2018 Couch Power 10, Week 1
We back! Week 1 of College Football started, once again, disappointingly. I'm not just saying that because my Tar Heels lost a game they shouldn't have lost. No, I'm saying that because for the 4th straight year, most of the hyped opening weekend games were duds, Alabama blew out their opponent in primetime AND my Tar Heels lost a game they shouldn't have lost.
So, yes, a bummer of a start, but the good news is, college football is back and has brought all the nostalgia of the season with it. Just a refresher, since it's been months since you've heard from this ranking: this is not a definitive ranking on how good the teams are, or on who I think will be/deserves to be in the playoff at the end of the year. Rather, it's more of a "What if preseason rankings and bigwig bias didn't predetermine the top teams" kind of thing, an ideal ranking of the country's teams based on what they've proved on the field. Any guesses on who the #1 team is?
^True story, I copied and pasted that exact introduction from last year's opening weekend piece. Lazy? Maybe. But hey, it's up to the football gods to give me something other than 'Bama winning and Carolina losing all the time.
1. Alabama
It's not that Louisville is a high-quality opponent; the Lamar Jackson-less Cardinals looked like a shell of past versions of themselves. But until somebody gives me a reason to not have Alabama as the #1 team in the country, they're staying here.
2. Clemson
See above. Clemson took a little while to get going against Furman, but ultimately rolled to an easy win. The (South Carolina) Tigers, who are quickly becoming "Bama Lite", or "The ACC's Bama," as I prefer, are going to be tough to beat this year, especially in a weaker ACC. Until somebody gives me a reason to not have Clemson as the #2 team in the country, they're staying here.
3. LSU
In terms of the opponent + style points matrix, the (Louisiana) Tigers are off to the most impressive start of anyone this year. In a neutral site game against a Top 10 Miami team eager to capitalize on the preseason hype, LSU passed, ran, and defensed all over the Hurricanes. They've had false promise before, but still, they look the part of a SEC West spoiler yet again.
4. Auburn
In terms of the opponent quality, end of story, the (Alabama) Tigers really did notch the best win of the weekend. Sure, it was a virtual home game, and sure, Washington outplayed them for nearly the entire 2nd half. But Auburn did what Auburn does, which is find a way to win. If early signs are any indication, it's going to be a logjam at the top of the SEC West once more.
5. Notre Dame
Notre Dame's down-to-the-wire win over Michigan on Saturday was one of those games wherein it's hard to tell whether we're watching a hard-nosed struggle between two great teams, or a sloppy game between two overrated sides. Regardless, the Fighting Irish got a clutch, crucial big win to start their season off on a high note.
6. Virginia Tech
The jury's out on how good Florida State, offenders of 5 turnovers and 4 botched red zone possessions, will indeed be this year. But give immense credit to the Hokies, who many (including myself) predicted to be in for a rebuilding year. They dominated start to finish, and Doak Campbell Stadium is not an easy place to do that.
7a. Oklahoma
Thus begins the wave of likely high-quality teams who beat up on lesser-quality opponents in Week 1. The Sooners get the lead spot of this tier for dismantling a team some idiot recently picked to be in a New Year's Six bowl. Whoops.
7b. Ohio State
The Buckeyes could not have had a worse preseason, and as such, could not have had a sweeter season opener. Oregon State is probably one of the worst Power 5 opponents there is, but they are a Power 5 opponent, and Ohio State (thanks largely to debutante quarterback Dwayne Haskins) were in a whole separate league on Saturday.
7c. Georgia
I'm tempted to not give any credit to a team who beat "Austin Peay" in their season opener, but the Bulldogs are gonna be good again, and a 45-0 shutout is a 45-0 shutout. Even when your opponent sounds as if your mate Austin is going for a tinkle.
7d. Wisconsin
I am firmly on the Badger bandwagon this year. Though it's difficult to learn much from a routine Week 1 victory, Western Kentucky has been no pushover in years past, and a 31-point blowout has to feel nice.
Just missed: West Virginia, Maryland, UCF, Mississippi State, Stanford, Jonathan Sutton's hit