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My AP Top 10 as of October 30nd, 2022
The top 10 were pretty quiet this week. However, we still have plenty of shake ups. Let’s get into it.
#1 Tennessee- I’m not really sure how it could be anyone other than Tennessee. Georgia and Ohio State looked dominant at times, but Tennessee put together the most complete game this weekend slaughtering rival #19 Kentucky. This mean Tennessee has now beat formerly ranked Pittsburgh, Florida and Kentucky and currently ranked Alabama and LSU. Those reasons alone should get them to #1. However, I think the floor for them is #2. That way they can drum up the Georgia Tennessee match being #1 vs #2.
#2 Georgia- Georgia is probably the most complete team in the country. Their win against Oregon continues to be an archer for some of their shaking games. Georgia played a dominant first half against Florida, however two of the touchdowns were a little fluky. Still, Georgia regrouped in the 2nd half to pull away from Florida.
#3 Michigan- Part of me hopes Ohio State and Michigan remain unbeaten until they play. There’s not much of a justification here other then I trust Michigan’s run game on bad days more than I do Ohio State’s passing game on a bad day. But who truly knows yet.
#4 Ohio State– By all accounts, Ohio State deserved to lose this game through 3 quarters. When Penn State went up 21-16 with about 9 minutes left, Ohio State turned on the jets scoring 4 touchdowns in 8 minutes. There’s still reasons to be concerned here as OSU has continued to settle for field goals. It’s that inability to finish drives that makes me nervous. However, a match up between Tennessee and Ohio State sounds like the most fun matchup for a bowl game this year.
#5 Clemson- No one believes in Clemson. Admittedly their resume took the biggest hit yesterday when Wake Forest and Syraucse both lost and NC State won by 1 point. They were on bye last week and remain unbeaten. However, TCU could jump them at this rate.
#6 TCU- There was some legitimate consideration for TCU at 5. This time next week and they could be. Their over KSU got a lot prettier (but at the same time going to OT with Oklahoma State now looks worse.). Needing to pull away from West Virginia late certainly limited their jumping potential this week. Still, I feel like they’ve accomplished more than Alabama up to this point in the season
#7 Alabama– Alabama was on bye.
#8 Oregon- Oregon just keeps on winning. Nothing really to add to that. They handled Cal last week.
#9 USC– USC went on the road and escaped an Arizona team. USC still has some its harder foes ahead of them, but they are 7-1 so far.
#10 UCLA– There wasn’t too much drama this week. Oklahoma State got bounced hard and Wake Forest got upset. This allowed for UCLA, who handled business this week, to climb back in the top 10. With Penn State losing and Ole Miss getting a good scare to an awful Texas A and M team, it left little doubt who was going land at the ten spot. Utah and Kansas State are two 2 loss teams with quality wins trying to get in. For now, UCLA was clear choice for this week.
My AP Top 10 as of October 22nd, 2022
What an interesting week. Georgia Michigan and USC were all byes. TCU and Alabama faced off against fellow ranked teams and UCLA and Ogregon battled each other.
#1 Georgia- My top two teams from last week were on bye. As a result there isn’t much to write this week.
#2 Michigan- See #1 above.
#3 Ohio State– Before it was Ohio State vs Alabama for the two spot. Now it’s Ohio State vs Tennessee for the 3 spot. I’m not upset either way. Tennessee has had some horrible defensive moments, while Ohio State’s best win is Notre Dame. Again, these things will sort themselves out in the end.
#4 Tennessee- With LSU most likely joining the ranks soon, Tennessee continues to have the best overall resume. The argument for who has the best win comes down to Tennessee over Alabama or Georgia over Oregon. Tennessee’s win holds value because of its historical significance and name recognition of who they beat, despite it being a walk off field win at home. While Georgia’s gets a lot of credit for how utterly dominant they were and how good Oregon has looked since.
#5 Clemson- Let’s get the negative comments out of the way now. Clemson continues to start slow. Clemson continues to look beatable. Clemson continues to make it hard to defend a team that has now beaten three ranked opponents. Three teams that Clemson was their first loss. NC State, Wake Forest and Syracuse all watched perfect seasons die to the Tigers. Even FSU was a solid team. Still, it is the best 4 game stint the ACC has thrown at Clemson in a long time. I wish Clemson would have delivered knock out blows earlier in each match. But they’re undefeated. That counts for something. I consider Alabama the cut off for tier S. If Clemson keeps struggling early, Alabama will jump them.
