2018 Couch Power 10, Week 10
In a season in which thrilling big games and upsets have become fairly commonplace, last weekend was short on both. There was the Missouri demolition of heavily favored Florida, and mild upsets of Utah, Virginia, and Texas A&M. And of course, a wild one in Austin wherein Will Grier and West Virginia won the 'Big XII Championship Play-in Game' on a last-minute 2-point conversion.
Those aren't going to do a whole lot to register on the college football Richter scale, though, and other than that the impartial college football fan had to settle for near-upsets of Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma-- only for the big dogs to pull it out down the stretch -- and complete demolition by Alabama, Michigan, and Georgia in their much-hyped matchups.
Of course, once again, all of the fun is overshadowed by two things: one, the continued reminder that Alabama and Clemson are lightyears ahead of the field, and we are clearly destined for a fourth straight installment of college football's Warriors-Cavs. Secondly, the 2nd release of the 2018 College Football Playoff rankings the other night, which inexplicably leaves WVU out of the Top 6, and UCF out of the Top 10.
1a. Alabama (LW: #4)
I've been crowing all season that I want to see Alabama play a real team. Well, they answered that call and then some. LSU aren't World-beaters, especially on offense, but they are a bona fide good team, and away at Baton Rouge is easily the hardest game Alabama is going to play until the Playoffs, perhaps even the Championship. That they won 29-0 should make you sad for the lack of parity in college football, but not surprised. They're going to win the Championship.
1b. Clemson (LW: #1)
It's increasingly clear, though, that if anyone is gonna beat Bama, it'll be their recent rivals for college football dominance. Clemson is hitting full stride on both sides of the ball at the absolute best time, beating a bad Louisville team by 934 points last week. The only qualm I have with the Tigers is just how bad their schedule is; Texas A&M and Syracuse are far and away the best teams they've played, which isn't overly impressive, especially when you consider how close both were to beating Clemson.
3. Notre Dame (LW: #2)
Oh yeah. Notre Dame's still unbeaten. Congrats guys, maybe you'll make it to the playoff. Not much to see here.
4a. Michigan (LW: #7)
Michigan's defense is no joke-- the head of the playoff committee just called it the best in the nation -- and all that talent on offense is starting to round into good form as well. Their destruction of Penn State and Wisconsin leads one to wonder whether they'd beat Notre Dame in a rematch of the season opener. Methinks yes.
4b. Georgia (LW: #6)
Nipping at the heels of Michigan, though, is Georgia, who have finally started to look the part of contender. It took the Dwags nearly half a season to figure it out, but since their big loss to LSU, they've responded with dominant performances over Top Tenners Florida and Kentucky to secure the SEC East. They will head into the SEC Championship with just 1 loss, barring a rival upset by Auburn or Georgia Tech.
6a. Washington State (LW: #8)
The Cougars beat Cal on a last-minute touchdown on Saturday. It may not seem it, but that's actually a massive victory. Cal is decent this year, and last year the Cougs completely crapped their season away in a 30-point capitulation to....yep, Cal. This one took mental toughness and Wazzu showed once more that this team is different than years past.
6b. West Virginia (LW: NR)
Welcome back to the Power 10, 'Neers. West Virginia launched themselves back into the thick of the Big XII (and possibly even the Playoff) race, thanks to a huge win over Texas. It was a back-and-forth affair, but in the end, WVU gambled on the road and came up winners. Im the head-to-head of 'underappreciated Power 5 conference leaders,' I still give Washington State the slight advantage due to a slightly better schedule to date, but the margin is slim.
8. Central Florida (LW: #10)
I don't know where the playoff committee gets off continuing to rank UCF out of the Top 10, especially after they blitzed a decent Temple team last week. Sure, their schedule has been comparatively soft, I get it. But guess what? They've also won 21 STRAIGHT GAMES. Yet you can't rank them ahead of 2-loss teams? Psh.
9a. Ohio State (LW: #9)
Ohio State is clinging on to Playoff, even Big Ten hopes, by a shred. The Buckeyes have looked really bad on defense of late, and that almost came to a head on Saturday, with a near-loss to Nebraska. Losing that game would have been one of the most humiliating ones of Urban Meyer's career, and surely would have ended their reign in the Big Ten. And yet, thanks to the quality of Dwayne Haskins in particular, they survive with one loss.
9b. Oklahoma (LW: NR)
See above. The Sooners have been very very close to spiralling out multiple times this year, against Army, TCU and last week Texas Tech. Yet, each time, Kyler Murray and co. have been just good enough to keep them contenders in the Big XII and Playoff race.
Just missed: LSU, Kentucky, Fresno State, Utah State, Syracuse, freshman sensation Jace Ruder
BONUS! New Year's Six Bowl Projections
Peach: Central Florida vs. Kentucky
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. LSU
Rose: Washington State vs. Ohio State
Sugar: Georgia vs. West Virginia
COTTON (Semifinal): Alabama vs. Michigan
ORANGE (Semifinal): Clemson vs. Notre Dame