Last week’s rankings saw North Carolina on top of the pack, with Syracuse and Northwestern right on their heels. After a week’s worth of play, were the Tarheel’s able to remain on top, or did Syracuse bump them down to number two?
1. Syracuse- I was hard-pressed to remove North Carolina from the number one spot, but the Orange has played one game more than the Tarheels, and still remains undefeated. Not only are they winning, but they are winning by ridiculously large margins. At this point, no team has been able to figure out this offense.
2. North Carolina- Like Syracuse, North Carolina is undefeated. Additionally, they are also winning games by large margins. It may be early in the season, but right now the game everyone is waiting for is North Carolina versus Syracuse on April 12th.
3. Duke- The Blue Devils are keeping pace with other undefeated teams, but this weekend they have to face Northwestern in what is sure to be a great game. They have played two more games than the Wildcats this season, giving them the slight edge.
4. Northwestern- The Wildcats have been limited so far this season, having only played one game. Although they won, it was by the skin of their teeth, so Duke will be their first real test comes this Saturday.
5. Florida- After a crushing loss against North Carolina in their season opener, the Gators have bounced back to win their last two games. The next few weeks feature games against statistically easy opponents, so this will be a great opportunity for Florida to perfect many of their skills.
6. Massachusetts- With two solid wins against Vanderbilt and UConn under their belt, their next two games will be on home turf against Holy Cross and Boston University. Their first two games were relatively close, so only time will tell if this team is for real of not. My guess? For real.
7. Notre Dame- At 2-1, Notre Dame has started their season off relatively strong. The next several weeks pose a challenge for the Fighting Irish with games against Stony Brook, North Carolina, and Northwestern. Ending this stretch above .500 could be a challenge.
8. Loyola- Loyola opened their season this past Saturday with a 16-12 win over Virginia. This Saturday, they face Princeton who has yet to play their season opener.
9. Penn State- Putting Penn State at #9 on this list was difficult considering they have yet to play a game this season. Tonight, they will open against Bucknell, a beatable team that will most likely end up putting Penn at 1-0 on the season. Most likely, we will see them higher on this list come next week.
10. Boston College- BC can thank Virginia’s 0-2 start for their place on this list. With a solid win against Notre Dame, the Eagles made a statement. Their next three games will be against University of New Hampshire, Ohio State, and Syracuse, all of which should test a team with the perfect balance of veteran and young talent.
