Week 5 College Football Rankings

AP Top 25

1. LSU

2. Oklahoma

3. Alabama

4. Boise State

5. Oklahoma State

6. Stanford

7. Wisconsin

8. Nebraska

9. Oregon

10. South Carolina

11. Virginia Tech

12. Florida

13. Clemson

14. Texas A&M

15. Baylor

16. South Florida

17. Texas

18. Arkansas

19. Michigan

20. TCU

21. Georgia Tech

22. West Virginia

23. Florida State

24. Illinois

25. Arizona State

Coaches Poll

1. Oklahoma

t-2. LSU

t-2. Alabama

4. Stanford

5. Boise State

6. Oklahoma State

7. Wisconsin

8. Nebraska

9. South Carolina

10. Virginia Tech

11. Oregon

12. Florida

13. Texas A&M

14. South Florida

15. Clemson

16. Baylor

17. Texas

18. Arkansas

19. Michigan

20. TCU

21. Georgia Tech

22. Illinois

23. West Virginia

24. Florida State

25. Michigan State

Preseason AP College Football Poll Released

I'm a bit delinquent getting this posted, better late than never....

Rank Team Record Votes Previous


1 Oklahoma (36) 0-0 1,464 NR

2 Alabama (17) 0-0 1,439 NR

3 Oregon (4) 0-0 1,330 NR

4 LSU (1) 0-0 1,286 NR

5 Boise State (2) 0-0 1,200 NR

6 Florida State 0-0 1,168 NR

7 Stanford 0-0 1,091 NR

8 Texas A&M 0-0 965 NR

9 Oklahoma State 0-0 955 NR

10 Nebraska 0-0 910 NR

11 Wisconsin 0-0 900 NR

12 South Carolina 0-0 848 NR

13 Virginia Tech 0-0 821 NR

14 TCU 0-0 690 NR

15 Arkansas 0-0 686 NR

16 Notre Dame 0-0 530 NR

17 Michigan State 0-0 519 NR

18 Ohio State 0-0 443 NR

19 Georgia 0-0 369 NR

20 Mississippi State 0-0 361 NR

21 Missouri 0-0 258 NR

22 Florida 0-0 228 NR

23 Auburn 0-0 219 NR

24 West Virginia 0-0 207 NR

25 USC 0-0 160 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Texas114, Penn State75, Arizona State67, Miami (FL)32, Utah25, Southern Miss20, Iowa19, North Carolina State15, Brigham Young15, Air Force14, Houston13, Pittsburgh9, Michigan7, Tennessee5, UCF5, Northern Illinois4, Hawaii4, Tulsa3, Maryland2, Arizona2, Northwestern1, Nevada1, Washington1

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Captures weekend box office

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" opened with $54 million to capture the weekend's top spot in it's first weekend, according to studio estimates. Propelled by strong reviews and an aggressive ad campaign by 20th Century Fox, Apes did about $14 million more than projected. The movie earned recommendations from 81% of the nation's critics, a high percentage for an August action film. Fans were even more positive: 89% said they would recommend the movie.

College Football - USA Today Coaches Poll Released

You know we must be getting close to the start of the college football season when the preseason rankings start getting released. This has got to be my favorite time of the year, it's still summer and the weather is nice (although here in California it's almost always nice) and we are on the verge of my favorite sport, college football! These rankings need to be taken with a grain of salt, not a game has been played and in reality, these polls set the playing field to the advantage of certain teams. If you don't start the season highly ranked, it will take a minor miracle to get into the BCS title game hunt. Still, it is fun to debate and argue the merits of these polls, which is one of the things that make college football the greatest sport there is (in my humble opinion). I'll have additional thoughts on this poll, but at first glance, I can't argue with Oklahoma at #1, I saw them first hand in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl handle my UConn Huskies. But, I find it slightly ridiculous that West Virginia is not ranked in this poll. Mark my words, that team will be explosive this year (can't wait for LSU to visit Morgantown early in the season!). And what's with all the ACC love? I'll put more stock in the first AP Rankings anyway.....

