2021 Couch Power 10, Week 5

It's hard to believe, but we've officially reached October! Real college football fans know that this isn't just the onset of spooky szn and pumpkin spice szn...this is also contender/pretender szn in college football. September, the first month of play, can feature a lot of surprises and twists and turns, but October is when teams have generally begun to find an identity, and it's where separation into clear tiers usually begins to develop.

Perhaps it's fitting then, that the first weekend of October saw our first real 'Separation Saturday' of the year. Four different matchups between ranked teams took place this weekend, and all but one of them featured two Top 10 teams. But, because this particular season is a wild ride, in addition to the victims of these high-powered showdowns, four more ranked teams fell in upsets by unranked teams, as Oregon, Florida and Texas A&M saw their playoff hopes (and Fresno State their New Year's Six hopes) likely come to an end.

Just a refresher: our ranking 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:

1a. Georgia

1b. Alabama

In the wake of blowout wins over Top 15 teams by both parties, there's no question at this point that these two SEC foes are not only the best two teams in the country, they're the best by some margin. College Gameday came to Athens with the undefeated, #9 Arkansas Razorbacks, but the Hogs didn't look up to the occasion in the least, getting positively run out of Sanford Stadium in a 37-0 loss. Ole Miss, meanwhile, showed up in Tuscaloosa with high hopes of roping the Crimson Tide into a back-and-forth shootout. Instead, the Rebels were under fire for the vast majority of the game, losing 42-21.

So far, Alabama and Georgia seem like the only teams who are immune to the madness and unpredictability of this season. Odds are that their inevitable matchup in the SEC Championship will also be a precursor to this year's National Championship. As for who's better between the two of them? Truthfully, I think Alabama's narrow win over Florida and blowout win over Ole Miss is slightly more impressive than Georgia's narrow win over Clemson and blowout win over Arkansas, but I still give the edge to the Dawgs because they have the best single unit of any team in the country: there's no beating this defense.

3. Iowa

My good friend Tanner likes to laugh about the fact how, without fail, Iowa will spend four years being mediocre and then one season randomly being fantastic. I don't know if that's ALWAYS accurate, but if it is, it's sure looking like 2021 is the "fantastic" year for the Hawkeyes. Iowa rolled into the greater D.C. area last weekend facing the ultimate trap game scenario: a Friday night kickoff in a road game against a solid but under-the-radar, unbeaten team in Maryland. What happened? They picked off QB Tualia Tagovailoa five times in the FIRST HALF en route to a 51-14 victory. It sets up, deliciously, a Top 5 showdown against Penn State this weekend, within the friendly confines of Nile Kinnick Stadium.

4. Cincinnati

Many people believe Cincy, who went unbeaten in the regular season last year and played in the Peach Bowl, is the real deal this year. But nobody believes it more than the team itself and its fans; they were just waiting for a chance to prove it. Opportunity came knocking in the form of a road trip to #9 Notre Dame, and boy, did the Bearcats make good on that opportunity. Their celebrated defense completely stifled the Irish in South Bend, as they stole the pot of gold and made off with a 24-13 win. Their dream of crashing the playoff party is still far from realized; they'll have to not only avoid an in-conference letdown but hope the committee overlooks their comparatively weak schedule strength. But if Saturday is any indication, these guys can hang.

5. Penn State

Penn State's 'quality' wins have lost their luster in a similar way that their fellow Big Ten Top 5 team Iowa's have, but the Nittany Lions haven't turned in quite the same consistent level of play. The good news is, even if Indiana's preseason hype is proving to be unwarranted, pitching a shutout against the Hoosiers is legit, and Penn State will have ample opportunities to address the skeptics this weekend in Iowa City.

6. Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State, coming off an underwhelming 2020 season, entered this year with the least amount of hype they've had for a long time. But with a second consecutive win over a previously unbeaten, ranked Big 12 team (this time Baylor), the Cowboys are proving to be not only better than expected, but perhaps even the toast of their conference. Archrivals Oklahoma may bristle to hear that, but they've given far less reason for optimism thus far...

7. Kentucky

The last time Kentucky made an appearance in the College Football Power 10, after the opening week or so of the season was...never? I don't know for sure off the top of my head, but knowing Kentucky's recent football history, I feel confident in saying it's a Couch first. The Wildcats deserve it, though; few had paid their 4-0 record any attention after they beat up on the cellar-dwellars of the SEC, but more will take notice in the wake of their dominant defensive display over #10 Florida. If UK can beat LSU at home this weekend, it will set up an unexpected de facto SEC East Championship against Georgia!

8. Michigan

Look, none of Michigan's individual wins will raise too many eyebrows, given Washington, Rutgers, and Wisconsin all appear to not be quite as good as what was expected preseason. But still, after the year the Wolverines had last year, if you told them with the schedule they've had they would be 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 27 pints, I think they'd take that in a heartbeat. Not only beating, but dominating Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium is sure to send a warning shot to the rest of the Big Ten.

9. BYU

Welcome back to the Couch Power 10, BYU. I don't know that the Utah win is aging all that well, but hey, you're unbeaten and you've looked better than the unbeaten mid-majors and Oklahoma. Plus, Arizona State is back in the rankings, which helps your case.

10. Michigan State

Welcome back to the Couch Power 10, Michigan State. I don't know that the Miami win is aging all that well, but hey, you're unbeaten and you've looked better than the unbeaten mid-majors and Oklahoma.

Just missed: SMU, Wake Forest, UTSA, San Diego State, Coastal Carolina, future Jim Thorpe Award winner Cam'ron Kelly