ONE MONTH LEFT

On the eve of the first playoff rankings of the year, it was a chance for teams to make a statement and show why some were worthy and others were not! In a weekend that saw 4 undefeated teams lose, and an entire conference likely knocked out of the playoffs, the clarity of what’s to come appears to be showing up. BUT it’s definitely not that simple! With only one month left in the season, now is the time for those contenders to really show themselves! As a great man once said, they remember what you do in November!

Contenders

Alabama – This one shouldn’t be debatable. I think we ask ourselves the same question every year. “Is this Saban’s best Alabama defense ever”? It might be. From a playmaking secondary to a defensive front that seems to always get in the backfield, Bama has it all again. They have a true freshman quarterback in Jalen Hurts who can make plays with his arms and legs and a solid running game that adds to their greatness. The Crimson Tide look like they’re indeed headed for the playoffs. They might be tested somewhat when they go to LSU this weekend, but with Saban I don’t doubt they’ll prevail.

Clemson - Could they be headed back to the playoffs? It definitely looks that way. When they opened the season beating Auburn on the road 19-13, people actually started to doubt them. But that win looks very good now as Auburn has shown it’s actually a very good team. Clemson is 8-0, including wins against Louisville at home, and on the road at Florida State, and they still haven’t played their best game yet. They are still trying to cut down on the turnovers and giving up big plays. If they get those mistakes corrected, I can see them getting back to the championship game.

Michigan – I admit it. I didn’t think Harbaugh could turn this around this quickly. 2 years ago, Michigan was 5-7 and now they’re looking like a true title contender. The defense definitely passes the eye test, but I think the defense may hold them back from winning a championship. They have quality wins against Wisconsin, and Penn State, but as I said before, November 26^th against Ohio State is the game we are all looking forward too!

Washington - Could they be the most complete team in the country? The Huskies truly have it all. They can play fast or slow. They can throw it downfield, or run the ball. They can win shootouts, or close low scoring affairs. And they have a future NFL quarterback in Jake Browning. I don’t have to see anything else from Washington to know they have a shot to win it all. They have a good secondary that can make plays and also rush the passer and the skills guys offense to make even bigger plays. This is what Washington envisioned when they hired Chris Pederson from Boise State.

Auburn – Clearly, a lot has to happen for Auburn to sneak into the playoff. They already have 2 losses, but once is to Clemson, and the other to A&M. Some people came away from the opening game against Clemson thinking Auburn was going to be terrible this year. I came away impressed with that defense and their ability which has only gotten better as the season as grown. Auburn has been the most improved team in the country and I expect to give Alabama a real challenge when they meet at the end of the year.

Pretenders

Ohio State – Yes, Ohio State is really good and talented but I would truly be SHOCKED if they won the championship this season. JT Barrett hasn’t made the plays he made the first part of the year and they just haven’t looked the same the last couple of weeks! The defense is still elite and can be good enough to take them far, just not far enough.

Texas A&M – Yes, this has been a good year for the Aggies. The 1 in the loss column looks impressive  but does anybody think a Trevor Knight led team can go all the way? Texas A&M has talent on both sides of the ball but there’s no way I look at them as a true contender for the title. They still have games against Ole Miss and LSU and I expect them to lose at least one of those games.

Nebraska – To be very short and simple, NO TEAM WITH TOMMY ARMSTRONG WILL EVER WIN ANYTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE.

Wisconsin – I do like Wisconsin as a team. They have a really good defense and have shown they could step up and play in big games. They have 2 losses, but those are both losses to teams that were better. It took Ohio State overtime to beat the Badgers, and a play of the year style interception for Michigan to seal the deal. At the end of the day, while I believe Wisconsin has a championship defense, I just don’t think they have the offense that can win a game against those top teams.

Louisville – Look, Lamar Miller right now is the Heisman trophy winner and I don’t know what it would take for anyone jump him, but I just can’t see Louisville getting to the playoff. Their only chance would be if Clemson completely melts down towards the end of the year and gets 2 losses, there’s no way Louisville can win the ACC which the committee claims to be putting extra emphasis on. As much as I would like to see Miller play against that Alabama or Michigan defense, it looks like we won’t get that opportunity.

