The Couch Power 10, Week 8

College football is the rare sports league-- perhaps the only sports league --in which I have both an extreme vested interest in one team in particular, but also an emotional investment in the sport overall. I am a North Carolina Tar Heel fan, first and foremost, but a college football fan in general second. Thus, if you asked me what my worst-case scenario for a college football Saturday would be? Chances are I'd say "the one big-stakes game is a total dud, lots of highly-ranked teams come achingly close to losing but manage to snah victories from the jaws of defeat, with the sole exception of North Carolina, who goes ahead and takes the upset bullet for everyone."

Well, well, well. Sometimes nightmares come true, kids. Last Saturday saw:

College football's game of the week between Ohio State and Penn State devolve into an absolute snoozefest of offensive futility, with the slightly more unlikeable Buckeyes managing to be slightly less bad on the day
Mississippi State and Arkansas, inspired by their peers playing at the Noon slot, play a game that ends with 10 combined points
Sub-.500 UCF hold a lead for 3 quarters on the road at Oklahoma, score a potential game-tying TD after ceding that lead, only to come up short on the would-be tying 2-point conversion
Tennessee score the first 13 points and hold a two-touchdown lead over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, only to lose 0-27 to the Tide in the 2nd half
Iowa and Minnesota play the exact knock-down, drag-out, defense-and-special-teams fest everyone expected, culminating in delirium with a game-winning punt return touchdown... only for it to get called back in one of the worst rulings you will ever see
A mere 20 minutes later, sub-.500 Houston lose their upset bid against rivals Texas after rallying from 21 down to tie the game, thanks to one of the worst spots of the ball you will ever see
Duke lead at Florida State for the entire first 3 quarters, then have the wheels come off in the 4th as they again lose their starting QB to an injury
Pac-12 whipping boys Arizona State hold a lead at Washington until the 8-minute mark of the game, only to lose on a 90-yard pick six
And oh, right, the cherry on top: #10 North Carolina, fresh off their program's most crucial win in years, losing at home as 25-point favorites to rivals Virginia, perhaps the worst Power 5 team in college football

The game giveth, and the game taketh away.

Fortunately, the college football fan in me (and perhaps all of us) got a little palette-cleanser in the late hours with a wild finish to Miami-Clemson, and Utah knocking off USC in an instant classic just like last season. With that bit of hopium in my veins, I will attempt to soldier through my heartbreak and proceed with this week's Power 10 for y'all.

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. Don't be mad cuz I'm doin' me better than you doin' you:

1. Florida State

In a week where seemingly every team looked ripe for the plucking, Florida State was no different. That said, the 'Noles played a better opponent in Duke than most of this Top 10 faced this week, and ended up pulling out the win pretty convincingly in the 4th quarter. Their third win over a ranked team this year is enough to give them the perpetually-precarious top spot in our Power 10 for now.

2. Ohio State

Look, two things can be true at once. 1. I remain wholly underwhelmed by Ohio State and convinced that they will be handily beaten by the first talent-laden, well-coached team they play, whether that be Michigan or someone in the playoff semifinal. But 2. They have now played two good-to-very-good teams, one of them on the road, beaten both while giving up an average of 13 points, and have the top-ranked strength of record per ESPN. Unless or until they really give me a reason to do otherwise, I will give them their kudos.

3. Washington

One week after their biggest win of the season, Washington got their ugliest win of the season (and one they hope will stay that way), failing to register a single offensive TD against one of the worst teams in the Pac-12. But the important thing is they understood the week's theme of "just win, baby." And it doesn't change the fact that prior to this past week, they had looked like one of the best teams in the land and had the track record to support it.

4. Oklahoma

Two weeks after their biggest win of the season, and coming off a bye week, Oklahoma got their most nerve-wracking win of the season (and one they hope will stay that way), failing to lead Big 12 cellar-dwellars UCF until 9 minutes remained in the game. But the important thing is they understood the week's theme of "just win, baby." And it doesn't change the fact that through this week, they have a Top 3 'strength of record,' per ESPN.

5. Texas

Two weeks after their heartbreaking first loss of the season, and coming off a bye week, Texas got their most nerve-wracking win of the season (and one they hope will stay that way), blowing a 3-touchdown lead to Big 12 cellar-dwellars Houston, and then needing an egregious ball spot by the referee to prevent Houston's attempt at a tying touchdown with 1 minute left. But the important thing is they understood the week's theme of "just win, baby." And it doesn't change the fact that through this week, they have a Top 4 strength of record, per ESPN, as well as an ever-improving road win over Alabama.

6. Michigan

Michigan is an interesting spot both for the Couch Power 10, but also in the mentality of college football fans everywhere: they don't have a loss yet, like most teams-- including several Top 10 teams now --do. They also LOOK great, as only a few teams in the country do. But their schedule strength to date has been, frankly, dogshit. It's why, even at 8-0, their strength of record is only #10 in the nation, one spot ahead of fellow unbeaten powerhouse James Madison. So this feels like the right place to slot the Wolverines for now: behind all the teams that have proven it on the big stage thus far this year, but ahead of the slew of 'probably good, but they just haven't looked very good' teams.

7. Georgia

The Bulldogs picked a good time to have a bye week; given the theme of the weekend, and how their season has gone thus far, the two-time reigning champions might have been put on serious upset watch otherwise.

8. Utah

Welcome back to the Power 10, Utes! It really cannot be overstated what a remarkable job Kyle Whittingham does in Salt Lake City. Even after back-to-back Pac-12 titles, Utah entered the season with less buzz than about half of their conference peers, but rattled off one of the most impressive opening 4 wins of anyone in the country. Then came their first loss of the season, to Oregon State, and soon after, news that star QB Cam Rising would officially be sidelined for the rest of the season, and everyone assumed the Utes would come crashing back down to Earth. Instead, they've bounced right back with two straight wins behind backup QB Bryson Barnes, once again scoring a delicious-- and thrilling --upset over Caleb Williams and USC in the process. In the next 3 weeks, they play both Oregon and Washington, and if the Pac-12 co-favorites aren't shaking in their boots, perhaps they should be.

9. Oregon

But for now, Oregon deserves credit. Last weekend's matchup against Washington State was the ideal trap game scenario: one week removed from a gut-wrenching loss that could define their season. An opponent who had fallen off in recent weeks, so that this wasn't exactly a 'high-stakes' game any more. But one that was certainly still good enough to beat them, as evidenced by some of Wazzu's earlier victims on the season. Yet, after a tight start, the Ducks composed themselves and ran away from the Cougars in the 2nd halves, re-asserting their playoff credentials and drawing a distinct tier at the top of the Pac-12.

10. Alabama

Fine, I guess I will put Alabama in my Power 10 for the first time this season. Similar to how I feel about Ohio State and Georgia, the Tide-- great as they usually are --have not impressed me for 4 quarters a single time this season. And unlike the aforementioned two, they have a blemish on the record, a sloppy home loss to Texas. But I have to give credit where it's due: Nick Saban's talented but inexperienced crew keeps finding ways to win games, even amidst a schedule strength that's rated 7th in the country to date. I'm still eagerly awaiting their second loss to officially knock them out of the playoff field, but if they manage to avoid it, it will be hard to argue they don't deserve a shot at the title.

Just missed: Ole Miss, Oregon State, James Madison, Air Force, Louisville, whoever poisoned North Carolina's cheese