The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
Week 3 in college football provided a lot more information about teams in the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 4 As it Should Be. However, without any top 25 games, the top teams naturally cruised to easy victories. It was chalk, chalk, and more chalk. I do not project forward with the rankings of a team’s schedule, but as a fan, I can be damn excited.
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 4. I get criticized from time to time by people who only want to see the college football world through the lens of the AP Poll. These rankings are not going to look like the AP Poll. Open your eyes to see a different view of evaluating the top 10. Most polls including the College Football Playoff Committee give college blueblood teams a massive “benefit of the doubt.” I don’t believe in that. Teams are ranked by the correct criteria: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance. After the preseason rankings, only games played matter. No consideration is given for future games.
I re-rank the top 10 every Sunday from scratch. The previous week’s rankings do not factor into the next week. So, the rankings will change, sometimes drastically every week because we will have new information. So make sure to come back every Sunday.
For reference, you can check College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 3.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 4:
Next Up: Oregon, Utah, UCF, Florida
10. Michigan Wolverines (2-0)
Last Week: IDLE
There are few times that coaches catch more heat after a win than Jim Harbaugh did after beating ARMY. Michigan needed to have an open week more than any other team in the country. The Wolverines need all the time they can to practice and clean up all the unforced errors. This week they travel to Wisconsin. A win would hold the critics at bay for a while, but a loss would bring “overrated” chants.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)
Last Week: 66-14 (W) vs New Mexico
Just like every other team who plays non-competitive games, there is not a lot to be learned. Ian Books’ numbers were spectacular though. He had over 400 yards of total offense and 6 total touchdowns. Surprisingly, the Fighting Irish did not run the ball well against New Mexico. Maybe they were just working on things in the passing game for Georgia?
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
8. Texas Longhorns (2-1)
Last Week: 48-13 (W) vs Rice
Texas put the screws to Rice, as they were supposed to. A lot of times when college football teams lose heartbreaking games, they let that carry over to the next week. Tom Herman made sure his team put the LSU loss behind them and came out firing on all cylinders. Sam Ehlinger completed 23 of his 27 pass attempts. If he can keep that kind of efficiency, they will make a run at the top of the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 4.
7. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)
Last Week: 55-0 (W) vs Arkansas State
I must applaud UGA and their fans for the “pink out” in honor of Arkansas State’s head coaches late wife. That was a great gesture and put life over football.
I cannot wait till next week against Notre Dame to see what this team is made out of. Their first three weeks have been a breeze, but they have been extremely dominant. The Bulldogs wide receiving core will need to step up in a major way. It is always good to see talented football teams play quality football games. Us fans deserve them. My mind says that Georgia is treating the regular season as a formality. They want Bama. Hopefully, they don’t overlook anyone in the process.
6. Auburn (3-0)
Last Week: 55-16 (W) vs Kent State
The Bo Nix hype has turned into 3-0 despite the play not being to the level Auburn will need to compete for the SEC crown. Next week they get a real test as they head to Texas A&M. Gus Malzahn has bet on himself calling plays this year and it has worked out so far. I am less confident about this team than I was after the Oregon win, but they still have the 2nd best win of any top 10 team. They did show a high level of dominance this week.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)
Last Week: 51-10 (W) vs Indiana
They tried to hype up this matchup against Indiana, but it wasn’t even close. Ohio State had guys running wide open for Fields to throw to. And when they wanted to run it, JK Dobbins couldn’t be stopped. I’m not sure how we are supposed to find the four best teams when so many are elite. I’m interested to see how Justin Fields responds in a close game or when his team is down. We may not see that opportunity until the CFB Playoff.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0)
Last Week: 48-14 (W) vs UCLA
Jalen Hurts and the Sooners cut through UCLA like a hot knife through butter. It was a light day of work for Hurts. He “only” accounted for 439 yards of total offense and 4 touchdowns. Lincoln Riley’s offense makes me want to ask for an internship at Oklahoma so I can learn it. Their defense does look better than last season. But it’s like an improvement from a 5-out-of-10 to a 6.5. There is still a lot of improvements that need to be made. But, their offense is so amazing that it may not matter.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0)
Last Week: 47-23 (W) at South Carolina
Finally a real opponent for Alabama. South Carolina put up a real fight for a half and was not scared of the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban is always pissed about something. So he can’t be happy about the times South Carolina just marched the ball down the field easily. Bama also is having difficulty running the football. I can’t remember the last time they were held to under 100 yards rushing in an SEC game. The passing game is working remarkably. Tua threw for 444 yards and 5 touchdowns. Dominance was there against a real opponent.
I am happy that we finally get so see Bama play a real opponent. I’m still afraid that their lack of consistent competition will cause them to get knocked off in the SEC championship.
2. LSU (3-0)
Last Week: 65-14 (W) vs Northwestern State
I am still in shock by what I am seeing by the LSU offense. In consecutive weeks Joe Burrow has thrown for 470 and 370 yards. They are a real live offense in 2019. For the first time in a long time, I believe LSU may be better than Alabama. Their November matchup will be an epic showdown. It should be a shootout because neither defense looks untouchable.
1. Clemson Tigers (3-0)
Last Week: 41-6 (W) at Syracuse
In three games against Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Syracuse, Clemson has only given up a combined 30 points. I refuse to call teams unbeatable, but this team is on the verge of making me change my policy. They are destroying everybody and Trevor Lawrence is not even playing his best football. Syracuse picked him off twice and he was just not as sharp as last season. The Tigers wide receivers and running backs are capable of scoring every time they touch the football.
It is clear why the Tigers are #1.
2 Comments
Your rankings show complete bias. You need to stop saying they don’t. Michigan has had two very shaky wins against subpar competition and they are still in your top 10. UCF has shown they are better than at least 2 or 3 teams in your list. At this point in the season no team with a loss should be in your list. You have Texas there strictly because of the name. It’s fine if you want to ranks based on bias, but don’t act like it’s otherwise.
I have UCF at 12 right now. LSU is a top 2 team and Texas gave them fits and has been dominant in their other 2 games. UCF had the misfortune of Stanford being awful but I give them much more respect than Florida who is NOT in the rankings. No bias here.
Michigan’s win over Army wasn’t shaky. Everyone struggles with service academies. Even Oklahoma went to OT with them last year. If they look bad this week they are gone.