The SEC occupies three spots in our projected College Football Playoff rankings after Week 4.
1. Clemson – The Tigers are the No. 1 team in the nation although I’m still waiting for Trevor Lawrence and the offense to really look like it. Yes, there have been several flashes of brilliance, but the interceptions need to be cut down and play with more efficiency. I’m definitely not worried about that at all and neither should Clemson fans. What’s really encouraging for Clemson is how well the rebuilt defense has looked in the first month. The Tigers would get a bit of a pass if it didn’t when you consider they lost three defensive linemen to the first round of the NFL Draft. That said, it hasn’t missed a step in the first month and should be playing their best football at the end of the year when it matters most.
2. Alabama – Tua Tagovailoa had more touchdowns (5) than he has incompletions (4) in the Tide’s 49-7 win over Southern Mississippi. Henry Ruggs III had two of the scores for 148 yards on only four receptions as the nation’s biggest home run threat. Jerry Jeudy had a pair of touchdowns and 96 yards on six receptions. Najee Harris continues to ascend this year with another 110 yards on the ground. Yes, it was Southern Miss, but it was a nice defensive effort by the Alabama defense that’s starting four true freshmen due to injuries. This is the type of effort and performance they can build on as they get into the thick of the SEC schedule the next two months.
3. Georgia – There’s a definite case to be made for Georgia to be higher than No. 3 but I don’t think you can penalize Clemson or Alabama for winning and drop them. That said, Georgia’s 23-17 win over No. 7 Notre Dame is the most impressive win in the nation so far. Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift and the Bulldogs defense made just enough plays to win at home vs. the Fighting Irish. I’d still like to see a little more explosive plays in the passing game but the ground game is always going to be consistently great. Fromm is smart and isn’t going to make too many mental errors that cost his team. The schedule is tough, as it is for all these SEC teams, but it could be another year where two SEC teams get in.
4. LSU – Joe Burrow continues to destroy program passing records. Burrow had five passing touchdowns in the first half in the rout of Vanderbilt. That used to be a good month for LSU quarterbacks but Burrow has really likened this new LSU offensive attack. Burrow finished 398 yards and a program-record six touchdowns. Four of those touchdowns went to Je’Marr Chase who had 10 catches for 229 yards. I’m already looking forward to seeing how this offense fares against Alabama on Nov. 9. I expect both teams to be undefeated at that time in what could amount to a playoff elimination game.
Just missed: Ohio State, Oklahoma