#6 Alabama- Even if I think this is the worst Saban team in a long time, it’s still hard to bash too hard on this team. Alabama didn’t give Mississippi State the thrashing most teams get from Alabama. Yet, this was still one of, if not their best win of the season. With close calls against Texas, Texas A and M and Tennessee, and they allowed Arkansas to climb back in for a quarter, it must have been nice to not have to sweat a power 5 matchup. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to do with Alabama. As TCU has the better win and is undefeated. They’ve earned a higher spot than Alabama. Oregon has the worse loss, but a better resume as a whole. I feel like they’ve earned a higher spot as well. Though, I’m not sure either of those teams could win at Alabama. Yet, Alabama has been horrible on the road and would probably lose at either of their home fields.
#7 TCU- TCU has now beaten Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State in consecutive weeks. They are now just a win over Texas away from most likely being undefeated heading into the B12 Championship Game. I think a dominating performance against Texas could elevate them over Alabama since Alabama struggled to the Longhorns.
#8 Oregon- Oregon is probably wishing they played anyone but Georgia in week 1 as they have been rolling people. UCLA and Oregon were two of the hottest teams in the country and Oregon extinguished UCLA seemingly before the opening kickoff. It was truly a game that was never in any real doubt. Its hard to hold week 1 against them, you just wish they had shown a pulse at some point in that game. Otherwise, this team would be battling for the 5 spot.
#9 Oklahoma State– With Ole Miss and UCLA thumped, it vacated two new spots. Oklahoma State is the most deserving team to take that 9 spot. Their only loss is to unbeaten TCU. They responded to that loss by handling a red hot Texas team. They find themselves in a decent spot to make a run for the title game.
#10 Wake Forest– Wake Forest is benefitting from two things. A. Both USC and Utah are on byes (as though would be two teams gunning for this ten spot.). B. They have a QB that can play with anyone. This is supported by the fact their only loss was in overtime to Clemson. They might not quite be a juggernaut or household name, but I like them a lot up to this point in the season.
So that’s my top ten. I had a Halloween party yesterday so I don’t have a lot of other predictions. I will say the B12 probably takes a big hit as I think K State and Texas could drop out of the rankings. While the SEC will get a nice bump as LSU and South Carolina look to jump into the top 25.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day.
My AP Top 10 Today! October 2nd, 2022!
Two top 10 teams fell to two ranked teams. There’s little shame in that, but some big shakeups. I have 2 new teams joining the top 10 while the others get shuffled around. Georgia looked beatable two weeks in a row, while Alabama and Ohio State continued to separate themselves. Here’s a breakdown of our top 10 college football teams.
#1 Ohio State- I’m convinced of 1 thing this weekend. There will be a new number 1. And the debate of Ohio State or Alabama will continue to rage on. For the last two weeks they have looked on another level after Georgia continues to struggle.
#2 Alabama- I’m not stressing about the ordering at this point in the season. Alabama took a quarter off against Arkansas before reminding them who their daddy was. Both Ohio State and Alabama have big matchups left. Eventually one of them will pull away in the voting, but for now they are equal in my eyes.
#3 Clemson- This very well could be Georgia, but Clemson has impressed me the most out of the remaining teams. They never looked bad this season. Their game with Wake was up in the air for most of it, but Wake Forest might turn out to be really good after all. They just bounced former top 10 team NC State. It appears as if Clemson is moving upward in momentum, whereas Georgia seems to be slipping as the season goes on.
#4 Georgia- Last week, I felt like you could slide Georgia down and it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Still, they had earned enough goodwill that I let last week’s performance go. I chalked it up to a fluke. I assumed they were playing down to lesser talent. However, this weekend reinforced Georgia might be actually struggling. Georgia’s defense saved them, holding Missouri to 5 field goals. This included a FG on a drive that got to the Georgia 1. The first half was miserable and hard to watch. Georgia got it going in the second half and eventually snatched the lead with mere minutes to go. Georgia needs a few get right games or they may continue to fall.
