2020 Couch Power 10, Week 3
We're just a few weeks into the college football season-- and some conferences haven't even begun play --and yet, true to form in 2020, chaos is already reigning. Last weekend didn't feature quite the same amount of stunning outcomes as its predecessor: though there were still 6 ranked teams that fell, all but one of them were at the hands of a fellow ranked team. An early 'Separation Saturday,' if you will.
No, the madness that transpired last weekend was not related to the amount of upsets that took place, it had much more to do with the lack of defense present anywhere in the country. Look at some of these numbers: Georgia and Tennessee combining for 65 points. Texas A&M and Florida for 79. LSU and Missouri for 86. Alabama and Ole Miss for 111!!. What is this, the SEC or the Big 12?! Then in the ACC: two ranked teams in North Carolina and Virginia Tech combining for 101. Notre Dame and Florida State for 68. Boston College and Pitt, two of the most defensive teams to ever play in the ACC, both notching the 30-point mark. What is this, the ACC or the Big 12?! Okay, I'm done with that joke. But not before I point out that the Big 12 was host to the all-time highest scoring Red River Rivalry in history, wherein Oklahoma upset rivals Texas 53-45 in 3 overtimes. So now that the cannon smoke has finally cleared, let's try to sort some of this madness out.
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. Georgia
One week after claiming the most impressive victory of the weekend, a dominant win over Auburn, Georgia turned yet another elite performance over a rival. Tennessee stuck around admirably, but the Bulldogs were just too strong on both sides of the ball. The verdict is still out on whether the Dawgs are actually the real deal this year-- a verdict that should be at least mostly answered this coming weekend against Alabama --but there's no question they've done the most to warrant this #1 spot to date.
2. Clemson
Clemson's steady mauling of Miami in a primetime Top 10 showdown informed us that a. yet again, Clemson is the team to beat in college football, b. Miami was overrated once again, or c. All of the above. I'm inclined to think it was a little of both, but let's not do the Tigers a disservice by decrying their opponent as worse than they really are. Miami had come in with a near-spotless resumé, and a transfer QB and DE that were playing some of the best football in the country at their respective positions, but Clemson completely shut them down with dominant play on both sides of the ball, and reminded everyone just how good they can be when all parts are clicking. This was a significant hurdle cleared, too, as a November date at Notre Dame is the next (and likely only other) time the Tigers might be tested before the postseason.
3. Alabama
Well, that was fun. Alabama ultimately staved off the upset bid, but for three and a half quarters on Saturday, Ole Miss pushed them to the absolute brink, scoring 48 on a once-vaunted Bama defense. The good news for Tide fans is after this win and last week's over Texas A&M (one that already looks even better given the Aggies' upset over Florida last weekend), Nick Saban improved to 20-0 against his former assistants, and they might feel as if they've gotten their 'scare' out of the way without actually losing. The bad news is that defense is going to need to tighten up really fast in order for Saban to improve that record to 21-0 vs. Kirby Smart and Georgia this weekend. I can pretty much guarantee you Alabama is not going to be able to drop 63 points on the Dawgs.
4. North Carolina
My beloved Tar Heels came into this season with the most preseason hype they've had in at least a decade, but so far had arguably failed to live up to it, in often-ugly wins against Syracuse and Boston College. That said, they've moved up the polls thus far by doing what many top teams have already failed to do: avoid losing. And when their first ranked opponent came calling on Saturday, Carolina answered in a big way, steamrolling Virginia Tech to the tune of 56 points and 656 total yards. The defense spent the 2nd and 3rd quarter considerably more hands-off than Mack Brown and the coaching staff would have liked, but fortunately for them, the Heels' vaunted offense finally lived up to its billing, scoring touchdowns almost every time they took the field. A dangerously winnable stretch of games awaits Carolina before their season-closing 1-2 punch of Notre Dame and Miami.
5. Louisiana-Lafayette
The COVID-induced postponement of the ULL-Appalachian State last week robbed us of a rematch of the last two Sun Belt title games, but also means the Ragin' Cajuns go into tomorrow night's game having not played in three weeks. No matter, their season-opening win at Iowa State just looks better and better, as the Cyclones continue to rise in the polls and the Big 12 standings.
6. BYU
After a season opening blitz of demolishing decent teams, BYU had their first less-than-impressive performance on Saturday, as they were in a dogfight with USTA. That said, this USTA side is not the walkover of years past (the Roadrunners have a winning record, their sole losses being a touchdown loss to BYU and Conference-USA frontrunners UAB), meaning this very well could be 4-0 for BYU vs. bowl-bound teams on the season.
7. SMU
4-0 SMU had a bye week, which probably came at a perfect time for them to refocus. Their road trip to Tulane this weekend, sandwiched between a big win over Memphis and a huge upcoming matchup against Cincinnati, has all the makings of a trap game.
8. Oklahoma State
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State also got a perfectly-timed bye week last week. Not because they have anything scary on the immediate horizon, but because with the number of ranked teams losing, they played their cards right by just...not playing. That 3-0 record and control of the Big 12 lead suddenly looks really good.
9. Notre Dame
Notre Dame has been a yo-yo team in the Couch Power 10 thus far this season. We were high on them early on in the wake of their 52-0 blitzkrieg of South Florida, then dropped them when we realized South Florida might just be really bad. Now, the Irish are back in the wake of their competitive, but ultimately comfortable win over Florida State. They are yet to look like the team that can push Clemson, as many expected of them coming into the year, but the good news is they've got time to figure those kinks out, with only surefire underdogs Louisville, Pitt, and Georgia Tech on the docket before the Tigers.
10. Cincinnati
Speaking of teams who have a comfortable win over South Florida and not much else on the resumé...Cincinnati is hoping their close, physical win over Army turns out to be a big one, or otherwise that they can run the upcoming gamut against tough AAC opponents. Because as of right now, they're hanging on by a thread in the Power 10 simply because they're unbeaten.
Just missed: Marshall, Texas A&M, Florida, Miami, Iowa State, America's best running back tandem
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