Old North State Power Rankings Week 3 Edition
Week 2 generated plenty of excitement, with East Carolina, North Carolina, and North Carolina State all playing tough close games. Two of them prevailed and one of them didn’t. Wake and App cleaned out inferior competition. Those are the major factors behind the power rankings for this week.
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The biggest challenge this week was judging East Carolina and Duke for the one spot. Duke still hasn’t really been challenged in two games, while ECU played a top 25 South Carolina tough and lost. In the end I decided to go with the undefeated team for now, but all that could change with an East Carolina win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. No matter how much Duke beats Kansas by, an ECU win over VT would restore them to the top spot.
1.Duke Blue Devils (2-0)
The Blue Devils may have come out of the gate slow against Troy, but they ultimately took control of the game and ran the score to where many expected it to be. Jamison Crowder was active again and Anthony Boone showed he could run a little bit. I just wish that Duke would play somebody, so we could really assess their progress. If they keep this spot next week, it will be because VT beat ECU.
2.East Carolina Pirates (1-1)
The Pirates loss against South Carolina was tough, and it really felt as if the game slipped away in the second half. However, no one said going into Columbia would be easy and I predicted a loss there both at the beginning of the year and in my game prediction. The Pirates go into another unfriendly environment this week, but I think the South Carolina will have been good preparation for VT. The 5-2 formation VT used against Ohio State won’t work on the Air Raid.
Sep 6, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA;North Carolina Tar Heels running back Elijah Hood (34) scores a touchdown during the second half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Kenan Memorial Stadium. North Carolina won 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
3.North Carolina Tar Heels (2-0)
You may be wondering why UNC did not pass East Carolina on the rankings. Did you see the San Diego State game? If not for turnovers, the Tar Heels would also be sitting at 1-1 with scarier questions to answer than ECU does. At least the Heels have committed to Marquise Williams as their quarterback. They are off this week before going to Greenville to face the Pirates next week in a game that will directly affect these rankings.
4.North Carolina State Wolfpack (2-0)
NC State held off Old Dominion, and the only reason it holds fourth in this list is that App and Wake played inferior opponents. The State offense can score, they scored 46 on ODU. The State defense needs to stop somebody. Replicating the success of the last North Carolina team to go to Tampa (Panthers) would be a good start.
5.Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-1)
Hopefully the Mountaineers got well against the Camels. They are on bye this week and will lose this spot if Wake Forest beats Utah State on the road. Then the Mountaineers go down to face the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. It’s a possible win, but the Mountaineers cannot afford to go easy on anybody on their schedule.
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6.Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-1)
Why Wake here and not at 5? Wake beat Gardner-Webb by 16. App beat Campbell by 66. I just did not think that move was warranted. This week will see Wake tested by the Utah State offense. If Wake wins and State loses, there is a possibility that Wake could be number 4 in the rankings next week. There’s your incentive, Deacons. Go do it.
SEASON PREDICTION TOTALS- 9-1 (Picked Tampa over Carolina)
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