The longest week in the history of the NFL, 2020 NFL Week 12, is over. Some teams bolstered their playoff hopes, while others took steps back. Nonetheless, the three top teams in the league are pretty obvious, and the musical chairs for the fourth best spot continue. Familiar teams are still stuck at the bottom end of the NFL totem pole. Here is Four Up, Four Down for 2020 NFL Week 12.
Pittsburgh Steelers, Despite Uneven Performance, Retain Top Spot
Some may think it would have been easy to give the Kansas City Chiefs the number one spot over the Steelers this week. However, the Steelers have found ways to win every week, even when they have not played their best. Both quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Coach Mike Tomlin (who should be Coach of the Year) were critical of the team’s performance in their 19-14 victory over the Ravens on Wednesday. They did look uneven on offense, but they did their job on defense. When plays were there to be made on Wednesday, the Steelers made enough of them. Roethlisberger’s completion on third down to James Washington to basically seal the game was one of the prettiest throws a quarterback can make.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs got the best performance from a wide receiver this season from Tyreek Hill. His 203 receiving yards in the first quarter showed up the Buccaneers’ secondary. Hill would end up with 13 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns, but it was Patrick Mahomes who closed out the game. Teams have to wonder how they can stop him. He was able to finesse his way to first downs on the game-clinching drive as Kansas City won 27-24. The Chiefs play the Broncos on Sunday night this week, so Mahomes and Hill will be able to carry their momentum into primetime.
3. New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill and company were able to take care of the Broncos 31-3. Obviously for Denver, they had to start practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback due to their other quarterbacks being declared ineligible for the game. The Saints’ running game was led by Latavius Murray and not Alvin Kamara this game. New Orleans can smash teams in the mouth, and they have a serviceable defense. They arguably have a better defense than fellow NFC contenders Green Bay and Seattle, which gives them the upper hand to play in Tampa in February. Drew Brees will have a chance to get ring number two once he comes back from injury.
4. Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry would have been the storyline for NFL offense this past week if it was not for Tyreek Hill. Henry’s 178 yards and three touchdowns were the catalyst for the Titans in their 45-26 drubbing of the Colts. This score line was shocking, considering the Colts beat the Titans 34-17 in 2020 NFL Week 10. Running the ball will be a strength for Tennessee in cold weather games in December and January. Because of this, they could beat a Kansas City or Pittsburgh team. The Chiefs and Steelers both have the upper hand, but the Titans could theoretically win based on time of possession.
Four Down: It’s The Same Story for The Worst NFL Teams After 2020 NFL Week 12
29. Philadelphia Eagles
Doug Pederson loves his analytics. With a chance to lessen the Seahawks’ lead to 20-12 on Monday Night, Pederson was feeling audacious and went for it on fourth down. Carson Wentz threw yet another horrible interception, and the Eagles would end up losing 23-17. Sometimes analytics are a good thing, but Pederson has to know what he is working with. He has a team that needs all the points it can get, even if that is three points. He is going to cost himself his job if his reckless decision making continues.
30. Dallas Cowboys
Are you serious?
DiNucci was bad, but the offense at least moved somewhat with him in tow.
You try being thrust in that position, Jerry. You try going from practice squad speed to an NFL game in the blink of an eye. https://t.co/hP6XyBgORh
On Thanksgiving, everything unraveled for the Cowboys after a fake punt miserably failed. They would end up losing 41-16 to the Washington Football Team. Mike McCarthy, the same guy who would make the most conservative decisions in Green Bay despite having Aaron Rodgers, has bought a riverboat in Dallas. His decision-making is baffling considering what he would do in Green Bay. Packers fans remember him kicking all those field goals in Seattle in January of 2015, costing them a chance at getting to Super Bowl 49. The play looked like it could have worked and was, in theory, a decently designed play. However, it was not the right decision to fake it deep inside their own territory. That being said, McCarthy should get a fair shake in Dallas. It will be interesting to see how he does with Dak Prescott next year if Prescott is in a Cowboys’ uniform
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars started Mike Glennon at quarterback on Sunday. They were competitive with the Browns, but still fell short 27-25. Their GM, David Caldwell, got fired after the game. It would be surprising to see Doug Marrone still coaching in Duval County after this season. However, he is keeping his team competitive some weeks with far more talented teams like the Browns.
32. New York Jets
Checked in on our favorite #NFL dysfunctional franchise today and as you might've guessed, it was more stuff that doesn't make sense from the #NYJets: pic.twitter.com/vOgjTePayb
Adam Gase led his team to yet another loss to his old team, this time by a score of 20-3. Ryan Fitzpatrick was also the opposing quarterback to beat his old team. A Dolphins team that is supposed to be in rebuild because of how Gase’s tenure went down there is on track to make the playoffs. The Jets are on track to possibly draft Trevor Lawrence. The beleaguered Jets coach admitted that he has hindered Sam Darnold’s development and said that his left guard, Alex Lewis, may not play this week. It was talked about on the Rich Eisen show that Lewis said he should have left the team when Jamal Adams did. Does this really matter though? It is a foregone conclusion that Gase will probably be let go after the season.
Do you agree with our Four Up and Four Down after 2020 NFL Week 12? Tweet us, @unafraidshow, with your thoughts.
The margin for error in the 2020 NFL Season for teams is becoming thinner. This has been illustrated by the crazy finishes and close games that fans saw in 2020 NFL Week 11. Here are the top four teams so far this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers, at 10-0, Team To Beat After 2020 NFL Week 11
The Steelers made easy business of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday with a 27-3 victory. Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers look 1000 percent on the same page. They play the Ravens this week, but that game may not take place due to COVID-19 concerns within the Ravens’ organization. If they do end up playing, expect the Steelers to win. The Ravens have proven that they cannot win the close games, and they will not be able to build a lead against the Steelers’ defense. However, the Buffalo Bills await Pittsburgh in Week 14. Going up to Buffalo and winning is not an easy feat, even for the undefeated Steelers.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes did Patrick Mahomes things on the last drive in their 35-31 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. He found Travis Kelce on an all-to-easy touchdown to seal the deal. The Chiefs, usually a big-play offense, used ball control to beat the Raiders. Kansas City have found another scary way they can beat their opponents. The Chiefs should be favored, even though they will be tested in Tampa Bay this Sunday. Other than that, they have a huge Week 15 showdown with the New Orleans Saints, who also found another scary way to win on Sunday.
3. New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill proved he can win a game as a starting quarterback in the NFL on Sunday. Even though the Saints went down early to the Atlanta Falcons, Hill was able to play efficiently for the Saints. He would account for two rushing touchdowns on the day, and show that the Saints have many dimensions to their offense. Their defense looks like it can do the job needed to help the Saints win games. Expect New Orleans to beat Denver, Atlanta, and Philadelphia to be 11-2 going into their Week 15 showdown with the Chiefs. Drew Brees may be healthy for that one, but will Taysom Hill still be starting at that point?
4. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts managed to win 34-31 in overtime against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, providing Philip Rivers with his second signature win in a row. Indianapolis seized control of the division with their win over the Titans in Week 10, and beat the Packers to take the fourth spot in Four Up for 2020 NFL Week 11. Their defense played very opportunistic and forced uncharacteristic turnovers from Green Bay. They play the Titans again this week, and the winner will have the upper hand in the AFC South the rest of the way.
The fourth spot in this week’s rankings could have gone to either the Colts or the Los Angeles Rams. However, quarterback Jared Goff still makes mistakes where one may think he is holding that team back. He played decent against the Buccaneers despite two interceptions, but his defense showed up. If defense wins championships, expect to see the Rams in a top four spot in no time. If Goff turns the football over, the Rams will have trouble passing the eye test for many.
