Top 5 College Football Playoff Storylines Heading Into Week 9

Penn State College Football Top 10 Rankings

Am I a jinx? In my Week 7 column, I wrote about Boise State and how we need to keep an eye on them going forward. Last week, I added SMU to the mix and said the race is on between Boise State and SMU for the right to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game. For Boise State, that dream was derailed after a 28-25 loss to BYU. Apologies to all of my Bronco fans. Ahead of Week 9, my College Football Playoff includes:

  1. LSU
  2. Alabama
  3. Ohio State
  4. Oklahoma

No changes to the top four. Without a doubt, these are the four best teams in the country right now. You can make an argument for each team to be number one and I wouldn’t disagree with your rationale.

Week 9 is highlighted by two Top-15 matchups: No. 13 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 9 Auburn vs. No. 2 LSU. Here are the Top 5 CFP storylines heading into Week 9.

Wisconsin vs. Ohio State In Potential Big Ten Championship Preview

Wisconsin, you blew it! Wisconsin suffered an inexcusable loss to Illinois, 24-23, which could be their nail in the coffin in terms of making the College Football Playoff. However, the Badgers have a gigantic opportunity to make up for their loss when they travel to Columbus on Saturday to take on the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes. Both offenses are led by Heisman hopefuls Jonathan Taylor, who leads the nation in touchdowns with 19, and Justin Fields, who is tied for second in points responsible for with 180. However, the offensive fireworks may be hindered because Wisconsin and Ohio State have the number one and number two defenses in the country respectively. No matter what happens in this game, these two teams could meet again in the Big 10 Championship.

LSU Faces Another Top 10 Opponent

Find me a team with a better resume than LSU. The Tigers defeated Texas in Austin and Florida in Baton Rouge when both opponents were ranked in the top ten. Now, the Tigers will once again have a top 10 opponent when Auburn comes to Death Valley on Saturday afternoon. If Coach O, Joe Burrow, and the boys defeat Auburn, they will be the number one ranked team in the country.

Penn State Continues To Shine Despite Brutal Schedule

Two down, three more tough games to go. Penn State survived a late comeback against Michigan to hold on 28-21, improving to 7-0. The schedule does not get any easier for the No. 6 ranked Nittany Lions. Penn State heads to East Lansing to take on Michigan State, who is coming off back-to-back blowout losses against Ohio State and Wisconsin. Their Big Ten title hopes are dead, but they would love to play spoiler against Penn State for the third straight year. The Spartans own this rivalry as of late, having beaten the Nittany Lions in five of the last six years.

Alabama’s Season Rests Upon Tua’s Ankle

Alabama will beat Arkansas this weekend no matter who lines up under center. Mac Jones will start this weekend and Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua’s little brother, will serve as his backup. Frankly, a third-string offensive lineman could play quarterback and the Tide would still win by double digits. That being said, the future of Alabama’s season will come down to Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle. The superstar quarterback will miss at least one game with a right ankle sprain. Remember that Tua sprained his left ankle last season and it affected his mobility at times. High ankle sprains are no laughing matter. Thankfully for Tide fans, Alabama has a bye week after this game before the LSU Tigers stroll into Tuscaloosa for the SEC Game of the Year. If Tua’s not healthy for the LSU game, it will be tough for the Tide to roll.

It’s Do-or-Die For Jim Harbaugh

Is this Jim Harbaugh’s last stand? After the Wolverines suffered their second loss of the season to Penn State, NFL rumors circulated, stating that Harbaugh has an exit strategy in place to leave Michigan. Harbaugh quickly denied the rumor, but can we really trust college coaches in general? Most of them are snake oil salesmen who would leave at a moment’s notice if a better job came calling, leaving the players to suffer. So if you’re asking if I believe these NFL rumors, then I would say I do. Michigan will have to look past these distractions and worry about No. 8 Notre Dame coming to the Big House for a Saturday night showdown. If Michigan loses, it could be the final nail in the coffin for Harbaugh.

What are your top College Football Playoff storylines for Week 9? Leave your thoughts in the comments or tweet us, @unafraidshow.