#5 Michigan– The biggest issue for Michigan remains that they haven’t played anyone, whereas Georgia will continue to be held up by the thrashing they put on Oregon. The offense seems to have slowed down a bit now that they are in conference play. That’s fine, but now they aren’t beating teams by 50. That’s kinda a big deal when you aren’t playing ranked opponents. Michigan desperately needs some big wins or some of the teams below them could jump them as the season progresses.
#6 USC– The same could be said about USC. Their offense is still humming along though. And the defense remains serviceable. As Lincoln Riley is finally not having win shootouts each week. The close game against Oregon State remains a knock against them moving higher, but if they rout Utah in addition to being unbeaten, USC could jump to #4.
#7 Oklahoma State- Okla State took a huge step forward in solidifying their top 10 status by ousting Baylor. The Big 12 looks to be stacked top to bottom, but will ultimately be hindered for not having any elite schools. Still if Oklahoma State can take care of business this season, we will see how high they climb.
#8 Tennessee– The slide for Tennessee is fairly easy to explain. They were on bye while USC and Oklahoma State had chances to impress, also, factor in Pitt losing, which was one of their resume builders. It all adds up to a week that doesn’t exactly help you move up.
#9 Ole Miss– There’s a chance in the AP Poll the committee just moves Ole Miss to 7, taking Kentucky’s spot. I’m opting to put them here for now. The SEC West will provide opportunities to keep climbing. Still they edged out fellow SEC overachiever Kentucky, which never hurts your case.
#10 Utah- I view the 10 spot as a 4 headed race. Penn State would be a front runner if we were going off records, but Penn State has not impressed outside of a good showing at Auburn. Oregon has bounced back tremendously after week 1 thumping to Georgia, but not enough to jump into the top 10. Kentucky barely lost on the road against a now top 10 team. I would understand completely if you left Kentucky at 10. Though. My vote goes to Utah. They gutted a team that just took USC to the wire. They, too, have rebounded nicely from their week 1 let down, which could’ve been a fluke at this point.
So there’s my top 10 for this week. I’m feeling pretty good about it. By my estimations there are six teams getting removed from the top 25: Oklahoma, Texas A and M, Florida State, Minnesota, Arkansas and Pittsburgh. Baylor is probably on a short leash now, or out as well. That opens the door for a few teams such as UCLA, Kansas, TCU, LSU, Mississippi State, Cincinnati or Washington State.
What do you guys think of the rankings? Where would put teams? Let me know in the comments down below.
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My AP Top 10 Today! September 25th, 2022
This week delivered us two losses to top 10 teams so we have some shake ups. Florida State and Kansas remain unbeaten and look to sneak into the rankings. Wake Forest and Florida hope their close showings against Clemson and Tennessee are enough to stay ranked. While Oklahoma and Arkansas pray for mercy after nail-biting losses. Let’s break down our new top 10!
#1 Georgia- I really wanted to be a prisoner of the moment and have Ohio State ascend to #1, but I couldn’t. Georgia had the weakest showing of the top 3 for once. It still resulted in a double digit victory, but they let Kent State have a pulse for way too long.
#2 Ohio State- This game was never close. Ohio State was up 14-0 before I had a chance to blink. Wisconsin tried to make it respectable but that is a tough task. Week 1’s slugfest with Notre Dame is looking like a fluke more and more. I know people will probably keep Alabama at two after thrashing Vanderbilt. I said last week this debate would rage on all season, and both teams looked darn good this Saturday.
#3 Alabama- Hard to rag on them too bad for beating up Vandy, as Vandy had the best record of any team they’ve played this season. Still, it’s hard to say if they’ve truly cleaned up both sides of the ball when roughing up perpetual bottom feeders. We will learn a lot about Alabama as they get into the thick of their SEC schedule.
#4 Clemson- Here we are. Clemson has been on the outside looking in for the top 4 all season. This weekend really helped push the top 3 versus the field narrative. As no one outside of the top 3 looked that good. Still Clemson had to handle some real adversity, as they were down late on the road to a QB that could sling it. It’s hard too imagine them moving much higher than this without one of the big 3 losing. And a QB switch might not solve their problems. DJ played solid, but the defense gave up big play after big play. And then there’s the over 100 penalty yards. Those need to be cleaned up quickly.
