Pure madness. If you were put-off by the initial Playoff Rankings, it was most likely a delightful day for watching college football as several fringe playoff contenders were either eliminated or put in a very difficult situation. However, the top four teams in the country won their respective matchups and will most likely hold onto to their coveted thrones for this week (COED has a different perspective on that situation). One of the more intriguing “upsets” of the weekend was Miami’s defensive dominance over the offensively tenacious Virginia Tech Hokies. Although it was not pretty, Miami proved that it could overcome a competitive conference foe with an opportunistic defense and a dynamic rushing attack.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Similar to the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs most recent victory was not particularly impressive from a final score perspective (defeated South Carolina 24-10). Nevertheless, quarterback Jake Fromm proved that he is competent enough to score touchdowns behind a Bulldogs defense that has suffocated opposing offenses all season long. With a true test against the Auburn Tigers upcoming, the Bulldogs will finally get the opportunity to sharpen their teeth against a worthy opponent.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
After winning games handily throughout most of the season, the Crimson Tide faced their toughest opponent of the season in the LSU Tigers. While quarterback Jalen Hurst threw and rushed for a touchdown, it was not easy going and it was thanks to their lockdown defense that they won by two scores. Still, the Crimson Tide are one of the most complete teams in the country and could add another impressive win to their resume against Mississippi State next week.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
While the Fighting Irish struggled defensively down the stretch against Wake Forest, their offense was as effective as ever as quarterback Brandon Wimbush combined to put up 400 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Although Wimbush is not an accurate passer, he has the arm to make plays downfield, which forces defenses to be hyper-vigilant in stopping both the passing and elite rushing game of the Fighting Irish. With a ruthless Miami defense on the slate for next week, it will be intriguing to see how effective the run-heavy offense will be in the contest.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
Say what you will about the Sooners defense (it’s terrible), but when the game is on the line and you need one big play after another it’s hard to find anyone better than quarterback Baker Mayfield to get the job done. Throwing for nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Mayfield emphatically proved that no situation or moment is too immense for him. If Mayfield and the Sooners can put up a similar performance against a stout TCU defense next week, they will be one of the more intimidating offensive teams that could easily make the College Football Playoff.
5. Clemson Tigers
After looking shaky offensively last week against Georgia Tech, the Tigers were able to both run and throw the ball effectively against one of the best defensive lines in the ACC. However, the issue that is most concerning for the Tigers is not their prolific offense but rather their surprisingly inept defense. Considering the Wolfpack were stifled in terms of being able to rush the football, it was surprising that quarterback Ryan Finley was able to throw for 338 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers secondary. If the Tigers can easily sweep their remaining schedule while taking care of business in the ACC Championship Game, it will be very difficult to keep them out of the playoff.
6. Miami Hurricanes
After several pundits (including myself) and the Playoff Committee condemned the Hurricanes as being supremely overrated, they turned around and stifled an immensely talented Virgina Tech program at home. While the quarterback play of Malik Rosier was not great, the Hurricanes proved that they win games emphatically if Rosier and running back Travis Homer can rush the ball effectively. Considering they face a tough defense and offensive line in Notre Dame next week, the Hurricanes will get a grand opportunity to prove once and for all that their style of play is potent enough to beat the best programs in college football.
7. TCU Horned Frogs
Defensively, the Horned Frogs are as amazing as advertised. Since week 4, the Horned Frogs have not allowed an opponent to score thirty points, which is saying a lot considering they have faced the likes of West Virginia and Iowa State. However, TCU needs to look more explosive offensively if they want to be considered a true Playoff contender and will get a grand opportunity to do so as they go on the road to face a poor defense in the Oklahoma Sooners.
8. Wisconsin Badgers
You have to give the defensively gifted Badgers some credit. After a dominant win over an underrated Indiana Hoosiers program, the Badgers are doing everything in their power to impress the Playoff Committee with the hope that their undefeated record combined with blowout wins will help their case. Yet, the Badgers will ultimately need to win out and win convincingly in the Big 10 Championship game to give themselves a favorable chance of making the Playoff.
