The numbers speak for themselves. Voters picked Penn State over Wisconsin by a wide margin. No, not margin of victory, but the odd of victory itself. I'm still a bit nervous with an hour left before kickoff, but confident. 
Apparently, FoxSports.com readers really like Joe Paterno. In fact, they think he's the coolest coach in college football. The FoxSports.com list of "coolest coaches"... (comments by PennLive.com)
10. Pete Carroll, USC: Likes beach volleyball and likes to boogie board.
9. Les Miles, LSU: Risk-taker and controversial.
8. Skip Holtz, East Carolina: Sweet Lou's baby boy.
7. Mark Richt, Georgia: Cool and confident, and outwardly proclaims his love for God.
6. Nick Saban, Alabama: Most powerful man in football.
5. June Jones, SMU: Coming from Hawaii, he's casual cool.
4. Dan Hawkins, Colorado: Doesn't even fear Ralphie, his school's live buffalo mascot.
3. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford: Beating USC helped him get to No. 3.
2. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA: A lot of bravado in a powder blue shirt.
1. Joe Paterno, Penn State: Geek Squad guy still can take a hit on the sidelines, break his leg and coach without a whimper.
Everyone's rankings are out. Here's how PSU fared after picking off No. 21 Illinois:
USA Today/Coaches Poll - PSU No. 6 (+6)
Associated Press (via ESPN) - PSU No. 6 (+6)
The Sporting News - PSU No. 6 (+6)
CBS Sportsline - PSU No. 7 (+9)
College Football Poll - PSU No. 4 (+3)
Jeff Sagarin's Rankings - PSU No. 9
College Football News - 6. Penn State (5-0)
W, Illinois 38-24
next game: at Purdue
The Ranking Should Be Higher Because … that 45-14 win over Oregon State looks really, really strong now. Daryll Clark is the real deal. For anyone wonder about just how good the offense can be with a relatively inexperienced runner under center, the questions were answered by Clark's passing against Illinois.
The Ranking Should Be Lower Because ... for the first time this season, the defense blinked. The Illinois offense is inconsistent, yet its running game worked relatively well and the secondary had a nightmare of a time with Arrelious Benn.
More than 200 readers weighed in, and by a vast majority picked Penn State to beat Illinois tonight under the Beaver Stadium lights. We'll see how that goes. 
Oh yeah, and if Penn State wins tonight, they're the top-ranked Big Ten team. Just thought I'd mention that.
This was a great find by Nittany WhiteOut:
Read it and weep, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan... hell, the whole freaking conference! Ok, so I'm getting ahead of myself. After all, we know how intelligent the ESPN electorate is, so we must not take too much stock in this. Penn State still has to go out and play all those teams.
The top didn't move much again. Doesn't anyone else realize that USC has had two bye weeks so far? Just thought I'd mention that. Oregon shouldn't have lost at home, even without a quarterback. Auburn choked big-time. And Colorado is emerging as a real threat in the Big XII North. But this week will tell us a lot about which teams are legit, as most of the cupcakes are gone.
Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result].
