I don’t understand (well, it’s actually quite obvious why) why Alabama is still a top ten team. They are a few plays away from being 5-4. They barely beat Texas A&M (at home too) and needed Quinn Ewers to get hurt to beat Texas. The Tide don’t even have a signature win.
At this point, I would have Michigan ranked above Ohio State. Both teams had sloppy starts last week, but Michigan pulled away with much more ease. The Wolverines have looked better all around and beat Penn State by a significantly larger margin of victory than Ohio State did. Of course, their ranking will get sorted out after they play each other in The Game.
Another similar problem I have with the rankings is how much higher USC is than UCLA. Each team has one loss, but USC’s comes to Utah, who UCLA actually beat. On top of that, UCLA has been winning much more soundly than USC, who is barely getting by Cal and Arizona.
Stat of the Week:
Texas A&M has not scored more than 30 points in a game against an FBS opponent since October of 2021. Come season’s end, three of the past five preseason top 6 teams to finish unranked will have been coached by Jimbo Fisher (2017 Florida State, 2021 Texas A&M and 2022 Texas A&M)
My Playoff Predictions:
Georgia
Michigan
TCU
Oregon
My Predictions for this Week:
(7)LSU at Arkansas: This has all the makings of a trap game for LSU, who is coming off their huge takedown of Alabama. The Razorbacks just lost at home to Liberty, making them hungry for a big win. The question is whether starting quarterback KJ Jefferson will be able to play or not, depending on his shoulder injury. It seems like even if he starts, he won’t be 100%. Although Arkansas is a good team, LSU has shown the improvements they have made in previous weeks and I would expect the Tigers to keep their hopes of an SEC West championship alive.
Purdue at (21)Illinois: If Illinois wins, the Big 10 West will essentially be locked up. When was the last time we knew who would be the west champion the first week of November? An Illinois win is too simple of an outcome. Purdue has a great passing attack, and if Illinois continues to struggle to convert in the red zone, they could really exploit the Illini. I am picking Purdue with the upset win.
Missouri at (5)Tennessee: Missouri found yet another heartbreaking way to lose last weekend against Kentucky. I am just going to insert a clip to show the wild sequence that happened at the end of the fourth quarter.
Tennessee got exposed in Athens, but I do think the rain had a lot to do with the way the Vols were forced to play. Missouri will be able to cover some of their receivers, but will not be able to get pressure on Hendon Hooker the way Georgia did. The difference between the two quarterbacks is instrumental, and I would expect Hendon Hooker to try as many deep balls as possible to try to get his Heisman campaign back on track. I am going to pick Tenneessee to win this game pretty easily. However, Missouri almost beat Georgia, and Georgia crushed Tennessee, so anything is possible.
Louisville at (12)Clemson: Can Louisville snap Clemson’s 38 game home winning streak? The Cardinals are coming into Death Valley hot while the Tiger’s look more vulnerable than ever. DJ Uiagalelei is regressing into his old self and even when a quarterback change was made, Cade Klubnick came in and threw a pick. It seems like Dabo Swinney only promoting from within after their huge staff turnover this past off-season may be backfiring. Right now Malik Cunningham is a better pass thrower than any of Clemson’s options, which is a huge advantage to the Cardinals. Louisville fans really need a distraction from the way basketball season has started, and I think they’ll get that here with an upset win.
(10)Alabama at (11)Ole Miss: For as much as Lane Kiffin trolled Nick Saban and the Tide before last year’s matchup, Kiffin has spent much of this week praising Saban. This is the first time since 2011 that Alabama is out of the playoff race before the Iron Bowl. It was interesting to hear Saban talk about how his players still have the incentive to play for their individual draft stock. I am very curious to see if Alabama plays like a unified team or if they become more individualized. When playing a team like Ole Miss, they’ll need to be on the same page and be very disciplined. Although Alabama is down, I do not believe Ole Miss is all that great, and I think Alabama will win this game by at least a touchdown.
(22)UCF at (16)Tulane: It is weird to dub a matchup the battle for the best group of 5 teams without Cincinnati in the game, but Tulane and UCF have emerged as the candidates for this season. Tulane has an experienced defense that leads the team. Gus Malzhan has yet to name who will be the Knights starting quarterback. UCF has the AAC’s best offense, but I think Tulane will be able to shut them down and win in a close game.
(24)Washington at (6)Oregon: Oregon has been on an absolute tear since their horrendous loss to Georgia in week 1. Bo Nix and the Oregon offense have been able to make everyone forget about opening weekend. Nix is not the same guy he was at Auburn, and should be able to exploit Washington’s secondary. However, Washington should be able to keep pace on offense behind Michael Penix Jr. I think this game will be a shootout for the first three quarters before Oregon’s defense gets some stops and puts the game away.
(4)TCU at (18)Texas: It’s crazy that TCU finally got the CFP ranking they deserved and now are seven point underdogs to Texas. Yes, TCU may eventually be burned for all their slow starts, but I’m not sure if Texas is that much better than them. For Texas to win they will need Bijon Robinson to get off to a fast start and put up points early. Texas has a history of blowing big leads, and TCU specializes in comebacks. It will be really fun to watch the quarterback battle between Quinn Ewers and Max Duggin. Originally I thought this would be a trap game for TCU, but now since every single news outlet is convinced they will lose, I don’t see TCU doing what everyone expects. TCU will win and keep the Big 12’s playoff hopes alive.
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