Oregon tops Rankman’s Super 16 rankings

People make such a fuss about preseason rankings but really, what’s the big deal? Like any good coach at halftime, it’s all about adjustments. So what if South Carolina was ranked No. 8 in the first Super 16* poll and Texas A&M, criminally, wasn’t ranked at all? Rankman and his two eyeballs are capable of frantically reassessing any situation. These rankings aren’t carved on Mt. Rushmore, or Mt. Passmore. It was a simple cut and paste to put Texas A&M at No. 5 after the Aggies throttled South Carolina in the Thursday night opener. UCLA likewise flunked its pop-quiz road opener, but there’s a makeup test this week against Memphis. Ohio State and Notre Dame were also reclassified after being ranked before Braxton Miller’s shoulder injury and Notre Dame’s academic issues. So there, was that so hard?

1. Oregon, 1-0. Game vs. Michigan State like a traditional Rose Bowl, if they ever play any of those again. (1)

2. Florida State, 1-0. Hit the panic button this week if team doesn’t improve against The Citadel. (2)

3. Alabama, 1-0. Lane Kiffin’s laminated play sheet featured on next episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” (3)

4. Oklahoma, 1-0. It has been suggested that this begins the “toothless” stretch of Sooners’ schedule: Tulsa, Tennessee and West Virginia. (4)

5. Texas, A&M 1-0. School regrets not leaving Big 12 Conference years ago for seemingly easier Southeastern Conference. (NR)

6. Auburn, 1-0. San Jose State officials can think of $1.5 million reasons for agreeing to Saturday’s game. (6)

7. Georgia,1-0. Todd Gurley, in standup act, does a pretty good Herschel Walker impersonation. (9)

8. Louisiana State, 1-0. No joke: Tigers have won 22 games with Coach Les Miles when trailing in fourth quarter. (13)

9. UCLA, 1-0. Defense at Virginia played near Jeffersonian level; offense closer to Martin Van Buren. (5)

10. Baylor, 1-0. Bryce Petty says in tweet God has got his back even if it is cracked in two places. (10)

11. USC, 1-0. Cody Kessler frontrunner for the “if he played Fresno State every week” Heisman Trophy. (11)

12. Michigan State, 1-0. Would Oregon have a problem if Spartans broke out their all-green uniforms? (12)

13. Stanford, 1-0. Don’t look for David Shaw and Steve Sarkisian to team for potato sack race at annual Pac-12 picnic. (14)

14. Ohio State, 1-0. Injury to quarterback forces team to change pregame movie “We’re the Millers.” (7)

15. Mississippi, 1-0. Least impressive take-away from Boise State victory: three first-half picks or 14 penalties? (15)

16. Wisconsin, 0-1. First program to crack rankings while in complete state of chaos and denial. (NR)

Dropped out: South Carolina (8), Notre Dame (16).

Moved in: Texas A&M, Wisconsin.

First four out: Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, South Carolina.

* We expect that the new four-team College Football Playoff will become a 16-team tournament someday in the not-too-distant future, so our old Top 25 has become the Super 16.