Oregon, East Carolina, Boise State, Boston College, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Colorado, Miami. |
| Dropped out of Top 30: Oregon (10), East Carolina (26), Fresno State (30) | |
Chris David can be reached at cdavid@vegasinsider.com