Schule’s NCAAF Weekly Power Rankings Review – Week 3

Have you ever noticed that all the major polls look basically the same? Whether it’s USA Today, ESPN or the Associated Press, you won’t see any dramatic differences in where they have teams ranked. When it comes to Power Rankings, professional handicapper Jesse Schule has proven to be ahead of the curve. Since the 2011 football season he’s been going against the grain, and more often than not he’s 2-3 steps ahead of the other guys. His weekly NCAAF Power Rankings are published at Covers.com on Mondays, and every Tuesday he will review the teams that he believes are overrated, underrated, or flying under the radar.

Most Overrated Team – BYU Cougars (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
The Cougars upset Nebraska with a Hail Mary pass in the dying seconds in Week 1, and then they did it again at home against Boise State on Saturday. These two victories have propelled BYU into the Top 25, and some are even calling the Cougars a dark horse playoff contender. It might be a little premature for BYU fans to start celebrating though, as they have a tough game coming up on the road at UCLA, and surely they can’t expect to execute a Hail Mary this time around. With a healthy Taysom Hill I might have believed this was a game they had a shot at winning, but I can’t see Tanner Mangum pulling another miracle out of his hat here in California.

Most Underrated Team – Oklahoma Sooners (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
Both Baylor and TCU are ranked in the Top 5, but when all is said and done, Oklahoma may still be the best team in the BIG12. The Sooners certainly have the more impressive non-conference resume after upsetting the Vols in a stunning come from behind win at Tennessee. The Sooners have found their man at quarterback, as Baker Mayfield threw for 388 yards and three TDs in his Oklahoma debut. He had a rough start on the road at Tennessee, but threw for 103 yards and three TDs on 11-of-14 passing in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Flying Under The Radar – Northwestern Wildcats (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
After a 2-0 start that included a shocking upset win over Stanford in their season opener, the Wildcats have moved into the Top 25. Their defense has not surrendered a touchdown in the first two weeks, and they are on the road at Duke this Saturday. They have won six of their last seven versus Duke, and they’ve won five straight at Durham. The Wildcats are a 3.5 point underdog on Saturday. Northwestern DE Ifeadi Odenigbo told the Chicago Tribune after the Wildcats’ shutout win Saturday he expects them to do the same to Duke. In a game that I expect to be a hard fought defensive battle, it’s awful tempting to take the points.

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