2019 Couch Power 10, Week 9
Oh man, oh man. Things are heating up in the college football landscape. Yes, the top tier remains unblemished, and the Playoff projections have remained essentially the same since preseason (Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma). But there’s a whole lot bubbling just under the surface, and it may soon result in real turbulence for those seemingly unshakable four.
Or maybe not. But either way, it’s fun.
Week 8 emulated Week 7 in many ways. There were multiple games between ranked teams, and a couple very noteworthy upsets to accompany them. Sure, the primetime games weren’t exactly Separation Saturday material, but we learned a lot about the Pac-12 and Penn State. Besides, if you thought South Carolina upsetting Georgia last week wild, then wait until I tell you about 1-win Vanderbilt beating #22 Missouri. Or, you know, 30-point underdogs Illinois beating Couch #4 Wisconsin. Yes, that Wisconsin. The Badgers that had to date let just two teams register a single point on them.
This is what I mean, the aura of invincibility is shedding off of an increasing amount of teams, and those teams that are getting upset are getting increasingly close to that top tier. So let’s see where we stand, shall we?
Just a reminder, as you are preparing to protest that how your unbeaten team isn't on my list: you're wrong. All 10 unbeaten teams are ranked this week. And, I don't care how good you think your program may be, if you've lost a game, at this time you are not Couch Power 10 material. We expect #perfection. Again, this is not a statement on who I think have the most talent and quality, 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.
1a. Clemson
1b. Alabama
That being said, the Saban-Dabo Rule dictates that until Clemson and Alabama lose and/or give us reeeeeeeeally good reason to drop them from the joint top spot, we're keeping them here. Why? Because drawing from every year since 2014, we're working off the assumption that it doesn't really matter how these teams look during the regular season. Alabama and Clemson will make the playoff, and one of them will win the title.
It’s pretty tough to determine a difference between the two teams that will inevitably be in the national championship this year. Both have looked thoroughly beatable at rare times this season, but it’s possible they’re just mentally on cruise control until a real primetime game presents itself. I flipped Clemson back to the 1a spot this week for no reason other than to protest the lunacy of the AP, who has dropped the defending champions to #4 in their poll while keeping Alabama, who has not looked any more or less impressive than the Tigers, at a comfortable #1.
3. LSU
Once upon a time, Mississippi State was expected to be a real tough out this year. But that has not exactly come to fruition this season, and thus, even at home, they didn’t stand much of a shot against LSU. The Tigers, who are the undisputed “best team that probably won’t make the playoff” so far this season, rolled in Starkville, 36-13.
4. Penn State
As recently as two weeks ago, I didn’t even have Penn State in my Top 10. But since then, they have gritted out a road win in Iowa (which many teams cannot claim to have done), and now held on for a win over a Top 20 Michigan team who was desperate for a win to keep their Big Ten hopes alive. In addition, their early win over Pitt is looking more and more like, for the 2nd straight year, likely a victory over the ACC Coastal champion. So no, they’re not as good as Ohio State, probably, but they have very much proven their quality in the last few weeks.
5. Ohio State
Speaking of Ohio State, the Buckeyes continued business as usual for the 2019 season, beating Northwestern by 50 points. They look really, really good, and I don’t think anyone will dispute that. Heck, ESPN’s FPI rates them as #1 in the country. But I’m reserving my judgement partially until I see them play a real quality opponent. We finally get that chance this weekend, as they play a Wisconsin team, who— shocking aberration last week aside —I think may be the best team they play in the regular season.
6. Oklahoma
Oklahoma pummeled West Virginia and Jalen Hurts had a near-perfect game. So why the rankings drop so suddenly? It’s nothing the Sooners are doing wrong, per se, and I still believe they look like an elite team thus far. But when your sole ranked opponent followed up your victory over them by coming thisclose to losing to KANSAS at home?? It makes it a little tougher to get a feel on how good you truly are.
7. SMU
With Boise State’s unforeseen loss to sneaky BYU, the Group of Five’s crusade has been taken up by none other than SMU, who so famously received the NCAA’s Death Penalty some 30 years ago, and hadn’t really recovered since….until this year. In just their second week as a ranked team, the Mustangs performed quite well, dominating a subtly tough Temple side. With a good as the American conference is this year, it’s entirely possible that SMU could lose a game in the regular season, and still make a New Year’s Bowl with a conference championship.
8. Baylor
Baylor got a serious scare last week from a pretty mediocre Texas Tech team, which caused me to hedge my bets about their quality. But they rebounded well this past weekend, pulling away in the 4th quarter on the road against a solid Oklahoma State side. It’s tough to see the Bears besting Oklahoma, but a berth in the Big 12 Championship and (provided the Sooners make the playoff) the Sugar Bowl are well within their reach.
9. Minnesota
For the first time ever, welcome to the Couch Power 10, Minnesota! The Golden Gophers are the last undefeated Power5 Conference team to make these rankings, and the reason for that, put simply, was their schedule. Namely, there are no wins to write home about; their best win to date is either against FCS South Dakota State or an overtime victory over Fresno State. Still, 7-0 is 7-0, and Minnesota has their chance to prove themselves over the next few weeks, which include clashes with both Penn State and Iowa.
10. Appalachian State
But wait a minute, boys! There’s one more unbeaten team that would very much like you to not forget about them. Yes, App State, previously the Alabama of the FCS level, are now comfortably adjusted to the FBS level, and are gunning for not just a 2nd straight Sun Belt title but also a place in the New Year’s Six. It’s not as far-fetched as you may think: winning out would mean finishing 13-0 with wins over both North and South Carolina, and if SMU drops just one game (perhaps to Memphis or Cincinnati), it makes Appalachian a very tough prospect for the committee to say no to.
Just missed: Florida, Auburn, Oregon, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Chazz n' Dazz