#5 Michigan- We thought there was a chance Michigan could end up in a dog fight with Maryland and we got it. The Wolverines managed to pull away late, but Maryland cut it back to one score. Michigan is probably better for the near death experience, though. Up to this point they had yet to be tested. Their previous opponent’s only had 1 combined win.
#6 Tennessee– Call it a hot take or click bait if you must. But the teams that were ahead of them just didn’t not feel me with confidence. Now, you could just as easily move Kentucky to 6 on account of their game with Florida wasn’t nearly as close as Tennessee’s was. Still, I don’t think Kentucky looked great this weekend. Tennessee can now brag about their wins over Pitt and Florida.
#7 Oklahoma State– Oklahoma State gets the benefit of being on bye this week. As a result, there’s no chance to sky rocket up or plummet down the rankings. We will learn more when a potential top 15 matchup takes them to a tough Baylor team.
#8 USC- We were almost given the double upset special. Oklahoma failed to pull off their comeback, while USC fended off a tricky Oregon State team. As a result, USC could go 1 of 2 ways in the official rankings. Move to number 6, jumping OU, or, fall a little for narrowly escaping. I’m parking them here at 8 and seeing how they regroup.
#9 Kentucky- Kentucky has played 1 inspired game of football up to this point. That was against Florida. If you get up to face all your difficult teams, but then cruise control past lesser opponents, I will get nervous. I could possibly be overreacting. The poll could squarely rank them higher than this.
#10 NC State– Number 10 is the spot I’m more curious about. Oklahoma and Arkansas both lost close games, so I don’t think either fall from the top 20. Arkansas lost a game they had in total control. Meanwhile at Oklahoma, you don’t expect them to give up that many penalty yards again, especially not at home. Back to NC State I was quick to write them off after a 1 point victory over ECU. However, they’ve quietly turned it around these last 3 weeks. Now, that win over Texas Tech finally looks a little better. That’s why I have NC State at #10.
I think Oklahoma and Arkansas will remain top 20 teams (as the teams below them all made pushes to move into the top 15). I vote to keep Wake Forest in at #25. We should boot out Miami and Texas and move Kansas and Florida State into the top 25.
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My AP Poll Today! September 18th, 2022!
Week 3 is behind us now. It was easily one of the most boring weeks for upsets in recent memories. A few teams got pushed (Kansas, Notre Dame, Texas, Arkansas Wake Forest and Florida), but ultimately I think only three ranked teams lost, and two of them lost to ranked opponents ( BYU and Miami), leaving Michigan State as the true disappointment of the weekend.
#1 Georgia- Theres nothing to add here. Their signature win against Oregon got a lot better. They added their first SEC win of the season to their resume and that game was never close.
#2 Ohio State- Ohio State and Alabama will probably be a debate for a while. Alabama will get chances at some ranked opponents, though the West looks pretty up and down so far, while Ohio State is hoping Michigan and Penn State remain in the top 10 in order to get some quality wins.
#3 Alabama- Alabama will remain #2 in the official AP Poll, I’m sure. But until Alabam Crushes a real opponent, I’ve got to sit them here at #3. There’s enough doubt around an Alabama team for once. You could make the argument for them at #5, but the #1 philosophy of college football is don’t bet against Saban. So I’ll park them at #3.
#4 Michigan- Truthfully, Michigan is my #2 right now. They just lack a quality win. But they’re the only team outside of Georgia that has showed zero flaws or concerns through 3 weeks. If they scheduled a tougher out of conference schedule, this would be a lot easier.
#5 Clemson- Clemson, to me, is like Oklahoma this year. I’m just not sure how good they are this year. The ACC has some tricky teams now in Florida State and NC State and maybe Wake Forest. So there’s chances to get some quality wins.
#6 USC- I really think people don’t know where to put USC. Their matchup with Oregon got a lot of luster back after Oregon dominated BYU. Washington also could be a sneaky good game. Still their offense can probably carry them to a ten win season at this pace.