Top 5 College Football Playoff Storylines Heading Into Week One

College football is back. Thank the lord! I couldn’t watch another cornhole and spikeball tournament on ESPN2. I need college football back in my life and that’s exactly what we’re getting this weekend. Fans received an amuse-bouche of football with a few games last weekend including Miami vs. Florida, but Week 1 starts the road to the College Football Playoff (CFP).

Every week this season, we’ll look at the Top 5 CFP storylines heading into the weekend. We’re a long way from the first 2019 College Football Playoff rankings, which will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. However, every game matters so let’s kick it off with Week 1.

Are we destined for Alabama vs. Clemson In The National Championship?

This college football season feels a lot like when the Cavs and Warriors met in four straight NBA Finals. The question was not “if” they would play in the NBA Finals, but “how” would they get there. Alabama and Clemson are the two best teams in college football right now. There’s nothing to debate here. Alabama and Clemson have the two best coaches, Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, and two best quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence, in the country. Both teams will be double-digit favorites every game with the exception possibly coming in the final game of the regular season when Alabama travels to Auburn. If the Crimson Tide and Tigers meet in the championship, it would be the fifth straight year those two teams met in the College Football Playoff with three of those coming in the national title game. Bama should roll through Duke and Clemson should dominate Georgia Tech in Week 1.

Who is the third-best team in the country?

Is there a consensus third-best team in the country behind Clemson and Alabama? Most fans and experts would choose Georiga as the third-best team in the country. Who can blame them? Georgia has lost three games in the regular season the past two seasons with one of those losses coming to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs will be very good this year. It all starts with the return of third-year quarterback Jake Fromm. Remember the name, D’Andre Swift. The junior running back rushed for 1,049 yards and 10 TDs last season while splitting time with Elijah Holyfield. It’s Swift’s backfield now. If all goes according to plan, the Bulldogs are on a collision course with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

Can Jalen Hurts become the third straight Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy?

Jalen Hurts on Oklahoma / Alonzo Adams

The Jalen Hurts Era at Oklahoma begins Sunday night in Norman against Houston. Hurts has not been a starting quarterback since 2017 when he was at Alabama. Lucky for Hurts, he’s going to a coach in Lincoln Riley who happens to be the best play-caller in the nation. It’s safe to say that Riley has a more versatile offensive strategy at Oklahoma than Hurts’ former coordinators at Alabama. Riley also has two straight quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, who have won the Heisman Trophy. Can Hurts make it three for three? To be honest, I have no idea what to expect out of Hurts. Can he throw the ball for more than 4,000 yards as Mayfield and Murray did over the past two seasons? Only time will tell if Hurts fits into Riley’s explosive offense.

The game with most the College Football Playoff implications in Week 1 is Oregon vs. Auburn

The marquee game of Week 1 with the most CFP implications on the line is #11 Oregon vs. #16 Auburn at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night. Oregon’s 2019 expectations are very high thanks to the return of senior quarterback Justin Herbert. In 28 starts, Herbert and the Ducks offense have averaged 38.3 points per game in his 28 starts. They’ll need every point on Saturday as Auburn’s defense is coming off a season where it ranked 28th nationally allowing 361.9 yards per game and seventh holding teams to just 17.1 points per game. Coach Guz Malzahn believes this year’s defense could be the best defense he’s ever had during his tenure thanks to Nick Coe, Derrick Brown, and Marlon Davidson. Not to add any more pressure, but the entire Pac-12 conference is rooting for Oregon. This is the Ducks’ chance to put their conference on the playoff radar versus arguably the best conference in the nation.

Can Michigan Finally Win The Big Ten Title Under Jim Harbaugh?

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

If there has ever been a year for Michigan to win the Big 10 Conference, it’s 2019. Urban Meyer is no longer at Ohio State. Trace McSorley is not at Penn State. Wisconsin is still not back to their 2017 form where they went 13-1. Michigan State is average. There are no more excuses for Michigan. Returning quarterback Shea Patterson is in for a treat as new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis will implement an up-tempo, no-huddle, speed-in-space offense. For Jim Harbaugh, it’s time to win the Big 10 and beat Ohio State.

What are your top storylines for the CFP in Week 1? Leave your thoughts in the comments or tweet us, @unafraidshow.