Aug. 4, 2011 - preseason poll

Rank Team (first-place votes) 2010 record Points Final 2010 ranking
1. Oklahoma (42) 12-2 1,454 6
2. Alabama (13) 10-3 1,414 11
3. Oregon (2) 12-1 1,309 3
4. LSU (2) 11-2 1,296 8t
5. Florida State 10-4 1,116 16
6. Stanford 12-1 1,101 4
7. Boise State 12-1 1,065 7
8. Oklahoma State 11-2 933 10
9. Texas A&M 9-4 885 21
10. Wisconsin 11-2 829 8t
11. Nebraska 10-4 814 19
12. South Carolina 9-5 779 22
13. Virginia Tech 11-3 767 15
14. Arkansas 10-3 750 12
15. TCU 13-0 687 2
16. Ohio State 12-1 631 5
17. Michigan State 11-2 536 14
18. Notre Dame 8-5 440 NR
19. Auburn 14-0 329 1
20. Mississippi State 9-4 301 17
21. Missouri 10-3 266 18
22. Georgia 6-7 260 NR
23. Florida 8-5 240 NR
24. Texas 5-7 162 NR
25. Penn State 7-6 161 NR

Others receiving votes
Arizona State (6-6) 158; West Virginia (9-4) 149; Utah (10-3) 50; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 49; Iowa (8-5) 41; Northwestern (7-6) 30; Arizona (7-6) 28; Central Florida (11-3) 22; Michigan (7-6) 19; Air Force (9-4) 15; North Carolina (8-5) 14; Houston (5-7) 13; South Florida (8-5) 9; Hawaii (10-4) 8; Clemson (6-7) 7; Tennessee (6-7) 7; Southern Miss (8-5) 6; Brigham Young (7-6) 5; North Carolina State (9-4) 4; Northern Illinois (11-3) 4; Oregon State (5-7) 4; Pittsburgh (8-5) 3; Washington (7-6) 3; Georgia Tech (6-7) 1; Nevada (13-1) 1.

NBA Finals Heads to Pivotal Game 6

The Dallas Mavericks enter tonights Game 6 with a chance to win their first ever NBA Championship. The Miami Heat will be fighting to avoid elimination. What has been one of the more memorable NBA Finals promises plenty more drama tonight as this storyline continues to unfold. Will Dirk Nowitzki capture his first ring or will Lebron James shake off his apparent funk in the quest for his elusive first championship? Tune in tonight.....

UConn, Calhoun join elite company with 3rd NCAA Title

The UConn Huskies stormed past Butler in the second half on Monday night and cruised to a 53-41 victory before 70,376 in Houston to capture their 3rd NCAA Basketball Championship. Kemba Walker led the Huskies with 16 points capping a remarkable season for the star guard. With the win, UConn joins only a handful of schools with 3 or more championships. Coach Jim Calhoun is the oldest coach to ever win a title and joins an elite group of 5 coaches with 3 or more titles, the other legendary coaches on the list are Coach K, Rupp, Wooden and Knight.

Eddie Vedder announces Summer Solo tour

Iconic Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will be hitting the road solo this summer in support of his upcoming new album, "Ukulele Songs." The North American trek begins June 15 in Providence, R.I. and wraps up in Vedder's adopted hometown of Seattle, Wash., with a show on July 15 at Benaroya Hall. Public ticket details have not yet been announced. "Ukulele Songs" will arrive on May 31. Tour dates: June 15: Providence, R.I. (Providence Performing Arts Center) June 16: Boston, Mass. (The Wang Theatre) June 18: Hartford, Conn. (The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts) June 21: New York, N.Y. (Beacon Theatre) June 22: New York, N.Y. (Beacon Theatre) June 25: Philadelphia, Pa. (Tower Theatre) June 26: Detroit, Mich. (Fox Theatre) June 28: Chicago, Ill. (The Chicago Theatre) July 1: St. Louis, Mo. (Fox Theatre) July 2: Minneapolis, Minn. (Orpheum Theatre ) July 5: San Diego, Calif. (Copley Symphony Hall) July 6: Long Beach, Calif. (Terrace Theater) July 8: Los Angeles (The Wiltern) July 9: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl) July 11: Oakland, Calif. (The Paramount Theatre) July 14: Portland, Ore. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall) July 15: Seattle, Wash. (Benaroya Hall)

UConn continues amazing roll into Final 4

UConn won the NCAA West Regionals for the 4th time and head to their fourth Final 4 as they beat Arizona 65-63 in Anaheim on Saturday. I was in attendance and it was an intense, hotly contested game from beginning to end. The Honda Center was overwhelmingly full of Arizona fans, but the few thousand UConn fans there made sure to make their presence felt. Kemba Walker once again outshone all others, with a good deal of help from quickly rising freshman Jeremy Lamb. UConn will continue it's amazing run, which began with 5 victories in 5 days to win the Big East tournament, as they head to Houston to meet the winner of Kentucky/North Carolina. Jim Calhoun and his Huskies are on the verge of their 3rd NCAA Championship, all the more impressive when you consider the four Final 4's and 2 Championships have all been in the last 12 years.

