CFP Top 10 Ranking Breakdown
Tennessee is out and TCU is in after a chaotic Week 11 slate.
As college football fans, we can all agree that week to week, we want chaos. Well, week 10 gave that to us.
(1) UGA: Georgia came out Saturday afternoon and showed the country exactly why they should be #1. UGA’s stingy defense caused the Vols to rely more on their defense which has been wishy washy all season long. Hopefully there is a UT v UGA rematch in this CFB Playoff.
(2) Ohio State: The win may have been ugly, but so was the weather in Evanston. Ohio State did just enough to keep themselves in the top 2. The CFB season is a long one. Sometimes (Especially in the Big 10), a team like Ohio State needs to gut out a gross win. This is exactly what they did on Saturday. Although not the offensive output they’re used to, the only thing this game negatively effected was CJ Stroud’s Heisman candidacy.
(3) Michigan: The Wolverines have been handling their business like this weekly. The Wolverines behind JJ McCarthy (who accounted for 3 TDs) went into New Brunswick and left with a stomach full of capicola, prosciutto, soppressata, another win, and a bump up in the rankings.
(4) TCU: Max Duggan refuses to let the Horned Frogs take a loss. Sports media has been squatting on the take that TCU will not be in the CFP, and the Horned Frogs keep proving the country wrong. This past week, it was no Quentin Johnston, no problem. TCU has a deep backfield, and Duggan has plenty of experience on his side. As a Big 12 guy, I’m all in on TCU to stay in the top 4 and cause some disruption during the playoff.
(5) Tennessee: Upsetting outing by the Vols. This is the first week of the season that Hendon Hooker accounted for less than 2 TDs, with a whomping 0 TDs scored through the air, and none on the ground. It wasn’t just Hooker, but the entire Vols offense. This could be a good spin zone for Heupel… now they have the film on how Kirby Smart plans to shut down the electric Volunteer offense. Don’t expect Tennessee to roll over, they will be waiting their turn to get back into the playoff picture while praying on a couple upsets.
(6) Oregon: After getting annihilated week 1 against the top team in the country, Oregon has settled in nicely and continues to take care of their business. Bumping up 2 spots after crushing Colorado, and letting everything else unfold around them. If Oregon finishes out the season strong, and wins the PAC 12 conference, they may be able to punch their ticket into the playoff.
(7) LSU: This one surprised me a bit. Understandable that you bump LSU up in the ranks after beating Bama, I get that part. But putting LSU over USC & UCLA is over reactive to say the least. LSU has 2 home losses, FSU and Tennessee. Although the Tigers are stringing it together, it’s too late for them to make any noise. I guess for the voters, it’s difficult to count out the most recent 2 loss National Champ.
(8) USC: Caleb Williams continues to showcase his unique abilities as a football player. Passing, rushing, whichever. Watch out when Williams have the ball. USC handled their business at home against Cal. USC’s sole loss came against Utah in Utah. It isn’t easy to go into Utah and win a game. USC needs to continue to show out if they want to make a run at the CFB playoff. Someone has to win the PAC 12, which right now looks like its between Oregon, USC, and UCLA. There’s a very good chance a 1 loss PAC 12 team makes the playoff.
(9) UCLA: Not very often in today’s CFB do we see a head coach QB tandem working together for 5 seasons. DTR and Chip are that rare tandem, and this season they’re showing out to the rest of the league. Chip’s ability to adapt to his players strengths has gotten them this far. Although they’re down at 9, UCLA can write their own history playing Arizona, USC, and Cal in their next 3. If UCLA is able to handle Arizona, and Cal, while also making a statement win against the Trojans don’t be surprise to see UCLA continually climbing the ranks.
(10) Alabama: Nope, not a misprint. Alabama has 2 losses. The losses were close, they were heart breaking, but in the SEC you need a well rounded team in all 3 phases of the game. This season Alabama has shown glimpses of mediocrity, whether it be on offense, defense or special teams. For the first time in what feels like a lifetime, we can count Alabama out of the playoff contention.