Trevor Lawrence Should be Able to Receive his Worth While at Clemson

Trevor Lawerence

On Monday, Clemson decisively defeated Alabama for the College Football National Championship. The Tigers overcame the Crimson Tide 44-16. Not only did Clemson defeat the almighty “Bama,” Clemson sent a strong message defeating them by 28 points. Leading Clemson to victory was true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawerence. Lawerence undisputedly emerged as the star of the game. He threw three touchdown passes and amassed 347 passing yards. Accordingly, Lawerence’s performance was truly unprecedented. He defeated the most powerful team in college football who boasted a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback.

After the game, sports fans and commentators began criticizing the fact that Lawerence is ineligible for the upcoming NFL draft. Critics argued that it is unfair that players do not have the option to enter the draft when they see fit. Similarly, they argue that is not fair that elite athletes are told when they may go professional and make money off of their athletic abilities.

Division 1 college football is a billion dollar industry. However, the athletes who propel that industry receive essentially no compensation above a cost-of-attendance scholarship. However, the coaches make millions of dollars each year. Perhaps, the real issue is not when Lawerence or other similarly situated players should be eligible for the NFL draft. Perhaps the real issue is why playing professionally is the only option such players have to make money for their athletic abilities?

Why is Trevor Lawerence Ineligible for the NFL Draft?

Lawerence is ineligible for the draft because the NFL’s rules say a player is not draft eligible until he is three years removed from his high school graduating class. Proponents of the rules argue that they are in place to protect future NFL prospects from prematurely entering the league before they are physically ready. However, opponents believe that it is unfair that Lawrence and other NFL prospects do not have the option to start their professional careers whenever they see fit. Accordingly, fans and critics argue that Lawerence and other NFL prospects should have the ability to chose when to start their NFL careers.

Perhaps elite athletes should have the ability to freely decide when to turn pro. However, this issue is not the real injustice. The real injustice is the fact that elite NFL prospects cannot make money off their athletic abilities while in college. This is especially true given the fact that the coaches make millions off of the labor of the athletes.

Coaches Make Millions Off of the Labor of Elite Talent, While the Talent has to Wait for a  Professional Career That May Never Manifest.

Take the two coaches who were in the championship game for instance. Those two coaches were Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Alabama’s Nick Saban. Saban’s base salary was $7.5 million. He made an additional $400,000 for appearing in the CFP semifinal game. Even though the Crimson Tide lost, Saban still cleared an additional $600,000 just for appearing in the championship game. Swinney’s base salary for the season was $6 million.  He received an additional $200,000 for his CFP semifinal appearance.  Since Clemson won the championship, Swinney will receive an additional $250,000.

Meanwhile, the labor force (the football players) that makes these incredible salary numbers possible receives a very small amount in comparison. A scholarship for a college education is invaluable. However, when compared to coaches salaries, television deals, and other sponsorships, does it really seem fair that athletes are limited to their scholarship?

The Focus Should be on Lawernce’s Inability to Profit off his Athleticism in College Instead of on his Inability to go to the NFL

It is not fair for athletes to have wait to reach the NFL to be adequately compensated for their athleticism. What if a player suffers a career ending injury before he is eligible for the NFL? Such a player would never have the opportunity to be adequately compensated for his athletic ability.  It is for this reason that the conversation should be focused on college athletes rights to receive adequate compensation in college.

Yes, an injured player may have a degree.  It is also true that the degree could yield high earnings for the player in the future. However, the injured player would still have missed the opportunity to be adequately compensated for his athleticism in college.  Meanwhile, his coach made millions in games that the injured player’s labor largely contributed to.

There is a lot of money in Division 1 college football.  This is evident from the coaches salaries.  More of that money should be funneled down to the labor force who makes it all possible.  It would be nice if Lawerence had the ability to opt for the NFL. However, it would be better if he could receive more for the fruits of his labor while in college. At the very least, Lawerence and other similarly situated athletes should be allowed to profit off of their own name, image, and likeness.  Therefore, the conversation should be about Lawerence’s ability to receive his worth while in college instead of his ability to go to the NFL.

Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 8: Big Shake Ups

College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 8

Week 7 was the Best

The Unafraid Show College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 8 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. The college football top 10 teams are ranked by the correct criteria: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance. Only the games have played matter.

I re-rank the top 10 every week 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.  For weeks I had been criticized for ranking Georgia, Penn State, and West Virginia too low. Week 7 proved me right.

