Virginia Tech moved into the top 10 at No. 9 and Clemson jumped all the way to No. 13 in the Scripps Legends Poll this week. The teams face each other in Blacksburg on Saturday evening and legend Bobby Ross has been watching the ACC favorites closely this season.

Moderator: Coach Ross, why don’t you tell us what you think is going to happen in the Clemson/Virginia Tech game?

Bobby Ross: Well, I think first of all Clemson’s got to come out and play their game. Sometimes when you get into a situation like that, you may kind of feel a little bit more conservative to start the football game. I don’t think Clemson wants to do that. Right now, they are shooting from the hip. They’re a big play football team. They’re primarily a throwing team and have big play ability. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a more mature freshman in this new wide receiver, Sammy Watkins, that they have and the way he’s playing the game.

And the way he’s handling things. He’s their leading receiver, scored numerous touchdowns, all of which have been big plays, but you can tell just from his demeanor in the ball game that he is a very mature young kid. He’s not one to showboat or anything of that nature, he catches the ball, he goes back to the huddle, gets it, puts it on the ground or gives it to the official and he comes over to the bench and sits down, talks to the coaches, talks to the quarterback, etc. and moves on. Watkins is a factor they have not had in the past.

In addition to that, they have an excellent quarterback in Boyd. If there was an example of him I would say that he is very similar in style of play to the Russell Wilson at Wisconsin. He’s not a burner as a runner, but he is an effective runner. He can create things on his own. He has a very live arm. You can see that he plays with great confidence and very solid in that respect. I think that Boyd’s a key factor to them, too.

Moderator: What does Virginia Tech have to do to win?

Ross: I think Virginia Tech has to control the long ball first of all, the big play. I think early in the game is going to be a key for them because – that’s why I say Clemson has got to come out early and be aggressive and attack. At the same time, Virginia Tech’s got to be alert for the big play, the speed, because they haven’t seen the speed that they’re going to see in this game. Now, they’ve seen it, and I’m sure Coach Beamer is talking to them about that very thing. They’ve seen plenty of speed teams in the past, but this is one that is very, very explosive, probably more explosive than I’ve ever seen them in the time that I’ve been around them. And Virginia Tech has a young defense, they give you a lot of different formation type variations, they’re going to have to not only adjust, but then play. And, so, I think that the adjustments and then the speed factor are keys for Clemson as far as establishing the big play and for Virginia Tech for preventing the big play.

Moderator: Richard, what is your take on that game?

Billingsley: Well, I don’t know the x’s and the o’s like Coach does, that’s for sure. I can tell you this, I think the key for Clemson is going to be able to keep the Virginia Tech crowd out of this came. And the only way they can do that is to score points. The very best thing that could happen would be for them to have a long, sustained drive to keep that crowd out of the game. And on the other side of the coin, Virginia Tech needs to play great defense and nothing inspires a crowd like great defense. And if they shut Clemson down early and that crowd stays in the game, it’s going to be a tough, tough night for Clemson.

(Image courtesy of Flickr, techsports)

Another weekend, another tough game in the SEC.

Top-ranked Alabama heads down to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators — ranked No. 12 in the Scripps Legends Poll. Florida has surpassed expectations this year in Will Muschamp’s first year at the helm.

“I think Alabama will have a challenge coming off a tough game against Arkansas,” former Georgia coach Vince Dooley said. “Florida has that speed and has got the coaches that are coaching up the personnel. If they’d have had last year’s coaches coaching these people, I think you’re going to get the same results. But the coaches that are there now are more in tuned to the players, particularly the quarterback and the system that they’re using. So they are good.”

Dooley went as far to say Florida should be the favorite in the SEC East — a division that many think is South Carolina’s to lose.

But Alabama is No. 1 for a reason, and the other Scripps Legends Poll voters say Florida will have a hard time with the talented Tide defense.

“Somebody’s got to beat them (Alabama) to convince me that they’re not the best football team in the country,” former Auburn coach Pat Dye said. “And primarily because of their defense.”

Georgia Tech legend Bobby Ross agreed.

