Breaking Down College Football Week 15

Rankings:

Reaction to Playoff Rankings:

There was no change in the top six teams in the Playoff rankings this week. Iowa State was the big jumper, climbing up to number seven and jumping undefeated UC. The committee has made it clear this week that a non group of five team will be not be receiving a bid unless all heck breaks lose. They moved a two loss Iowa State team above UC, who has not played in a few weeks due to Covid, but when they were playing had one of the best defenses in country. While Iowa State has looked dominant as of late, they have two losses to borderline top 25 teams. The committee is saying that they value a two loss Big 12 team over an undefeated AAC team. Despite beating BYU and having a 10-0 record, Coastal Carolina is still not even in the top 10. They have done exactly what needs to be done, beating every team they have played handily, but are still put behind twelve other teams.

I still can not believe that Georgia is in the top 10. As I have said before, they have two blowout losses and no good wins. Their only good win is against Auburn, who is 5-4 and should have an even worse record. Their defense was good at the beginning of the year, but has since regressed. The reason they are still in top ten is obviously because of SEC bias and to make Alabama’s win over them looks better.

Although the committee values Texas A&M’s head to head win over Florida in week 3, I think it is time to take a step back and realize that Florida is the better team. Florida’s offense is so explosive and their defense has improved. Despite the media saying that Texas A&M had an impressive win over Auburn, it was far from it. Texas A&M had to score 14 points in the fourth quarter just two win over a subpar Auburn team. They struggled against LSU the week before, who is terrible. I think that despite the head to head win, the committee should recognize that Florida has been playing so much better than A&M lately.

Recap of Last Week:

Ohio State demolished Michigan State despite missing three of their starting offensive linemen, showing the committee that they deserve a spot in the playoffs. They won by 40 points and held Michigan to 12. Indiana proved their team is for real even without starting quarterback Michael Penix. Indiana shut Wisconsin down and kept them out of the red zone in the second half. They are a top team this season, and if they can keep this up, might have a shot at a New Year’s Six Bowl. After last weekend, ten of the fourteen Big 10 teams have only won two games, which is insane. Many teams have only played four or five games because of cancelations. Ohio State, Indiana, Northwestern, and Iowa are on a separate tier from the rest of the conference this season.

Texas A&M and Auburn was a close game until the fourth quarter. Auburn’s offense could not get a first down in the fourth quarter and A&M had a few large run plays to help them keep possession. Alabama destroyed LSU, getting revenge for last season, and proving they are the best team in the country currently. The Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith duo looks unstoppable.

Last weeks’s best game, and what some are calling the game of the year, was the showdown between Coastal Carolina and BYU scheduled just 72 hours prior to kickoff. The game came down to the final play, when Coastal stuffed BYU at the goal line. The game was not the explosive offensive battle we thought it would be. Coastal Carolina kept running the ball to keep BYU’s offense off the field. BYU actually had fifty more yards of total offense, but Coastal had possession for almost 40 minutes compared to BYU’s 20 minutes, which played a huge factor. This was a really fun game and should encourage more teams to scheduled last minute games.

My Playoff Predictions:

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Notre Dame

First Four Out: UC, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Florida

My Heisman Candidates:

1. Kyle Trask (Florida, quarterback)

2. Mac Jones (Alabama, quarterback)

3. Trevor Lawrence (Clemson, quarterback)

4. Breece Hall (Iowa State, running back)

5. DeVonta Smith (Alabam, wide receiver)

My Predictions for this Week:

(last week I was 9/12)

Illinois at (14)Northwestern: Northwestern was off last week after their loss to MSU, so it will be interesting to see how they rebound. Prior to the MSU game, their defense had been shutting people down which allowed their average offense to put up enough points to win. I think they should beat Illinois pretty easily, but their big test will be a week later in Indy.

(9)Georgia at (25)Missouri: Missouri has had a pretty good season under their new coach, with a current record of 5-3. Georgia seems to have maybe found a new starting quarterback with JT Daniels. I do not think Georgia is good this year, but Missouri is not all that great either, so I think Georgia will win in a close game.

(1)Alabama at Arkansas: Arkansas started off the year looking like a new team under Sam Pittman, but has been in a downward spiral since. I think their high powered offense will be able to give Alabama a scare in the first half if quarterback Felipe Franks is playing, but Alabama will pull away and win pretty big in the second half.

Utah at (21)Colorado: Colorado has been one of the most unexpected teams this season under new coach Karl Dorrel. Their quarterback was playing safety last season. Utah is a far cry from their 2019 team, so I think Colorado will win easily.

(13)Coastal at Troy: Coastal got a huge win last weekend, and I expect them to win big again. Troy is not very good this year and Coastal defense came up huge last weekend, so I think they will win by a lot.

Wisconsin at (16)Iowa: After starting the season with an impressive win that led to high expectations, Wisconsin has lost their last two games. Iowa, on the other hand, lost their first two games by five total points and has since spit out five straight wins. Wisconsin has scored just 23 points in their last two games, a far cry from the 94 they put up in their first two games. I think that this will be another low scoring game, and Iowa will win.

(17)UNC at (10)Miami: I honestly don’t know which way this game is going to go and I think both teams are over-ranked. Both have had pretty high powered offenses, but their defenses have not done much. Miami only has one loss, but have barely beaten a lot of the average teams in the ACC. I think this is going to be a very high scoring game and Miami will win at the end.

(15)USC at UCLA: I think UCLA is going too upset USC today. UCLA has looked a lot better this season, and I do not like how USC has been playing. They might be undefeated, but it does not mean much.

San Diego State at (18)BYU: I think BYU is going to rebound from their disappointing loss last week and light up the scoreboard.