Four Down: Joe Burrow’s Injury Completely Derails Bengals’ Season
29. Philadelphia Eagles
Doug Pederson’s offensive play calls look worse and worse every week. Carson Wentz looks nothing like he did in the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season in 2017. The Eagles are winning the NFC East, but they are the only NFC East team on this list right now for a reason. Their brand of football looks uninspiring, and they look discombobulated on offense all the time. They need to find a way, as Russell Wilson and the Seahawks come into town on Monday.
30. Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow’s season-ending torn ACL and MCL was not fun news to hear. He was keeping the Bengals competitive in games they had no business being in. Burrow beat a Titans team who just beat the Ravens. Now, the Bengals need to tank to bolster the offensive line around him.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
Another loss for the Jaguars against the Steelers. There is not much more to say. They are going to get either Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields in the NFL Draft.
32. New York Jets
It’s the same situation for the Jets as it is for the Jaguars. These two teams are on a collision course to have the top two picks in the NFL Draft. Both will probably have new coaches also.
Do you agree with Four Up, Four Down for 2020 NFL Week 11? Tweet us @unafraidshow with your thoughts.
Week 9 of the 2020 NFL Season produced some very close finishes and some very lopsided games. There has been a shuffle at the top of the leaderboard in the NFL. The NFC has four teams that are looking to be the favorites, but only two of them won this week (Packers and Saints). In the AFC, the picture is clearer. The Steelers and Chiefs are leading the way in the league at the moment.
Four Up: Steelers Lead the Way After 2020 NFL Week 9 Despite Close Call With Cowboys
The Steelers managed to win a dogfight against the Dallas Cowboys, 24-19. Even though the Steelers did not play their best, the best teams can win ugly. The Steelers missed two extra points. This proved to be consequential as the Cowboys had a chance to win on the game’s final play. However, Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin have been in games like this at numerous points throughout their career. The Steelers are the favorites, as no teams have figured them out yet. On any given Sunday, any team can win. The Steelers have managed to win every Sunday so far this season.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs managed to beat the Carolina Panthers 33-31 on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes put up another gaudy stat line, with 372 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. Many believe that he has worked his way to the front of the MVP conversation yet again. No team has shown a cohesive game plan to stop Mahomes. With all his offensive firepower at his disposal, do not expect him to ease up on having MVP performances.
The Saints, who I picked to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, have finally made their way on to this list. However, this part of the season seems to be the part where they make their ascent. New Orleans has always played well in the early part of November the past few seasons, and that trend has not changed this year. The challenge for the Saints will be sustaining the level of play they displayed Sunday night in Tampa. If they can do that, it is hard to see any team being able to surpass them in the NFC.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers bounced back last Thursday with their 34-17 victory over an injury-ravaged 49ers team. Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams are the game’s best quarterback-wide receiver duo right now. No one can stop them. However, the Packers need more consistency from their defense if they want to fulfill their championship aspirations. It will be interesting to see how they do against running backs like Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry later in the season, as that has been their Achilles heel on defense.
Four Down: Two NFC East In Bottom Four Yet Again
29. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have potentially found their short-term solution at quarterback with Garrett Gilbert. He played much better than Ben DiNucci. Despite keeping things close with the Steelers, the Cowboys still have work to do. They have to show more consistency in the run game and on defense if they want to be taken seriously in the NFC East.
30. Washington Football Team
Washington suffered another loss to the New York Giants, a team that has not beat any of the other 30 NFL teams. Kyle Allen is hurt, so it looks like Alex Smith will be able to lead a team as a starter for the first time in two years. Washington has some winnable games against Detroit and Dallas coming up in the next three weeks. Fans will want to see on-field results with a team that has come so far off the field in the past few months.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars started Oregon State product Jake Luton at quarterback last Sunday. This development basically signaled that they want to be involved in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. There is not too much to say otherwise. James Robinson has showed promise at running back. Jacksonville has talent on the roster defensively. It will be interesting to see how that will work around whoever is quarterback for this franchise in 2021. My prediction that it will be someone who is currently not on the roster.
32. New York Jets
The Jets competed with the Patriots on Monday night, which is encouraging for embattled head coach Adam Gase. However, the focus for Jets fans is still on if they will get Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft. Nothing has changed here. However, the Jets arguably should have won Monday night. They were able to control the ball, but Joe Flacco turned the ball over in the fourth quarter. The Jets haven’t had much momentum this season, but for a little bit it looked like they might have won.
Week 7 of the 2020 NFL Season saw some crazy finishes in numerous games. The Steelers squeaked by the Titans, the Cardinals beat the Seahawks in an instant classic, and Baker Mayfield had some heroics in the Browns’ win against the Bengals. However, the four teams at the top and bottom of the league are what you came here for. Without further ado, here is Four Up and Four Down for 2020 NFL Week 7.
Pittsburgh Steelers Lay Claim to Best Team Label After 2020 NFL Week 7
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers managed to edge the Tennessee Titans 27-24 in a game they led 27-7 at one point. They managed to win the game despite three Ben Roethlisberger interceptions. The Steelers are good on all sides of the football, but they have still let teams back into games sans their 38-7 blowout win against Cleveland last week. It will be interesting to see how their defense will do this week against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. However, getting wins has led to the Steelers being the best team in the league after 2020 NFL Week 7.
2. Green Bay Packers
Talk about a bounce back win. Aaron Rodgers picked apart the Houston Texans’ defense en route to a 35-20 victory with four touchdown passes. Davante Adams caught two of those passes, and the Rodgers-Adams connection looks better than ever. The defense was able to contain Deshaun Watson while the game was still competitive, and they avoided big mistakes that plagued them against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Some may use the Packers’ Week 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a barometer of how the two teams match up against each other. However, it is imperative that Green Bay finishes ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings at the end of the season.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes struggled against the Denver Broncos defense at times Sunday. Nonetheless, the Chiefs still put up 43 points in their 43-16 drubbing of the Broncos. Their defense outclassed Drew Lock and the Broncos’ offense, having a pick six to go along with three other turnovers. Their special teams got a kickoff return, and their running game looked formidable with the addition of Le’Veon Bell. It will be interesting how much the Chiefs will let Bell run all over his old team, the New York Jets, next week.
4. Tennessee Titans
The Titans may have lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they showed fight even though Steven Gostkowski’s kick to tie the game sailed wide right. Derrick Henry should still be in the MVP conversation, and Ryan Tannehill still played an efficient game. However, against comparable teams like the Steelers, the Titans need to have faster starts. They accomplished this against the Bills, but not against the Steelers.
Four Down: America’s Team Cracks the List
29. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys look lost after 2020 NFL Week 7. They lost to the Washington Football Team 25-3. Andy Dalton left the game with a concussion, which may lead them to starting 7th-round pick Ben DiNucci against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday night. The offensive line is definitely not the best in the league anymore. Mike McCarthy has not been calling Ezekiel Elliott’s number enough for him to have a chance to even be a workhorse. This team is a mess, but they are still in contention for their putrid division after seven weeks.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars came back from an early 16-point deficit just to squander the lead once they got it against the Los Angeles Chargers. In what would be a 39-29 defeat for Jacksonville in Week 7, it was their defense that struggled in this game. The Jaguars have promise with running back James Robinson and receivers D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault, but the team needs a coaching and GM change. It just seems like it has become too stagnant with Doug Marrone and David Caldwell.
