After a solid group of picks last week, we made some adjustments to this week’s 10-4 after seeing some game action. The Big Ten lived up to expectations by going 10-0 with 22.6 point average margin of victory. The Big 12 was just as bad as we expected it to be, going 9-2 with only a 13 point average margin of victory.

Better yet, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (two of their three ranked teams) lost their season openers. Sadly, the majority of the conference just barely squeaked by their Division I-AA opponents, proving that the Big 12 is somewhere around the MAC in terms of competitiveness and strength. If they keep up this level of performance, we might have to call it the Bottom Twelve because it will be impossible to pick only four teams from the Big 12.

Tennessee dropped from the Top Ten this week after barely surviving against UAB. A game between the #3 (AP) team in the nation and a Division I newcomer is not supposed to be that close. Virginia Tech also fell due to their mediocre performance against NC State. Texas or any other team from the Big 12 will never be ranked, so don’t ask.

Top Ten

1. Iowa
Ball State was a terrible football team, but we really pummeled them big time. Our starting D only surrendered 22 total yards, and Ball State never really even threatened to score. The offense looked solid for the quarter that they actually played, and the reserves didn’t let up either. #1 meets #117 next week in Lames, which very well could be even uglier than this week against Ball State.

2. Michigan
Michigan took care of business against Northern Illinois and is ready to take it to Notre Dame this week. So what if Notre Dame beat Pittsburgh. They can’t handle the Big House and are going to get blown out. Michigan has way too many animals for Notre Dame to contain. Charlie Weis wouldn’t even win this game with Tom Brady at QB.

3. Ohio State
Andyram and I decided that Santonio Holmes is enough of a player to make Ohio State more than a one man team. They put down a solid performance against Miami of Ohio and are ready to represent against Texas at the horseshoe. After the beating that Ohio State is going to lay down on Texas next week, everyone will know for a fact how superior the Big Ten really is.

4. Purdue
Not playing this week cost Purdue a spot, and they’re not really playing a game next week either vs. Akron. We’ll see what Purdue is really made of starting on September 17th at Arizona and ending with a loss to Iowa on October 8th.

5. Minnesota
Laurence Maroney is a force to be reckoned with. Maroney scored on touchdown runs of 67 and 73 and put up 203 yards on 21 carries with a 9.7 yard average. Minnesota is a dangerous football team with the combination of their solid offensive line and Maroney at running back. If Brian Cupito didn’t suck so much, this team would probably have a legit shot at second place in the Big Ten.

6. USC
Matt Leinart & Co. put up a solid win over a shitty team and moved up one spot this week. Hawaii isn’t exactly a football state–they care mainly about partying and having a good time. They might get a little bit of a challenge from Arkansas next week, but the Pac 10 is a mediocre conference as a whole.

7. LSU
LSU is holding down the #7 ranking for now, but things might change next week against Arizona State. LSU without Nick Saban is like like beer without alcohol: worthless.

8. Wisconsin
We’re not exactly proud of barely beating Bowling Green, but we’ll give credit where credit is due. Omar Jacobs was impressive, but thankfully one man wasn’t enough to beat the Badgers.

9. Georgia
After sticking it to Boise State and making a hyped up game in to a joke, Georgia earned themselves our #9 ranking. They were also part of one of the funniest things I’ve seen on ESPN.com in a while. The day before the game, the headline was “You gotta believe”, an article that discussed how the past 6 years had all built up to this game After D.J. Shockley handed Boise State’s collective asses to them, the headline was “The damage done”, which basically said that the past 6 years were a total waste after the beating they took.

10. Florida
Florida rounds out the three ranked teams from the SEC. The conference definitely isn’t the caliber of the Big Ten, but it’s a distant second. Florida pummeled Wyoming, go figure. They earned a spot because both Florida State and Miami were sloppy as hell and played an ugly football game.

Bottom Four

1. Iowa State
What a pathetic performance against Illinois State. Ball State is a bad team, but there’s no way that they are any worse than Illinois State. With as many returning players as ISU has, there is no reason other than lack of talent and poor coaching that the game was this close. The Fieldhouse DJ says it best: “Bret Meyer is a sorry son of a bitch.”

“We have to be the most improved team in the country in order for us to have a chance against Iowa next week. They looked dominant, devastating and deep. They were able to rest their starters early so we know they’ll be fresh next week.” –Dan McCarney

2. Oklahoma
Bad football teams lose to teams like TCU. Oklahoma legitimately lost this game, earning them a spot right above ISU on the Bottom Four. The good news is that things get easier during the Big 12 season, but they still don’t get any of our sympathy.

3. Ball State
You know your program has hit rock bottom when 13 players get suspended and you only put up 150 total yards while being shut out 56-0. We’re not going to deny how terrible Ball State really was. They earned this spot because unlike Oklahoma, they had no expectations, thus making them less of a disappointment.

4. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State rounds out a tough all around week for the state of Oklahoma’s football teams. They won, but they might as well have lost. Beating a mediocre 1-AA team by 5 is nothing to be proud of. Throw in the brutal losses by Oklahoma and Tulsa, and you’ve got a rough week for the state of Oklahoma.

That wraps up our Week 2 10-4. Things should get interesting this week with some match ups between the Big Ten and Big 12, which inevitably will end up proving once more that the Big Ten is a far superior conference.