15. TCU – Credit the Horned Frogs who gave Ohio State a big challenge and led 21-13 at one point before the Buckeyes took advantage of some big plays on offense and defense. Despite the loss, TCU looks like the clear top challenger to Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy.
16. Mississippi State – I still don’t know how good Mississippi State is thus far because of their schedule, but I do know, this offense is going to score a lot of points with Nick Fitzgerald healthy. He had two passing and four rushing touchdowns. Coupled with the defense, Bulldogs have Kentucky and Florida the next two games which will begin to show if this team is a pretender or a contender (for second place in the SEC West).
17. Boise State – I was high on the Broncos after their first two games, but they had a rude awakening in the 44-21 loss to Oklahoma State. Boise State allowed seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss and gave up a touchdown to the Pokes defense. It was an all-around forgettable day that saw just how much Boise State has to improve against a ranked team from a Power 5 conference.
18. UCF – Game canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
19. Michigan – Shea Patterson played well, completing 14-of-18 passes for three touchdowns and an interception. But what’s concerning is the health of the Wolverines running backs. The health of Karan Higdon is imperative if they hope to contend in the Big Ten. He was held out with an injury. Also concerning are the 13 penalties for 137 yards allowed.
20. Oregon – Justin Herbert threw a pair of interceptions to steal some of the shine from his 300-yards, three touchdowns in what was a less than sterling win over a winless San Jose team. I still don’t know what to make of this team, but I will after they host Stanford next week.