NFL Power 12, post-week 1

This year I'm gonna change up my NFL power rankings. I'm gonna rate 12 teams - the best team in each division, and two "wild cards" for each conference. In other words, it'll be how the playoff picture would look now, if the playoffs started now and were based on what my opinion of the team's pecking order was. Here we go...

1. Colts (AFC South) - They're not here because the offense lit up the Saints' leaky D - we knew that was going to happen. What we didn't know was that the Colts defense would hold that offense to just 3 points (the Saints' 1 TD was a fumble recovery return). Add on the fact that Manning is finally playing with the monkey off his back, and well, this is still clearly the team to beat.
2. Patriots (AFC East) - However, they do have one apparent challenger. The Pats made the Jersey Jets look ridiculous - although, the Jersey Jets made themselves look ridiculous quite a bit as well. How do you rush three people when you know that Randy Moss is running around in your secondary? If Moss gets any time, he will get open, end of story. He may need a little more time than he used to, but it will happen, if you let it.
3. Chargers (AFC West) - I understand that the Bears have a great defense, but Indianapolis was much more in charge when they played the Bears last February. And that was in the rain, not sunny San Diego on a warm late summer afternoon. The gap between the Patriots and the Chargers is significantly larger than the gap between the Patriots and the Colts.
4. Seahawks (NFC West) - Am I serious, you ask? As long as Shaun Alexander stays healthy, yes I am.
5. Steelers (AFC North) - Ben Roethlisberger is playing like a great young quarterback who didn't get his face smashed in by a windshield last offseason.
6. Bears (NFC North) - I understand they lost while the rest of their division won, but look me square in the eyes and tell me you think this season's Vikings, Lions, or Packers teams would have gone to the Super Bowl last season.
7. Ravens (AFC Wild Card #1) - 5 legitimate turnovers in one game? Steve McNair is either a turnover machine or he is hurt, in which case QB will be manned by another turnover machine - Kyle Boller. Or, as they lovingly refer to him in Baltimore, "Boooooooooooo!"
8. Bengals (AFC Wild Card #2) - The scoreboard says they won, but my bullshit call detector tells me that we were robbed of an overtime finish on Monday Night.
9. Panthers (NFC South) - St. Louis on the road is a really good benchmark game for telling whether you are a contender in the NFC. A benchmark the Panthers passed easily.
10. Saints (NFC Wild Card #1) - Opening night jitters? They had better show a lot this weekend to make up for that.
11. Vikings (NFC Wild Card #2) - Ok, so I might be putting them on this list because I'm hoping that the Falcons aren't really that bad, but I happen to think that Tavaris Jackson can, can... Oh God, the Falcons really are that bad...
12. Eagles (NFC East) - We all knew that Brett Favre would look old in this game. But I don't think we were quite ready to see Donovan McNabb looking that way, too. The Eagles are the best team in the NFC East right now, but that will not be the case at the end of the season.

College Power 10, post-week 2

For College, I'll just do the 10 teams that would be going to the BCS Bowls - the best in each of the power conferences and 4 at large's.

BCS Championship - LSU (#1, SEC) vs. USC (#2, Pac 10) - Right now, the two best looking schools, with only Oklahoma really making a case to be there as well. LSU looked absolutely dominant against Virginia Tech on both defense, which the pundits widely forecasted, and on offense, which they did not. Easy for me to say now, of course, but I did not doubt for one second the ability of LSU to beat up on Va Tech. LSU has the fastest college team I have ever seen. Their speed is unbelievable. And, of course, USC looks plenty good themselves coming off their Rose Bowl domination of a Michigan team that, obviously, has yet to recover. Does anyone think it is a coincidence that Michigan and Notre Dame have both collapsed completely since being humiliated by these two schools last January? Me neither...

Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma (#3, Big 12) vs. Hawaii (#10, At Large) - How much do you think Oklahoma would want to avoid another Fiesta Bowl against a WAC Mighty Mouse?

Sugar Bowl - Florida (#4, At Large) vs. Texas (#6, At Large) - The last two National Champions, but no Vince Young or Chris Leak in sight. Still, the two young QBs they have filling those shows look like a couple of blue-chippers.

Rose Bowl - California (#5, At Large) vs. Ohio State (#8, Big 10) - I've got Cal in this game because I think they have a real solid squad that is going to give USC a real run for their money this year. I've got Ohio State in this game because the Big 10 will look like a real big bunch of assholes if Michigan represents this conference in the Rose Bowl. Needless to say, I'm cheering for Michigan this year.

Orange Bowl - West Virginia (#7, Big East) vs. Georgia Tech (#9, ACC) - WVU has not one, but two candidates for the Heisman. The last team to feature that in their backfield played in the National Championship game, as some of you may recall. As for Georgia Tech - two games against easy opponents, two blow-out wins. You'd like to see them against tougher competition, but so far they've done what they were supposed to do. Unlike, say, everyone else in their confrence.