1. USC (1), [2-0, DNP]
2. Oklahoma (2), [3-0, DNP]
3. Georgia (3), [4-0, Won at Arizona St 27-10]
4. Missouri (4), [4-0, Won vs. Buffalo 42-21]
5. Penn State (5), [4-0, Won vs. Temple 45-3]
6. BYU (6), [4-0, Won vs. Wyoming 44-0]
7. LSU (9), [3-0, Won at Auburn 26-21]
8. Florida (8), [4-0, Won at Tennessee 30-6]
9. South Florida (12), [4-0, Won at FIU 17-9]
10. Ohio State (10), [3-1, Won vs. Troy 28-10]
11. Wisconsin (11), [3-0, DNP]
12. Alabama (20), [4-0, Won at Arkansas 49-14]
13. Wake Forest (18), [3-0, Won at Florida St 12-3]
14. Texas Tech (14), [4-0, Won vs. UMass(AA) 56-14]
15. Utah (15), [3-0, Won at Air Force 30-23]
16. Texas (16), [4-0, Won vs. Rice 52-10]
17. Kentucky (17), [3-0, DNP]
18. Clemson (21), [3-1, Won vs. South Carolina St(AA) 54-0]
19. Auburn (13), [3-1, Lost vs. LSU 26-21]
20. Texas Christian (23), [4-0, Won at SMU 48-7]
21. Boise State (NR), [3-0, Won at Oregon 37-32]
22. Fresno State (22), [2-1, Won at Toledo 55-54(2OT)]
23. Colorado (NR), [3-0, Won vs. West Virginia 17-14]
24. Oregon (7), [3-1, Lost vs. Boise St 37-32]
25. East Carolina (19), [3-1, Lost at NC State 30-24(OT)]
Dropped Out:
West Virginia (24), [1-2, Lost at Colorado 17-14]
Nebraska (25), [3-0, DNP]
On the Cusp:
Vanderbilt (NR), [4-0, Won at Ole Miss 23-17]
Illinois (NR), [2-1, DNP]
Michigan State (NR), [3-1, Won vs. Notre Dame 23-7]
Virginia Tech (NR), [3-1, Won at North Carolina 20-17]
Georgia Tech (NR), [3-1, Won vs. Miss St 38-7]
*Coming Wednesday: Check out my chat with Paint The Town Orange, an Illini blog kind enough to cross enemy lines.
Everyone's rankings are out. Here's how PSU fared after dismantling Temple:
The Sporting News - PSU No. 10 (+4)
CBS Sportsline - PSU No. 16 (+2)
Associated Press (via ESPN) - PSU No. 12 (+4)
USA Today/Coaches Poll - PSU No. 12 (+3)
College Football Poll - PSU No. 7 (+1)
Heisman Pundit - PSU No. 7... "Penn State will win the Big Ten."
College Football News - 9. Penn State (3-0)
W, Syracuse 55-13
next game: Temple
The Ranking Should Be Higher Because … the Nittany Lions have been as dominant over three games as any team in America. Yeah, the schedule might not seem that great, but Oregon State and Syracuse are BCS conference teams that were obliterated.
The Ranking Should Be Lower Because .. eventually, the problems at defensive tackle will be exposed. You can't keep losing that much frontline talent and survive.
Another week, another win by Penn State. More than 90 percent of voters chose Penn State this week, not unexpected with how the Lions have been playing. 
Oh yeah, and there's tons of reports swirling that Joe Paterno will coach from the press box today. So what if he does? He's old, give him a break. The team's winning big, so don't complain.
When the AP and Coaches polls came out this week, Penn State hovered around No. 16 overall. But when we look at the leading computer rankings--Jeff Sagarin's and College Football Poll--there's a huge difference between the human and computer rankings.
You will notice that in the current CFP, Penn State gets a hefty dose of confidence and a No. 8 ranking. Those looking to discredit the computers will say, "yeah, but the computers didn't 'see' the games." Sorry, that doesn't work. CFP has been one of the most accurate predictors of college football since the early 1990's. 
One of my favorite aspects of computer rankings--a lack of bias--comes to the forefront this season, as CFP (Sept. 14 rankings, right) ranks the good SEC teams higher because they're good, not just because they play in the SEC. Also, good teams like UConn and USF are ranked generally higher, because the computer doesn't care that their conference is named the Big East.
What’s even more interesting is that the Sagarin rankings (Sept. 14 rankings, below) put Penn State even higher, at No. 7. But other teams, like USF (Sagarin No. 26), Missouri (No. 18) and Georgia (No. 5) are ranked much lower than conventional wisdom would suggest. But teams like LSU (No. 4), Cal (No. 16) and Virginia Tech (No. 11!) are very highly ranked. 