9. Washington Huskies
With both Penn State and Ohio State losing this weekend, the Huskies could quietly sneak up on would-be playoff contenders for a highly coveted Playoff spot. Ever since their loss to Arizona State, the Huskies offense has looked great thanks to the efficient duo of quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin. If the Huskies can win out and make it to the Pac-12 Championship Game, they could make a strong case to make the College Football Playoff by the end of the year.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
While Saquon Barkley is easily the best player for the Nittany Lions, I have been extremely impressed with the poise and playmaking ability of quarterback Trace McSorley since the start of the season. However, the veteran passer looked flustered, to say the least as he threw three interceptions and completed just 55.3% of his passes in a last-second loss to the Michigan State Spartans. With back to back losses, the Nittany Lions only hope to contend for a playoff spot would be for them to participate in the Big 10 Championship game, a prospect that looks extremely bleak at the moment.
11. Auburn Tigers
Slowly but surely, the Tigers are creeping back into the playoff conversation after winning fairly handily against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. For the Tigers to succeed going forward, the answer is simple: score thirty points or more (both losses occurred when the Tigers scored less than that). However, this notion will be much easier said than done as the Tigers upcoming schedule pits them against the Georgia Bulldogs next week with Crimson Tide being their last game of the season in the highly anticipated Iron Bowl contest. All I can say is good luck Auburn. You’re going to need it.
12. Ohio State Buckeyes
It’s hard to believe that after persevering against at home against an unforgiving Nittany Lions defense that the Buckeyes could look so terrible against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Granted, the Hawkeyes have a physically gifted defense, but the fact that the Buckeyes gave up 55 points to a program that has struggled to score consistently all season is inexcusable. And that was not even the worst part for Ohio State. Once again, J.T. Barrett lived up to his reputation as being one of the most talented albeit wildly inconsistent quarterbacks in college football (threw four interceptions against Iowa). With Michigan State coming up next week, the Buckeyes will need to quickly figure out their woes on both offense and defense if they hope to bounce back.
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Before we get into how atrocious the defense of the Cowboys is, it’s worth mentioning that quarterback Mason Rudolph is surgical when throwing the deep ball and should be one of the more coveted passers in the NFL Draft. However, Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners made more big plays down the stretch and did just enough defensively (which was not much) to overcome a veteran-laden Cowboys offense. With an immense road test against Iowa State coming up for the Cowboys next week, this program will have to recover quickly after losing a shootout at home.
14. UCF Knights
Arguably their most impressive win of the season, the Knights put together one of their best all-around performances of the year as they held the SMU Mustangs and their passing attack to just 24 points. While Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton threw two picks in the game, he was still fearless at getting the ball downfield (10.3 yards per pass attempt) and threw for 412 yards (season high). Combined with the speedy rushing prowess of running back Adrian Killins Jr. (8.6 yards per rushing attempt), the Knights are still one of most well-balanced and competitive teams in college football.
15. Virginia Tech
After being considered one of most impressive sleeper teams that could make the College Football Playoff, the Hokies were inept on offense in a devastating loss to the Miami Hurricanes. Granted, both teams had issues on offense, but the oppressive defense of the Hurricanes proved to be much more effective at limiting freshman quarterback Josh Jackson in the passing game. While the Hokies will be an exciting team to watch going into next season, they still have some kinks to work out with their young quarterback in order for them to be considered one of the elite programs in the country.
16. USC Trojans
After combining to score nearly 100 points in their last two games, the Trojans are finally starting to look like the offensive juggernaut everyone expected them to be coming into the season. Although quarterback Sam Darnold has looked much more efficient recently (five touchdowns, one interception in his last two games), it’s been the impressive performances of running back Ronald Jones II that has truly carried this Trojans program in their recent victories (over 400 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his last two games). While the Trojans are most likely out of the Playoff picture, they can still finish thier season strong as their final two games are against Colorado and their arch-rival UCLA.
17. Michigan State Spartans
I’ll admit it, I truly believed that Spartans offensive explosion against the Northwestern Wildcats was an obvious fluke. However, I am forced to swallow my pride and succumb to the fact that the Spartans looked sensational against one of the best scoring defenses in the country in Penn State. Throwing for 400 yards and two touchdowns, quarterback Brian Lewerke is finally starting to blossom into a confident dual-threat quarterback that is well composed and confident regardless of the opponent. If the Spartans can emulate this performance next week against the Ohio State Buckeyes and find a way to garner a place in the Big 10 championship game, they could easily force themselves into the College Football Playoff conversation.
