2017 Couch Power 10 + Bowl Projections, Week 7
Uh, wow. Like I said last week, sometimes seemingly calm weeks "exceed your low expectations and end up being pretty darn eventful." That was the case tenfold this past weekend, as half of the Top 10 fell in major upsets. I thought the teams most likely to get "Iowa Stated" this week were TCU against Kansas State or Wisconsin against Purdue, but both those teams pulled it out. No, instead it was previous Couch #1 Clemson falling at Syracuse (yes, Syracuse) thanks in no small part to an injured quarterback. Then it was the Evergreen State falling victim; first Washington State getting its doors blown off by a pesky California team, then their rivals Washington losing in the desert to Arizona State (thanks to some atrocious field goal kicking). Then it was 'best one-loss' Auburn collapsing in the Bayou, and finally, previous Group of Five darling San Diego State getting obliterated by Boise State. What does it look like when the dust all clears? A little something like this:
1. Georgia
Again, I feel queasy about this. With Clemson falling, the only team that should seemingly be in the discussion of the best team is Alabama. And I still think they're the best team...but until the Dawgs slip up and/or until Bama gets the level of victories that they have notched, Georgia remains my top SEC team.
2. Alabama
The Tide were one of the biggest winners this weekend, and not just because they blew out Arkansas. It's because the distance between them and the field seems even larger now.
3. TCU
TCU faced a quintessential trap game, coming off two big wins: on the road against a tough Kansas State team. The Horned Frogs took the challenge in stride, though, cruising to a 20-point victory.
4. Miami
Do I think the ESPN promos proclaiming that "the U is back!!" are a little premature? Sure. This team looked bad in their first 2 games, and are lucky to not have 2 losses against Florida State and now Georgia Tech. That being said, not only are these Canes tough, there seems to be a bit of magic about them. With Clemson's loss, they're top dog in the ACC.
5. Penn State
The Nittany Lions picked a good time to have a bye and avoid the onslaught of upsets. However, at least in The Couch's eyes, they have yet to prove themselves against a big dog. They get the first of several opportunities to do so this weekend, as they host College Gameday and one-loss Michigan.
6. Wisconsin
I fear I may say the same thing the rest of the regular season: it wasn't always pretty, it was probably closer than it should have, but the Badgers gritted out yet another win
7. Notre Dame
We, for the first time this season, get to the territory of ranking one-loss teams, which opens the Pandora's Box of weighing "good wins with a bad loss" vs. "no real good wins with a totally legit loss". In this case, I go with the latter, as Notre Dame at least has an impressive win in Michigan State, and has one of the better losses of the season: a late, 1-point defeat to Couch #1 Georgia.
8. Clemson
We go in the other direction for the next one-loss team. Clemson's loss to Syracuse was bad, inexplicably bad. It was #Clemsoning all over again. But, it was a close game, a road game, a Friday game...these things happen in college football. And lest you forget, this is the same team that swamped Auburn, and steamrolled through Louisville and Virginia Tech.
9. Oklahoma
See above. But replace "Syracuse" with "Iowa State" and "Louisville and Virginia Tech" with "Ohio State on the Buckeyes' home field."
10. Central Florida
While it was hard to see San Diego State walk out of our lives, it means the start of a new Group-of-Five love: my new crush is the Golden Knights of UCF. Unbeaten at 5-0, blowout wins over Maryland and Memphis, and one of the hottest coaching prospects at the helm...there's a lot to like here. There's also a lot to like about the idea of an 11-0 UCF playing an 11-0 USF for a spot in the New Year's Six. But I dream...
Just missed: South Florida, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, NC State (barf), freshman dynamo Michael Carter
Bonus...it's that time of the season!
New Year's Six Bowl Predictions
Cotton Bowl
Oklahoma vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl
USC vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl
Penn State vs. Notre Dame
Peach Bowl
Central Florida vs. Clemson
ROSE BOWL (Semifinal)
Alabama vs. TCU
SUGAR BOWL (Semifinal)
Georgia vs. Miami