Florida Power Rankings: Week 2. FSU Holds Strong

How the Teams are Rated

The rankings of each team are based on weekly performances as well as their overall results from the current season. A team may have more talent than another on the list but if they're not getting wins and putting up solid statistics, they won't be rated higher.

1 - FSU 1-0 (1-0), Last Weeks Rank - 1

Week 2 Opponent: Bye Week

Week 3 Opponent: Nevada

FSU was off last week so the big news was that the Noles are moving speedy safety Karlos Williams (who's also 230 lbs) to running back. This is so he can get more playing time as well as help depth out at the position. Here's a video by Robert Smith of ESPN talking about the transition as well as the story itself: LINK.

In Week 3 they play Nevada at home in an Out of Conference show down. This should be another tune up game for the Noles but they should be leery, this is the team that made the Pistol Formation all the rage in the NFL as well as College ball.

2 - University of Miami 2-0, (0-0), Last Weeks Rank - 3

Week 2 Opponent: 21 - 16 win verse Florida

Week 3: Bye Week

Comments from Week 2:

We've covered last week's win for UM at great length here at SOTU so I won't go into a breakdown of the game but say UM clearly is the number two team in the state until either they play FSU, FSU underperforms or UM underperforms.

Going into next week the Canes will look to get their offense in sync because after the first two showings they've left a lot of production on the table when it comes to execution of the plays. The defense has played better than expected so if they can get the offense back on track, watch out!

3 - University of Central Florida 2-0, (0-0), Last Weeks Rank - 2

Week 2 Opponent: 38 - 0 win verse Florida International

Week 3 Opponent:  @ Penn State

Another cream puff opponent another steam rolling dished out by the Knights. Led by an efficient passing attack (14-21, 225 yards and one touchdown) and an effective rushing attack (165 yards and 4 touchdowns) UCF made this game almost unwatchable at points.

The rubber meets the road in their next match however as they make a trip to State College. This isn't your old PSU however as the sanctions have started to take their toll on the overall depth at each position for the Nittany Lions. It will still be a watershed type game for UCF if they could come away with a victory next Saturday night (6 p.m.).

4 - University of Florida 1-1, (0-0), Last Weeks Rank - 4

Week 2 Opponent: 21 - 16 loss at the University of Miami

Week 3: Bye Week

The Gators get an opportunistic bye week after last week disappointing showing in Coral Gables. Jeff Driskel and his fellow offensive teammates couldn't convert when they had their opportunities in the red zone against the Canes and in the end it cost them the rivalry game.

Besides having the bye to help fix their psyche it looks like they suffered an injury or two. We'll see if the time off can help them get healthy. They play Tennessee the following week to open up their SEC play.

5 - Florida Atlantic 0-2, (0-1), Last Weeks Rank - 5

Week 2 Opponent: 31 - 13 loss at Eastern Carolina

Week 3 Opponent: @ South Florida

Full disclaimer, it was really hard to rate the final three schools in Florida. All three are 0-2 and it seems they have very little going in the right direction for the not too distant future. Anyways, lets break down Florida Atlantic..

The Owls opened up Conference USA last Thursday with a hollow thud.  It looks like the Quarterback competition has shrunk down to two: JUCO Sophomore Transfer Jaquez Johnson and Freshman Greg Hankerson from the first week when there were initially three players vying for the coveted position. Even though the competition may be dwindling the results are unfortunately not getting any better, both players combined the throw for 178 yards, one touchdown and two picks against a below average secondary (ECU usually tries to outscore opponents on a weekly basis).

A true mind numbing week three matchup is ahead for us when the Owls head to Tampa to play the Bulls. I can only imagine what the attendance is going to be for the game. Maybe the fans will be riding the Willie Taggart Express.

6 - South Florida 0-2 (0-0), Last Weeks Rank - 7

Week 2 Opponent: 21 - 6 loss at Michigan State

Week 3 Opponent: Florida Atlantic

Is it possible to play better from the following week even though you lost? Well, it kind of happened in week two for the Bulls. They were up in East Lansing and couldn't muster any offense against a very stingy Sparty defense. They scratched and clawed for 66 passing yards (!!) and their quarterback rushed for negative 25 yards (!!!!) in the loss.

It's a tossup for next week as the Bulls play host to the Owls at home. Let's just see if either team can get off Mark Shlabach's "The Bottom 10."

7- Florida International 0-2 (0-2), Last Weeks Rank - 6

Week 2 Opponent: 38 - 0 loss to UCF

Week 3 Opponent: Bethune-Cookman

Just like the praise was heaped on UCF for their victory in week two you have to start to wonder about the resolve of Florida International even though it's just the beginning of the season. The fighting Ron Turner's looked to settle on one quarterback (Jake Medlock) but it didn't make a difference as they were walloped at home. Their offense totaled 142 passing yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. The running game wasn't much better gaining a gross total of 31 yards on 29 attempts (!!).

Next week's matchup maybe even scarier than their previous opponent, they play Bethune-Cookman. The reason for that is because this is an FCS team that the Panthers should beat. However, BC is 2-0 and coming off a 66-7 romp of Virginia Union so you have to think anything is possible (FIU has scored 10 total points in their two games) when the two state schools collide.