As a Penn State fan, I can’t complain, but as a college football fan, this just doesn’t seem right. I know it’s very early in the season, and things will work out. But right now, the rankings are very flawed. A growing number of fans want the polls to release later in the season, say week four. That won’t happen, as it’s the media’s job to generate hype, controversies and promote college football’s leading conversation—the polls. In fact, the BCS has done one thing right over the years, moving its release date to mid-season. But this is why we love college football more than the NFL. It will never end… fantastic!
OK, so I've been lacking in this area, but then again, the games haven't been in much doubt. Last week's poll had 94 percent of voters picking PSU to win. Duh. 
Tomorrow I'll have my top 25, and maybe a Big Ten Bloggers roundtable, if someone gets it out. Who's excited for football? Me.
Everyone's rankings are out, and Penn State continues its slow climb towards the top 10. Here's how PSU fared this week:
The Sporting News - PSU No. 14 (+2)
CBS Sportsline - PSU No. 18 (+3)
Associated Press (via ESPN) - PSU No. 16 (+1)
USA Today/Coaches Poll - PSU No. 15 (+2)
College Football News - "9. Penn State (3-0)
And just a quick entry from TNL:
W, Syracuse 55-13
next game: Temple
The Ranking Should Be Higher Because … the Nittany Lions have been as dominant over three games as any team in America. Yeah, the schedule might not seem that great, but Oregon State and Syracuse are BCS conference teams that were obliterated.
The Ranking Should Be Lower Because .. eventually, the problems at defensive tackle will be exposed. You can't keep losing that much frontline talent and survive."
The Nittany Line's Game Review "While Clark struggled a bit, Penn State inserted Devlin in the second quarter and he took up the slack completing his first six passes and the first touchdowns of his career (2 total). At this point in the season I'm pretty comfortable with either quarterback in this system and if one is having an off day I feel confident the other can step in and get things going."
There wasn't much movement this week. The biggest jumps were West Virginia (No. 8 to No. 24), East Carolina (Unranked to No. 20), and Penn State (No. 9 to No. 5). I know, you think I'm crazy for moving PSU so high, but I'm not the only one. So you can't call me just a homer. Ohio State needed a kick in the ass, so I moved them down. And yes, Georgia beat a MAC team. If a Big Ten team beat CMU, we'd hear "it's only a MAC team," but since UGA beat the Chipps, it's a "quality win" somehow. Bull. Enjoy.
Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result].
1. USC (2), [1-0, DNP]
2. Ohio State (1), [2-0, Def. Ohio 26-14]
3. Georgia (3), [2-0, Def. Central Michigan 56-17]
4. Oklahoma (4), [2-0, Def. Cincinnati 52-26]
5. Penn State (9), [2-0, Def. Oregon St 45-14]
6. Missouri (6), [2-0, Def. SE Missouri St 52-3]
7. Auburn (7), [2-0, Def. Southern Miss 27-13]
8. Florida (5), [2-0, Def. Miami 26-3]
9. Oregon (11), [2-0, Def. Utah St 66-24]
10. BYU (10), [2-0, Def. Washington 28-27]
11. Arizona State (13), [2-0, Def. Stanford 41-17]
12. LSU (12), [1-0, DNP (PPD)]
13. Texas Tech (14), [2-0, Def. Nevada 35-19]
14. Utah (16), [2-0, Def. UNLV 42-21]
15. Texas (15), [2-0, Def. UTEP 42-13]
16. South Florida (17), [2-0, Def. Central Florida 31-24 OT]
17. California (20), [2-0, Def. Washington St 66-3]
18. Wisconsin (18), [2-0, Def. Marshall 51-14]
19. Wake Forest (21), [2-0, Def. Ole Miss 30-28]
20. East Carolina (NR), [2-0, Def. No. 8 West Virginia 24-3]
21. Kentucky (19), [2-0, Def. Norfolk St (I-AA) 38-3]
22. Fresno State (22), [1-0, DNP]
23. Kansas (23), [2-0, Def. LaTech 29-0]
24. West Virginia (8), [1-1, Lost to East Carolina 24-3]
25. Alabama (24), [2-0, Def. Tulane 20-3]
Dropped Out:
Virginia Tech (25), [1-1, Def. Furman (I-AA) 24-3]
On the Cusp:
Clemson (NR), [1-1, Def. Citadel (I-AA) 45-17]
Georgia Tech (NR), [2-0, Def. Boston College 19-16]
Virginia Tech (25), [1-1, Def. Furman (I-AA) 24-3]
Illinois (NR), [1-1, Def. Eastern Illinois (I-AA) 47-21]
Michigan State (NR), [1-1, Def. Eastern Michigan 42-10]
Some, rather unexpected sportswriters are buying into Penn State this season. Others aren't so keen on the idea that the Big Ten isn't quite the Sun Belt. The rankings are out--the AP, Coaches, Computers--and some of the voters made known their feelings towards Penn State.