31. New York Giants
The Giants should not be number 31 on this list. We should be talking about how they are on a 3-game winning streak right now to be honest. Even though they lost 22-21 to the Eagles, Joe Judge has this team competing, which is a promising sign. They need to start finishing the job though. They could be winning their division if they eliminated a few mistakes from their loss to the Eagles in 2020 NFL Week 7 and their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. Once they start learning how to win these games, the Giants’ stay as one of the four-worst teams will be short-lived.
32. New York Jets
Adam Gase
There is not much else to say here. The Jets succumbed to death by field goals after taking a 10-0 lead against the Bills. They gave up six straight field goals en route to an 18-10 defeat. Adam Gase has overstayed his welcome in New York. I could write it somewhat differently every week, but it is pretty cut and dry. This team is going to draft Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft if he decides to take the likely road of leaving Clemson a year early.
Best Game of 2020 NFL Week 7: Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
What a game. Seattle and Arizona played a great game Sunday night that featured multiple momentum swings. It felt like the Cardinals were one step behind the whole night. There was D.K. Metcalf running down Budda Baker after Baker intercepted a Russell Wilson pass. It seemed like whenever Seattle made a mistake, Arizona followed with one of their own. However, Kyler Murray rallied the troops from a 10-point deficit with 6:47 left in the game for what is the signature win of his career to this point.
Do you agree with Four Up and Four Down for Week 7? Tweet us @unafraidshow with your thoughts.
Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 15 As it Should Be. I believe this season makes the best case for CFB Playoff expansion. The seasons when there are a bunch of 1-loss teams that don’t get in are compelling. However, in 2019, the teams from #4-10 can beat anybody on any given Saturday. Imagine a national championship tournament where there are upsets and the occasional “Cinderella” story like March Madness. Television ratings and bowl game interest would be significantly higher. The New Years Six Bowls would have no top NFL Draft picks sitting out. There would be so much more money flowing that the NCAA wouldn’t have to share with the players (who actually generate the revenue).
Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have an 8-team playoff? The five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 teams would get automatic bids. The two remaining spots would be at-large bids.
College Football Playoff
After two sets of CFB Playoff Committee rankings, we have more information to put playoff scenarios together. So here is how it should shake out at this point. Check back here on Tuesday for the Road to the Playoff series where we examine every team’s path to the top 4.
Ohio State– The only thing that could mess up Ohio State’s season if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship.
SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia will play in the SEC championship. The conference could make a case for two teams if 1-loss UGA beats LSU.
Clemson– Just don’t lose. Dabo Swinney knows the committee would love to throw them out with a loss to Virginia.
Utah– Utah will get in if they can beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship and LSU beats Georgia in the SEC Championship.
Oklahoma/Baylor– The winner of the Big XII championship will have first dibs on a playoff spot if Utah loses to Oregon.
Watch Paul Finebaum still try to argue for Alabama to be in the #CFBPlayoff if UGA loses to LSU.
“Their only two losses are to top 15 teams”
Who did they beat Paul?
It doesn’t matter, if Bama were to play them 10 times they would win more.
The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 6. 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 14.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 15:
Next Up: Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota, Alabama,
Alabama has not earned top 10 status. They have only played two top 25 teams and lost to them both. And they have ZERO quality wins and didn’t play Georgia or Florida. So, while they only have two losses, and are a crazy talented team, nothing about their resume says they 100% would beat any team on this list.
10. Oregon Ducks (10-2)
Last Week: 24-10 (W) vs Oregon State
A win is a win. Weirdly the Ducks offense has been inconsistent over the last three games. They have been stout defensively in two of the three so they were able to win those two games. Their dreams of the CFB Playoff are dead for 2019, but their Rose Bowl dreams are still alive. However, they are six-point underdogs heading into the Pac-12 Championship.
9. Auburn (9-3)
Last Week: 48-45 (W) vs Alabama
The only thing holding Auburn back all year has been Bo Nix. There is still hope for his future, but they have won more in spite of him more than because of him. The Tigers defense has been top tier all year despite the offense continuously putting them in bad spots against good teams. If Auburn had either true freshman QB Kedon Slovis (USC) or Jayden Daniels (ASU) they would be undefeated or at the very least in the top four.
A lot of Auburn fans are always calling for Gus Malzahn’s job but he and Dabo Swinney are the only two coaches to beat Nick Saban two of the last three times they faced him. The best part is that he outsmarted Nick Saban last week.
Slow and steady is winning the race for Florida. Dan Mullen has Florida back as a top 10 team. No one expected this team to be in the conversation for a national championship, but they will absolutely be in 2020. They also won the state of Florida. The Gators knocked off Miami and destroyed Florida State in the same season. Recruiting should be fun with all those bragging rights.
7. Baylor (11-1)
Last Week: 61-6 (W) Kansas
I really believed Baylor would finish 10-2 like Minnesota, but they have shown they are in it for the long haul. When you look at their CFB Playoff resume, their non-conference schedule leaves a lot to be desired ( SFA, UTSA, Rice). But if an 11-1 Alabama without a conference championship would have been in the conversation, why not Baylor and a Big XII Championship?
Name brands mean a lot in college football. It is hard for people outside of Waco, Tx to wrap their minds around the fact that Baylor may be one of the four best teams.
6. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1)
Last Week: 34-16 (W) at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma finally has a dominating performance against a good team. Better late than never, but never late is better. It might just be at the right time to impress the CFB Playoff committee. A dominating performance against Baylor in the Big XII championship might provide the Sooners the momentum to leapfrog Utah and Georgia if they lose the SEC Championship.
Lincoln Riley has the Sooners peaking at the right time. The only thing I’m sad about this season is that we won’t get to see Jalen Hurts and Tua play against each other. It would have been far and away the most-watched college football game this season.
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
Utah has crushed every team in their path since their loss to USC. No team has been able to withstand the defensive onslaught that the Utes bring. They are physical, tough, and well-coached. If Utah makes it to the top four, whoever they play will underestimate them and be in for a rude awakening.
UGA made Georgia Tech look more like a November cupcake game than a rivalry game. The Bulldogs got the win but suffered major damage in the process. D’Andre Swift was injured, Lawrence Cager is out, and George Pickens is suspended for the first half of the SEC Championship for fighting.
Not only does Georgia have to win to make the playoff, but they also have to do so short-handed. If they win, where do you seed them? Could LSU and Georgia play in the first round of the playoff, or could LSU get bounced out?
3. Clemson Tigers (12-0)
Last Week: 38-3 (W) at South Carolina
Clemson is ready and they are mad. Dabo timing was perfect for his rallying cry to his team. They feel like underdogs and like everyone is waiting for them to fail. In reality, Clemson has won 27 straight games. In past years the committee would have ranked them #1 because they were the reigning champs who hadn’t lost. I love that they are basing the rankings on this season and week to week like the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 15 As it Should Be.
I have long believed that the two best teams in the country are Ohio State and Clemson. But, if the best team didn’t earn their spot, they don’t get it.
2. LSU (12-0)
Last Week: 50-7 (W) vs Texas A&M
Joe Burrow, or should I call him Joe Burreaux? The man has cemented himself an LSU legend. He is the QB who turned the tide on Alabama, reshaped LSU’s offense, and will win the Heisman trophy. The Tigers’ defense clearly heard all the chirping from the outside about the amount of 30-point games they have surrendered. They put a hurting on Texas A&M. Jimbo Fisher’s team didn’t even look like they belonged on the same field. Had Ohio State not crushed a much better football team than LSU, the top spot would have been different.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)
Last Week: 56-27 (W) at Michigan
The Ohio State faithful were nervous they had suffered the same fate as Alabama when Justin Fields went down grabbing his knee. But, then he rose from the ashes like a phoenix and threw a pinpoint touchdown pass. JK Dobbins looks unstoppable running the football. The pass rush is spectacular and deserving of all the praise and attention they receive. Now, they cannot let it slip against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game.
