My Rankings
This was the toughest week of making rankings so far. After UC and Georgia, I really struggled with who to put third. Ohio State has been playing like a top four team lately, but they also have been facing weaker competition and they need to be held responsible for their loss.
Alabama absolutely does not deserve to be ranked third. They lost less than a month ago, and despite the final score, struggled to beat Tennessee at home last weekend. Their defense has some serious holes in the secondary.
I think Michigan and Michigan State are very good teams, but I don’t believe either one will be a top 4 team come the end of the season. . But, I included them at number 3 and 4 because they deserve it right now: they have remained undefeated in relatively dominant fashion.
I was surprised Oklahoma got docked by the AP voters after their close call against Kansas, but it is deserving. They have struggled in countless games against much weaker opponents.
Two teams I included in my top 10 that aren’t in the AP are Wake Forest and Pitt. Wake Forest is undefeated and has a top 15 offense in the sport. Pitt, besides their fluky loss to Western Michigan, had dominated. Just because the traditional ACC powers are having a down year does not mean that Pitt and Wake aren’t good teams.
Playoff Predictions:
Georgia
Ohio State
UC
Oregon
These are so hard to make this week. The only two teams I’m sure of are Georgia and UC. I don’t trust Oregon to win out, but I also don’t trust Oklahoma, Pitt, or Wake Forest to win out either. I am sure I will be changing these rankings by next week once I have a more clear picture of the field.
Heisman Watch:
Kenny Pickett Pitt QB
Bijon Robinson Texas RB
Matt Coral Ole Miss QB
Jordan Davis UGA DT
My Picks:
Last week I was 3/4 (75%)
(6)Michigan at (8)Michigan State: I’m sure this game will still have huge energy from the fans, but it sucks that it isn’t a night game. This is the first time MSU and UM are meeting as top ten teams since 1964. Both have implemented a more game manager style quarterback, while relying heavily on the strong run games. Michigan State does have more explosive plays, which I think will set them apart. Both have strong defenses, but I am going to Sparty in a tight game.
(18)SMU at Houston: This is a game for Cincinnati fans to keep their eyes on. I think it would actually be better for UC if Houston wins because they will become a ranked team, and would likely face UC in the AAC title game. SMU would still remain a quality opponent (as long as this game is close), and it would look better for UC to have wins against Houston and SMU, compared to beating SMU twice. Ultimately though, I believe SMU will win because of their high scoring offense.
(9)Iowa at Wisconsin: Wisconsin has looked better recently, so this game should be back on people's radars. Iowa could be in some trouble here because their passing game isn’t great, and Wisoncisn is strong in stopping the run. This game is also at Camp Randall where the fans will be longing for a big home win. I think this will be close and I am tempted to pick the Badgers but Iowa’s defense is too strong and they have had two weeks to prepare for this game after their embarrassing loss.
(10)Ole Miss at (18)Auburn: A battle for second place in the SEC West. Auburn is better than expected under new head coach Brian Harsin, and Bo Nix has looked significantly better in many instances this season. However, Ole Miss has that high flying offense that puts up insane numbers. Something to watch heading into this game is Matt Coral’s injury status. Coral, along with many other Ole Miss offensive players, was banged up against LSU. I think Ole Miss is the better team, but this will be their fifth straight weekend of a tough opponent, and I think they will be too banged up to defeat Auburn at home.
(20)Penn State at (5)Ohio State: If Penn State hadn’t gotten into the weirdest overtime and lost to Illonois at home, this game would be so hyped up. Now, it feels under dramatic, but it still will be the Buckeyes biggest test they’ve faced since their Oregon loss. CJ Stroud and the offense have looked great against mediocre teams, but it’s time to see what they can do against the Penn State defense. Penn State, to their credit, has dealt with significant injuries during their losses. In both games Sean Clifford was clearly not at 100%. James Franklin's claims Sean Clifford will be fully ready this weekend, which will help make the game more interesting. Ohio State has been jumping out to huge leads, and I think they will do it again. I expect Penn State to come back in the second half to make it more competitive, but the Buckeyes should win by at least a touchdown or two.
Virginia at (25)BYU: Bronco Mendenhal is returning to Provo for the first time since he left to take the Virginia job. BYU is an independent, but they have beaten more Pac 12 teams than anyone in the Pac 12 has. Virginia's offense has quietly been putting up big numbers, mostly through chucking the ball downfield. Their quarterback Brendan Armstrong should be a Heisman candidate, he’s averaging over 400 yards per game, but because of how the system is set up, he won’t be because Virginia is not a national brand or a top 10 team. Virginia does have a bad defense which gets them into shootouts, but I think their offense will be too much for BYU to compensate with, and they will upset in Provo.
Miami at (17)Pitt: Beware of a trap game here, as Pitt is finally receiving the national recognition they deserve and are coming off a huge game. Miami upset NC State last weekend, so they are riding a bit of momentum. I think Pitt should be fine to win as long as Kenny Pickett continues his passing dominance.
Texas Tech at (4)Oklahoma: If Oklahoma were to have a bounce-back game this would be it, but we’ve been saying that all season. Texas Tech just fired their coach, so the Red Raiders likely have some instability in that program right now. I am taking Oklahoma to win here, but I’m not sure if their Red River second half team or their Kansas game team will show up.
(1)Georgia vs Florida: The World’s Largest Cocktail party is back in action, but it is not predicted to be a close game. Georgia is favored by 18 points because Florida has been so inconsistent. After Florida has struggled against ranked teams and can’t make up their mind about the QB position, Dan Mullen’s seat is getting hotter. Florida is desperate for a win, which I believe will cause them to cover the spread, but I don’t see them beating Georgia and its dominate defense.
(12)Kentucky at Mississippi State: Some experts have this game circled as an upset, but I’m not quite sure what to think of it. Mississippi State actually does have a decent passing game and is supposed to be able to stop the run game. Kentucky relies heavily on their run game through Chris Rodriguez so if they can shut it down it would be interesting. Because so many people are predicting the upset, I don’t think it is going to happen and I'm going with the Wildcats.
UNC at (11)Notre Dame: I would rank UNC as my most disappointing team this season. They started in the top 10 and QB Sam Howell was projected to be a top 10 pick as well. Instead, the team has fallen far short, and is limping along with a 4-3 record. Notre Dame, besides in their loss to UC, has been solid all around, despite the constant rotating of quarterbacks. I expect Notre Dame to win this game handedly.
This weekend has a packed slate of awesome games, and more chaos will likely plague this season.
Comments