“Alabama’s speed can get neutralized if you’ve got a good running game,” Ross said. “I mean, the speed in the secondary is primarily in your passing coverage. And they’ll be good there. They actually had only one guy returning in the secondary, but they thought they had some real good talent going into the season.  But I think that Alabama’s running game will prevail.  I think that’s what’s going to happen.  Of course, their defense, I think it’ll attack the strength of what I’m seeing out of Florida right now and that is their speed and their big play and their throwing game with their receivers.”

Do you think Florida has what it takes to knock off Bama? Tell us in the comments!

(Image courtesy of Flickr, Jason Kruse)

Moderator: Arkansas is going to Arlington, Texas to play Texas A&M. And, of course, Arkansas is coming off a loss at Alabama and they’re on the road again. And it was a disappointing loss because, as Frank Broyles said in our Scripps Legends Poll call Monday, that Arkansas couldn’t run the ball and had to rely on the passing. And Texas A&M is coming off a disappointing loss in that they were beating Oklahoma State, a Top 10 team, 20-3 and ended up losing by 1 point. So, they both are coming off losses. I guess Texas A&M’s loss is more disappointing because they might have been favored in that game playing at home and Arkansas probably wasn’t favored playing at Alabama. So, Richard, what are your thoughts on this matchup?

Richard Billingsley: Your thoughts are exactly parallel with mine. In my rankings neither Arkansas nor Texas A&M suffered from those losses because they both lost to very highly ranked teams. So, at this point in the season Arkansas and A&M can both still go on and have a great season. These are very talented teams. I think the loss for Texas A&M was more devastating and it was because they were expected to win the game. I don’t think a lot of people, perhaps outside the state of Arkansas, felt like Arkansas could actually go into Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama. But a lot of people felt like A&M could beat Oklahoma State. So, to me, my first question would be can Texas A&M emotionally come back from a devastating loss like that and go right into another high profile game.

Moderator: Bobby, what would you say, if you were coaching Arkansas and if you were coaching Texas A&M? What approach would you take for each team in getting them up for this game?

Bobby Ross:  I agree with Richard totally that it’s going to be tougher for A&M to come back from their loss last weekend. I do think this though, Arkansas has one distraction with the injury factor. I think one of their defensive – both defensive ends – one was out last week with a hamstring and then the other one, Wright, I think is his name, he got hurt and broke his arm and he’s going to be out. And I don’t know if the kid is back from the hamstring or not. So, they’re going to be losing two, very, very important players in their system.  Arkansas was the underdog at Alabama and everybody knew that. And, so, the Arkansas approach is to say, okay, put the game behind you and let’s move on. Both teams really have to do that. It’s just going to be harder for A&M to do that in my opinion. The advantage I think A&M has going into the game is that Coach Broyles had said Arkansas can’t run a lick and they did not in that ball game. Everything is depending upon their quarterback who is pretty good. I was surprised at how good he has looked. But A&M can run the ball. They had two backs that were running good and a very strong offensive line. I think they returned something like four starters and they were prepared to run the ball well. And I think they’ve got to hammer the ball. Let’s run the football out. That would be my approach as far as A&M is concerned. And with Arkansas, they’ve got to do what they do best and that’s throw the football. But I would still be wanting to establish some type of running attack, because I’m a great believer in the running game. I don’t ever want to have to coach a team that doesn’t run the ball well. I think once that happens you really have some problems.

(Image courtesy of Flickr, Daaka2)

Nebraska hasn’t been a Big Ten member for long.

But the Huskers face arguably the conference’s toughest team on Saturday at Camp Randall when they take on fourth-ranked Wisconsin. Transfer quarterback Russell Wilson has energized the Badger offense and has his team off to a 4-0 start.

No. 8 Nebraska will clearly be Wisconsin’s toughest opponent thus far.

“First of all, talking about Wisconsin, I really like them as an offense,” former Indiana coach Bill Mallory said. “I think Wilson, their quarterback, has really come on. He is really giving them a good impact in their passing game. He’s a playmaker and he’s been accurate with the ball and he’s got good receivers, particularly with Toon at wide out. But overall I think they’ve really brought their passing game on and they always have good running game.”

Wisconsin ranks sixth in points per game in the FBS at 48.5 and their defense ranks third, allowing just 8.5 points per contest — including a shutout against Oregon State.

