2020 Couch Power 10, Week 1
What's that? College football is back? Yes, it's true. You might have missed it amidst a worldwide pandemic, natural disasters, social justice protests, and absurd election moments, but sports are finding ways to come back, and the latest is college football, which welcomed the SEC into the fold this weekend, joining the conferences (such as the ACC and Big 12) that were already a couple weeks into their season.
Between the very heavy and serious global and national events transpiring, the lack of (most) fans and even bands in the stadiums, and the lurking knowledge that any moment the season could be pulled out from under us, it's probably the least cognizant and least excited I've been for a college football season in some time. And there's no question this will almost surely be the most surreal in our lifetime.
That said, though I know I don't speak for everyone, all it took was one Saturday spent in front of countless fight songs and tailgate scenes, and the waves of all the sport's nostalgia came flooding back. And sure, having a highly-anticipated, ranked, favorite team helped my demeanor immensely. What can I say? I'm a fickle beast. And fittingly, so shall my rankings be throughout the year.
Just a refresher, since it's been nary a year 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 actually proved on the field to date. In that vein, let's hit you with some surprises right off the top:
1. Mississippi State
Early predictions of this being a wacky year look promising, as 8 ranked teams have already fallen this season. But without question, after just one game played, Mississippi State got the win of the year. Was LSU expected to take a step back after their remarkable season last year? Sure. Were Mississippi State and new coach Mike Leach supposed to come into Death Valley and throw all over the #6 Tigers from start to finish, giving them their first loss in 17 games? They absolutely were not, but it's what happened, and the Bulldogs have thrown a gauntlet down in the SEC West as a result.
2. Miami
Every single year Miami gets preseason hype, off the backs of a combination of good recruiting and name recognition, and every single year I, along with many others, laugh at their inevitable slide into mediocrity. But, at 3-0, it's time to start wondering if Miami might actually be good this year? After a slow first half against UAB in the season opener, the Canes ran away with it in the second half, then followed that up with a road win over a ranked Louisville side, then just last week absolutely pelted rivals Florida State. The Seminoles look like a shell of the program they used to be, to be fair, but a rivalry game is a rivalry game, and 52-10 is no joke. Lots was made about how much of an impact coveted transfers QB D'Eriq King and DE Quincy Roche would make. The early verdict: a lot.
3. Pittsburgh
Pitt is yet another ACC Coastal team that got a fair amount of preseason hype, and I have to admit, I didn't get it. It felt like there was a whole lot of optimism surrounding a program that had been consistently mediocre in recent years. That said, after a ranked win (also Louisville) following two comfortable wins to start the season, one of them a conference opponent, the Panthers have my attention.
4. Louisiana-Lafayette
I didn't bother to do the research, but I am
ready to confidently say that this is the first time the Sun Belt has cracked our Couch Top 4. (Before you laugh too hard, I know at least Appalachian State has been in the Power 10 before.) How did we get here? A combination of few marquee games and good-old fashioned upset. In a small sample size of ranked teams losing, one of those feats belongs to the Ragin' Cajuns, who stunned Iowa State in Week 1, on the road. The pressure of being nationally ranked might be getting to them, as ULL has ironically had a harder time against Sun Belt opponents Georgia State and Georgia Southern, but in both cases have showed impressive grit to come from behind and pull out a W.
5. Cincinnati
Coming off a year in which they came within very close reach of a New Year's Six bowl, preseason expectations were high for Luke Fickell and Cincinnati. So far, so good, as the Bearcats added a tough win over a ranked Army side to a season-opening blowout of the unfortunately-named Austin Peay.
6. Auburn
Auburn is one of those teams that appear to be stuck between the mediocre side of the SEC, and the Alabama-Georgia-2019 LSU tier of the SEC. If they're going to crack into that upper echelon, it's important to win tough games against ranked teams, and that's precisely what they did in grinding out the season opener against Kentucky.
7. Marshall
Sure, it's Marshall. And no, they don't have Byron Leftwich nor Rakeem Cato quarterbacking them. And you are correct, they haven't played a single Power 5 school yet. But, a 59-0 season opener, followed by a win against ranked and formidable Appalachian State is not a bad way to start a season.
8. BYU
We've finally reached the end of teams that own a win over ranked team (Kansas State's upset of Oklahoma on Saturday was massive, but K-State's loss to Arkansas State disqualifies them from this early ranking). That said, BYU has had just about the most impressive start otherwise. Navy and Troy are two good football programs with good recent histories, and the Cougars completely obliterated them both. Also, if you have a photographic memory, you will know that their arch-rivals Utah held this very spot in last year's Week 1 ranking, and that feels like poetic justice.
9. Clemson
Ah yes, it took until #9, but we've finally arrived at a team that will actually likely be in the playoff at the end of the season, should a playoff exist. The defending runners-up were a near-unanimous preseason #1 this season, and for good reason. They return NFL-level talent at QB, RB, and DL, and add one of the best recruiting classes in the country. By no fault of their own, though, it'll be a couple weeks before they can impress anyone, as wins over a horrible Wake Forest team and The Citadel won't exactly turn heads.
10. Notre Dame
IF Clemson is going to falter in the ACC, and that is a huge if, most people expect that the newly-inducted ACC members will be the ones to do it. For much of Notre Dame's season opener against Duke, they didn't exactly look like a team that would be capable of doing that. But they overcame their sloppiness to pull out a win, and followed that up with a comprehensive 52-0 victory over South Florida.
Just missed: UCF, Tennessee, Memphis, North Carolina, Texas, COVID-induced bye weeks
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