They deserve the #1 spot of the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be.
Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14.
Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14 As it Should Be. Firstly, the SEC November cupcake scheduling is so ridiculous. In November, teams are competing for playoff spots and New Years Six Bowl games while SEC schools are playing East Tenn, Western Carolina, UT-Martin, Abilene Christian, New Mexico St., and Western Carolina. To make it even worse, their fans co-sign it which makes ZERO sense to me. Why do they want to waste their time or money watching that? When a team stacks a November cupcake on top of a poor schedule, there’s no way they should be in the CFB Playoff.
There is always a huge debate surrounding the CFB Playoffs. Should the four best teams be in or the four most deserving teams? I would argue those are one in the same. The best teams are the ones that jump through all the obstacles in their way. Teams should get what they earn. If you schedule poorly in the non-conference, don’t win your conference, and only have one ranked win then you should NOT be in the top four. The amount of talent on your team, who your coach is, and your playoff history should have no bearing the rankings.
Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have an 8-team playoff? The five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team would get automatic bids. The two remaining spots would be at-large bids.
I always talk about how big of an advantage playing eight conference games is for the ACC and SEC. In addition to the math that forces more losses within the conference, there is a grinding element to playing nine conference games. Injuries mount during the season and have a huge impact on a team’s record. Imagine if Alabama were playing Missouri, Miss St (again), or Florida this weekend instead of Western Carolina. All the injuries they have would affect the outcome. This is what happens in the Big Ten, Pac-12, and Big-12.
College Football Playoff
After two sets of CFB Playoff Committee rankings, we have more information to put playoff scenarios together. So here is how it should shake out at this point. Check back here on Tuesday for the Road to the Playoff series where we examine every team’s path to the top 4.
SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia will play in the SEC championship. The conference could make a case for two teams if 1-loss UGA beats LSU.
Undefeated or 1-loss Big Ten Winner– (Ohio State/Minnesota): The only thing that could mess up the Big Ten selection is if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship. But if Minnesota beats OSU in the Big Ten Championship they will have a case for two teams as well.
Clemson– They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Utah– Oregon hurt the Pac-12’s chances by messing up the battle of 1-loss top six teams in the Pac-12 championship. But Utah will get real consideration if they can beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship.
Oklahoma– Everybody canceled Oklahoma when they lost to K-State but three weeks later they are right back in the playoff mix. Beat OKSt and Baylor in the Big-12 Championship and have Georgia and Utah lose and they may be in.
The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 6. 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 12.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 13:
Next Up: Baylor, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Auburn
10. Oregon Ducks (9-2)
Last Week: 28-31 (L) at Arizona State
Horrible loss for Oregon, but still not worse than the loss Georgia suffered against South Carolina. Arizona State is going to a bowl game. Justin Herbert played awful and for the first time all season, the Ducks defense gave up big plays. After being down 24-7 in the fourth quarter, Oregon fought back and showed why they are a top tier college football team. Justin Herbert has easily the worst two interceptions of his career.
Their dreams of the CFB Playoff are dead for 2019, but their Rose Bowl dreams are still alive. However, going through Utah will NOT be easy.
9. Penn State (9-2)
Last Week: 17-28 (L) at Ohio State
It wasn’t pretty against Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions did put up a good fight. It’s hard to knock Penn State for an 11-point road loss to the best team in college football. There was a point in the 3rd quarter game where they were down one score with the football. The team was largely ineffective on drop-back passes because Chase Young had set up a campsite in the PSU backfield. However, after QB Sean Clifford went down with an injury, Will Levis stepped in an played well. Some of the Penn State fans and media wonder if he should be the starter for the remainder of the season.
This is still a very good football team, just not one of the top four. However, if there were an 8 team playoff, PSU would warrant serious consideration.
8. Minnesota (10-1)
Last Week: 38-22 (W) at Northwestern
Good thing we have the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14 As it Should Be. It is inexplicable how the committee ranked Penn State in front of Minnesota last week. Minnesota literally beat them two weeks before. It would be different if the game had been played in September and there was a lot more information in between.
The Golden Gophers still control their own playoff destiny. Wins against Wisconsin this weekend and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship with absolutely land them in the top four.
7. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1)
Last Week: 28-24 (W) vs TCU
This week Oklahoma remembered how to play football in the first half. Jalen Hurts didn’t pass the ball particularly well (11-21, 145 yds), but his legs more than made up for it (173 yds 2 TD).
A lot of people thought Oklahoma and the Big 12 were completely out of the playoffs but chaos is striking. If the Sooners can beat ranked Oklahoma State and Baylor in the next two weeks, Alabama loses to Auburn, and Oregon beat Utah in the Pac-12 Championship the path is clear.
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
No team in the country is beating down opponents like Utah. This team is NASTY on defense. They are the boa constrictor that wraps around a team and just squeezes every bit of life out of them. It’s time to stop sleeping on Utah. No one is giving them the respect they deserve except the College Football Rankings Top 10 As It Should Be. They haven’t received 1/10 of the coverage as any team in the top 15. Whoever they play in the bowl game will be in for a rude awakening. Their defense has only allowed over 13 points three times this season and has held six opponents to single digits.
There was nothing to be learned about Alabama or gained from playing Western Carolina. It was a glorified bye week for the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban could have scheduled an intrasquad scrimmage that was more competitive. Mac Jones replaced Tua and averaged 27.5 yards per completion. Most of them were short passes that the army of 1st round receivers turned into big plays.
Good thing they schedule that “November Cupcake” game to get healthy before Iron Bowl. When will SEC fans grow tired of wasting their time and season ticket money on games like this?
4. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1)
Last Week: 19-13 (W) vs Texas A&M
The Bulldogs pulled out a close one against Texas A&M. It was not pretty but ultimately any win against a solid opponent in a good win. They are fully battle-tested and will give LSU a run for their money in the SEC Championship. At this point, there is no other team that could have an argument to be ahead of UGA. For their last trick, they must beat Georgia Tech this weekend.
Ultimately, Georgia’s undoing will be the same thing that has plagued them every year under Kirby Smart. They are too conservative. They won’t be able to run their way to an SEC championship or CFB Playoff Championship. Jake Fromm will have to show is elite and not just a game manager. The best teams won’t allow them to run the football at the level they are accustomed too. And the best opponents will score enough points to make the Bulldogs throw the ball more than 30 times.
3. Clemson Tigers (11-0)
Last Week: IDLE
Dabo Swinney had another week off to fine-tune his well-oiled machine. Everything I have seen this season tells me Clemson and Ohio State are in a class of their own. LSU is an elite team, but their defense is not up to the job of beating either one of them.
There is no way South Carolina, who beat Georgia, stays within three touchdowns of Clemson this weekend. This team just feels like a veteran NBA team that coasts throughout the regular season but starts getting prepared for a championship push late in the season.
As a college football fan, I’m hoping Clemson and Ohio State is not one of the semi-final matchups in the CFB Playoff. It would suck for the two teams I believe are the best to play each other first. Wouldn’t Ohio State vs Clemson be a helluva national championship game?