#7 Oklahoma- The win at Nebraska was much needed. Nebraska had nothing to lose with this being their interims coach’s first game. The game was at Nebraska. And this is one of the most historic rivalries in the sport. Nebraska came out hungry, but ultimately OU was up 6 touchdowns in the 3rd, thus calling off the ponys. It was a dominating performance of a power 5 opponent OU desperately needed early in BV’s career.
#8 Oklahoma State- I’ve felt like, for the most part this season, Oklahoma State is probably the best team in the Big 12. But really, it is hard to take anything away from a 63-7 curbstomping of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. But hey, at least they handled business.
#9 Kentucky- Newcomer to the top 10, Kentucky took care of their FCS Opponent Youngstown State with ease. Shutting out the Penguins 31-0.
#10 Arkansas- By my estimation, Arkansas is the Lone team is danger of getting kicked out of the top 10. My money is on that they will stay here though. They struggled to Missouri State, losing for most of that game. Not a great look for a top 10 team. Luckily for them teams #11 (Michigan State) #12 (BYU) both got dismantled this weekend, while #13 Miami lost a weird one to Texas A and M. So Kentucky looks safe. I don’t think #14 Utah has the resume to jump all the way to 10. That leaves Tennessee has the only real threat to their top 10 placing.
Though it was a boring week, theres still some interesting things to keep our eyes out for. Do Florida State, LSU, Washington and Kansas finally Crack the top 25? Where do Oregon and BYU relocate to? Do Michigan State and Wake Forest fall out of the top 25 with their uninspired performances? That, to me, are the things to watch this week.
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My AP Top 10 as of November 14th, 2021
Oklahoma finally took a loss as Georgia wrapped up a perfect SEC run. Let’s look at how the top 10 shapes up this week.
#1 Georgia– Georgia remains one of a few unbeaten teams left in the country and have continued to dominate everyone they face. 3 games still await them as they locked up the East weeks ago. Still the question remains, is Georgia a lock or could an untimely loss cost them that playoff spot?
#2 Cincinnati- Admittedly, Cincinnati hasn’t looked as impressive as they did earlier in the season but they are still undefeated. Their win over Notre Dame continues to grow more impressive with each week. In fact at this point it is the third most impressive win of the season. With only Oregons win over Ohio State and Michigan States win over Michigan as more impressive. They play SMU next which is the last tough team on their schedule. Handling business could go a long way to securing their playoff spot.
#3 Ohio State- I have gone back and forth and back and forth over spots 3-5. But Ohio States thumping of giant slayer Purdue confirms to me OSU is playing as the 3rd best team in the country. For Oregon there is a mountain to climb, but we will get to that. Ohio State still has to play Michigan and Michigan State. If they are 11-1 by the end of it, they will probably be #2 in my book.
#4 Oregon– Big games count for something. But for how much I’m unsure. As long as Oregon goes 12-1 they are in my top 4 somewhere. The lost to Stanford is terrible. Their lack of conference strength will hurt them. However, the win over Ohio State will keep them afloat even if they aren’t looking that great.
#5 Alabama- I live in the South. I know Alabama gets the benefit of the doubt everytime. But Alabama only has one thing going for them, that’s Saban. I do think Young is great and they have playmakers everywhere. But this Alabama team isn’t as great as ones in years past. They have Saban and five star recruits everywhere, which means they could still win it all. They have 3 games left assuming they handle business. It starts with Arkansas then Auburn and finally Georgia. Obviously sitting at 12-1 would get them in. Let’s just sit back and see where this goes.
#6 Michigan State- There was definitely two weeks of cause of concern. They were on the verge of being blown out by Michigan before ultimately losing to Purdue by double digits. They got back on track and will now try to finish strong.
#7 Michigan- My pick to win that tough Big 10 division almost came out flat. It was a dog fight against a Penn State team that doesn’t get enough credit, honestly. Michigan needs a big game against Ohio State and then it needs some help from outside forces to jump into the top 4.
#8 Notre Dame- Notre Dame continues to just beat people. However they picked the wrong year to lose to Cincinnati. No one on their schedule has panned out to be a top 25 team outside of Cincinnati. And if the committee caps Cincinnati’s ceiling than how could ND ever hope to get in without a championship game?
