Jalen Hurts continues to emerge as a force for the Crimson Tide.
Last Week’s Result: Beat Colorado State 41-23.
Why They’re Here: Alabama’s star quarterback Jalen Hurts had another great performance and he is a major reason for why Alabama is here, he is, in my opinion, the best quarterback that the Crimson Tide have had since AJ McCarron and if he can continue to play like he has in the first three games of the season than Alabama should cruise to the number one seed in the college football playoff. There is a very strong chance that Alabama wins every game in the next two months and their next real test is at Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
(2) Oklahoma Sooners:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Tulane 56-14.
Why They’re Here: Oklahoma cruised to a victory over Tulane this past week and they are legitimate contenders for the national championship. Baker Mayfield’s stock is quickly rising with both NFL and college football guru’s and he is one of the most exciting quarterbacks in college football. Lincoln Riley has done an incredible job so far in his first season as the Sooners head coach and I underrated this team tremendously headed into the season.
(3) Clemson Tigers:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Louisville 47-21.
Why They’re Here: Kelly Bryant has done an excellent job replacing Deshaun Watson, he is one of college football’ s best running quarterbacks and he has been one of my favorite quarterbacks to watch in college football. The Clemson defense had some struggles against Lamar Jackson but that front seven has been tremendous. Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence have very bright futures in football, both of them could go very high in the NFL Draft. This team is an absolute force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball.
(4) USC Trojans:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Texas 27-24.
Why They’re Here: USC is still worthy of a spot in the college football playoff but they struggled at times against a Texas team who they should have beat handily. The USC secondary struggled against freshman quarterback Danny Ehlinger who at times in that game looked like the second-coming of Vince Young. The only reason why they are still in a college football playoff spot is because of Sam Darnold who is, in my opinion, the best player in college football and worthy of the number one pick next April, should he declare.
(5) Ohio State Buckeyes:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Army 38-7.
Why They’re Here: I thought about putting Penn State here but I am not going to give up on Ohio State yet. J.T. Barrett put up a much better performance and J.K. Dobbins continues to impress many people. The Buckeyes schedule is going to get a lot tougher a few weeks from now when they head to Penn State and that game may have the biggest impact on Ohio State’s season, if they win they have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs but if they lose they would have at least two losses and would almost certainly be out of playoff contention.
(6) Penn State Nittany Lions:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Georgia State 56-0.
Why They’re Here: The Nittany Lions continue to have one of the most exciting offenses in college football and there is an argument to be made that Saquon Barkley is now the frontrunner for the Heisman trophy. Barkley made tremendous contributions in both the running and receiving games against Georgia State and he is looking like he will be the best running back in the Big Ten since Ezekiel Elliott. The Nittany Lions defense has been very impressive as well this season having shutout their opponents in two games already.
(7) Oklahoma State Cowboys:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Pittsburgh 59-21.
Why They’re Here: Mason Rudolph is one of the best quarterbacks in college football and he could go on day one of the NFL Draft if he keeps putting up these kinds of performances. The Cowboys receiving corps has been very impressive this season and I am excited to see how they match up against top teams in the Big 12. The Cowboys could easily vault into the playoffs if they can beat their in-state rivals later on in the season and their national championship dreams are fairly realistic.
(8) Washington Huskies:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Fresno State 48-16.
Why They’re Here: Washington is a top contender in the Pac-12 and their defense continues to impress me early on this year despite losing top talent in their secondary to the NFL. Chris Petersen has to be in the conversation for one of the best coaches in college football, I would not put him in the top five but he definitely is a top ten coach. Myles Gaskin has had a great season so far and I love the combination of Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin on the offensive side of the ball.
(9) Wisconsin Badgers:
Last Week’s Result: Beat BYU 40-6.
Why They’re Here: The ninth spot in a coin flip between Wisconsin and Michigan but Hornibrook had a very good performance against BYU and he only threw one incomplete pass. I love the Wisconsin offensive line and Paul Chryst continues to be one of the most underrated coaches in the country. If Alex Hornibrook can continue to put up solid performances like this (and he wasn’t exactly playing a cupcake) this Wisconsin team has a chance to contend with Michigan and Penn State for the Big Ten title.
(10) Michigan Wolverines:
Last Week’s Result: Beat Air Force 29-13.
Why They’re Here: Michigan’s quarterback did not play as good as Wisconsin’s quarterback Alex Hornibrook and they is the key reason why I bumped Wisconsin ahead of them. The Wolverines have an advantage on the defensive side of the ball over Wisconsin but Wisconsin has looked much better offensively this season. A few weeks through the season it is safe to say that the Big Ten is by far the best conference in college football.