2. LSU (11-0)
Last Week: 56-20 (W) vs Arkansas
Not only did LSU beat Alabama, but they scheduled better too. No November cupcake for the Tigers. Even though Arkansas is awful, it was still an SEC opponent. Joe Burrow added another 300+ yard, three touchdown performance to his Heisman Trophy campaign. At this point, why would anyone else even be invited to the ceremony? Tua is hurt, Chase Young missed two games, Justin Herbert was awful last weekend. There is no one else who could possibly win.
Coach O has a very tough job in front of him now. It is national championship or bust for LSU now. So, he has to find a way to keep his team focused and away from reading their headlines. Any stumble from here on out will ruin their great season.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0)
Last Week: 28-17 (W) vs Penn State
The Buckeyes check all the boxes: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance.
The most complete team in college football is back the #1 team in college football. Ohio State actually helped Penn State stay in the ball game with three lost fumbles. Justin Fields only threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns but there were a couple throws he made that NFL scouts were salivating over. After watching this season Fields is clearly better than Jake Fromm at Georgia. Chase Young came back from his suspension against Penn State and was still the best player on the field.
No matter who you can a fan of, an honest man can’t tell you he’s seen a better team than O-H-I-O State in 2019?
They deserve the #1 spot of the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be.
Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14.
Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13 As it Should Be. Every year there is always talk about the potential for chaos. This season looks like it might just happen. What happens if Georgia beats LSU in the SEC championship, Minnesota beats Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, Oregon dominates Utah in the Pac-12 championship, Oklahoma finishes 12-1, and Alabama looks good with Mac Jones at QB? How can the committee possibly figure out who the four best/most deserving teams are?
Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have an 8-team playoff? The five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team would get automatic bids. The two remaining spots would be at-large bids.
I always talk about how big of an advantage playing eight conference games is for the ACC and SEC. In addition to the math that forces more losses within the conference, there is a grinding element to playing nine conference games. Injuries mount during the season and have a huge impact on a team’s record. Imagine if Alabama were playing Missouri, Miss St (again), or Florida this weekend instead of Western Carolina. All the injuries they have would affect the outcome. This is what happens in the Big Ten, Pac-12, and Big-12.
College Football Playoff
After two sets of CFB Playoff Committee rankings, we have more information to put playoff scenarios together. So here is how it should shake out at this point. Check back here on Tuesday for the Road to the Playoff series where we examine every team’s path to the top 4.
SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia have the inside track to play in the SEC championship. The conference could make a case for two teams if 1-loss UGA beats LSU.
Undefeated or 1-loss Big Ten Winner– (Ohio State/Minnesota/Penn State): The only thing that could mess up the Big Ten selection is if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship.
Clemson– They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Pac-12 Champion– (Oregon/Utah) If both teams finish the season 11-1 the conference championship game will feature a top 10 showdown. And both teams are playing exceptional football right now.
The Big 12 is in trouble. Oklahoma can’t play offense or defense in the first-half for the last three weeks and there are no signature wins possible to jump other teams.
The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 6. 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 12.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 13:
Next Up: Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Auburn
10. Penn State (9-1)
Last Week: 34-27 (W) vs Indiana
James Franklin’s team bounced back from the Minnesota loss with a win, but they got ZERO style points. Indiana is a good football team at 7-3, but Ohio State beat them 52-10. They received low marks for dominance but got a solid win. The Nittany Lions are just too limited offensively to compete for a national championship. Sean Clifford has only thrown for over 200 yards once in the last five games. That just won’t cut it against the elite teams.
Everything is on the line for Penn State this week at Ohio State. Might they shock the world?
It’s hard to move up the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13 As it Should Be when you have a dog fight against an unranked team, everyone who was looked at as better dominated, and the team that beat you lost a close game against a ranked team.
9. Minnesota (9-1)
Last Week: 19-23 (L) at Iowa
Playing against Iowa’s defense will make any offense look like a shell of itself. The Golden Gophers found themselves down 20-3 before they could get their feet underneath them. This game felt like the complete opposite of their game against Penn State. Iowa jumped out big, Minnesota came roaring back but didn’t have enough in the tank to get it done.
Minnesota has games against Northwestern and Wisconsin left. Both have turned into must-wins if they are to keep their CFB Playoff hopes alive.
8. Oklahoma Sooners (9-1)
Last Week: 34-31 (W) vs Baylor
Oklahoma forgot how to start football games. The Sooners have nine lives. I wish Oklahoma had a difference mascot so I could call them the “cardiac cats”. For the second week in a row, the Sooners have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. There is a finite number of times you can successfully execute big second-half comebacks. Two Saturdays ago, they barely outlasted Iowa State. Last Saturday they broke Baylor fans’ hearts after coming back from a 31-3 hole.
If it weren’t for UCLA coming back from a 32-point late 3rd quarter deficit to win, OU’s comeback would have been by far the best of the year.
Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch are playing with fire with their defense. Over the last three weeks, second-half Oklahoma looks like a playoff team. First-half Oklahoma shouldn’t even be a top 25 team.
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
Every college football analyst in the country is sleeping on Utah. No one is giving them the respect they deserve except the College Football Rankings Top 10 As It Should Be. They haven’t received 1/10 of the coverage as even Minnesota who doesn’t get a lot. Whoever they play in the bowl game will be in for a rude awakening. Their defense has only allowed over 13 points three times this season and has held five opponents to single digits.
I believe Bama is better than UGA and maybe Oregon, but how would I know? They have only played one good team, LSU, and they lost to them. Don’t even start with that “close game” nonsense. North Carolina played a close game with Clemon. Those two teams aren’t even in the same stratosphere.
Alabama won the game but it feels like they lost the war. Went Tua Tagovailoa was laying on the ground it was evident that this injury was not like his ankle injury. This was extremely serious. It turns out he has a dislocated hip. The injury is similar to the one that ended Bo Jackson’s career.
Stop with the “Tua should have never played” nonsense, it’s his hip, not his ankle.
It’s football, bad things happen to good people sometimes.
We always want to blame somebody. Just stop. Its not Saban’s fault. It does suck though. pic.twitter.com/ffBBpjurzQ
There were at least three other Alabama players who were injured in the game and didn’t return. Good thing they schedule that “November Cupcake” game to get healthy before Iron Bowl.
It will be interesting to see how Bama plays with Mac Jones at quarterback. Can they keep up the momentum to be in the final top four?
5. Georgia Bulldogs (9-1)
Last Week: 21-14 (W) at Auburn
Ultimately, Georgia’s undoing will be the same thing that has plagued them every year under Kirby Smart. They are too conservative. They won’t be able to run their way to an SEC championship or CFB Playoff Championship. Jake Fromm will have to show is elite and not just a game manager. The best teams won’t allow them to run the football at the level they are accustomed too. And the best opponents will score enough points to make the Bulldogs throw the ball more than 30 times.
It is difficult to look past UGA’s loss to South Carolina.
It is inexplicable. And the committee has a president for holding a top team
out of the top four with an awful loss (see Ohio State 2018). I know this is a
new committee, which clearly believes that two quality wins is greater than an
ugly loss at home.
4. Oregon Ducks (9-1)
Last Week: 34-6 (W) vs Arizona
The bar for Oregon is set extremely high. They didn’t allow a touchdown and under 300 yards of total offense to a team averaging over 32 ppg and 400+ yards. When a team covers a 27.5 point spread without allowing a TD against a conference opponent and fans say you played “just ok” the team has arrived. The Ducks are still as physical and nasty as they were at the beginning of the season.
This team dominated Auburn only to have conservative play-calling keep the game within striking range which ultimately got them beat.