“Defensively, I’m not saying they’ve really been tested because of the people they’ve played thus far, but again it looks like a good Wisconsin defense,” Mallory said. “They’re big, strong and active, so there isn’t anything there I’ve seen that doesn’t tell me that it isn’t going to be a good defense. In my opinion right now, if I were to pick the top team in the Big Ten it would be Wisconsin.”

Nebraska hopes to change the opinions of the people picking Wisconsin as the top team in the conference. The Huskers has a slightly tougher road than Wisconsin thus far, taking care of Fresno State 42-29 and Washington 51-38 — both at home.

“With Nebraska, I like what I see there as well,” Mallory said. “I think offensively they’ve got a good hard-nosed, hard running back in Burkhead. Last week he had his highest average of yards 170 yards, but he’s a good, big, tough running back and that’s something that they needed.

“They kind of, you know, last year maybe it was good, but I think it’s better this year and Martinez is a good, all-around quarterback. You know, he can throw, he can run and I’m not saying he’s a great passer, but he’s still a darn good passer and he can run. They’re running the option and have kind of gotten back to the Tom Osborne option game and with Martinez he puts real pressure with you on running the ball and running the option game.”

Mallory said that Nebraska’s Bo Pelini-coached defense is tough as well. Mallory and the other voters in the Scripps Legends Poll say that Nebraska defense is close to returning to its “Black Shirt” days.

“They’ve got down people that I think, like Crick that make them a tough defense,” Mallory said. “This should be, I think, a heck of a ball game. It’s going to be there in Madison, but Nebraska, I think they travel well. It should be a darn good contest. If I was going to pick a winner, I’d tend to lean a bit toward Wisconsin, but I’d like think it’s going to be a good, close ball game.”

Who’s next?

That’s the question that’s being asked regarding all of the conference shake-ups in the past few weeks. The Scripps Legends Poll voters agreed that Texas A&M to the SEC was a good move, but no one knows what will happen next and how it will effect the college football landscape.

The legendary voting panel tried to make sense of everything on Monday’s teleconference.

Moderator: What was the biggest motivating factor for Texas A&M?

R.C. Slocum: Stability is our big thing. And equal partnership with – we’re in bed with some guys and have partnerships with people where we’re all treated equally. We all have equal involvement and equal revenue share and those type things where we can support each other in a league that will be sustained. And this league has been sustained for a long period of time.

Don Nehlen: Hey, West Virginia’s homeless! I don’t know what’s going to happen. You know, the Big East, everybody’s running from us. And we’re down to seventeen now.

Pat Dye: Has the Southeastern Conference approached you, Don?

Nehlen: You know what, I think they have, Pat. I think we’ve got a shot, but I don’t know how strong it is. But I think that they are – you know, we’ve got such a great fan base and, I mean, we’re – you guys saw the game Saturday night and I’m sure you know that place was just – it’s a special place, there’s no question. Our stadium is as good as any of them and LSU – that’s was the craziest game I ever saw. I thought we were getting back in it and then they returned that dad-gone kick off, but I thought we had a shot but we ended up getting walloped. They’re pretty good. I was surprised they couldn’t get to our passer, though. Because I heard so much about their great pass rush and heavens, Marshall sacked us and Norfolk State sacked us and these guys didn’t. So, but anyhow, we are homeless so if any of you want us, we’re interested.

Bill Mallory: Don, have you heard from the ACC?

Nehlen: Well, from what I understand, Bill, they turned us down. So, I don’t know. They took Pitt and Syracuse which – they had them up and they can’t take 5,000 people to a game. They really can’t, but I don’t know what their criteria is. There’s a lot of other things that go into it, I’m sure.

Bobby Ross: I think a lot of that had to do with basketball, to be very honest with you, Syracuse and Pitt.

Moderator: Do you think it has to do with the television market issue or accreditation?

Nehlen: Well, there isn’t any question, we’re a small state. But I’ll tell you one thing, the whole state is tuned in watching them play. We got about 1.8 million and I guarantee you they’re all tuned in. That’s number one. As far as the accreditation, you know, I don’t know, but our school, we’re a land grant institution, and I mean, we’ve got our own Medical School, our own Law School, got our own Dental School, I mean, we’re pretty well thought of, I thought, but those are things that I’m not sure about.

Moderator: Do the rivalries factor in? For instance with Oklahoma and Nebraska or Texas A&M and Texas.

