This past weekend, two of the consensus top 5 teams in
the nation went on the road to hostile environments against AP top 10 teams.
This created mixed results, but both teams survived their tests. What really
came out of this weekend was the uncertainty of the ACC. Clemson (who inexplicably stormed the field) and Louisville
looked lousy at home against unranked teams, and the entire Coastal division
has multiple losses. An upset of Clemson could mean the elimination of the
conference for playoff consideration. Look at how all this breaks down below…
Top 25 Poll
Others receiving votes: Miami, South Florida,
Virginia Tech
Dropped from the rankings: Miami (15), Tennessee
(17), Virginia Tech (18), Arizona State (19), North Dakota State (20), Air
Force (22), Mississippi (24)
25 (NR). Pittsburgh
(5-2) – James Conner and company are really living on the edge, but they
are hanging around in the ACC Coastal. This is the type of team that a Clemson
or Louisville doesn’t want to see in the ACC Championship.
24 (NR). Arkansas (5-2)
– Arkansas is a hard team to figure out. Week by week they are either a top
15 team or a team that should not receive votes.
23 (NR). North
Carolina (5-2) – The Tar Heels are as Jekyll and Hyde as any team. They had
a nice win over Miami this week.
22 (NR). Colorado (5-2)
– Colorado rebounded from getting beat by USC with a whipping of a 5-1 ASU
team.
21 (NR). Washington
State (4-2) – Just like in 2015, WSU has completely put behind an FCS loss
and is a threat in the PAC-12.
20 (23). Navy (4-1)
– IDLE
19 (NR). Florida
State (4-2) – The Noles look much better these days. I can see them really
giving a fight to Clemson in that monster matchup.
18 (25). San Diego
State (5-1) – After losing to South Alabama, Donnel Pumphrey has gone off
and reestablished The Aztecs as a potential Group of Five representative in the
New Years Six.
17 (21). Toledo (5-1)
– Toledo is potentially even better this year than last year when they
upset Arkansas. This is a team to keep an eye on.
16 (NR). Florida (5-1)
– Florida isn’t really a good enough team to be ranked this high, but there
really is no one else with 1 loss in the power 5.
15 (14). Houston (6-1)
– Houston survived one of their toughest conference matchups by hanging on
late against Tulsa.
14 (16). West
Virginia (5-0) – I still don’t really buy West Virginia, but their defense
really showed something by shutting down Texas Tech in Lubbock.
13 (13). Utah (6-1)
– The Utes are flying under the radar, which is exactly where they want to
be. They host the Huskies in two weeks.
12 (11). Western
Michigan (7-0) – Western Michigan would be an easy Group of Five team any
year, but when you have dynamite teams in Houston and Boise State, they might
unfortunately get left out, despite two Big Ten wins.
11 (10). Boise
State (6-0) – The Broncos aren’t as good as they were under Petersen, but
this is the best team they have had since. They should roll through the MWC and
get a crazy showdown with San Diego State in the title game.
10 (8). Wisconsin (4-2)
– It’s hard to justify dropping them at all, but a second loss is a second
loss, even if it was to the best team in the country in overtime.
9 (12). Nebraska (6-0)
– Nebraska finally had a decent test on the road, and they survived.
8 (9). Baylor (6-0)
– The Bears are a dark horse team for the playoff. No one wants to admit
it, but they likely control their own destiny, barring the long shot chance
that every conference has an unbeaten team.
7 (7). Louisville (5-1)
– They struggled mightily on Friday night against a weak Duke team. They
were not the same team they were before their heartbreaking loss at Clemson.
6 (6). Texas
A&M (6-0) – IDLE
5 (3). Clemson (7-0)
– The Tigers had to hold on and get lucky that NC State has no kicker in
order to remain undefeated. The Wolfpack usually close those games out.
4 (4). Michigan (6-0)
– IDLE
3 (5). Alabama (6-0)
– The Tide absolutely destroyed Tennessee in Knoxville. Finally! We don’t
have to hear about that team’s magical comebacks anymore!
2 (1). Washington (6-0)
– IDLE
1 (2). Ohio State (6-0)
– The Buckeyes had a very impressive win in Madison, despite making a
one-dimensional offense look pretty good. If they lose before The Game, I would
be shocked.
Top 5 Games
for Next Weekend
5. BYU at Boise
State (#11), THU 7:15PM ESPN – The Broncos need to be careful with BYU. The
Cougars have had huge matchups every week, and every single one of them have
been nail-biting. They won’t be afraid heading up to the blue turf.
PREDICTION: Boise State 45-42
4. Miami at
Virginia Tech, THU 4:00PM ESPN – This is a huge game in the ACC Coastal. It
could very well be the game that decides the division. Of course it is on a
Thursday night, where crazy things happen each and every week.
PREDICTION: Virginia Tech 17-7
3. Arkansas (#24)
at Auburn, 3:00PM ESPN – This is not a game with real SEC title
implications, but it is one of the more unpredictable and intriguing matchups
of next weekend. The Razorbacks are absolutely the better team, but this game
could go either way.
PREDICTION: Auburn 29-23
2. NC State at
Louisville(#7), 9:00AM ABC – Does NC State have anything left in the tank
after choking away a win in Clemson? We will see when they match up with an
angry Louisville team with an early
kickoff.
PREDICTION: Louisville 49-23
1. Texas A&M
(#6) at Alabama (#1), 12:30PM CBS – A&M has given the Tide trouble in
the past, as has QB Trevor Knight. I can see a potential close game here, but
this isn’t where Bama loses.
PREDICTION: Alabama 34-17
Heisman
Trophy Watch
5. Deshaun Watson,
QB, Clemson – As long as they keep winning, he will remain in the running,
even though this season is much less impressive than his campaign a year ago.
4. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State – He is moving up the all time
rushing list and just scorching teams for 200+ seemingly every week.
3. Jabrill
Peppers, LB/S/CB, Michigan – Last week, he had a game statistically that
will undoubtedly swoon voters. He is getting carries on offense now.
2. Jake Browning,
QB, Washington – He is on pace to break the all time passing efficiency
record in college football, currently held by Russell Wilson.
1. Lamar Jackson,
QB, Louisville – He struggled this week with the rest of his team, but he
made the plays down the stretch to seal it. He’s the obvious frontrunner.
College
Football Playoff Projections
Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Boise State
over Florida
Rose Bowl: Ohio State over Utah
Fiesta Bowl: Clemson over West
Virginia
Sugar Bowl: Louisville over Texas
A&M
College Football Playoff Semifinal #1
(Orange Bowl): Alabama over Baylor
CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl):
Michigan over Washington
National
Championship Game: Michigan over Alabama
Who are your playoff teams? Heisman favorite? Let me know
in the comments.