Oregon fans, players, and coaching staff know they are playing for style points even more than they are playing for wins. They need to be able to pass the media’s “eye test” to generate enough momentum to power through the SEC Alabama, or two-loss team to the playoff hype train.
3. Clemson Tigers (10-0)
Last Week: 52-3 (W) vs Wake Forest
Maybe Clemson is like Roy Jones. Remember he said, “They say
I don’t fight nobody, I just make them look like nobody, y’all must have
forgot”. Wake Forest was the #19 ranked team a week ago and Dabo’s crew blew
the doors off them.
This season feels a lot like last year for Clemson. They started out the season slow, had a scare, then demolished everyone in their wake including Alabama. I’m hoping Clemson and Ohio State is not one of the semi-final matchups in the CFB Playoff. It would suck for the two teams I believe are the best to play each other first. Wouldn’t Ohio State vs Clemson be a helluva national championship game?
This game was over after Clemson scored 28 points int he first quarter. How is the ACC so bad?
Clemson doesn’t have any obvious opportunities for quality wins on the schedule, so it is crucial they finish the season undefeated.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0)
Last Week: 56-21 (W) at Rutgers
The Buckeyes look like the most complete team in college
football. But, there was nothing to be learned in a game the 2nd
string could have won. If they put together dominating performances against
Penn State and Michigan over the next two weeks, they may creep back into the
#1 spot. SEC fans will say no way, but sometimes fans won’t let common sense
get in the way of their argument.
No matter who you can a fan of, can you honestly say you have seen a better team than O-H-I-O State? And they get Chase Young back from his suspension this week. If OSU puts together a dominating performance against Penn State, they may move back into the #1 spot of the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be.
Chase Young being suspended over a loan he says he repaid only makes the #NIL situation worse for the NCAA. They will already be trying to push whatever “collegiate model” means as meaningful change but people and the states won’t be going for it.https://t.co/dPiwPEgyMi
Joe Burrow and company were like a hot knife through butter.
A lot of people will tell you they aren’t concerned about their defense but I
am. They aren’t Oklahoma bad, but they do give up a lot of points. I don’t want
to hear about “garbage time” points. Those are the same players that have to go
in when injuries happen or players get tired.
LSU has earned the #1 spot in the College Football Top 10 As It Should Be, but I don’t think they are the best team in the country. Ohio State is. It is impossible to deny the Tigers’ body of work up to this point.
Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13.
Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 12 As it Should Be. Saturday started with seven undefeated teams, and now we are down to five. Firstly, my head may explode if one more person says LSU has four top 10 wins. They don’t. Texas was severely over ranked in the preseason and isn’t even in the top 25 right now. Your wins count for where those teams are ranked now. Rankings should be fair and unbiased, but that’s not the world we live in when preseason polls ultimately affect the final rankings. I’m not sure why I have to explain this but clearly I do.
Secondly, LSU vs Alabama was a great football game. But, the media and fans acting like it was the “Game of the Century” was tiring. Truth be told, there were five other games this season that were just as good.
Texas v LSU, Penn St vs Michigan, Oregon vs Washington, UCLA vs Washington State, Notre Dame vs Georgia
Every year there is always talk about the potential for chaos. I believe we may actually get some wild finishes to the season.
The biggest debate this week will be the #4 spot. Will the committee reward quality wins and schedules or named brands?
College Football Playoff
After the first CFB Playoff Committee rankings, we have enough information to put playoff scenarios together. So here is how it should shake out at this point. Check back here on Tuesday for the Road to the Playoff series where we examine every team’s path to the top 4.
SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia have the inside track to play in the SEC championship. Ironically, Auburn could put the entire SEC out of the playoff by beating UGA and Alabama, then have 2-loss UGA win the SEC championship.
Undefeated or 1-loss Big Ten Winner– (Ohio State/Minnesota/Penn State): The only thing that could mess up the Big Ten selection is if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship.
Clemson– They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Pac-12 Champion– (Oregon/Utah) If both teams finish the season 11-1 the conference championship game will feature a top 10 showdown. And both teams are playing exceptional football right now.
The Big 12 is in trouble. Baylor can’t score and Oklahoma can’t play defense and there are no signature wins possible to jump other teams.
The way this season is shaping up, everyone may be on board with an 8 team playoff. There will be so many 1 loss teams who will be deserving of a chance to play for a championship. Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have the five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team to get automatic bids? There would still be two spots left for at-large bids. You would always get the best and most deserving teams in the tournament. That might actually cause teams to schedule better non-conference games because they would know they could still get in the CFB Playoffs with 1-2 losses. Fans would then get better games.
The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 6. 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 11.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 10:
Next Up: Florida, Baylor, Wisconsin, Michigan
Baylor has looked awful offensively in back-to-back weeks. Nothing about this team makes me believe they can beat any of the top 10 teams. They were #9 last week but can’t crack the CFTAISB this week.
10. Penn State (8-1)
Last Week: 26-31 (L) at Minnesota
PSU drank the “rat poison”. They showed up to Minnesota thinking they were all that and got punched in the mouth. The Nittany Lions tried to fight back but came up short. It was troubling to see their secondary have so many miscommunications and leave receivers wide open. And it was a very inopportune time for quarterback Sean Clifford to throw three interceptions.
All is not lost though. Penn State can still get to the Big Ten Championship by knocking off Ohio State.
9. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1)
Last Week: at 42-41 (W) vs Iowa State
Oklahoma’s defense is a real problem. No lead is safe because they cannot stop anyone. Part of the reason things got so bad against Iowa State is that injuries have caused them to be extremely thin in the secondary. The defense has struggled against Kansas State and Iowa State. So, imagine what Clemson, LSU, or Ohio State would do to Oklahoma.
Jalen Hurts had another great performance with over 330 total yards and five total touchdowns. But that was almost not enough. I would be surprised if the Sooners finish the rest of the season undefeated because they are playing with fire.
8. Minnesota (9-0)
Last Week: 31-26 (W) vs Penn State
Minnesota made a believer out of all the doubters. They clearly felt disrespected by the CFB Playoff committee ranking them #17.
It was a good thing that Minnesota signed PJ Fleck to that huge contract extension before the Penn State game. It would have cost more after Saturday. The Golden Gophers are for real. They have a humongous offensive line. I’m not sure I have ever seen a line this big. The secondary is extremely opportunistic. They can’t beat Iowa, Wisconsin, then Ohio State… right?
The name of the name is “win and you are in” for the Golden Gophers.
7. Georgia Bulldogs (8-1)
Last Week: 27-0 (W) vs Missouri
Georgia won 27-0 but it was not a very impressive win. The defense looked very good against an average Missouri offense. But, the offense was pretty pedestrian. The Bulldogs only managed 339 yards of total offense and wasn’t very explosive.
Their loss to South Carolina looks even worse this week after the Gamecocks lost to Appalachian State. Georgia is a very talented team but I can see a scenario where they drop another game before the SEC championship. Kirby Smart plays much too conservative to win anything.
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
The Utes are by far the most underrated team in college football. If they mess around and sneak in the playoff, they can shock the world. Their defense is experienced and physical. Utah’s quarterback, Tyler Huntley may be having the best season of any quarterback in the Pac-12.
Some are even arguing they are better than the Oregon Ducks. If you haven’t watched them play, Florida would be a really good comparison except UF has more explosive wide receivers.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1)
Last Week: 41-46 (L) vs LSU
Bama hadn’t played anybody with a pulse all year. When they finally did play their first top 25 team (TAMU is currently unranked), or team with a pulse, they lost. The Crimson Tide were not battle-tested while LSU had played Texas, Florida, and Auburn.