Dye: If Oklahoma and Nebraska wanted to play, they could play. The same thing is true with Texas and Texas A&M. If I was Texas A&M, I would certainly not be the one to run. I’m talking about from Texas.

Slocum: Right now, we would like to keep the rivalry going – we would like to play them. I saw the comment by the Texas AD just recently and he said he felt like that would be problematic, that they were scheduled out for a number of years and didn’t know if they could fit us into their conference schedule. But in terms of our position, it’ll be their choice. If they can’t work us in, then I don’t guess we can play if they don’t want to play us. But our position is we’d like to maintain that game.

Terry Donahue: Yeah, it’s such a great rivalry. It’d be tragic for college football to lose that.

Slocum: Yeah, it’s over a hundred year old rivalry.

Moderator: What are your thoughts on Auburn possibly moving to the SEC East and out of Alabama’s division?

Gene Stallings: Pat can speak better for Auburn than I can, but you know it just seems natural that A&M would be in the East playing LSU and Mississippi State and Alabama and Tennessee, but I haven’t heard anything about what Auburn was going to be realigned, have you, Pat?

Dye: It depends strictly on whether they take another team like Missouri from the West. If they take a Missouri, then Auburn will move to the East. Then, they’ll have to make a decision about playing Alabama and the possibility of playing Alabama early in the season rather at the end of the year. It wouldn’t be a very good thing for Auburn to play Alabama and then both line up against each other to play the next week in the Championship game, which could happen. But you know these athletic directors, they’ve got sense enough to arrange the schedule. And if Oklahoma and Nebraska wanted to play, they could play. If Texas wants to run from Texas A&M because they’re going to the Southeastern Conference then, that’s Texas’ decision. But the only thing that I don’t think would be good would be playing Alabama the last game of the year like we do now and then lining up and having to play them again in a week for the Championship.

Stallings: I don’t think it’s a good idea that Alabama and Auburn play early.

Dye: Well, you know, when you lose to Alabama or Alabama loses to Auburn, they’ve got a chance, then, to go ahead and have a decent year. But, I agree with you, it’s not the ideal time to play it, but it would be better than playing it the week before the Championship game.

Vince Dooley: As far as A&M, which I think is going to be a great addition to the Conference, I think it just depends on what school that the conference will end up getting and there’s a lot of good opportunities out there, certainly West Virginia, there’s Missouri, there’s some others and based on where that school comes from is how the conference is going to end up dividing. The logical thing would be, if it’s another team from the West for Auburn to come to the East, but with doing that you’d have some scheduling and traditional problems certainly Alabama and Auburn and there’s Auburn and Georgia. But when we first went to East and West, there was a great tradition of Tennessee playing Auburn every year. Georgia had no rivalry with Tennessee, but that came fast when we started playing them regular.  So, even some of those rivals- they can change, you think they’ll never or are incapable of changing, but they can change and you can pick up new rivals in a hurry particularly if you’re in adjacent states.  So, anyway, there’s still a lot of left questions out there and it all depends on what the conference decides as to whose going to be the next team which they definitely need to have one.

Frank Broyles: I think the realignments happen because of the proximity and the future. We left because we didn’t think we’d be included in a new conference over there (Southwest Conference). So, we jumped while we had a chance. Since we are neighboring states to Tennessee, Mississippi and LSU. So, we have a good fan base and rivalries.

Bill Mallory: You know with the alignment of the Big Ten, and they did maintain the rivalries, of course the best example is Michigan and Ohio State, Michigan being the in the Legends division and Ohio State in the Leaders division, but they still played at the end of the season. It’s true with Indiana/Purdue and other rivalries that we have so, you know, for the most part they run right on and continue to maintain them.

(Image courtesy of Flickr, Shutterbug459)

Oregon entered the 2011 college football season with a lot of hype. The Ducks certainly deserved the attention after going undefeated last year and coming up just three points shy of a BCS national championship against Auburn.

But Oregon came out of the gates in 2011 with another tough SEC opponent, third-ranked LSU. The Tiger defense stifled Oregon and made most of the big plays to secure a 40-27 win.

Since dropping the opener, Oregon has gone 3-0, averaging just over 60 points per game — including a 56-31 win over Arizona.