College Football Poll--which named Penn State national champs in 1994--puts PSU No. 12 this week, up from No. 14 last week, and No. 19 preseason.
Meanwhile, College Football News has PSU No. 13:
The run defense stuffed Oregon State, while the offense was flawless. The Beavers might be reeling, but it was still as tight a game as the Nittany Lions could ask for.
"The Nittany Lions' 45-14 rout of Oregon State was eye-opening to say the least. I would not have guessed that their "Spread HD" would click so thoroughly, so quickly."Of course he wouldn't have guessed. Then again, none of us guessed either.
"It will be little tricks like that -- as well as a solid offensive line -- that could just make running back Evan Royster a serious Heisman-Trophy candidate. While the Beavers were trying to figure out what was coming next, the smooth-running Royster ran right over them, picking up 141 yards on 17 carries and scoring three touchdowns. That gives him six scores in the season's first two games. Were you watching, Heisman Pundit?"Even The Sporting News likes what Penn State is doing right now. Dave Curtis thinks PSU could come out as a top-tier squad this season
"Some talking head suggested Saturday that the recent problems at Penn State (2-0 after beating beating Oregon State 45-14) should be blamed on the players. Huh? Dude, this is why these coaches are paid millions of dollars, to make sure the players don't rob banks (Ed. See: Yellow Journalism) or blow hippie lettuce. It's ultimately up to the coach to recruit kids of character.I'm not going to go on a big rant about this. After all, he's just one "talking head" in a crowd, and as I said above, there's so much Yellow Journalism in there, it's ridiculous. But I will offer this one big of advice: Don't worry, Dennis, as long as you keep it up, it will continue to be the "national scandal" you're hoping for.
Boys will be boys, sure, but what's happening at Penn State would be a national scandal if it was anyone else http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifbut Joe Paterno as coach. It's funny that other programs have leadership from its veteran players. Paterno had to suspend three of his senior guys last week a couple of weeks after ESPN portrayed the dearth of the off-field problems. Is it possible that in his zeal to win, JoePa took some chances on kids of questionable character?"
In one of the most interesting polls so far, Oregon State fans flooded Zombie Nation the past few days. In the process, the Beavers faithful really swung the voting in favor of Oregon State. However, it was too little, too late, as Penn State is still favored by readers. With 197 taking part in this week's poll, Penn State was given a 2:1 split (64%) over Oregon State (35%). 
It should be a great game today for both sides. Remember to check out Zombie Nation's complete game coverage: OSU Blogger's Take... Full OSU/PSU Game Preview... ABC Coverage Map - OSU/PSU... Week 2 Blue & White Roundtable
Finally, we have some game results to go by. So here you go, the Week 2 top 25 for 2008. I wasn’t ready to follow the trend on all the teams, but Clemson just looked awful, Oregon looked great, and the non-BCS teams are on the prowl.
Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result].
