The Ciskie Blog is hosting the Week Two BlogPoll Roundtable Discussion this week. So I'm asked to answer the following questions.
1. What team best met your overall expectations of them in their opener?
Without a doubt, Cal. I had the Bears ranked #20 in my preseason poll and they did not disappoint. Call me east coast biased, but I don't think there is a west coast team outside of USC than can compete with the elite teams this side of the Rocky Mountains.
Georgia Tech also made me look pretty good after the way they played against Notre Dame. They didn't get the win, but they stayed in the game and were competitive up until the end. That's what you would expect out of a team ranked #22, which is where I had them.
I also had Florida State and Miami ranked pretty low. (#18 and #21) I watched that game and I thought both teams stunk. It's a shame they couldn't both lose the way they were trying to give it away with their sloppy play. These are two teams I don't think are going to compete for the BCS, but most likely one of them will slip into a BCS bowl with an eight win record after they knock off the other one in the ACC Title game.
2. What team jumped off the map and surprised you the most? (Bonus points to anyone who can make an argument for someone besides Tennessee.)
I've never been a teacher's pet who went after extra credit, so I have to say Tennessee. Nobody had them going anywhere before Saturday including me. I still don't think they are going anywhere, but they should compete for the SEC. Other than that there were no real upsets this week.
3. What team best moved themselves into a position to surprisingly contend for a national title?
It's too early to tell. Most teams just held serve this week against some pretty weak competition. But I think it's too early to say Tennessee has played themselves into the MNC hunt. The SEC is a tough conference and they have to beat a lot of good teams to get there.