After a one-point win at North Carolina, Clemson appears vulnerable, but are they still safely inside the projected College Football Playoff rankings?
We are a few short weeks from the College Football Playoff committee announcing their first top four teams. With conference play starting, things will get more interesting, and potential upsets loom on the horizon. The field will also shorten because of those conference tilts (looking at you SEC).
Week five in college football featured some players hitting the record books, and a team dispelling a trend under the lights in prime time. Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith had 274 yards receiving and five touchdowns, both new Crimson Tide records. Ohio State finally put together a dominant performance under the lights on Saturday night and dominated Nebraska 48-7.
The biggest story, though, centered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Clemson Tigers were heavy favorites going into North Carolina, but things were difficult from the get-go. It took a stop on a two-point conversion for the Tigers to hang on 21-20.
How did that performance affect the Tigers’ ranking? Here is how we project the College Football Playoff rankings after Week 5.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide finally grab the top spot in the rankings. It looked like things could be difficult early on, but Alabama found their rhythm in the form of 31 second-quarter points. After Henry Ruggs went down with an injury, DeVonta Smith took over and put up insane numbers as described above. His five touchdowns put the country on notice, showing that the three-headed monster at receiver make Alabama even more dangerous than everyone realized.
Let’s also not forget that Tua Tagovailoa continues to look even better than he did last season. He totaled seven touchdowns on the day and tore Mississippi to shreds. The defense still has kinks to work out, but the more reps their freshmen linebackers can get, the better prepared they will be later in the year. The Tide have a week off before traveling to face Texas A&M.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
What a way to buck the trend of letdowns on Saturday nights. The Purdue game last year loomed large in everyone’s mind as the Buckeyes traveled to Lincoln, but they would not be denied this time. It got ugly real early with two quick interceptions from corner Jeffrey Okudah, one of which was on his back. Edge rusher Chase Young made life difficult for the Nebraska offense as well. Also, Justin Fields quietly continues to dominate and look impressive as a passer and a runner. He’d probably be talked about more in the Heisman race if it weren’t for Jalen Hurts. Right now, an argument can be made that this Ohio State team is the most complete in the country.
The Buckeyes host Michigan State next.
3. LSU Tigers
LSU stays in because they have the best win of any team right now. A road win over Texas is a big deal, especially with Texas looking good in conference play so far. They were off this week, so there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. We know the offense is clicking with quarterback Joe Burrow leading the way. The defense has studs and can get key stops when they need to. Burrow still has a lot to prove with big games against Alabama and Auburn on the way. For now, though, LSU enjoys the spoils of the top four.
They get Jordan Love and Utah State next week.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
Conference play doesn’t look like it’ll slow down this train. Jalen Hurts continued his Heisman march by throwing for 415 yards on just 17 completions and three touchdowns. He added 70 yards on the ground and another score. I don’t know how he doesn’t win the Heisman with this insane pace. CeeDee Lamb had his breakout game (seven catches, 185 yards, three TDs), and Charleston Rambo is a great number two receiver. Their defense looked good today too, led by defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who was constantly in the backfield. Yes, their defense will be tested by better teams down the road, but if this offense keeps it up, it’s hard to imagine them on the outside by December.
Oklahoma travels to Kansas next week.
Left Out: Clemson, Georgia, Auburn, Wisconsin
These four teams are the first out from the College Football Playoff right now.
We need to talk about Clemson. After watching Syracuse get dusted by Maryland, everyone expected an easy march for the Tigers through the ACC. Their game against North Carolina brings about questions. To get back in the playoff, they need to put together way better performances against a mediocre conference. More games like this won’t cut it.
As for Georgia, they do have a big win against Notre Dame on the resume, but we don’t know a whole lot about the Irish right now. Georgia has looked great against bad teams, and okay against good ones. Beating Florida will go a long way to cementing themselves, and obviously a win over Alabama in the SEC title game gets them there.
Auburn dominated Mississippi State, but we are having the same conversation about the SEC as we have in recent years. How good are they? Auburn’s win over Texas A&M doesn’t look good anymore, and their win over Oregon is shaky right now in a so-so conference. Auburn has to beat LSU and Alabama at the very least to make the playoff.
Wisconsin survived against Northwestern on a pair of defensive touchdowns. How good is Michigan? We really don’t know. Honestly, the only way this team makes the playoff is if they only drop one game before the Big Ten title game and beat (most likely) Ohio State in it.
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