1. Ohio State (1), [1-0, Def. Young. St. 43-0]
2. USC (3), [1-0, Def. Virginia 52-7]
3. Georgia (2), [1-0, Def. Ga. Southern 45-21]
4. Oklahoma (6), [1-0, Def. Chattanooga 57-2]
5. Florida (7), [1-0, Def. Hawai’i 56-10]
6. Missouri (4), [1-0, Def. No. 24 Illinois 52-42]
7. Auburn (5), [1-0, Def. ULM 34-0]
8. West Virginia (8), [1-0, Def. Villanova 48-21]
9. Penn State (11), [1-0, Def. Coastal Car. 66-10]
10. BYU (10), [1-0, Def. No. Iowa 41-17]
11. Oregon (19), [1-0, Def. Washington 44-10]
12. LSU (12), [0-0, Def. App. St. 41-13]
13. Arizona State (13), [1-0, Def. No. Arizona 30-13]
14. Texas Tech (15), [1-0, Def. E. Wash. 49-24]
15. Texas (17), [1-0, Def. FAU 52-10]
16. Utah (22), [1-0, Def. Michigan 25-23]
17. South Florida (23), [1-0, Def. Tenn-Martin 56-7]
18. Wisconsin (14), [1-0, Def. Akron 38-17]
19. Kentucky (NR), [1-0, Def. Louisville 27-2]
20. California (NR), [1-0, Def. No. 18 Michigan St. 38-31]
21. Wake Forest (NR), [1-0, Def. Baylor 41-13]
22. Fresno State (NR), [1-0, Def. No. 25 Rutgers 24-7]
23. Kansas (NR), [1-0, Def. FIU 40-10]
24. Alabama (NR), [1-0, Def. No. 9 Clemson 34-10]
25. Virginia Tech (16), [0-1, Lost to E. Carolina 27-22]
Dropped Out:
Clemson (9), [0-1, Lost to Alabama 34-10]
Rutgers (25), [0-1, Lost to Fresno St. 24-7]
Oregon State (20), [0-1, Lost to Stanford 38-26]
Michigan State (18), [0-1, Lost to California 38-31]
Pittsburgh (21), [0-1, Lost to Bowling Green 27-17]
Illinois (24), [0-1, Lost to No. 4 Missouri 52-42]
On the Cusp:
East Carolina (NR), [1-0, Def. No. 16 Va Tech 27-22]
South Carolina (NR), [1-0, Def. N.C. St. 34-0]
Boston College (NR), [1-0, Def. Kent St. 21-0]
Cincinnati (NR), [1-0, Def. E. Kentucky 40-7]
Connecticut (NR), [1-0, Def. Hofstra 35-3]
Ed. note - I'm bumping the Paterno press conference stuff until tomorrow. I'll also have the Big Ten Bloggers roundtable.
Yeah, so I'm a bit late getting the poll results from last week out. But it's not like there was anything shocking. Readers picked PSU to beat Coastal Carolina. Really? Wow. So, mainly for archiving purposes, here's the results from last week's poll. I just posted the new one, which I promise will be more interesting. 
It was like picking your favorite child, but voters tabbed Deon Butler to lead PSU's veteran stable of wide receivers for the fourth consecutive season. That's not to take away from the incredible careers of Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood, as any team in the nation would love to have just one of them. By a slim margin (48-44%), the voters predicted Butler to come out on top.(
Later today: My week 1 game picks for the Big Ten (hosted by the Big Ten Bloggers). Just so you know, I didn't go with any wacky winners, but I did pick a certain team wearing winged helmets to beat up some Mormans.
And be sure to vote in the new poll: This week's PSU game winner.
I'm leaving in a few minutes for a couple days of nothingness, but here's the latest poll results, asking readers how they reacted to the blatantly biased "reporting" ESPN did on Outside The Lines. Needless to say, fans weren't happy. A full 87 percent of voters said ESPN was wrong in how it went about this feature story. As more comes out about how sleazy The Worldwide Leader acted, the rest of the nation should come to its senses. But for now, we can all just concentrate on football!