Tua fought hard and showed a lot of heart, but LSU was just too much. Most of the second half defensive stops had more to do with Joe Burrow missing throws than Alabama’s defense. It is clear that Bama is supremely talented offensively, but their defense is not what we are accustomed to. It would take a lot of chaos for Alabama to be deserving of a playoff spot.
They would need LSU to lose twice to make it to the SEC championship game. And if Bama were to beat Auburn, it would be their only quality win.
4. Oregon Ducks (8-1)
Last Week: IDLE
I would be pissed if I were Oregon. All week most of the national media debated their CFB Playoff chances and dismissed their defense and ability to compete with their preseason darlings. Expect Mario Cristobal to try and run up the score on their next three opponents before the Pac-12 championship to make a statement..
This is Oregon’s best team since the 2015 team that went to the CFB Championship in 2015. East coast bias will try and dismiss the Ducks, but this is a complete football team. They are one of the few teams in the nation who are tops in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense.
People thought the Pac-12 was out of the CFB Playoff conversation. But eleven weeks into the season Oregon and Utah are squarely back in the conversation.
3. Clemson Tigers (10-0)
Last Week: 55-10 (W) at NC State
This game was over after Clemson scored 28 points int he first quarter. How is the ACC so bad?
What Clemson is missing schedule, they make up for with dominance. It’s crazy to me that so many people knock Clemson’s schedule while barely mentioning Alabama’s weak schedule. At least the Tigers tried to have a good schedule. They play their conference games plus South Carolina and Texas A&M to bring them to ten Power 5 games. Bama scheduled Duke, NMST, So. Miss, and WCU.
Clemson doesn’t have any obvious opportunities for quality wins on the schedule, so it is crucial they finish the season undefeated.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)
Last Week: 73-14 (W) vs Maryland
The suspension to Chase Young and people questioning their #1 ranking only made Ohio State mad. They put a hurting on Maryland. If this where high school football in Arizona or New York, OSU head coach Ryan Day would be fired for running up the score. Not only did they score 73 points, but they also racked up 705 yards of total offense, and held Maryland to 139 yards.
We are a week away from the meat of the Buckeyes schedule. They play Penn State and Michigan after they destroy Rutgers this upcoming weekend.
Chase Young being suspended over a loan he says he repaid only makes the #NIL situation worse for the NCAA. They will already be trying to push whatever “collegiate model” means as meaningful change but people and the states won’t be going for it.https://t.co/dPiwPEgyMi
LSU looks so unstoppable on offense. They can throw the ball downfield or run teams over. Joe Burrow cemented himself at the very least a Heisman finalist, if not sewing up the win. My biggest concern is this defense that has given up 38 points or more three times this season. But the good news is the offense is so potent LSU can win a shootout. Make no mistake, this is not an Oklahoma defense situation.
It is impossible to deny the Tigers’ body of work up to this point. Overtaking the #1 team in the College Football Top 10 As It Should Be Week 12 when the #1 team has been as dominant as Ohio State is a difficult task. But, LSU’s schedule played so far has been better and they knocked off Alabama last week.
Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 12.
The first College Football Playoff Committee rankings were released and this is the perfect time to start the “Road to the CFB Playoff” series. I will examine every team with a realistic path to the top four and how they can get there. Every Sunday I release the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be. Nine of my top teams were there, and 1-5 were almost exactly like the committees, except mine, are ranked by three criteria: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance.
College Football Playoff Committee Rankings Week 11
From the Top 25 teams, there are 12 teams with ANY shot to make the top four. The entire top 10 is in play plus Baylor and Minnesota. Auburn is eliminated for now because they have no path to the SEC Championship game, and would need a lot of weird things to happen. Plus they would need to beat Georgia and Alabama. The same is true of Wisconsin. They have a path to the Big Ten championship, but chaos would have to happen for them to get in the top four.
As of this week here is how it appears the CFB Playoff Top 4 will shake out.
Undefeated Big Ten Winner- Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota
Undefeated or 1 loss SEC Champion- LSU, Alabama, Georgia
Clemson
Pac-12 Champion- Oregon, Utah
Now one to each team and their path(s)
Ohio State: Win and they are in. There is no scenario where they are undefeated and/or win the Big Ten Championship with one loss and don’t get in (it would be impossible for them to lose to Rutgers or Maryland). Even if the Buckeyes lost to Penn State in a couple of weeks, they would have a strong case compared to 1-loss Alabama, Oregon, Utah. The Buckeyes could make it undefeated to the Big Ten Championship and lose to Minnesota which would send college football into a tailspin.
LSU: Win and they are in. Beat Alabama, don’t get tripped up by Ole Miss, Arkansas (LOL), or Texas A&M. Ohio State and LSU are the only teams that could lose in their conference championship games and still have a playoff case.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide have NO room for error in 2019. Their awful non-conference schedule plus only playing no ranked teams before this weekend against LSU will hurt. Even if Alabama beats LSU and goes on to the SEC Championship and loses to 1-loss Georgia, they will be out unless Ohio State, Penn State, or Clemson lose in their conference game to a 1 or more loss team.
Penn State: Win out and no one can leapfrog them. Penn State has a better resume than Alabama but the CFB Playoff committee still put them behind Bama, so is there any way the Nittany Lions get in the pot four with a loss? I do not see a scenario that doesn’t involve Ohio State losing twice and PSU winning the Big Ten Championship which is far fetched.
Clemson: There are two ways Clemson gets in; win out and they are guaranteed a playoff spot, or pray for the unlikely demise of about 3-4 teams. We won’t even go down that rabbit hole, it’s too weird.
Georgia: There is only one way Georgia gets in, winning out. They cannot afford any more losses. The CFB Rankings already rewarded them for the Florida and Notre Dame wins more than it punished them for the horrendous S. Carolina loss. Even if UGA wins the SEC Championship but loses one of their last three games to Auburn, Texas A&M, or Georgia Tech they will be left out of a playoff of undefeated Big Ten champ, Clemson, 1 l-loss Pac-12 champ.
Subscribe to the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast
Oregon and Utah: The Pac-12 is very alive even though people tried to bury them early in the season. Both teams are in nearly the exact same situation. If both teams are 11-1 when they meet in the Pac-12 championship it should be a top 5 or 5 vs 6 matchup. The winner will most likely get in the playoff. Oregon will have a better shot than Utah because traditionally, the committee has leaned toward named brand teams.
Oklahoma: Lincoln Riley’s team is sitting at #9. It is much lower than most people thought, but right about where I had them in the College Football Playoff Rankings As It Should Be (CFPRAISB). They need Oregon or Utah to lose and the other win the Pac-12. In addition, they need LSU to beat Alabama. They also need to beat Baylor twice and Baylor to finish 11-2. A Clemson loss wouldn’t hurt either.
Florida: Florida needs a miracle at this point. Their last three games are Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Florida State. None of those games move the needle. They would also need Georgia to lose two games to send Florida to the SEC Championship. If that happens they would need to beat an undefeated LSU or Alabama. And… nevermind. It’s not happening.
Baylor: The Bears are in the same situation they were in in 2015 when Ohio State jumped Baylor and TCU. They don’t have the respect of the nation. The difference is that they are still undefeated. Baylor needs to dominate Texas, beat Oklahoma twice, or beat K-State in the Big 12 championship.
Minnesota: Win out and they will make the playoff. They sit at #17 right now, but if they defeat Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ohio State over the next five weeks they will be the #1 team in the nation. No one will have run a gauntlet like that.
