Where is the chaos? For the most part, nothing has truly surprised me this college football season besides Michigan getting their doors blown off by Wisconsin. That and Florida playing better with a backup quarterback as opposed to their starter are the only true surprises for me. Going into Week 7, my College Football Playoff includes:
- Alabama
- LSU
- Georgia
- Ohio State
Just because the season lacks chaos doesn’t mean it’s been a bore. In fact, I’ve been highly entertained thanks to the play of top quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, and Joe Burrow. Luckily for me, chaos is on the horizon. The top teams have important conference matchups starting this week so as Heath Ledger said in The Dark Knight, “And here we go.” Here are the Top 5 CFP storylines heading into Week 7.
The Red River Showdown
With all due respect to their opponents, Oklahoma has not been tested all season. Lincoln Riley and the Sooner offense have scored over 45 points in all five of their wins. However, the first big test has arrived as Oklahoma faces Texas in the Red River Showdown in what could be the first of two meetings this season. Just like the Sooners, the Longhorns have a prolific offense as well, having eclipsed more than 36 points in their five games. Hurts and Sam Ehlinger will light up the scoreboard as both teams should score over 40 points. What’s the better bet, Oklahoma winning the game or Oklahoma using the “horns down” gesture? After losing to Texas last year, I’d bet on Oklahoma to win this revenge game.
Penn State Begins Their Murderers’ Row Schedule
Ohio State is the class of the Big 10, but don’t sleep on Penn State. The Nittany Lions have both a top-five scoring offense and top-five scoring defense. This might be James Franklin’s best team in Happy Valley and that includes teams with Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley. However, Penn State is about to enter the murderer’s row section of their schedule. Penn State’s next three games: at Iowa, home vs. Michigan, at Michigan State. We’ll know a lot more about Penn State after this three-game stretch. Win all three and they’ll be in the top 7. Side note, if I’m Penn State, I’d have every player run out of the tunnel with dreads this weekend to stick it to that bullshit letter.
Can Alabama Continue Its Dominance Over Texas A&M?
In a way, Johnny Football beating Alabama in 2012 was the best and the worst thing to happen for Texas A&M. Winning is awesome, but beating Nick Saban is like signing a deathwish. Since that win in 2012, Alabama has six straight victories over A&M and the Tide have scored over 33 points in five of those six wins. Tua and his quartet of receivers have not had a close game all season. The last time Alabama went to College Station, the Tide escaped with an eight-point win. Will Alabama finally be tested in the second half?
Keep An Eye On Boise State
I am not saying Boise State will make the College Football Playoff. The Broncos could go undefeated and it still won’t matter. The committee would never put Boise in the playoff this year. However, if Boise went undefeated and won a New Year’s Six bowl, it would cause an even greater discussion for an eight-team playoff. Remember when UCF went undefeated in 2017 and won a New Year’s Six game and the debate was all about how the playoff needs to expand? If Boise does the same thing, the debate for expansion would be even stronger and for college football fans, that’s a good thing.
Showdown In Death Valley
We’ve got some bad blood. You love to see it. What’s been the bigger surprise, LSU’s offense or Florida’s undefeated start? Coach O finally opened up the offense and the Tigers haven’t looked back thanks to the elite play of Joe Burrow, who leads the second-ranked offense in the nation behind Oklahoma. As surprising as LSU’s offense has been, Florida’s undefeated start has arguably been more impressive. I hate to say that a team improved because of an injury, but Florida is a better team with Kyle Trask under center. Ever since taking over for Feleipe Franks, Trask has completed over 72% of his passes for 7 TDs and 2 INTs. Trask needs to be on his game Saturday night in Death Valley as LSU currently stands as a 13 point favorite.
What are your top College Football Playoff storylines for Week 7? Leave your thoughts in the comments or tweet us, @unafraidshow.
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