Owls seventh in Big East Power Rankings
Temple college sports - basketball, football and more - covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.
Owls seventh in Big East Power Rankings
Keith Pompey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Big East Power Rankings Week 13
Temple moved up one spot to seventh place in my updated Big East Power Rankings after beating Army, 63-32, on Saturday.
Here’s a look at my power rankings:
1. RUTGERS (9-1, 5-0)
Skinny: The 21st-ranked Scarlet Knights can clinch at least a share of the Big East title with a victory at Pittsburgh on Saturday. Rutgers is undefeated through five conference games for the first time in school history.
Previous ranking: 1
Up next: at Pittsburgh at noon Saturday
2. LOUISVILLE (9-1, 4-1)
Skinny: The 19th-ranked Cardinals’ subpar rushing defense is the main thing separating them from the Scarlet Knights. Louisville has surrendered an average of 231 rushing yards in their last four games.
Previous ranking: 2
Up next: vs. Connecticut at noon Saturday
3. CINCINNATI (7-3, 3-2)
Skinny: The Bearcats had their BCS bowl hopes ruined with a 10-3 setback to Rutgers on Saturday. That loss also snapped Cincinnati’s nine-game winning streak at Nippert Stadium.
Previous ranking: 3
Up next: vs. South Florida at 7 p.m. Friday
4. SYRACUSE (6-5, 4-2)
Skinny: The Orange has won two straight and four of its last five games. Quarterback Ryan Nassib, a Malvern Prep graduate, is making a strong case for being named the Big East offensive player of the year.
Previous ranking: 4
Up next: at Temple at 11 a.m. Friday
5. CONNECTICUT (4-6, 1-4)
Skinny: The Huskies have only scored three second-half points over their last five games. However, they still managed to hold on to defeat Pit two weekends ago.
Previous ranking: 6
Up next: at Louisville at noon Saturday
6. PITTSBURGH (4-6, 1-4)
Skinny: The Panthers have played five straight games without a turnover. However, Pitt lost its last two games and has only defeated one conference opponent.
Previous ranking: 7
Up next: vs. Rutgers at noon on Saturday.
7. TEMPLE (4-6 2-4)
Skinny: Montel Harris gave the Owls a confidence boost by rushing for 351 yards and seven touchdowns against Army. However, Temple’s defense continues to struggle.
Previous ranking: 8
Up next: vs. Syracuse at 11 a.m. Friday
8. SOUTH FLORIDA (3-7, 1-4)
Skinny: The Bulls have serious problems. Due to B.J. Daniels’ season-ending injuries, Bobby Eveld started at quarterback against Miami Saturday. Eveld, however, suffered a game-ending shoulder injury in the second quarter. Matt Floyd came off the bench and threw two interceptions in the 40-9 defeat.
Previous ranking: 5
Up next: at Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Friday
Big East Power Rankings: Week 12
Big East Power Rankings: Week 11
Big East Power Rankings: Week 10
Big East Power Rankings: Week 9
Big East Power Rankings: Week 8
Big East Power Rankings: Week 7
Big East Power Rankings: Week 6
Big East Power Rankings: Week 5
Big East Power Rankings: Week 4
Big East Power Rankings: Week 3
Running up the score on a military academy is a classless act. Temple football trying to establish itself as a big time football program is an embarrassment.— Kioto
Hey genius, explain how Temple ran up the score when they only threw the ball 4 times all game?? They did nothing but run the football ALL game. They have to run plays, what do you expect them to do? Kneel the ball 3 straight downs the punt??— negktn121- Kioto: How is it classless? Like Negktn said, they ran the ball ALL game AND it was a two or three possession a majority of the game. Also, just because it is against a military academy makes it classless? Why oh why?
Take a look at what Notre Dame did to Navy in Ireland earlier this year or how Penn State beat Navy by a similar margin of victory to this Temple-Army game.
What IS an embarrassment is your comment, pal.— seanhaugh - I agree 100% on what ND did but you do not get 63 points unless you really want to. The embarrassment comes when a University like Temple is trying to portray itself as a big time football program in order to put dollars in their coffers. They are not what they pretend to be and will never be. They could not even win a MAC division title let alone a championship.— Kioto
- Rutgers, Pitt and Syracuse are leaving the Big East. UConn will likely take Maryland's spot in the ACC. When is this sorry conference just going to go away?— OldCityJoe
- Temple renting the Linc, that shows you how out of touch they are with reality. LOL— Taser
- 8 or 9 more teams leave the BE, Temple has a good shot at winning the league. Fear the Owls. Hoot, Hoot!!!— jakelbi
- The Army coach is to blame for the score. He never adjusted their defense and continued to play man for man on the line. He should be fired. He is inept.— The One Who Knows
Wait till Friday - same type of score - this season has been a real blast - great to be in a BCS conference huh?
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh graduate. Follow him on Twitter @pompeysgridlock. Reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
