2021 Couch Power 10, Week 6
There was a prevalent theory preseason that 2021 might be a season full of chaos in college football, perhaps even at levels that haven't been seen since 2007 (the greatest regular season of any sport, ever, don't @ me). The reasoning behind it was sound: there was a mass exodus of talent from every single playoff team from last year, this was a "make or break" year for a number of coaches at good programs, the return of fans to the stadiums after a full two years away from that phenomenon would bring about levels of home field advantage never before seen, etc. But up until this weekend, though this season had been crazy amounts of fun, it was hard to call it full-on chaotic. Lots of ranked teams were falling, to be sure, but it seemed there would just continue to be a whole lot bubbling underneath the permanent top 3 of Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma.
Then this Saturday happened. The tone was set from the very beginning of the day, when the Red River Rivalry saw Oklahoma rally from three touchdowns down with their backup freshman QB to take the lead against Texas, only for Texas to tie it back up with less than 2 minutes left, only for Oklahoma to then win on a 35-yard run on the penultimate play of the game. That trend was continued when mere minutes later, Arkansas and Ole Miss played out an epic, back-and-forth Top 20 duel that culminated in Arkansas' touchdown with no time on the clock, but a failed bid on their attempt to go for 2 points and the win. It followed that afternoon and night when Michigan and Wake Forest survived almighty road scares to stay unbeaten, BYU lost to unranked Boise State, and Notre Dame rallied to beat Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium with 11 points in the last two and a half minutes. Then, the cherry on top: unranked Texas A&M, whose consecutive losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State had threatened to torpedo their season, rode a dominant first half and dug deep to fight from behind late in the 4th quarter, to beat Alabama. Yes, Alabama, defending champions, and owners of a 19- game winning streak. If they can lose, ANYONE can lose. That's just how we, the neutrals, like it.
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:
1. Georgia
What more can be said about the Bulldogs? As recently as last week, I lumped them in with Alabama as being one of two teams a cut above the rest. Now, after not only Alabama's shock loss, but another Georgia domination of a ranked team (the victims this time being rivals Auburn), it's clear: there's Georgia, then everyone else.
2. Iowa
It wasn't pretty. It was abnormal. It was somewhat lucky. But that's Iowa. In the hottest Big Ten game of the season thus far, #3 Iowa trailed #4 Penn State for the majority of the game. But after an injury sidelined Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, the Hawkeye defense preyed on backup Ta'Quan Roberson, and buoyed by an absolutely raucous Iowa City crowd, the team outscored their opponents 10-0 down the stretch to win a nailbiter. Iowa didn't look the part of world-beater on Saturday, but in the toughest test they will face in the regular season, they did enough to get the job done, and sometimes that's what great teams do.
3. Cincinnati
Cincinnati could have entered this past weekend on 'trap game watch'. They were huge favorites at home, to be sure, but it was a mere 5 days after their crucial win at Notre Dame, and they were up against a Temple team that's hardly a walkover. Instead of coming out looking lackluster, though, the Bearcats romped to a 52-3 victory. Go figure. They'll be hoping for several more results like that and more chaos elsewhere in the college football world to keep their darkhorse playoff bid going.
4. Kentucky
Like Cincinnati, Kentucky were liable to fall in a trap game; just one week removed from their program-altering win over Florida, they had to host an underachieving but still talented LSU side. In a result we're used to seeing in basketball, but not football, the Wildcats took the Tigers behind the woodshed, 42-21, setting up a massive SEC East battle of the unbeatens vs. Georgia this weekend. It's a de facto division championship, and it's also, you know, a chance for Kentucky's biggest win in program history. No presh.
5. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State's bye week could not have been timed better. They got to bask in the glow of their second straight win over a ranked team while seemingly all ranked teams elsewhere were in a battle for their lives, and they got extra rest to face a weary, heartbroken Texas team this weekend. Cheers, Pokes!
6. Michigan State
While Penn State and Iowa have been busy occupying all the Big Ten media attention, a couple other teams have sneakily been putting together unbeaten seasons as well. Two teams, that is, that are not only in the same conference, not only in the same division, but are in the same state. Michigan State leapfrogs rivals Michigan by a spot this week due to a more impressive showing against a common-- and solid --opponent, Rutgers. If they can avoid a loss against tricky Indiana, it will set up a primetime, high stakes showdown for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
7. Michigan
The other half of that undefeated Michigan team duo, the Wolverines were at their most vulnerable on Saturday night in Nebraska, seemingly trying to give away the game on multiple occasions. But, where Michigan teams of the past might have folded under the pressure of a riled up crowd, against a perhaps-underrated team, they came through and found a way to make it out of Lincoln with a W. If they can take care of business at home against hapless Northwestern, it will set up a primetime, high stakes showdown for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
8. Oklahoma
If you've been paying close attention, you'll notice that Oklahoma, who has spent the entirety of the season in the AP Top 5, has not once cracked this Couch Power 10. It wasn't any sort of protest or vendetta against the Sooners, I just genuinely had not thought they looked like a Top 10 team this season. And for 2.5 quarters on Saturday, I was getting proven absolutely right. Not only were they losing to underdog rivals Texas, they were getting steamrolled, in every facet of the game. Then, like Saban with Tua before him, Lincoln Riley's benching of star quarterback (and preseason Heisman favorite) Spencer Rattler in favor of true freshman Caleb Williams seemed to flip a switch for this Sooner team, and they rallied all the way back for a thrilling win, looking every bit the part of a major contender from the late 3rd quarter on. Is this the turning point? I.e. will this be the Oklahoma team we see moving forward? Time will tell, but for now, they've (finally) earned their Power 10 spot.
9. SMU
For as many upsets and unexpected results there have been already in this season, there's also a surprisingly high number of unbeaten teams. A lot of them, such as SMU, you probably had no idea were unbeaten. But it's true, the Mustangs are still perfect, and own a win over a good TCU team. Regardless of how the next few games go, they almost certainly represent the biggest test for Cincinnati's unbeaten season.
10. Wake Forest
As a fan of a fellow Tobacco Road team and a once-upon-a-time ACC contender, I've had Wake Forest on my radar for a few weeks now. I've just been waiting for them to give me a reason to jump them into the Top 10. If you had asked me if that reason would be a narrow, overtime escape at Syracuse? I would have said a firm no. But, in a week, where just about everyone was finding ways to lose or try to lose their games, the fact that the Demon Deacons made enough plays to stay unbeaten, even if it was against a team that had no business even being within striking distance, earns them enough goodwill to crash the Power 10.
Just missed: UTSA, San Diego State, Coastal Carolina, Penn State, Alabama, Florida State when they play Mack Brown
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