Before we get to College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 8, you can reference the Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings for Week 7.

1.  Alabama (7-0) Last Week: #1

Alabama destroyed Missouri but suffered a casualty. Tua Tagoviloa left the game with an aggravation to his sprained knee. Nick Saban said he could have returned to the game if needed. The truth is that if Tagoviloa is not healthy Alabama goes from unstoppable offensively to mortal. Their defense is still the most dominant in all the land. This team feels a lot like the Patriots team that went 18-0. Will they have a different ending than losing in the championship?

2. Ohio State (7-0) Last Week: #3

The Ohio State moved up a spot this week. They had a dominant performance against Minnesota. The Buckeyes defense has made a living shutting teams down in the second half of games. Dwayne Haskins had another 400 yard three touchdown day. Their receivers Hill and Campbell can score every time they touch the football. Only Oklahoma has a more dynamic receiving corps. I can’t wait to see the Buckeyes play Michigan.

3. Notre Dame (7-0) Last Week: #2

Yuck. What an ugly win against Pitt. Ian Book had his first real struggles as starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish. But, he found a way to make enough plays to win. The Notre Dame defense has not failed them at all this year. They will need their best defensive effort in two weeks against Navy. I am still not fully buying into the idea that Notre Dame won’t have a let down this year. But, they have earned a seat in the College Football Playoffs at this point.

4. Clemson (6-0) Last Week: #4

Clemson had a BYE this week. They get a tough NC State team next weekend.

5. Texas (6-1) Last Week: #5

Texas will not let up. The Longhorns won with defense against Baylor. Their offense didn’t score a point after halftime, but they held on for the win. Texas fans should be concerned going forward. They lost quarterback Sam Ehlinger to a shoulder sprain, and who knows if he will miss time. Their offense is completely different without the threat of Ehlinger running the football. Next week Texas gets a much-needed BYE.

6. Florida (6-1) Last Week: #9

The Gators survived a scare from Vanderbilt. Florida’s offense is still less than impressive, but their defense is fast and physical. They will need to get more from Feleipe Franks passing the football for Florida to turn a good start to the season into an SEC East championship. Their win over LSU looks much better this week. Will they be able to beat Georgia in two weeks?

7. LSU (6-1) Last Week: #NR

We have to give Coach O credit. He has knocked off Miami, Auburn, and Georgia so far this year, so technically he does have three top 10 wins. The fact is that Miami and Auburn (lost to Tennessee) were ranked WAY too high in the preseason and neither will be ranked in week 8. Georgia was completely untested, and the Unafraid Show top 10 were the only place that didn’t have the Bulldogs in the top 5.  LSU is battle tested. Joe Burrow and the offense are complementing a stout defense. If the Tigers continue to improve, Bama better watch out.

8. Oregon (5-1) Last Week: #NR

The Ducks are back, and the Ducks are for real. They got an overtime win against their most bitter rival Washington. You haven’t seen Oregon play a physical brand of football like 2018 in a long time. The defense is tough and disciplined. The offensive line had controlled the line of scrimmage in all their games. Their quarterback Justin Herbert is as good as advertised. They have a trap game coming up this week at Washington State.

9. Michigan (6-1) Last Week: #NR

The Wolverines finally got a quality win. They took Wisconsin behind the woodshed and did some terrible things to them. I am starting to believe that this could be the year Michigan wins the Big Ten. Shea Patterson has breathed life into Jim Harbaugh’s offense.  If they can avoid stumbling against Michigan State or Penn State, the winner of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game will make the College Football Playoffs.

10. Central Florida (6-0) Last Week: #9

The Knights have won 20 straight games going back to last season. Much to the chagrin of the CFB Playoff committee, UCF escaped Memphis in week 8. It will cause too much commotion if UCF doesn’t get in the playoffs two years in a row undefeated. The only team people wish losses on more than the UCF Knights is Notre Dame. Both teams could take a spot for a Power 5 team.

Next Up:

Oklahoma, Georgia, Washington, NC State

I know some of you are steaming mad right now because your team is ranked too low or is unranked. Take a breathe and realize that your fandom is causing irrational thoughts. The College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 8 is accurate, unbiased, and unafraid.

Leave a comment or shoot an email: ImMad@unafraidshow.com… Yes, that is the real email address.