2021 Couch Power 10, Week 3
I've made no secret thus far about just how much I am loving this season. And lest you think any bias is creeping into that sentiment, you should know my favorite team is already vastly underwhelming relative to preseason expectations. No, it's simply as a fan of college football that I delight in the return of America's greatest pageantry, most passionate sports fans, and the time-old tradition of UPSETS!
Last week, four more ranked teams lost, all but one of them to unranked teams. That brings our grand total to 17 ranked losses on the season, and we're not even to Week 4 yet! We came oh-so-close to even greater pandemonium, too; a converted two-point conversion by Florida and a converted 1st-and-goal situation by Georgia Tech, and we would have seen both Alabama and Clemson taken to overtime, which would have had the potential to send shockwaves all through college football. Who knows, maybe this week will be the week! With only two games between ranked teams, the potential for some random stunner is higher...
Just a refresher: 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. Penn State
Penn State is not the only team on this list to have two ranked wins this young season. But they are the only team to have wins over two teams still ranked in the Top 25. A hard-fought win over a solid Auburn team pairs nicely with their massive Week 1 win at Wisconsin, and helps the Nittany Lions complete an unexpected leap to our #1 spot. Will they be able to maintain it? Who knows, but after their dreadful season last year, I imagine they're just excited to even be in contention for this sort of standing again.
2. Iowa
Iowa's resumé takes a minor hit with Indiana losing again and the Hawkeyes' own slow start over the weekend. Still, their schedule to date includes double-digit wins over then-ranked Indiana, then-Top 10 rivals Iowa State, and now preseason MAC favorite Kent State. Not bad at all.
3. Alabama
I get that it seems asinine to drop the defending champions two spots in the rankings after beating a Couch Top 10 team on the road. But, 22-game winning streak and all, Alabama's spot at #1 was not based off resume strength but rather the fact that they simply looked unbeatable. For the first half against Florida, that still appeared to be the case, but just like the SEC Championship last year, the Gators managed to confound Alabama on both sides of the ball in the 2nd half, and ultimately took them to the last second of the game. Now, thanks to Miami's second loss (this one at home) last weekend, the Tide's marquee non-conference win in the season opener is hardly one to write home about. All of a sudden, Alabama looks like they could be as vulnerable as literally everyone else this season.
4. Georgia
Georgia completed their clean sweep of the Palmetto State with a dominant win over previously unbeaten South Carolina. The Dawgs will be feeling good about where they're sitting, but their statement win over Clemson loses a little luster in the wake of Georgia Tech also managing to stifle the Tigers' offense.
5. Oregon
Unsurprisingly, Oregon didn't miss a beat in demolishing Stony Brook last weekend. Unfortunately for them, that's not going to move the needle a whole lot, nor is the fact that Ohio State, their marquee win (noticing a theme?) once again looked wholly unconvincing in a win over Tulsa. The good news is, their narrow season-opening win over Fresno State now looks a whole lot more impressive given the Bulldogs' road upset of UCLA.
6. BYU
BYU continued their demolition of the Pac-12 South with a 27-17 victory over Arizona State. That's 3 wins from 3 against Pac-12 opponents, the latter two (formerly) ranked. The Cougars' schedule sets up nicely enough from here on out that dreams of a 12-0 season and New Year's Six bid aren't pipe dreams.
7. Michigan State
After a disastrous abridged 2020 season. Mel Tucker's second season as Michigan State's coach is off to a much brighter start. The Spartans improved to 3-0 (already bettering last year's win total) over the weekend with an impressive, tough, and deserved road win at a Top 20 Miami side. Miami, we're learning quickly, might yet again fail to live up to preseason expectations, but this was a stern test for a young team, and MSU passed it swimmingly.
8. Cincinnati
After last year's unbeaten season and Peach Bowl appearance, Cincy entered this year with a whole lot of hype, but with two cupcakes to open the year, they had not yet gotten a chance to prove themselves. Enter Saturday's game at Indiana, where the Bearcats fought back from behind to knock off a preseason Big Ten darling on the road. It was a good statement from Cincinnati, but their chance to make some REAL waves comes two weeks from now, when they return to the Hoosier State to take on Notre Dame.
9. Arkansas
Arkansas got a well-deserved respite after their big win over Texas, but they're the victims of a "you snooze, you lose" dynamic here, as many teams picked this week to make statement victories.
10. Michigan
With Washington clearly not being all they were cracked up to be. Michigan's non-conference schedule hasn't given them any wins thus far to write home about. But still, after their demolition of Northern Illinois-- a team that beat Georgia Tech, who just took Clemson to the absolute wire --you have to sit up and take notice of the Wolverines, who are 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 40 points.
Just missed: Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Coastal Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas State, sophomore sensation Josh "Touchdown Downs"
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