Well College Football fans, the first CFP rankings were released this Tuesday. It appears painfully obvious from their first attempt that they have not watched much College Football this year. Hopefully, they start paying attention. Truthfully, at this point the rankings don’t mean much, so for this article I will use the AP Top 25 standings..
•TOP TEN (Using AP Standings)
#1 Alabama – No real surprise here as they have looked unbeatable. Alabama’s defense has been very impressive ranked #1 in rushing defense and #4 in total defense. That being said, I personally believe their offense is less than Championship material.
#2 Michigan – It didn’t take Harbaugh long to turn this “team up north” around. They have been destroying everyone in the Big 10. Like Alabama, Michigan has been led by defensive play. They are ranked #1 in passing yards allowed, and #1 in total defense.
#3 Clemson – The Tigers are extremely lucky to be undefeated at this point. They have been pushed to the brink in the ACC… The ACC…
#4 Washington – The Huskies have been a remarkably balanced team this year. The offense led by Jake Browning has reached the potential people expected (maybe a year earlier than expected), but the stellar defensive play has been a pleasant surprise. The Huskies defense is ranked 7th in scoring, and 10th in passing yards allowed.
#5 Louisville – Led by the Heisman front runner Lamar Jackson, the Cardinal have been a surprise team in 2016. Louisville is ranked #1 in total offense. They are no slouch defensively either, as the 10th ranked FBS school in total defense.
#6 The Ohio State – The Buckeyes were ranked #2 in the nation before the stunning upset against Penn State. They are a loaded team offensively, but that has not shown up in Big 10 play. Senior QB JT Barrett leads this very young Buckeye team, which has the youngest roster of any Power 5 conference school.
#7 Texas A&M – The Aggies are led by QB Trevor Knight, who transferred from Oklahoma. Their only loss came at Alabama, and biggest win was at Auburn. A&M’s total offense is ranked 16th (not bad), but they are not in the top 50 in total defense..
#8 Wisconsin – The Badgers have been a pleasant surprise for the Big 10. They started the season with 5th year Senior QB Bart Houston, but quickly changed to redshirt Freshman Alex Hornibrook. With young Hornibrook the Badgers only losses have come by 7 points each at Michigan and home to Ohio State.
#9 Nebraska – I think the simple answer with Nebraska in the top ten is, they really haven’t played anybody. They only beat Oregon by 3 points at home, and lost to Wisconsin (their only ranked opponent). The Cornhuskers most impressive win is at Northwestern.
#10 Florida – The Gators are led by an impressive defense. They are ranked #2 in total defense. Conversely, they are not ranked in the top 50 in total offense.
•Recommended Saturday TV schedule: (PST)
-9am (ABC) – #8 Wisconsin @ Northwestern; The Wildcats played very well against the Buckeyes last week in a 4 point loss. It will be interesting to see if they can keep that level of play going at home against the Badgers.
-12:30pm (CBS) – #10 Florida @ Arkansas; This may be Florida’s toughest opponent year-to-date.
-5pm (ABC & CBS) – Get ready to abuse your remote as we have a pair of good games.. On ABC, #9 Nebraska @ #6 Ohio State. On CBS, #1 Alabama @ #15 LSU. The hope here is that one of these games becomes a blowout early, and the other is a game worth watching. Constantly flipping back-and-forth becomes a pain in the ass.
-7:30pm (ESPN) – #4 Washington at Cal; Another road game for the Huskies. This game should not be close if the Huskies “are who we think they are”. But, with first round NFL (2018) talent Jake Browning at the helm, it is always worth the watch.
Ron LaCroix
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