NFL POWER RANKINGS #2

Who Rose and Who Fell?

The Risers: 

Our New #1 Team:  The Pittsburgh Steelers!  It's hard to believe that a team who has started Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch (yep, he's still playing) at the QB position can be 3-0 and #1 on the power rankings, but believe it!  The Steelers and their "Steel Curtain" defense are back.  They are dominating teams on the defensive side of the ball, and are using players like Rashard Mendenhall (see pic) to impose their will on opponents.  I'm honestly really curious to see how good they'll be once they get Roethlisberger back.  Through 3 weeks, they are in my opinion the best team in the NFL.

The Fallen:

Tampa Bay, Denver, Houston, Washington, etc... A lot of teams are struggling to find any consistency and it shows in the power rankings.  Tampa Bay was #3 last week, they're #17 this week and who knows where they'll be next week... Denver, yeah, they're a .500 team at best and Washington is a total mystery to me.  They should be a lot better than they are.  I love the NFL for this very reason though, you never know what's going to happen! 

Here are the updated Power Rankings:

1. Steelers
2. Chiefs
3. Bears
4. Falcons
5. Packers
6. Titans
7. Colts
8. Eagles
9. Jets
10. Dolphins
11. Seahawks
12. Bengals
13. Ravens
14. Saints
15. Patriots
16. Texans
17. Buccaneers
18. Chargers
19. Cardinals
20. Cowboys
21. Rams
22. Vikings
23. Broncos
24. Redskins
25. Raiders
26. Giants
27. Browns
28. Jaguars
29. Lions
30. Bills
31. Panthers
32. 49'ers

BQ's First NFL Power Rankings

Here is my first edition of my NFL Power Rankings.  We're only two weeks in, so there's not a lot statistically to go off of, but I've entered the first two week's worth of results into my NFL Power Rankings calculator (a BCS Type Formula) and here's where the league stacks up through the first 2 weeks of the season:

The Packers are #1:

Aaron Rodgers has the pack of to a fantastic start.  With a week 1 win on the road in always hostile Philadelphia and a dominating win at home over Buffalo, the Pack at 2-0 are sitting on top of the NFL mountain.  Here's where the other teams rank:

#2  Miami Dolphins

#3  Tampa Bay Bucs

#4  Houston Texans

#5  Pittsburgh Steelers

#6  Chicago Bears

#7  Kansas City Chiefs

#8  New Orleans Saints

#9  Atlanta Falcons

#10 San Diego Chargers

#11 Indianapolis Colts

#12 Tennessee Titans

#13 Denver Broncos

#14 New York Jets

#15 Seattle Seahawks

#16 Baltimore Ravens

#17 Philadelphia Eagles

#18 New England Patriots

#19 Washington Redskins

#20 Cincinnati Bengals

#21 New York Giants

#22 Jacksonville Jaguars

#23 Arizona Cardinals

#24 Oakland Raiders

#25 Cleveland Browns

# 26 St. Louis Rams

#27 Detroit Lions

#28 Minnesota Vikings

#29 Dallas Cowboys

#30 Carolina Panthers

#31 San Francisco 49'ers

#32 Buffalo Bills

There are a lot of teams on here that I don't agree with (San Fran, Minnesota and Dallas for example) should all be higher in my book.  But strictly looking at wins vs. losses, margin of defeat, etc, puts them near the bottom of the list.  They'll bounce back though.

BYU & Independence

BYU & Independence:

Rise and shout the Cougars are out of the MWC!  It's about time.  MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson signed the death certificate on the MWC when he signed the deal with Comcast for the MTN.  The MTN network is a joke for teams like BYU, Utah, TCU & now Boise State who are searching for national credibility.  How on earth can these schools get credibility if no one, and I mean NO ONE back east can watch their games?  Utah went to the PAC 10, in part, because of the terrible TV deal within the MWC.  Good for them, and now, good for BYU.  Boise State and TCU should quit picking on BYU and Utah, and starting looking for their own alternatives considering the snake in the grass who's running their conference. 

I've heard a lot of people say that this move for independence was all about money, those people are lying to themselves.  BYU would have joined Utah in the PAC 10 if they had been invited.  They would have joined the Big 12 if they had been invited, BYU wants to be in a BCS conference, but when the invitations didn't come, this was really their only logical move.  Yes, the move to independence and a deal with ESPN will get BYU athletics more money, especially if they find some way to move into a BCS Bowl, but ultimately the biggest gain in this is for the Cougars to branch out to a wider television audience.  BYU knows that the game of football is really an outlet for missionary work.  It opens doors that wouldn't be opened without it and BYU should seek to get as much exposure as they can in order to help with the religious endeavors of their football program.  So, me, a BIG TIME UTAH FAN is proud of BYU's stand.  The MWC is run by an short sighted idiot who will continue to bury that conference until he's gone.  BYU and Utah were smart to leave before he brings them down with him.