UConn runs to Big East Tourney Championship Game

The UConn Huskies behind the electrifying Kemba Walker, outlasted Syracuse in OT Friday night in a packed Madison Square Garden 76-71. With the victory, UConn continues their improbable tournament run Saturday night against Louisville in the Big East Tournament Championship game. Walker's stat line... 33 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. If you watched the game, he was clearly the best player on the court, as he is the best player in the Big East and all of college basketball. With all due respect to Ben Hansbrough of Notre Dame who won the league's Player of the Year, but he is not in the same class as Kemba Walker. And as great a player as Jimmer Fredette of BYU is, he is not close to being the all around player that Walker is. Fredette, whom many believe will win National Player of the Year honors, is a scorer, that's it. It would be hard to imagine him putting together a stat line like the one Walker put up on Friday. Not to mention that BYU plays in the MWC Conference, which is not in the same league as the Big East and the conversation ends there. Player of the Year debates are out of Walker's hands, all he can control is what happens on the court, and his Huskies are flexing their muscle. They entered the Big East tournament as a most likely #5 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tourney, now they are looking at a #4 seed and possible a #3 seed with a win tonight. Not to mention the fact that if thy win the Big East tournament, that will tie them with Georgetown as most tournament championships all time at 7. Here's to a great game tonight in the basketball mecca of the world, New York City, under the lights in the Worlds Most Famous Arena, Madison Sqauare Garden. We'll witness two of the great coaches in college basketball facing off, Jim Calhoun against Rick Pitino for the most prestigious conference tournament championship and the transcedent Kemba Walker playing in his home city in front of a packed house sure to add to his growing legend.

Big East dominates college basketball

Sorry SEC, now that it's basketball season there is a new dominant conference.... the Big East. If there was any doubt as to the dominance of the Big East over the rest of college basketball, one would only need to point to St. Johns 93-78 trouncing of Duke on Sunday. The fact that a 12-8 St. Johns team struggling to avoid the Big East basement was able to easily handle the ACC leading, defending national champion #3 Blue Devils, should squash anyone doubting the power of the Big East. There is no doubt that not only is the Big East vastly superior to the ACC, but the Big East is the unquestioned dominant conference in the land.

AP College Basketball Top 25 - Week 11

Just as soon as this new Poll came out, Kemba Walker and #8 UConn won a thriller over #7 Villanova 61-59 at Gampel Pavilion. National Player of the Year candidate Walker sealed the win with a floater in the lane with just over 2 seconds left in the game. And for all you Big East bashers out there who love to pile on the league during football season.... well, the Big East has 9 teams in the top 25... 9 ... Is there any doubt what league dominates college basketball?

AP Top 25
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Ohio State (49) 18-0 1,606
2 Kansas (6) 17-0 1,526
3 Syracuse (8) 18-0 1,523
4 Duke (1) 16-1 1,393
5 Pittsburgh (1) 17-1 1,382
6 San Diego State 19-0 1,294
7 Villanova 16-1 1,265
8 Connecticut 14-2 1,148
9 Brigham Young 17-1 1,057
10 Texas 14-3 1,015
11 Texas A&M 16-1 996
12 Kentucky 14-3 975
13 Missouri 15-3 758
14 Purdue 15-3 672
15 Minnesota 14-4 513
16 Notre Dame 14-4 495
17 Michigan State 12-5 467
18 Wisconsin 13-4 448
19 Louisville 14-3 438
20 Washington 13-4 409
21 West Virginia 12-4 266
22 Saint Mary's 16-2 195
23 Georgetown 13-5 146
23 Illinois 13-5 146
25 Cincinnati 16-2 125

BCS Championship 1/10/11 Auburn/Oregon

Monday night, the two unstoppable forces of this college football season take the field to settle the debate. Number one vs. Number two. Auburn vs. Oklahoma. Expect fireworks as two of the top offenses in the country square off. Get ready for a possible instant classic!

Fiesta Bowl 1/1/11 - UConn vs. Oklahoma

I experienced this game firsthand. As a lifelong UConn fan living in Southern California, I felt compelled to make the 5 hour drive to Phoenix to support my Huskies. And I more than glad that I did, what a fantastic experience. Just seeing the Huskies in a BCS game was surreal as they have only been on the FBS level for a short time. Seeing them take the field against mighty Oklahoma was icing on the cake. Watching the "Sooner Schooner" burst on the field was something to behold. Despite the 48-20 final score, this was far from being an Oklahoma rout. UConn trailed only 20-10 at halftime and 34-20 in the 4th quarter with the ball. Two late pick 6's by the Sooners as UConn attempted to rally, sealed the deal and led to the misleading final score. University of Phoenix stadium is one beautiful football stadium and the Fiesta Bowl folks put on one hell of a bowl game. Here is hoping that UConn finds themselves in another BCS game sooner rather than later.