With a bunch of unbeatens going down yesterday, it has made the top 10, and, really, the rest of the playoff race through November, seem a little anticlimactic.
Which is exactly when things start to get a little screwy.
The 4 unbeaten power 5 teams look to be on a collision course for the playoff, but you know how these things go. When you least expect it, some upset comes out of nowhere and creates absolute chaos (i.e. 2011 Oklahoma St loss at Iowa St, 2015 Ohio St loss to Mich St, 2013 Alabama loss at Auburn on the Kick Six, etc). Something is going to go haywire, because there’s no way we end up with 5 unbeaten teams at the end of the year.
Now remember, our poll is a collaboration between both my and Chris’s Top 15 polls that we come up with early Sunday morning. This is based purely on what we’ve seen on the field.
1. Alabama
Bye Week for the reigning #1 team. They’ve been at the top of the polls since the very beginning, and that definitely isn’t changing after one bye week. The Tide has the #7 strength of schedule through 9 weeks, and have looked fantastic every week. Earlier in the year, it looked like LSU and Auburn would be gimmes… but now, those two games look like real threats. First up…
Next game: Nov 5th, at LSU
2. Michigan
We thought this would be the year that Harbaugh would absolutely level Michigan St. The Spartans had looked absolutely terrible this year, and Michigan had been dominating bad football teams. But something interesting happened and Michigan looked beatable and mistake-prone, and Michigan St did things to them that we didn’t expect. This is not what Wolverine fans wanted to see from their team heading into November. But, they did still get a 9 point win at their in-state rival, and won in East Lansing for the first time since 2007. Pretty big deal for this bunch. Now comes a tougher-than-it-looks November, with Maryland (whose head coach is old Harbaugh DC DJ Durkin), at Iowa, Indiana, and at Ohio St.
Next game: Nov 5th, vs Maryland
3. Clemson
The Tigers survive again, with a last minute touchdown drive that gave them a 37-34 lead before the defense stopped the Seminoles at the end of the game (along with some timely false start and holding penalties). Florida St had a good gameplan, but Clemson just seems to know when they need to flip the switch and when they can just relax. There is nothing dominant about this team, but they keep winning. It’s 2014 Florida St all over again… they’ll go undefeated because the schedule is crap, but the ACC Championship should be more interesting that the 2014 beating of Duke by FSU. Virginia Tech or North Carolina can give this Tiger team some problems. Til then… should be smooth sailing.
Next game: Nov 5th, vs Syracuse
4. Washington
The Huskies can FINALLY say they’ve been tested this year. In a crazy tough road environment, with College Gameday onsite and everyone besides Husky fans cheering for chaos, Washington led for the majority of the game, and Utah found a way to come back… but the Washington defense and special teams closed out the game. With the game tied at 24, UW punted the ball and downed it at the Utah 1yd line with just a few minutes left in the game. After a 3 and out, which was a great defensive stand, the Utes had to punt back to Washington, and returner Dante Pettis returned it 58-yds for the winning touchdown with about 3 minutes left. November looks to be a lil more difficult, with Cal, USC, Arizona St, and Washington St between them and an undefeated season.
Next game: Nov 5th, @ Cal
5. Texas A&M
A&M handled New Mexico St 52-10. There’s not much more to say about it – this was expected. The game after playing Alabama for most opponents is generally pretty tough to get back up off the mat, but it makes it a lil easier when it’s New Mexico St. A&M has the best loss of all the 1-loss teams, and they’re still clicking right now. This team should, theoretically, be 11-1 at the end of the year.
Next game: Nov 5th, @ Miss St
6. Ohio St
Good gracious. This is 4 straight games where the passing game for Ohio St has been mediocre, at best. The entire team just looks disinterested (which is exactly why I took Northwestern +27 this week… haha). Urban Meyer has a lot of work to do with this team. For some reason, everybody believes it’s just a foregone conclusion that this bunch is going to beat Michigan in the Shoe to end the year, and will make the playoffs anyway. If they don’t start playing with more urgency, they could even get shocked again this weekend.
Next game: Nov 5th, vs Nebraska
7. Louisville
Well, everyone thought Petrino’s bunch was back last week when they blasted NC State at home 54-13 after a closer than expected game against Duke, which they only won 24-14. This week was back to the bad performance by the defense. Lamar Jackson got his numbers again, with 364 yds passing, 4 TDs, and 88 yards rushing, but the team had to come from behind with less than 2 minutes left in the game, and scored the game winning TD with :13 left in the game. There’s not a team left on the schedule that should match up with this team, but it all depends on whether or not they show up to play, because the last 2 games (at Houston and against Kentucky) have the ability to beat this team if they bring a bad performance.
Next game: Nov 5th, @ Boston College
8. Wisconsin
Wisconsin had a close, low scoring game against Nebraska, winning 23-17 in overtime. That home-field advantage at Camp Randall is something else, for sure. Nebraska showed that they’re a legit top 15 team… but this Wisconsin team showed that they’re a legit Top 10 team. The Badgers still have a shot to get to the CFB Playoff. If they win out, they’ll negate one of their losses to either Ohio St or Michigan in the Big10 Championship Game, and that should be enough to put them over the top and get in. This defense still looks great, and the offense dominates on the line and just simply plays ball-control. Gotta get through November first, with a tough game at Northwestern this week. Don’t sleep on the Wildcats.
Next game: Nov 5th, @ Northwestern
9. Florida
Florida’s defense looked absolutely dominant against Georgia. Now, UGA isn’t a great team, but the Gators are coming together at just the right time. They’d have to lose their next 2 of the next 3 games (at Arkansas, South Carolina, at LSU) in order to not make it to Atlanta, and the way they’re playing, they’ll definitely be getting to that SEC Championship game. This defense is Top 10 worthy, and the offense is clicking well with Luke Del Rio back healthy at QB, and the running game rolling.
Next game: Nov 5th, @ Arkansas
10. Auburn
Auburn is absolutely rolling right now, and their offense is moving the ball at will against lackluster defenses. Who would have thought teams like Ole Miss and Arkansas would be awful at stopping the run this year? I’ll be interested to see how the Tigers play against Vanderbilt, a team who plays assignment defense. Sean White will have to throw the ball some to keep the safeties honest in this one, but the linebackers and defensive line play gap defense as well as anybody. Auburn should win this one, and looks to roll into the Iron Bowl at 9-2 and probably a Top 10 team.
Next game: Nov 5th, vs Vanderbilt