“They’re so difficult to stop,” former Washington coach Don James said. “You know, they run the spread offense, but it’s a little bit of Wing-T and Wishbone.  You absolutely cannot find the ball if you’re sitting in the stands and (LaMichael) James is a great back.  I know he probably is related to me, but he can run and he can dodge and he can fly, but their offense is really good. Overall, I think Oregon right now – Oregon and Stanford are two class teams in the Pac-12.”

UCLA coaching legend Terry Donahue called the Oregon-Arizona game, and he says that there is something a little different in this year’s Oregon team from last year’s.

“The only thing about Oregon that may be a little different than a year ago is their defensive football team,” Donahue said. “I’m not sure that they’re as good on defense as they’ve been, but offensively they are just terrific.”

Donahue also sees the Pac-12 race a little differently than James.

“The other team I would add in the Pac-12 that I’ve seen play and I think is a real good football team or has a chance to be a pretty good football team is Arizona State,” Donahue said. “If you look at Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State those would be the three teams in the league that – and Arizona State’s a developing team. I don’t know if they’d beat Oregon — they play October 15^th — I think, and I don’t know if they’ll beat Stanford, but they might.  They might, they’ve got some guys on both sides of the ball and they might.”

What do you think of Oregon this year? Will they repeat as Pac-12 champs? Tell us in the comments.

(Image courtesy of Flickr, IllegalShift)

After a whirlwind of rumors and pending lawsuits, Texas A&M has finally been accepted as the newest member of the SEC.

Texas A&M becomes the conference’s 13th member, and commissioner Mike Slive says the SEC will remain a 13-team league for the foreseeable future. On Monday’s Scripps Legends Poll teleconference, the panel of legendary coaches discussed the topic of realignment, much of which revolved around Texas A&M.

“We (Texas A&M) were not the first or the only team in that league to be looking around,” former Aggie coach R.C. Slocum said. “And it’s kind of hard not to – when you’re in a league and, you know, you keep hearing all the time about this team’s looking here and that team’s looking there, and looking to see what’s best for them.  So, at some point in this whole thing, the ‘powers at be’ at A&M decided, you know, we should be looking to see what’s in the best long term interest of A&M.”

Another Texas A&M legend, Gene Stallings, is a former member of the school’s Board of Regents and was in favor of the move to the SEC. Stallings recapped the events from a year ago that ultimately led to A&M’s move to the SEC.

“Last year, the University of Texas had spent quite a bit of time talking to the Pac-10,” Stallings said. “I remember talking to them for the Texas people and they said, ‘well, they were going to include A&M with them’ and I said, ‘Well, we’re big enough to sit at the table and vote ourselves.’ Nobody gave us an opportunity to vote.”

Stallings was on the Board of Regents at the time and says he expressed feelings that Texas A&M didn’t have much in common with teams on the West Coast.

“It’s a 2 hour time zone difference,” he said.” If you watch your game at 8 o’clock there, it’s 10 o’clock in College Station.  I mean, I personally think if the Big 12 were going to disband at the time, I recommended that we go to the Southeastern Conference.”

Texas ended up passing on the opportunity to move to the Pac-10 or even the Big Ten and the Big 12 remained intact. But after a few months, a bomb was dropped on the other Big 12 members that stuck around. The Longhorn Network.

“But now, all of a sudden, the Longhorn network is an entirely different animal,” Stallings said. “Now, they’re talking about 24 hours a day you can turn on something about the University of Texas.  I couldn’t care less what they do at the University of Texas, that’s their business. I am representing A&M, I thought it was in the best interest of Texas A&M we should go to the Southeastern Conference.”

The Longhorn Network wasn’t the only reason that Texas A&M decided to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC. Slocum says there were other motivating factors.

“I would question that premise that this is all about television,” Slocum said. “In Texas A&M’s terms, it’s not all about television.  It’s about stability and long-range future of our school and the exposure for our athletes and that stuff.  Of course, money is involved in everything, but this is not a television move for Texas A&M.

“In terms of stability I think of an equal partnership where you’re in a league where you don’t have a team or two or three teams that have a big advantage over the other teams in the league. That was attractive to us — the stability of the Southeastern Conference.”

The conference is stable, and it’s tough. The SEC has produced the last five BCS national championship teams. The SEC is continually hotbed for NFL talent. The SEC is week-in, week-out the toughest conference in college football.