So these are my contenders and pretenders so far. There’s still a month left in the season and a lot can change up until now! I can see someone else jumping into that top 4, specifically if Michigan loses to Ohio State, or Washington loses to Washington State. I firmly have more belief in Alabama and Clemson to get to the playoffs and possibly a rematch of last year’s title game. With a big weekend ahead, I’m definitely ready to see how the rankings change next week.

MY TOP 6

1.      Alabama

2.      Clemson

3.      Michigan

4.      Washington

5.      Texas A&M

6.      Louisville

Pick 6

So unfortunately, after I wrote last week’s blog I had a computer issue and it completely deleted so I didn’t put my picks out! So I’m definitely hoping to go 6/6 this week.

TCU VS Baylor (13)

I think I’ve made it clear how I feel about the Baylor football program. I don’t want them to have success and now that they’re schedule begins to get tougher I think they’ll struggle and it’ll start this weekend against TCU. Even though TCU’s offense hasn’t been what we thought it was, and they still don’t know if Kenny Hill’s the guy, I think they still have athletes to put up points. Unfortunately for Baylor, their quarterback Seth Russell is in the concussion protocol.

TCU 31

Baylor 27

Texas VS Texas Tech

Patrick Mahommes, the nation’s number 1 passer is banged up , but will still play in this weekend’s game and has some added motivation if playing Texas wasn’t enough. Texas linebacker Breckyn Hager came out and said he plans to injure Mahommes, and while he’s already issued an apology I am sure Mahommes and the Red Raiders won’t be very forgiving. Texas just got their best win of the year after knocking off Baylor and maybe they feel like they can talk now. I just don’t think Texas has the talent of either side of the ball to win this game.

Texas Tech 41

Texas 30

Nebraska (9) VS Ohio State (6)

This is a HUGE game for an Ohio State team that has struggled the last couple of weeks. Luckily they get this game at home so maybe that will help them focus. I still don’t have any belief in Armstrong for Nebraska so I think this might be just what the Buckeyes need to get back right. JT Barrett needs to play better and push the ball downfield. Ohio State made their living the last few years on big plays and that’s something they have to do if they want to be a true title contender. It starts now.

Ohio State 34

Nebraska 24

Florida (11) VS Arkansas

Florida is still sitting there with 1 loss and looking like the team in the driver’s seat to win the SEC East, so they have A LOT to play for. Arkansas is not looking good at all and they may struggle again this week. Luckily for them, the game is at home which has proven to be a tough place to play for opponents. Florida just has too much talent on both sides of the ball to have their playoff hopes taken away. The Razorbacks strengths in the last couple of years has been their offensive and defensive lines, but it’s definitely been their weakness this year. Arkansas will compete but it just won’t be enough.

Florida 33

Arkansas 17

Washington (5) VS Cal

My most complete team in the country travels to California for road game that could potentially be a trap game as they have an improving USC team coming to town next week. If there’s one thing Cal can do, it’s score points and I don’t doubt they will come into this game hoping to outscore Washington. That’s a lot easier said than done seeing as the Huskies have an elite defense and that road win over Utah last week showed me they were definitely ready for any kind of challenge. I think Davis Webb will make some plays but Jake Browning will just make more.

Washington 41

Cal 23

Alabama (1) VS LSU (13)

And I had to save the best for last. LSU has been ROLLING ever since Les Miles got fired. Coach O has them playing a faster and more exciting brand of football. Leonard Fournette just came back recently and showed he was still bigtime. He has struggled against Alabama throughout his career though and I don’t see that changing. LSU has been able to make more plays through the air as well and they need to be extremely proficient in order to test an Alabama secondary that will be without star safety Eddie Jackson. But it’s still Alabama and they have depth at every position so I’m sure they’ll be fine. I think it will be a close game and one where Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts will be challenged. He’s shown he’s ready for all challenges however, and I think he’ll make the 2 or 3 plays needed to win this game.

Alabama 31

LSU 24