Couch Power 10 + Bowl Projections, Week 4
Week 3's Power 10 can be found here.
Week 4 saw only a few primetime-worthy games, but several massive results. First, and most importantly, NORTH CAROLINA WON IN INCREDIBLE FASHION AND I WAS THERE IN PERSON, WATCH THIS NOW. Elsewhere, Florida had a collapse for the ages against Tennessee, Wisconsin shocked everyone by obliterating Michigan State, Texas A&M continued their impressive run, and Georgia showed that they're not quite ready for primetime. Notre Dame lost to Duke (lol), and USC lost to Utah, dropping the two national darlings to a combined 2-6 on the season. Some minor changes in this week's Power 10!
1. Alabama
My top 4 all spent the weekend snacking on cupcakes...Alabama's flavor of choice? Mighty Kent State. They jump back up to my number 1 spot because Ole Miss's destruction of Georgia shows that Alabama's win in Oxford, MS was no small feat.
2. Louisville
My top 4 all spent the weekend snacking on cupcakes...Louisville's flavor of choice? Mighty Marshall. Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals kept rolling, setting up a huge showdown with national runners-up Clemson this weekend.
3. Ohio State
My top 4 all spent the weekend snacking on cupcakes...Ohio State's flavor of choice? A bye week. SHAME ON THEM. No but really, they slip to the number 3 spot solely because, with the current state of affairs in the Big 12, there's no telling whether the Oklahoma win will actually be all that impressive in the end.
4. Houston
My top 4 all spent the weekend snacking on cupcakes...Houston's flavor of choice? Texas State. Still though, 64-3 is a hell of a scoreline.
5. Wisconsin
Uh, so, wow. Just when it looks like Wisconsin might be the overrated team that scored a fluke win over LSU, they go into East Lansing and dismantle a hot Michigan State team. The Badgers forced 4 turnovers in the 30-6 shellacking and look every bit the team to beat in the Big Ten West. HUGE statement game this weekend against fellow unbeaten Michigan.
6. Texas A&M
It's still hard to determine how good the Aggies actually are, as they haven't faced a great opponent yet. Still, their opening resumé now consists of: win over Top-15 UCLA, 67-point victory, road win at Auburn, and 3-touchdown neutral site win over a ranked Arkansas team. Not too shabby!
7. Michigan
Michigan still hasn't faced a very good opponent, and also they play their first five games at home (absurd), but the fact of the matter is, they've only looked beatable for one half this entire season. A dominant victory over Penn State is good enough to secure this spot this week, but they'll have to be on their best game against Wisconsin this weekend.
8. Stanford
In what very well might just be the theme of Stanford's season, they once again looked good, not great, but once again beat a solid opponent. 3-0 with wins against Kansas State, USC and UCLA is a pretty good start!
9. Clemson
The Tigers' offense is still bafflingly inconsistent, but, as the ACC Network correspondent who I befriended in the Atlanta airport this weekend said, their win over previously unbeaten Georgia Tech "was the most dominant 26-7 victory I've ever seen." They host Louisville this weekend in the de facto ACC Atlantic championship.
10. Tennessee
I begrudgingly give the Vols this spot. I still think they're fairly overrated, as they've only looked good in 2 of the 8 halves they've played so far, including wire-to-wire struggles against Appalachian State and Ohio. But those two impressive halves consisted of blowing out otherwise unbeaten Virginia Tech and roaring back with 35 unanswered against a ranked Florida team this weekend. So, they appear to be in the SEC East driver's seat.
Just missed: Baylor, Nebraska, Utah, Miami, Boise State, Ryan Switzer
Bonus: New Year's Six Bowl Predictions
Cotton Bowl
Tennessee vs. Utah
Orange Bowl
Wisconsin vs. Clemson
Rose Bowl
Michigan vs. Stanford
Sugar Bowl Texas A&M vs. Baylor
PEACH BOWL (Semifinal)
Alabama vs. Utah
FIESTA BOWL (Semifinal)
Louisville vs. Ohio State