18. Washington State Cougars
Just when it appeared that the Cougars were on verge of being knocked out of the rankings, they rallied at home to win a thriller against running back Bryce Love (just 69 rushing yards and one touchdown against the Cougars) and the Stanford Cardinal. While the Cougars should not overlook the scrappy defense of the Utes coming up, Mike Leach and company are undoubtedly looking forward to spoiling the Playoff hopes of their arch-rival Washington Huskies on road in the Apple Cup contest.
19. Memphis Tigers
Quietly, the Tigers have been one of the most exciting and effective programs at passing the football throughout the course of the season. While the schedule has been less than impressive, the Tigers have done their job when it comes to blowing out bad teams while winning close matchups with teams that are comparable in terms of competitiveness. If the Tigers can win their next contest against an SMU program that has a fantastic passing attack themselves, the Tigers should be able to put a bow on one of their best football seasons ever.
20. Iowa State Cyclones
Alas, the Cyclones inspiring winning ways came to an end on the road against a Mountaineers program that surprisingly held them in check. Defensively, the Cyclones are still one of most stout teams in college football as they have not allowed a team to score more than 20 points since beating Oklahoma in week 5. Offensively, quarterback Kyle Kempt has done a fantastic job at protecting the ball while doing just enough to put up crucial points to win tight games. However, without a consistent rushing attack, the Cyclones could find themselves in a less than ideal situation as they take on the fearless offense of the Oklahoma State Cowboys next week.
21. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Yes, the Bulldogs found a way to win on Saturday…against the UMASS Minutemen. Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had one of his worst games of the season against a 2-7 team that is horrible defensively (30.9 points against, tied for 95th in the country). Still, the Bulldogs remained perfect at home but will most likely see that streak end as the Crimson Tide come to town next week.
22. Iowa Hawkeyes
If not for two tough losses to Penn State (21-19) and Michigan State (17-10) the Hawkeyes could very well be in the playoff picture if not in contention for a bid to a New Years Six bowl game. As it stands now, the Hawkeyes are arguably one of the better teams in the country with three losses as they dismantled the Ohio State Buckeyes at home on Saturday. While Hawkeyes quarterback Nathan Stanley has looked like a confident gunslinger at times, he has also struggled to maintain a competent completion percentage (58.3 on the season). With Wisconsin coming up next, the Hawkeyes could easily spoil the Badgers playoff hopes while finishing off the season strong themselves.
23. West Virginia
Out of all of the wins that the Mountaineers have on their resume, their defensive grudge match against the Iowa State Cyclones was by far the most impressive. When you consider that the Mountaineers have had one of the worst defenses in the country this season, it was shocking to observe how they effective they were at keeping Cyclones quarterback Kyle Kempt in check. Going forward, the Mountaineers will be constantly tested as they have to face two scrappy programs in Kansas State and Texas while having to square off with the offensively potent Oklahoma Sooners in the final game of the season.
24. Michigan Wolverines
Have the Wolverines discovered something in sophomore quarterback Brandon Peters? Possibly. Although Peters has not been asked to carry the team with his throwing abilities(6.57 yards per pass attempt in two games), he has been disciplined when it comes to not turning over the football. When that happens, the Wolverines can rely on their star running back in Karan Higdon to put up the necessary offense needed to win (200 yards rushing, 12.5 yards per rush attempt and two touchdowns against Minnesota). With two of their final three games against top-10 opponents, the Wolverines will have a chance to salvage their season.
25. Arizona Wildcats
Make no mistake, the Wildcats offense is the real deal; their porous defense, on the other hand, was not in a nightcap against the USC Trojans as running back Ronald Jones II rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns. While quarterback Khalil Tate is an athletic freak, the Wildcats one-dimensional offensive attack was unsustainable down the stretch, which was especially apparent as the defense gave up 642 yards of total offense. Nevertheless, the Wildcats have a favorable schedule the rest of the way against Oregon State, Oregon, and Arizona State.