#9 Oklahoma- Oklahoma finally gave the polls something to cheer about with their 24-14 loss in which neither Oklahoma QB got it going. There’s plenty of cause for cornern in Norman. OUs best case scenario is to go 11-1 and avenge their loss to Baylor in the Big 12 Championship.
10 Wake Forest- A few teams are vying for this spot. Oklahoma State, Baylor and Ole Miss all made strong statements that they deserve to be in the top 10 with impressive wins. However, Wake Forest only has a 1 in the loss column. I’m aware the playoff committee will probably leave Oklahoma and Wake Forest out of the top 10 due to lacking quality wins. But I’ll park these two teams at 9 and 10 and see if they can keep their winning ways going.
So that’s my list. The last few weeks promise to be real telling on how our top 10 fills out. Thank you guys for reading and have a great day!
My College Football AP Poll as of November 7th, 2021
Surviving becomes more and more important as undefeated teams keep falling. Georgia dominated again while Oklahoma was on bye. Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and Cincinnati all struggled to escape the week with W’s. Meanwhile Wake Forest and Michigan State both took their first losses of the season.
#1 Georgia- College Football remains Georgia’s league to lose. What else needs to be said at this point. Even with a loss, I still think they would be #1.
#2 Cincinnati- Ignore the chatter of how UC let Tulsa hang around. Everybody struggled this week. They deserve to be #2 because they earned it.
#3 Oklahoma- Wins matter even if they weren’t created equal. Oklahoma will get a chance to build its resume here soon closing with Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
#4 Alabama- Alabama keeps being given the benefit of the doubt despite constantly struggling with lesser teams. They allowed Tennessee, Florida and LSU to hang around and lost to Texas A and M. I say all this to say that the media is gate keeping hard right now. Alabama does have the best resume of all 1 loss teams and I will rank them at 4 off the wins of Miami and Ole Miss.
#5 Michigan State- MSU suffered its first loss of the season and it was a medium one. They lost to a Purdue team that is a few weeks removed from besting former #2 Iowa. Still they have wins over Michigan and Miami which honestly makes for a better resume than Alabama. However, MSU lost recently and it’s a weaker loss than Alabama’s. Michigan State and Alabama will get chances to solidify their top 4 placings later in the season.
#6 Oregon- Based off of how each team is playing, it is such a coin flip between Oregon and Ohio State. Ohio State has the quality wins beating Penn State while Oregon is drug down by its conference. Still, Oregon won the head to head.
#7 Ohio State- Is it just me or has Ohio State stopped looking impressive? I think they need strong showings against Michigan State and Michigan along with Oregon and Alabama losses to make the top 4 cut. However, the CFP would probably take a 1 loss OSU over an unbeaten UC.
#8 Michigan- I actually think UM is the 4th best team in the country and my pick to win their division and the big 10. However, chocking away a 4th quarter lead against the only good team they played definitely hurt. Their resume is arguably one of the weakest in the top 10. We will see if Michigan can finally get out of their own way for once.
#9 Notre Dame- Notre Dame has been boring and forgettable this year. It’s not completely their fault. There was a time they were playing 4 top 25 teams in a row including Cincinnati, North Carolina, VA Tech(I think), and Wisconsin. Cincinnati has been the only team of substance and they lost that game. If the committee is gate keeping Cincinnati out of the top 4, Notre Dame stands no chance.
#10 Oklahoms State- Honestly, Oklahoma State has looked more impressive than Oklahoma so far. But you expect Oklahoma to have a better roster. I hope both teams stay in the top 10 to set up a classic Bedlam matchup.
So there’s my top 10 so far check back next week to see how it all shakes out. Thanks for reading and have a great day and thanks for reading!
My AP Top 10 as of October 31st
Prove Yourself Saturday was a huge event this week. Some teams took huge steps (Georgia, Oklahoma, MSU Baylor and OSU) while others just faded to the wayside (Michigan, Iowa, SMU and Ole Miss to name a few). Let’s see how this all shaped our top 10.
