2020 Couch Power 10, Week 12
Well, we've finally arrived at the last week of the regular season of college football, and thus, the last Couch Power 10 of 2020. It's been a season unlike any other, in a year unlike any other, but just making it to this point is an enormous accomplishment. Many doubted the college football season would make it to this denouement, and to be fair, it was not without its many bumps in the road, and we still don't know exactly how the postseason will play out (the first bowl game, set to be played Saturday, has already been scrapped). But we made it this far, and all logistical pretzels and empty stadiums considered, still watched a pretty fun season of college football.
Both as a result of COVID-19 rates rising and normal preset bye weeks ahead of conference championships, there was not a whole lot of major action last weekend, and thus we have a fairly unchanged Power 10. Therefore, this Power 10 will be more about catching everyone up to speed on why each particular team deserves the "final" ranking they got in this piece. That said, there were some noteworthy changes on Saturday. I said in my last piece that previous #7 Florida was "getting the job done, and barring a massive brain fart vs. LSU next week, will have the chance to play themselves into the playoff in the SEC Championship." Well, said brain fart happened, epitomized in the form of a shoe toss. Florida were stunned by a vastly inferior LSU team at home, and though the SEC title is still on the table, their shot at a playoff berth is likely gone. Oh, and in case you didn't see or hear, in the sole Top 20 matchup of the weekend, North Carolina absolutely obliterated Miami behind a record-setting 554 yards of rushing. Speaking as a college football fan, it was mesmerizing to watch. Speaking as a North Carolina fan, "BLJVWJIOVRWJZZZ ZSKSKSKSKSKS!!!!!"
Just a reminder that 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:
1. Alabama
Alabama was one of the few top teams that did play last week, interestingly enough. An Arkansas team that has surpassed expectations kept things interesting against them!...for one quarter. Then in the 2nd quarter, things got very uninteresting, very fast, en route to a 52-3 win. Look, it's boring at this point, I get it, but the Tide are simply the best in college football. That's not to say they'll automatically win it all this year. It's not to say there aren't other good, even great teams. But Alabama has clearly been a notch above all other contenders this season, as evidenced by their average margin of victory of 25 points in games against ranked teams.
2. Notre Dame
Notre Dame had a bye week in between their season finale win over Syracuse and this weekend's ACC Championship against Clemson. If Alabama has been the clear 'eye test' #1, the Irish certainly make the resumé argument for the top spot. Notre Dame's 10-0 record includes the most impressive win of everyone this season, a defeat of Clemson, and a road win over North Carolina in which they almost entirely shut down one of the best offenses in the world.
3. Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina had a rare off week, needing a last-minute TD to beat Troy. Given that that game was sandwiched between a program-defining win over BYU and a conference championship with a potential New Year's bowl on the line, we can cut them some slack. The Chanticleers were on absolutely nobody's radar in this, their 4th season in Division I. But they have caused quite a ruckus this year, playing out to an 11-0 record with 3 wins over ranked teams. With a win in a rematch against ULL in the Sun Belt championship on Saturday, they've put themselves in inarguable consideration for a major bowl.
4. Cincinnati
Seemingly every season, there's a Group of Five team that comes out of nowhere, a la Coastal Carolina. But there's rarely wire-to-wire frontrunners the way Cincinnati was amidst the mid-majors this season. The Bearcats started this season as the presumptive favorite of the non-Power 5 schools, and end it as the highest ranked of that classification. Unfortunately, numerous COVID cancellations (including this last week) winnowed away their chances to potentially sneak into a playoff spot, fair or not, but make no mistake, the Bearcats are legit. They'll take their last-ditch chance to impress the committee this weekend in the conference championship against Tulsa.
5. Clemson
Clemson had a bye week in between their season finale win over Virginia Tech and this weekend's ACC Championship against Notre Dame. For the Tigers, it's a chance to avenge their sole loss on the season, a narrow 2OT loss on the road in South Bend. It's the competitiveness of that loss, coupled with blowout victories across the rest of their ACC season, that make the Tigers a clear winner of the 'best 1-loss team' mantle.
6. Texas A&M
Texas A&M also had a cancellation last week, in their scheduled game against Ole Miss, but unlike many teams, they're planning to make it up this coming weekend, against Tennessee. The Aggies have carved out a deserved spot just outside the Top 4. Their blowout loss to Alabama showed that they are not in the elite tier, but their wins over Florida and Auburn, and dominant wins elsewhere showed they are a legitimate Top 10 program this season.
7. Ohio State
Ohio State finished the regular season having played 5 games, thanks to various Big Ten opponents' COVID issues, including archrivals Michigan. Yet, thanks to favorable standing with committee bigwigs, they'll almost surely be in the playoff with a Big Ten Championship win over Northwestern this weekend. Sound unfair? It probably is. But the little we've seen of them this year has spoken to their quality. In every facet of the game, they've been head and neck above all opponents.
8. Indiana
Except, maybe, for Indiana, who showed, if nothing else, that someone can hang with Ohio State. Their competitive loss in the Horseshoe is the only blemish, if you can call it that, on an otherwise marvelous season for the Hoosiers. A 6-1 season with wins over Wisconsin, Northwestern, Penn State and Michigan pretty much guarantee a prestigious bowl for Indiana, and it could not be more deserved.
9. Louisiana-Lafayette
Once Louisiana-Lafayette lost a competitive game early on to Coastal Carolina, people (including yours truly) thought that was sort of it for the Ragin' Cajuns. Little did we all know what not only that 3-point loss, but also their season-opening win over Iowa State would both age like fine wines. They won their other 8 games, too, including over two-time defending conference champion Appalachian State. All of this means that if they're able to return the favor at Coastal this weekend, they have a legitimate argument as the best Group of Five team this year.
10. Iowa State
Iowa State's loss to ULL probably looks more and more confounding each week. Unless you're a Ragin' Cajun #believer, like me! I'm sure with the way they've played in the 2nd half of the season, the Cyclones would love to have their close losses to Louisiana-Lafayette and Oklahoma State back, but the way they finished the year and played in wins over Oklahoma and Texas have earned the respect of the playoff committee, and more importantly, a berth in their first ever Big 12 Championship.
Just missed: BYU, Florida, Georgia, USC, San Jose State, just everything about UNC's rushing attack against Miami
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