2017 Couch Power 10, Week 6
I may bemoan the entertainment loss of these periods, but the fun thing about having weeks in the middle of the season that are seemingly real snoozers is that expectations are low. And when expectations are low, that means one of two things: either the week goes as expected, and you say 'Well, I saw that coming.' Or, the week exceeds your low expectations and ends up being pretty darn eventful. Fortunately, for the College Football fan, this one ended up being the latter. Iowa State started the day off by shocking Oklahoma in Norman-- it was a massive win for the Cyclones, but arguably even bigger for Alabama and Clemson, who seem to be solidifying their places in a higher stratosphere than their competitors with each passing week. Michigan State stunned rivals Michigan in a monsoon. LSU got a season-saving victory over rivals Florida. In the 2 primetime games, TCU held off West Virginia with a late touchdown, and Miami rallied past rivals Florida State with a last-second touchdown. Not bad!
1. Clemson
Clemson got its second semi-scare of the year, this time from a scrappy Wake Forest team. The theme seems to be that Clemson only looks beatable against teams they should be beating by a lot. #Clemsoning
2. Georgia
There's arguably nothing as blasphemous in college football as ranking another SEC team (or most teams, for that matter) ahead of Bama, but at this point, the Dawgs have simply earned it more. They've helped themselves to now 3 straight blowout SEC wins, and that victory in South Bend just keeps looking better. Is Alabama still gonna beat this team by 30 when they play in the SEC Championship? Undoubtedly.
3. Alabama
The Tide got their first semi-scare of the season, when an overmatched Texas A&M team was able to hang with them for all 4 quarters. Bama eventually won by 8, but not before making their fans nervous about the state of their offense. Is it gonna matter in the long run? See above.
4. TCU
The Horned Frogs built on their road win at OK State with a high-stakes thrilling W against West Virginia. Even more relevant: with Oklahoma's shock loss, TCU is now the team to beat in the Big 12.
5. Washington State
Saturday's game at Oregon, the Cougars first since upsetting USC, had trap game written all over it. But after a slow start, Washington State rolled in Autzen Stadium. This team-- and this quarterback-- are for real.
6. Penn State
What I said last week still stands: the Nittany Lions pass the eye test in every which way. But I'm still waiting to see how they measure up against teams that could actually go toe-to-toe with them in terms of talent.
7. Miami
Any doubts I may have had about the Canes being for real have been erased after their gutsy victory at Florida State. Yes, Florida State is thisclose to being winless this season, but their talent is undeniable to the extent that this was still a huge win. And to do it in Tallahassee, against a team that had owned them for a decade...clutch.
8. San Diego State
San Diego State built on their perfect season with a blowout of UNLV. They host Boise State next; the Broncos are a shell of past incarnations of themselves, but are still the flagship program of the Mountain West. Winning this one would go a long way for SDSU's credibility.
9. Wisconsin
The Badgers, who should waltz to the Big Ten Championship this year, are playing a lot of games more tight than their fans would like. But they seem to turn it on when it matters, as was the case in what ended up being a comfortable win at Nebraska.
10. Washington
FINE, I'll rank Washington. I was hesitant to do so last year, too, for the same reason: they're climbing up the actual polls on the backs of playing absolutely nobody. This year, the difference is that they're keeping those nobodies close for 3 quarters before blowing them out. Still, they crack my Top 10 because they have a stout defense, a great quarterback, and the best coach in the land.
Just missed: Auburn, Notre Dame, USC, UCF, South Florida, INT machine Myles Dorn