“We know, without a doubt, we know how tough that league is,” Slocum said. “We have great, great respect for the Southeastern Conference and the level of competition there.  So, we’re not under any false illusion that we’re just going to walk in there — we know it’s going to be challenging, but we think that we have the infrastructure, we think we have the fan base, we have a recruiting base that we think over time that we can be competitive in that league.

“We’ve got great respect for the league and I think we bring a lot to the league.  We bring a lot of television states to Texas, we bring a lot of old, old, historical land grant institution that’s a member of the American Association of
Colleges and Universities.”

With such a rich history, Slocum says Texas A&M — which is ranked thirteenth in the latest Scripps Legends Poll — is excited about renewing old rivalries and facing new challenges in the SEC.

“We’ve had a long-term relationship with the University of Arkansas. We’ve had a long-term relationship with LSU,” Slocum said. “You know, we look forward to renewing those rivalries.  It’s always been kind of a unique, special connection between A&M and Alabama and it goes back to the fact of Coach Bryant, one of the absolute, most respected coaches in the history of college football, who coached at Texas A&M and then went to Alabama.”

Stallings, who has been a proponent for the move all along, says that the university won’t be the only property that benefits from the move. He says the fans will benefit as well.

“I think it’s an outstanding move for A&M and I think it’s good for the SEC,” Stallings said. “Texas A&M is the sixth largest university in the country. They’ve got a beautiful stadium, the alumni will follow the team and the people enjoy coming to College Station to see a game, there are land grant colleges on both sides and it’s a good fit in the Southeastern Conference.”

Boise State is the quietest top 5 team you’ll ever see.

Kellen Moore and the Broncos just keep winning and nobody seems to pay attention. But Boise remains No. 5 in the Scripps Legends Poll and will always be a polarizing figure in the rankings.

“I know we go back and forth every year with Boise State,” former Washington coach Don James said. “But if you just look at their schedule, I mean, they’ve got eight games now that’s going to be a cakewalk.

“I don’t think there’s any argument against the fact that if they played Alabama four weeks from now they could compete with them because they’ve got 3 weeks to get ready. But it’s incredible to look at their schedule and those teams are not even good, some of them.”

Even though Boise State knocked off Georgia in the opener in Atlanta, some of the Scripps Legends Poll voters have difficulty putting the Broncos in the top 5.

“You know I watched that Toledo/Boise game,” said former Indiana coach Bill Mallory. “I know Boise’s good, but I just look at the people up front and I compare them with some of these other teams I’m watching, and I just don’t see them as physical as some of these other teams I see. Yet I know they’re in the top 10, but I really have a hard time thinking they’re a top 5 team.”

Not all of the Legends Coaches echo that sentiment, however. Former BYU coach LaVell Edwards says that Boise State still doesn’t get enough credit.

“From what I’ve seen it’s always amazing to me how we hear so much about their quarterback and their throwing and a couple of running backs,” Edwards said, “but I tell you what, their linemen, their defense, I think, is underrated by many. I think they’re pretty solid there.

“And from what I’ve seen, I don’t know.  They haven’t been – they had that great game against Georgia and since then I don’t know that they’ve played anybody that’s been a real test.  And that’s always going to be an issue.  But when you try to come to judge Boise State as far as the national level is concerned.”

(Image courtesy of Flickr, Jake Putnam)

The second week of the Scripps Legends Poll saw a shake-up at the top with Alabama jumping Oklahoma at No. 1.

On Monday’s teleconference, the Legends Coaches discussed why they voted the Tide at the top.

Pat Dye: Well, I picked Alabama No. 1. And somebody’s got to beat them to convince me that they’re not the best football team in the country — primarily because of their defense. You know, they’re not only fast, they’re big and they’re the most physical. And I know LSU, I’ve seen them a couple of times, but I think Alabama’s a more physical football team up front. They may not be quite as quick as LSU, but I think they’re bigger and stronger and the linebackers, in particular, add to the strength of their defensive front. And, of course, they’ve got a great secondary just like LSU. LSU may be a little better in the secondary.

Offensively, they are a running football team, and they have confidence in their passing game. The other thing is, they don’t make any mistakes. They don’t turn the football over, they don’t get stupid penalties and that’s the reason I picked them number 1.

