The College Football Playoff picture should be starting to take shape but many teams remain in the mix. Who are the pretenders among the contenders?
The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings are slated to be released on Nov. 5, just a few short weeks away — and ahead of a huge matchup between Alabama and LSU, no less. Of course, it’s not where teams start in the initial CFP rankings but rather where they are at the end of the regular season and the conference championship games.
Having said that, there is still a boatload of things that need to be determined regarding the College Football Playoff. Looking at the top 12 teams in the current AP Top 25, nine of them are undefeated entering Week 7. Thus, it stands to reason that any of those teams theoretically have a chance to make it into the top four and vie for a National Championship.
Based on the latest AP Top 25 poll, we know who the top 12 teams in the country currently are in terms of the rankings. But what needs to be determined is whether these teams are pretenders or contenders when it comes to the College Football Playoff. In descending order through the rankings, let’s assess where each team currently stands entering Week 7.
No. 12 Auburn Tigers – Pretender
If the loss to Florida showed anything, it’s that the Auburn Tigers don’t have the offense to be considered a viable contender. The defense is an elite group more than capable of holding their own against any team in the country. Bo Nix, however, is entirely not capable nor consistent enough as a true freshman quarterback to go head-on with a great defense. That will hold the Tigers back, at least for the rest of 2019 until Nix can truly progress.
No. 11 Texas Longhorns – Pretender
For the Texas Longhorns to have a remote chance at making the College Football Playoff, they must topple rival Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. Even that much is hard to see happening and the reasons why are why Tom Herman’s team isn’t a true contender. This defense is banged up in the secondary and hasn’t been good when healthy. While Sam Ehlinger and the offense are talented and dangerous, it’s not enough to overcome defensive inefficiencies.
No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions – Contender
This could be proven wrong quite quickly but James Franklin‘s Penn State Nittany Lions have looked the part of a contender en route to a 5-0 record. They’ve beaten bad teams into the ground with their strong defense and the emergence of Sean Clifford and ground out a win against a frisky rival in Pittsburgh.
Maybe games at Iowa, versus Michigan and at Michigan State over the next three weeks will prove otherwise but Penn State has been undeniably head-turning.
No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Pretender
Ian Book and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish went on the road and held their own with Georgia, far more so than many expected. However, being a one-loss team at this point doesn’t play to their advantage. More importantly, though, the Irish have the look of a team that is a top-10 unit but not one in the top four.
Their offense is a hair below great and their defense likely falls in the same category. Even if they win out, it’s hard to believe they will make or could do anything in the College Football Playoff.
No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers – Pretender
No one should be taking the Wisconsin Badgers too lightly. Jonathan Taylor headlines maybe the best non-option rushing attack in college football while Jack Coan appears to be a passing upgrade over Alex Hornibrook. Their defense has also shown more consistency than expected. This is a darn good team overall.
Having said that, a 24-15 win over Northwestern highlighted the Achilles’ heel of the Badgers. This team, when up against a good defense, can lack a second gear to put teams away. That’s problematic when you’re talking about the best teams in the nation, which leaves Wisconsin just shy of being a contender.
No. 7 Florida Gators – Pretender
We’ll know for certain where the Florida Gators are in this mix as they travel to LSU in Week 7 then go to a neutral site to face rival Georgia on the first Saturday for November. What’s certain is that Dan Mullen has one of the best defenses in college football, albeit a pass defense that has looked elite while not totally being tested yet.
That defense will be tested but, more pressingly, the offense will be too. And when it comes down to it, the quarterback deficiencies of Kyle Trask or Emory Jones (or Feleipe Franks if he was healthy) simply hold this team back from fully being taken seriously.
No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners – Contender
It’s highly likely that the Oklahoma Sooners defense will be a problem for them at some point. In a trap game against Kansas, the defense got run over by Pooka Williams. Having said that, what makes Lincoln Riley’s group a viable College Football Playoff contender is the offense. With a Heisman favorite in Jalen Hurts playing out of his mind, a balanced rushing attack, a strong offensive line and a host of highly talented receivers, there isn’t a team in the country that is putting the clamps on the Sooners when they have the ball.
No. 5 LSU Tigers – Contender
Joe Burrow‘s emergence for the LSU Tigers has everyone rightfully seeing this team in an entirely different light. The defense remains as talent-laden as ever, especially now that a stud like defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson is back in the fold. However, the program’s shortcoming for years has been their predictable, lackluster offense. That is no longer the case in Baton Rouge, though. Burrow is playing as good as any quarterback in college football and making LSU exceptionally dangerous.
T-No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes – Contender
For my money, no team has been as impressive as the Ohio State Buckeyes through the first six weeks of the season. The win over Michigan State last week was only more evidence of that. Justin Fields and Ryan Day’s offense were slowed down early against a high-quality defense but won the war of attrition to explode as the game went on. The result was a blowout victory for the Buckeyes, proving that they have the playmakers on both sides of the ball to hang with any team that should cross paths with them.
T-No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs – Contender
Nothing that we’ve seen from the Georgia Bulldogs says anything other than that they’re contenders once again. Quarterback Jake Fromm has looked as good as ever while the multi-headed rushing attack has been the workhorse for the offense. On top of that, the defense as a whole, despite their losses from last year, has proven to still hold their own.
No one can argue that the Dawgs are among the most talented teams in the country. What it may come down to for Georgia is simply keeping their foot on the gas as they run through the SEC slate, something they were unable to do a year ago.
No. 2 Clemson Tigers – Contender
This might actually be a hot take considering what the Clemson Tigers looked like in their narrow win over North Carolina as they went into an idle week. At the same time, though, you have to believe in the talent of this team. Even with the departures to the NFL on defense, the Tigers remain loaded on that side of the ball. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence — though he hasn’t shown it — is still a top-tier quarterback surrounded by elite weaponry. Until they lose, I’m not fading the defending National Champions.
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide – Contender
Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide are contenders — color you shocked. Admittedly, I have concerns about this defense against top SEC competition. They’ve looked shaky at times this season and the Tide haven’t played a high-end team yet this year. Having said that, Tua Tagovailoa and the offense look truly unstoppable with the efficiency and explosiveness that they operate with. That in itself is enough to land the No. 1-ranked team in college football in the contender category.
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