1. Georgia- Many thought renewing Georgia’s bitter Rivalry with Florida could be a trap game, but Georgia quickly jumped out to a 10-0 lead. The score gradually became 24-0 before Florida was finally able to score. Georgia continues to solidify their number 1 ranking.
2. Cincinnati- I’ve heard people make the argument they aren’t the number 2 team. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Oklahoma all had great showings but it is hard to take this spot away from Cincinnati. They beat Notre Dame and have double digit victories over the teams they’ve played in conference. They haven’t let that bulleye on their heads get to them yet.
3. Michigan State. For the longest time, MSU was lacking that signature win. That fact was lowering their ceiling each week. And being down 30-14 to that hated rivals Michigan was a bad look. Some how, off the back of 5 rushing TDs, they erased a 3 score hole to win by 4. They now have a complete resume. Penn State and Ohio State still loom large in the background though.
4. Oklahoma. I know people will want Ohio State and Alabama over OU. And it is true, OU does lack a signature win now that Texas has gone and shown the whole world they are back, again. But they are clicking, finally playing great for 4 quarters. The fact they are undefeated counts for something still. Heading into their bye week, if they keep things rolling, they will be a lock for the playoffs. However, due to how they win games, one loss could be fatal this late in the season.
5. Ohio State. Ohio State is just more impressive to me than Alabama. This is a results based poll. Their wins aren’t the greatest, especially if they knock PSU out of the rankings. However their loss is way better than Oregon or Alabama’s loss. They are killing the bad teams they face too. OSU has just proved more to me right now.
6. Alabama. I do give Alabama the edge over Oregon at this point. Alabama’s loss is better than Oregon, even though Oregon beat OSU. The win over Florida keeps becoming less and less impressive. The win over Miami keeps getting better and better, surprisingly. The Ole Miss win has lost some luster, but they get to play Auburn and maybe Georgia at the end of all this.
7. Oregon. Oregon has gone through a mid-season lump after a great start to the season. Their win over Fresno State and Ohio State both got bumps yesterday and potentially going 12-1 keeps them in the hunt.
8. Michigan. Hard to drop Michigan too far considering they lost on the road by 4 to a now top 5 team. Not sure why they couldn’t close the game out or how they let Michigan State get back in by running on them. It’s very confusing and all a cause for concern. But they can still win out and win their division. So they still have a lot to play for.
9. Notre Dame. Notre Dame has hung around and bounced back nicely from their early loss to Cincinnati. They are winning which is good for them , but the one loss could Haunt them without a championship game to boost the resume.
10. Wake Forest.. The poll has tried to keep Wake Forest down for too long. They deserve to be in the top 10 with all the imposters dropping like flies ahead of them. The ACC is surprisingly competitive which actually hurts Wake Forest because football logic. They don’t play elite teams but they play a balanced conference. Still at 13-0 could the committee really leave them out?
Baylor and Oklahoma State round out my top 12. Honestly, as far as the playoffs go, I think these are the only 12 teams that matter. So that’s my top 10. What do you guys think? Where would you rank teams?
My New AP Top 10 as of October 17th, 2021!
Georgia continues to dominate. Iowa got exposed failing to catch up to Purdue. Oklahoma looks reinvigorated. Half the Big 10 took byes this week. Let’s break down this week’s top 10.
Georgia- Georgia still clinches the number 1 spot by a country mile at this point. They continue to be the most complete team in the country. They added another top 15 win to their resume besting Kentucky.
Cincinnati- Hard to argue with Cincinnati at this point. They just keep winning. They went out and beat IU and ND out of conference. Now they have to keep stomping their in conference foes.
Oklahoma- Under true freshman QB Caleb Williams, OU is finally playing like a top 10 team. 9-0 is easy to imagine before they get into the heart of Big-12 play. Baylor, ISU and Oklahoma State stand ready to challenge OU for the top spot in the Big 12.
Alabama- Alabama was hoping to prove last week was a flute. They did just that, destroying MSU. Alabama still has some tricky SEC West games to go. They hope to be 11-1 facing Georgia for a playoff spot.
Penn State- PSU was on bye this week. If Clifford returns, I still have them as a top 5 team.