This playoff top four would be a lot easier to figure out and there would be no need for expansion if teams scheduled better. Imagine a college football world where everyone scheduled 10 or 11 Power Five games. Every Saturday would be power-packed. That is part of the reason there are some who believe the traditional conference model will go away and there will be one super conference of around 30 teams that only play each other.
The way this season is shaping up, everyone may be on board with an 8 team playoff. There will be so many 1 loss teams who will be deserving of a chance to play for a championship. Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have the five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team to get automatic bids? There would still be two spots left for at-large bids. You would always get the best and most deserving teams in the tournament. That might actually cause teams to schedule better non-conference games because they would know they could still get in the CFB Playoffs with 1-2 losses. Fans would then get better games.
Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 11 As it Should Be. Even though only half of the top 10 teams were in action, there was still significant movement in the rankings. The more information we have, the better more accurate the rankings get. The first edition of the CFB Playoff CommitteeTop 25 will be released on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if they reward the named brand preseason top 5 teams or the teams with the best resumes. Rankings should be fair and unbiased, but that’s not the world we live in when preseason polls ultimately affect the final rankings.
We always think there will be chaos in college football, but it rarely happens. However, this season it is clear that nothing can be taken for granted.
The Big Ten will have just a good of a “we should have two teams in the CFB Playoff” as the SEC, even though neither should get two when Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah can play with anybody in the nation.
College Football Playoff
We now have enough information to start putting together CFB Playoff scenarios. So here is how it should shake out at this point.
Undefeated Big Ten Winner- (Ohio State/Penn State). But Minnesota could mess everything up by winning the Big Ten with one loss. Assuming that loss is to Penn State or Wisconsin, Minnesota would still have a real chance to get in.
SEC Champion- This gets a little complicated because Georgia, Alabama, and LSU could all win the conference and the winner could have 2 losses. Or you could have 1-loss Georgia beating an undefeated Alabama or LSU.
Clemson- They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Pac-12 Champion- (Oregon/Utah) If both teams finish the season 11-1 the conference championship game will featured a top 10 showdown. And both teams are playing exceptional football right now.
The way this season is shaping up, everyone may be on board with an 8 team playoff. There will be so many 1 loss teams who will be deserving of a chance to play for a championship. Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have the five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team to get automatic bids? There would still be two spots left for at-large bids. You would always get the best and most deserving teams in the tournament. That might actually cause teams to schedule better non-conference games because they would know they could still get in the CFB Playoffs with 1-2 losses. Fans would then get better games.
The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 6. 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 10.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 10:
Next Up: Minnesota, Florida, Michigan
10. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1)
Last Week: at IDLE
People are writing the Sooners out of the playoff, but it’s much too early, and way too many games left to do that. They still have games against TCU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, a top 15 matchup with Baylor, and the Big 12 Championship game. There is still so much football left to be played to say a team is left for dead.
I bet Lincoln Riley took this off week to focus on his defense that was run over by Kansas State. If Oklahoma gets their defense fixed, there is no question about this team’s ability to hoist the crystal trophy.
9. Baylor Bears (7-0)
Last Week: 17-14 West Virginia
If wasn’t pretty against West Virginia, but a win is a win, especially when that win is a midweek game. Playing on Thursday nights should be reserved for Group of 5 teams instead of Power 5 schools. We still don’t know a ton about Baylor because they haven’t played a ranked team and their dominance is questionable. However, they ave jumped through all the requisite hoops in front of them and beat the team (K-State_ that beat Oklahoma.
I would be willing to bet most college football fans can’t name two players off their team. So, I’ll help out…
QB: Charlie Brewer, RBs: John Lovett, JaMycal Hasty, WR: Denzel Mims, Tyquan Thornton
8. Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
Last Week: 24-17 (W) vs Florida
That terrible loss to South Carolina clearly woke the Bulldogs up. Georgia put on a really good showing against Florida. They struggled running the football but still managed 100 yards on the ground. Their defense put Florida’s running game in a headlock, 1.1 yards per carry. They now have the inside track to the SEC East crown and date with either Alabama or LSU in the SEC Championship. As long as UGA doesn’t get tripped up by Auburn or TAMU before then their CFB Playoff dreams will remain alive.
7. Utah (8-1)
Last Week: vs 33-28 (W) at Washington
The Utes defense is for real. After starting slowly against the Washington Huskies, the defense buckled down and slowly bled them out. They confused Jacob Eason and forced him into two terrible interceptions including a pick-six. Utah has been able to dominate games on the ground without an explosive passing attack. They do a good job of winning first down and staying in 3rd and short.
Utah does not beat themselves. They play fundamentally sound and will be a real problem for ANY opponent. Some are even arguing they are better than the Oregon Ducks.
6. Oregon Ducks (8-1)
Last Week: vs USC
Oregon put an absolute whipping on USC. Since conservative play-calling caused their week one loss to Auburn, the Ducks have steamrolled the competition. Their defense and offensive line have led the way. This is Oregon’s best team since the 2015 team that went to the CFB Championship in 2015. East coast bias will try and dismiss the Ducks, but this is a complete football team. They are one of the few teams in the nation who are tops in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense.
People thought the the Pac-12 was out of the CFB Playoff conversation. But ten weeks into the season Oregon and Utah are squarely back in the conversation.
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
Without any obvious opportunities for quality wins on the schedule, it is crucial the Clemson’s dominance remains on max. Wofford was nothing more than a SEC-like November cupcake. I for one hate these games. It is a waste of time and does a disservice to fans. Who wants to watch that besides Wofford fans and Clemson’s third-string players’ families?
Is it possible that Clemson’s defense is better than last years’ with multiple first-round draft picks? They are still one of the most dominant teams in college football.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0)
Last Week: IDLE
There is only question on the mind of every college football fan, “How healthy is Tua?”. He had a procedure to shore up an ankle injury suffered in the Tennessee game. It feels like Bama’s entire season rests on this one game against LSU. It would be hard to imagine a scenario where the Bama loses to LSU and gets in the CFB Playoff. Their non-conference schedule is terrible and their conference schedule doesn’t have Georgia or Florida on it.
It sure will be nice to see the Crimson Tide play a good team this season. Eight wins and no games against teams currently ranked in the top 25. The fact they have been #1 in the AP poll makes ZERO sense.
3. Penn State (8-0)
Last Week: IDLE
It only took eight wins and an off week for the national media to recognize all the good work Penn State has done. So many people tried to minimize their quality win against Michigan. However, the Wolverines are 7-2 with their only losses against Penn State and Wisconsin. Ohio State is the popular pick out of the Big Ten, but the Nittany Lions won’t go down without a fight.
This week they get an opportunity for another quality win as they take on undefeated Minnesota.
2. LSU (8-0)
Last Week: IDLE
Nothing can go wrong if you don’t play. LSU has been so dominant and has qualities wins this season. There is nothing any team that played this weekend could have done to knock the Tigers out of the top 2. Everything is on the line against Alabama. This feel like the first time since Cam Newton was at Auburn that people believe anyone but Bama is the best team in the SEC.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
Last Week: IDLE
A week off is the perfect opportunity to get on the Chase Young Heisman train. He is by far the most dominant defensive lineman in college football. The scary part is that Nick Bosa and Young were on the same DL last year. Ohio State had at Purdue last year, but at the end of the season, they were one of the four best teams in the country. This year they are leaving no doubt.
OSU has proven they are the most complete team in the country. They are dominant on offense, defense, and special teams. Plus they have multiple top 25 wins. They are the #1 team in the country.
Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 11.
