Owls climb to fifth in Big East Power Rankings
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Owls climb to fifth in Big East Power Rankings
Keith Pompey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Big East Power Rankings: Week 8
Temple moved up one spot to fifth place in my updated Big East Power Rankings after beating Connecticut on Saturday. The victory enabled the Owls (3-2, 2-0 Big East) to win consecutive Big East games for the first time in school history.
While an impressive milestone, those victories were against awful teams.
Temple’s first true conference test comes this Saturday against Rutgers at Lincoln Financial Field.
Here’s a look at my power rankings:
1. RUTGERS (6-0, 3-0)
Skinny: The 19th-ranked Scarlet Knights are bowl eligible for the seventh time in eight years after Saturday’s victory over Syracuse. Rutgers is also 3-0 in Big East play for the second time in school history.
Previous ranking: 1
Up next: at Temple at noon Saturday
2. LOUISVILLE (6-0, 1-0)
Skinny: The 16th-ranked Cardinals had six plays of 20 yards or more in Saturday’s victory over Pittsburgh. In the process, Louisville erased memories of subpar offensive performances in their previous two games.
Previous ranking: 2
Up next: vs. South Florida at 3:30 pm Saturday
3. CINCINNATI (5-0, 2-0)
Skinny: The 21st-ranked Bearcats scored on touchdowns on all five of their first-half possessions Saturday against Fordham to extend their winning streak to eight games, dating back to last season. It is the nation’s third active winning streak. Alabama and Oregon are tied with 10.
Previous ranking: 3
Up next: at Toledo at 7 p.m. Saturday
4. SYRACUSE (2-4, 1-1)
Skinny: The Orange committed four turnovers and had a field goal blocked in Saturday’s setback at Rutgers. Despite that, Syracuse only lost by eight points on the road to the 19th-ranked team in the country.
Previous ranking: 4
Up next: vs. Connecticut at 8 p.m. Friday
5. TEMPLE (3-2, 2-0)
Skinny: The Owls are no longer considered the league’s worst team. However, Temple still has a lot of work do before being considered a conference-title contender.
Previous ranking: 6
Up next: vs. Rutgers at noon Saturday
6. PITTSBURGH (2-4, 0-3)
Skinny: The Panthers gave up six touchdowns to Louisville after allowing just two in their previous 12 quarters. And the 45 points they allowed in the 10-point loss are the most points scored against the Panthers since a 45-44 setback to Cincinnati in the 2009 regular-season finale.
Previous ranking: 7
Up next: at Buffalo at 3:30 pm. Saturday
7. CONNECTICUT (3-4, 0-2)
Skinny: The Huskies are on their first losing streak of the season after Saturday’s setback to Temple. Don’t be surprised if their skid extends for at least another week.
Previous ranking: 5
Up next: at Syracuse at 8 p.m. Friday
8. SOUTH FLORIDA (2-4, 0-2)
Skinny: With a bye last week, the Bulls received some extra time to prepare for an upcoming game with Louisville. But that might not make difference for a team that has lost 10 of 11 conference games dating back to November 2010.
Previous ranking: 8
Up next: at Louisville at 3:30 p.m. Saturday
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
SMH, no respect for Temple, crazy, this team did win a bowl game last year, right?— LOVEMYCITY- Flip 'Cuse/Temple and you're onto something, Keith.— seanhaugh
- Well actually, LOVEMYCITY, last years Owls team was quite different than this years team. Remember Temple lost 12 guys to the NFL. At some level they're rebuilding. The next few games are against the top teams, so don't expect the Owls to continue their winning ways. But a winning season and bowl is still possible. Go Owls.— joninohio
- HAHAHAHAHAHA 12 guys to the NFL??? HAHAHAHA what kind of drugs are you getting on North Broad these days? I don't even think Alabama sent 12 players to the NFL. — FatEagle
- i like temple, but don't overblow what some obscure bowl game means. let's see what they do against rutgers and you will get a better picture of whether they are better than cuse— qweezyq2
- The Owls have a shot Saturday if they don't self destruct, ie. penalties and over emotion. GO TU!— rich62
- Wait a minute, wasn't UConn supposed to be some kind of highly-rated defense? So Temple wins and now it is no big deal? I guess if the Owls beat Rutgers, it will be because Schiano left there to coach Jacksonville.— mike l
- @FatEagle. Temple had 3 guys drafted and another 7 signed FA rookie deals. It obviously doesn't equal 12, but 10 was the most players going to the NFL in one year in program history. So his point remains. This Temple team lost a ton from last year so it's no where near the same team as last year.
- I know about Pierce and Streater. Please tell me the other 8 players on that went from Temple to an NFL roster this season.— FatEagle
- After reading this article I know that it is impossible for 10 players from last season to have made the NFL.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/temple/Owls-in-the-NFL-Terrance-Knighton-Steve-Maneri-Bernard-Pierce-Rod-Streater-Muhammed-Wilkerson.html— FatEagle - @Fat Eagle
Temple has4 players on active roster in NFL. Real math, not Temple math. Plus two players off this years team for crimes against women.— jakelbi - Pierce
Streater
Adrian Robinson
Evan Rodriguez
Tahir Whitehead
Wayne Tribue - Denver; signed as an undrafted FA
Derek Dennis - Miami; signed as an undrafted FA
Stephen Johnson - New Orleans; signed as an undrafted FA
The undrafted guys didn't make the active roster outside of Robinson and Streater. So I stand corrected. I read that it was 10 on a website, but it was actually 8, with 5 making a final roster.
And jake wants to cut up "Temple math," then struggles to add up the 5 players on an active NFL roster. Dope. - @Ted- My mistake. Robinson with Steelers isn't always an active player (but is on the roster). Apologies.— jakelbi
- WHERE DOES TEMPLE RANK AT THE GATE? DEAD LAST! THIS A BIG PIECE OF THE PUZZLE YET TO BE ADDRESSED. HAD TEMPLE ATTRACTED 35,000 TO THEIR GAMES A DECADE AGO,EVEN WITH THEIR POOR RECORD, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LEAVE THE CONFERENCE. TEMPLE ALWAYS PLAYED RUTGERS TUFF... GO OWLS...AND GO TO THE GAME. IT'S GOING TO BE A NICE DAYS FOR FOOTBALL— Harvey Matloff
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh graduate. Follow him on Twitter @pompeysgridlock. Reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
