October is one of my favorite months on the calendar. Fall weather is setting in; postseason baseball is on all month, and college football enters the meat of its regular season. This is the point in the season where true playoff contenders begin to separate themselves from the pack.
We are through five weeks of action, and the top of the sport is murkier than usual. I can’t recall the last time I had this much of a challenge deciding who my number one team is. The truth is, there isn’t an unquestionably elite team right now.
Georgia has been grandfathered into the top spot after winning two consecutive National Championships, but it is evident that this year’s squad is flawed. A disturbing trend of slow starts continued in Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday, with the Bulldogs facing a double-digit deficit for the second time this season.
Brock Bowers nearly single-handedly won this game with a dominant fourth quarter, showing why he is indeed the best player in college football. My biggest concern from Saturday wasn’t Georgia’s turnovers; those were somewhat expected with a first-year starting quarterback going into a hostile environment.
What worried me was how vulnerable UGA’s run defense looked. This was the first time since 2018 that Kirby Smart’s defense gave up over 200 yards on the ground, and they had no answers for the Tigers’ rushing attack.
One positive take away from this game was Carson Beck’s poise in the second half. This was Beck’s first road game as a starter, and it was a baptism by fire. Jordan-Hare was rocking, and Auburn getting out to an early lead didn’ exactly put the crowd to sleep.
Beck overcame early mistakes and led a clutch game-winning drive, staying poised in the pocket and not letting the pressure get to him. While Beck isn’t a Heisman finalist like his predecessor, he showed why Smart named him the starter.
While the Dawgs’ were able to recover and escape the plains undefeated, I no longer view them as the best team in America. That honor goes to Michigan for the time being after a 45-7 drubbing of Nebraska.
I can already hear anyone reading this say, “Well Michigan hasn’t played anyone,” which is correct. However, they took care of business in every game this year and look like the most complete team in the nation.
The Wolverines won’t be tested until November 11, when they travel to Happy Valley for a date with the Nittany Lions. They follow that up with a trap game at Maryland before hosting Ohio State.
All the teams in the top five have a reasonable argument to be ranked number one. Texas, Florida State and Ohio State all have top ten wins on their resume and demonstrated flashes of elite play.
One team that has already suffered a loss to watch for is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were a play away from beating the Buckeyes and just squeaked out a ranked win against Duke in Durham.
“Survive and advance” is the best way to describe the Irish’s path to the College Football Playoff. With no conference championship, Notre Dame must win out to have a shot. Should they make it through the rest of their schedule unblemished, they will have a resume more than strong enough to crack the top four.
A road trip to Louisville is up next, before coming back home to face USC. The Irish also have a trip to Clemson down the road, giving them plenty more opportunities to stockpile quality wins.
With all of the chaos set to go down around the country these next two months, Notre Dame could quietly slip by and make the CFP.
Chris’ College Football Top 25 Rankings:
1.Michigan Wolverines (5-0) W vs Nebraska 45-7, last week-2
2.Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) W vs Auburn 27-20, last week-1
3.Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) BYE, last week-3
4.Texas Longhorns (5-0) W vs Kansas 40-14, last week-5
5.Florida State Seminoles (4-0) BYE, last week-4
6.Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0) W vs Northwestern 41-13, last week-6
7.Washington Huskies (5-0) W vs Arizona 31-24, last week-7
8.Oregon Ducks (5-0) W vs Stanford 42-6, last week-8
9.Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1) W vs Duke 21-14, last week-10
10.USC Trojans (5-0) W vs Colorado 48-41, last week-9
11.Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1) W vs Mississippi State 40-17, last week-11
12.Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) W vs Iowa State 50-20, last week-14
13.Washington State Cougars (4-0) BYE, last week-15
14.Oregon State Beavers (4-1) W vs Utah 21-7, last week-19
15.Ole Miss Rebels (4-1) W vs LSU 55-49, last week-20
16.Duke Blue Devils (4-1) L vs Notre Dame 21-14, last week-16
17.North Carolina Tar Heels (4-0) BYE, last week-17
18.Miami (FL) Hurricanes (4-0) BYE, last week-18
19.Kentucky Wildcats (5-0) W vs Florida 33-14, last week-unranked
20.LSU Tigers (3-2) L vs Ole Miss 55-49, last week-13
21.Utah Utes (4-1) L vs Oregon State 21-7, last week-12
22.Tennessee Volunteers (4-1) W vs South Carolina 41-20, last week-22
23.Missouri Tigers (5-0) W vs Vanderbilt 38-21, last week-23
24.Kansas State Wildcats (3-1) BYE, last week-21
25.Clemson Tigers (3-2) W vs Syracuse 31-14, last week-24
Dropped out of rankings – Kansas