Posted on 09/12/2005 12:24:25 PM PDT by kellynla
Notre Dame is a top-10 team for the first time in three years, and Southern California has matched Miami for the longest stay at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25.
Southern California now has been No. 1 for 21 straight polls, a run that dates back to late in the 2003 season and matches the record set by Miami from 2001-2002.
Charlie Weis' Fighting Irish are No. 10 in the AP media poll released Sunday, jumping 10 spots after upsetting Michigan 17-10 on Saturday to improve to 2-0.
"I think too many times rankings are based off of reputation, not off what really happens," Weis said Sunday when asked if he thought he had a top-10 team. "So maybe if you go by what you see, maybe the answer is yes. I'm not there to judge that."
Weis is the first Notre Dame coach since Knute Rockne in 1918 to win his first two games on the road, helping the Fighting Irish to their highest ranking since they were seventh in late November 2002.
In 2002, Tyrone Willingham's first season as coach, Notre Dame started 8-0 and reached as high as No. 4 in the AP poll before finishing 17th in the final poll. The Fighting Irish started the 2003 season ranked 20th, but were out of the poll for good by Sept. 14. They were ranked 24th twice in 2004.
Southern California now has been No. 1 for 21 straight polls, a run that dates back to late in the 2003 season and matches the record set by Miami from 2001-2002.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
Top to bottom, the SEC is probably the strongest conference, but don't underestimate the top half of the PAC-10.
USC went to auburn to play what was supposed to be an outstanding team a few years ago to start the season and completely dominated Auburn 23-0. Auburn never recovered psychologically from that game.
It should not be too much of a surprise that Oklahoma is way down after being embarrassed by USC in the BCS Championship game last season. USC has most of its problems within the PAC-10 because great quarterbacking is the only chance a team has to beat vastly superior talent. The PAC-10 has at least four QBs this season that will eventually be in the NFL.
I've been told by a few ND grads that the academic reputation of ND is vastly over-rated.
None; he ate them all.
They just went through Arkansas's defense like a hot knife through butter. I don't see how anybody can stop them.
SC is a private school and has high admission standards also, they have missed out on great players that went to state schools because of this. Charles White's little brother comes to mind. He was a legacy scholarship, except for his HS grades. He went to Cal Berkley instead.
ND fans really are full of excuses and have a huge chip on their shoulder.
Now if we can beat the weaker teams for once, we can make a New Year's Bowl. Illinois actually scares me more than Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan.
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