Moderator: Who did you take at No. 2 through No. 5?

Dye: I picked LSU No. 2 primarily for the same reason I picked Alabama No. 1. I just don’t think LSU is quite as good as Alabama. They’ve got to play them in a couple of weeks and I think Alabama will beat them because they’re playing in Tuscaloosa. If they played in Baton Rouge it might be a different ball game. Neither one of them have got great quarterbacks, but they’re efficient and they’re not making mistakes with the football and doing things to get themselves beat and both of them have got great, great defensive football teams.

Now, I took Oklahoma at No. 3. They’re a great offensive football team and, obviously, everybody in the country thinks they are a great football team with talent and so forth, but I don’t believe that Oklahoma could line up and consistently move a football against LSU or Alabama. I don’t think Oklahoma is any better than Arkansas on offense and they may be – and Arkansas had less than 200 yards against Alabama.

The fourth team was Wisconsin. And I’m going a lot, my opinion based on last year – just a big, strong, physical football team on both sides of the football that has always been a good running football team and no different this year and they’re getting great production out of their quarterback. And that kind of sets him apart from everybody in the Big Ten and I just think that they would be a football team that, in my opinion, could match up with any of the three up above and have a chance probably because of their quarterback.

And the fifth team, I picked Florida. And Florida looks like ‘old Florida’ to me. I mean, that’s pretty good. They don’t resemble the football team they had last year. They’re playing together, they’re playing hard, they’re playing great on defense and the same thing is true on offense. They got the quarterback settled down and making plays and got probably a faster overall team speed than Alabama or LSU.

Terry Donahue: Hey, Pat, where did you have Oklahoma State?

Dye: No. 6.

Bill Mallory: I put Oklahoma State in there at fifth. I really like them. I think that’s a team that’s really coming on and I really thought they deserved to be in the top 5 – a good balanced football team.

Bobby Ross: I had Oklahoma State fifth also. I like their speed, their quarterback, them going into Texas A&M and doing what they did I thought was a tremendous accomplishment.

Dye:  The difference, to me, between Oklahoma State and Florida is strictly on the defensive side of the football. I just don’t think Oklahoma State is as good as Florida and there’s not a lot to choose from as far as their offense is concerned.

Who would you put in your top 5? Tell us in the comments.

It only took one week for the Scripps Legends Poll to name a new No. 1 team.

Alabama (4-0, 1-0 in SEC) now sits atop the rankings after dismantling Arkansas 38-14 in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

“This Alabama football team, to me, is basically identical to the one they won the national championship with in 2009,” legendary Auburn coach Pat Dye said of his former archrival. “You know, they’re not asking [quarterback A.J.] McCarron to win games. They’re just asking him to manage them. And defensively, I don’t know how you can get any stronger than they are.”

Oklahoma (3-0, 1-0 in Big 12) fell one spot to No. 2 in the Scripps Legends Poll despite receiving seven first-place votes — one less than top-ranked Alabama.

No. 3 LSU got the other four first-place votes. Les Miles and the LSU defense continued to roll in a 47-21 victory at West Virginia, dropping the Mountaineers four spots in the rankings to No. 20.

No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 5 Boise State remained unchanged in the top 5.

Stanford remained sixth in the rankings and Oklahoma State stayed at No. 7 after a 30-29 comeback victory at Texas A&M.

Nebraska moved up a spot to No. 8, setting up a top 10 showdown next weekend in Madison against fourth-ranked Wisconsin.

No. 9 Virginia Tech moved into the top 10 followed by No. 10 South Carolina. The Hokies face a tough test as well next weekend when 14th-ranked Clemson invades Blacksburg Saturday night. Clemson jumped seven spots after a 35-30 win over Florida State, which fell 15 spots to No. 25.

“Clemson has a receiver, Sammy Watkins, that to me is in the same category with (NFL receivers) Julio Jones and A.J. Green — and he’s a true freshman,” Dye said. “Auburn couldn’t cover him and couldn’t tackle him, and neither could FSU.”

New to this week’s Scripps Legends Poll top 25 were No. 22 Georgia Tech and No. 24 Arizona State.

Southern Cal and Miami (FL) dropped out.

(Image courtesy of Flickr, Collegefootballjock)