Ohio State- Ohio State was on bye as well. Not much to say here but I believe they are a more complete team than Iowa.
Michigan- 3 straight entries for the Big 10. 3 straight bye weeks. The bye weeks have made this hard to guage honestly.
Oklahoma State- The biggest mover for me is Oklahoma State. I wasn’t a believer early, but they have compiled quality wins over Baylor and Texas now as well as remaining undefeated.
Michigan State- I can’t wait for Michigan State and Michigan to settle this ranking mystery. As my pick in that game changes weekly. Still, they are unbeaten and surviving when they need too.
Iowa- Iowa is one dimensional. And by that I mean strictly defensively minded. I have my reservations about them as a whole after they couldn’t muster much in the way of offense after falling behind to Purdue. Iowa still has their whole season ahead of them, but they need to figure things out soon. I think a realistic landing spot for Iowa is somewhere between 6-8. The competition is Fierce in those spots and the loss is one of the worst of any top 15 team. Combine that will a fluky win over PSU and that’s why I’m parking them here.
Oregon falls out of my top 10 because they simply have been unimpressive if you remove the OSU game. Still the Big 10 will consume themselves while Oregon should be able to run the Pac-12. Meaning, if they keep winning, they will be a top 10 team soon enough.
So there’s my new top ten. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
My AP Top 10 as of October 10th, 2021
Yesterday gave us maybe the most insane week yet. Cincinnati took care of business Thursday. Michigan survived against Nebraska, Georgia cemented they are the new number 1. Oklahoma rallied back to rip Texas’ heart out again. And oh yeah, Alabama lost to an unranked Texas A and M team. Here’s my new top 10.
Georgia- Georgia has been the most impressive and complete team all year. It was just hard to take that spot from Alabama with all they had accomplished this year and last.
Iowa- Full disclosure, in my opinion, Penn State would have won if Clifford had stayed healthy. Still Iowa won an ugly 3 point game that came down to the fact Iowa made the plays when they needed to.
Cincinnati- if you hate Cinderella stories or football outside of the South, this pick has your eyes rolling. However, Cincinnati continues to look the part, and should all year. The question will become will being undefeated keep UC in the top 4 all year. Bama and Oregon losing helps. If the power five schools don’t have undefeated teams at the end, this could be the year a group of five school gets in.
Oklahoma- Oklahoma continues to be underwhelming and must see football. If Rattler continues to start and struggle, the ceiling is low. But if Williams balls out well against ISU, Baylor and Oklahoma State, skies the limit for maybe the most interesting team in the country.
Penn State- Penn State with Clifford for four quarters beats that Iowa team. That would solidify them as a top 2 team. Sadly for them, that’s not how the ball bounced. Penn State without Clifford will continue to lose and fade from the top 25 with how intense that division is. Losing Clifford in a game that felt like a playoff game was a terrible twist of fate.
Alabama- Alabama has been impressive, no doubt. However, they looked beatable against Flordia before smacking Ole Miss. Another trip on the road leads to less than desirable results. Still Alabama had moments in both the Florida game and Texas A and M game where they looked like the clear dominate force. A loss is a loss and this loss stings. Texas A and M was on a two game losing streak with their back up QB in. They blew a 14 point lead but rallied back to win with a walk off field goal, delivering Alabama their first loss. I think Alabama would beat PSU if they played today, but Penn State got the better lose Saturday.
Ohio State- OSU made the jump over Oregon in the rankings when Oregon stumbled at Stanford. With Oregon on bye and OSU cruising to another win today, no reason to change things here.
Oregon- a bye week keeps them from jumping the losing teams in front of them. The Ohio State win is still a quality win to keep them here.
Michigan State- Personally, at this point I think MSU has done enough to jump Michigan for now. Michigan State is roughing up the teams they are suppose to.
Michigan- I said it last week I was a skeptic of UM this high. They keep winning which is more than the likes of BYU can say. I don’t think they could beat Ohio State, MSU or PSU with a healthy Clifford but they have looked more complete than say Oklahoma. Michigan needs that first quality win to really validate this top 10 spot after struggling against Nebraska.
So there’s my list. Thank you guys for reading. Have a great day guys!
Da_Hubbz 