2017 Couch Power 10, Week 4
All signs were pointing to a relatively demure Saturday last weekend, with only a few primetime games on the docket, and much of the tuneup slate going according to plan. Then, in the nighttime, Florida and Kentucky played an epic SEC thriller, Georgia blew the doors of The Couch's previous 'hottest team', and Penn State somehow managed to escape Cedar Rapids with a win over Iowa, in what will surely be considered one of the games of the year. To the rankings!
1. Alabama
Wanna know a good way to re-assert yourself as the best team in the land? Beat a previously unbeaten opponent on their home field 59-0.
2. Clemson
Wanna know a good way to lose credibility in the "we're the best team!" sweepstakes? Struggle at home against Boston College for 3 quarters. Granted, the Tigers put it together in the last 10 minutes, but still; Clemson's looked like a completely different team each week so far.
3. Oklahoma
Wanna know a good way to slip from 1st to 3rd in the Power Rankings? Nearly lose to previously winless Baylor. OU still has the best win of the season, and even a terrible Baylor season so far has had signs of Good Baylor, but...yeesh.
4. Georgia
Remember all those glowing things we had to say about Mississippi State last week? Well, you can use your whiteout and replace their name with Georgia, and it'd be true. In fact, it'd be even more true: completely stifling a high-flying Mississippi State offense just weeks after winning on the road against a Notre Dame team that's looking better and better? After years of false starts, this may be the Georgia team that vaults the Bulldogs back into the national conversation.
5. TCU
Similar to the aforementioned Miss State-Georgia swap, I may have overestimated Oklahoma State by a little, and in doing so, underestimated the Horned Frogs of TCU. Whoops. TCU upset the Cowboys on their home turf, by bludgeoning them on both sides of the ball. Their defense caused turnover after turnover, and the offense, led by Kenny Hill at QB, matched that production. Turns out TCU may be Oklahoma's main Big 12 competition after all!
6. Penn State
Man. What guts and determination it took for Penn State to come away with that win. It had 'classic Iowa upset' written all over it, but McSorley, Barkley, and co. did what past Penn State (and Michigan, and Michigan State) teams couldn't and snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. I can't feel good about ranking the Nittany Lions higher than this, due to their lack of ranked opponents, but I think a win like the one they had last Saturday may prove to be their most valuable of the year.
7. USC
Win one game close than it should be, you're still ironing the kinks out. Win another (vs. Texas last week), it's gritting out a tough, crucial win. Win a 3rd one by a closer margin than expected? It's a trend. And, while I'm still high on USC this year, they're trending towards dropping a game they shouldn't, which they can't afford to do in the looked-down-upon Pac 12.
8. Michigan
Speaking of trends: Michigan did that fun thing again where they kept an overmatched opponent in the game until the 4th quarter, wherein they pulled away. A win as a win, though, and that Florida win still looks solid as long as the Gators keep pulling out necessary SEC wins in dramatic circumstances.
9. Virginia Tech
Another week, another blowout of an embarrassingly inferior opponent. We'll get to see how legit Virginia Tech is this weekend when they play host to ACC favorites and national contenders Clemson. (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this will probably be a preview of the ACC Championship, too.)
10. San Diego State
It's about time to show some love to the Non-P5 teams! San Diego State gets my vote thus far, having followed up their upset of previously ranked Stanford with a crucial road win against a tough Air Force team, in a downpour.
Just missed: Washington, Wisconsin, Washington State, Texas Tech, human highlight reel Anthony Ratliff-Williams