- Alabama
There is really no need to explain why the Tide are still at No.1 in our rankings, however, we’ll do it anyway. Last weekend the Alabama Crimson Tide travelled east in Baton Rouge, LA to battle it out with their long-time rivals, the LSU Tigers. In what was a very close defensive game, the Tide were able to outlast the Tigers and earn the 10-0 victory on the road, improving their record to 9-0 on the season. . Freshman QB Jalen Hurts showed us all great poise. He kept is head in check and didn’t let the moment become too big for him to handle. Alabama boasts a near NFL-like defense year in and year out and this year’s front seven look extra special. This weekend the Tide play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who are coming off an extremely impressive win over the Texas A&M Aggies. ‘Bama should be able to take care of business this week, however, watch out for the Bulldogs’ offense, they have the ability to surprise you. QB Nick Fitzgerald is having a great season and has proven he can be a dual-threat QB. He has thrown for nearly 1,800 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for over 800 yards and 9 touchdowns.
- Michigan
Last week the Wolverines played host to the Maryland Terrapins, in a no-contest game, which saw the Wolverines topple the Terps by a score of 59-3. Michigan is still proving to the country that they legitimately boast the nation’s No.1 defense and on the offensive side of the ball, the Wolverines are looking better and better on a weekly basis. QB Wilton Speight has is rapidly maturing into a fantastic passer. So far this season, Speight has thrown for over 2,000 yards, 15 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Heisman hopeful, Jabrill Peppers continues to shine in nearly every position he plays, which is great to see. This week the Wolverines travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes in a primetime game under the lights at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes have experienced their fair share of struggles this season, particularly on offense. It’s no surprise to see the Wolverines in the two spot again, however, if they can make a statement this weekend, perhaps they can leap-frog the Tide.
- Washington
Who would have thought that 10 weeks into the season, the Washington Huskies would be have a 9-0 record to their name? The answer, probably nobody outside of Washington state. Last week the Huskies travelled south and absolutely dismantled the Cal Golden Bears by a score of 66-27. Heisman Hopeful QB Jake Browning is continuing to impress, as he has now thrown for 34 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions this season. RB Myles Gaskin is also having a great season and has added to the success of the Huskies on offense. Their high-flying style of play is what has gotten them into this position so far. This week the Huskies play host to the 6-3 USC Trojans, who are on a 5 –game win streak, fresh off a win against the not-so-mighty Oregon Ducks. This is the biggest test of the season for the Huskies. The result of this game will have a massive impact on their ranking next week. With the Huskies strength of schedule concerns, they simply cannot afford to lose a game. Call it a playoff game and a must win scenario for the Huskies.
- Clemson
After a couple of tight games in consecutive weeks, The Clemson Tigers flexed their muscles this past weekend, as they pumped Syracuse by a score of 54-0, doing their best to prove to the critics that they belong in the CFB Playoff Top 4. The Tigers now sit at 9-0 and seem to have their offense and defense clicking at the right time. Heisman Hopeful QB, Deshaun Watson has thrown for nearly 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. His rushing numbers are lower when compared to last season, however, he is focusing on making the leap to a more natural pocket-passer, has he transitions his skill set to meet the needs of the NFL. This week the Tigers will be taking on a struggling Pittsburgh Panthers team, which will try to bounce back from two-straight losses. Last week’s Clemson win & Texas A&M’s loss got them into our 4 spot, and they will look for a repeat performance in an effort to gain more ground in our rankings.
- Louisville
Last week the Louisville Cardinals bounced back from a close game at UVA with a monster win on the road at Boston College. The Cards improved to 8-1 with a 52-7 win at BC. They find themselves in the 5 spot on our rankings, moving up one spot from last week. Heisman Candidate QB Lamar Jackson had yet another brilliant game at BC and statistically he has thrown for nearly 2,800 yards, 29 touchdowns. He is also responsible for over 1,100 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. This week the Cardinals play host to 6-3 Wake Forest and will look to improve to 9-1 on the season and try to jump into the CFB Playoff Top 4. It’s important for the Cardinals to not get complacent this week, as they need to win and win big in order to impress the committee members.
- Ohio State
Last week, the Ohio State Buckeyes played host to Nebraska in a primetime game, which saw the Bucks completely flatten their opponents on their way to a 62-3 win. They are clearly back to their dominant winning ways and will look to make a run at the Top 4 in the next couple of weeks but will need the help of others in front of them. Heisman hopeful JT Barrett and RB Mike Weber helped the Bucks get that offense going last weekend. This week the punishing Buckeyes offense will look to inflict more damage to another Big 10 opponent, as they travel east to battle Maryland. Maryland is fresh off a road thumping to Michigan, so we’re not expecting much from them this weekend. The Bucks are in the 6 spot because they have had some rather shaky games, however, they have a shot to keep climbing up the rankings. The playoff is still in the picture for the Buckeyes.
- Wisconsin
This week, the Badgers remain in our Top 10 with a 7-2 record and fresh off a win over Northwestern last weekend. The stout Badgers defense helped hand the Wildcats their fifth loss of the season, and will no doubt look to help guide the team to victory this weekend at home against struggling Illinois. The Badgers have struggled a tad offensively; it’s that defense that keeps bailing them out at crunch time. RB Corey Clement will need get going early and often in an effort to exploit a weak Illinois run defense. The Badgers will need to win out and hope the teams in front of them lose a game or two if they want a true shot at the Top 4.
- Texas A&M
Last week the Aggies traveled east to Mississippi to take on their struggling SEC rivals Mississippi State, where they were handed the tough 35-28 loss. The Aggies not only lost the game, but they lost their starting QB Trevor Knight for the remainder of the season. The Aggies record has slipped to 7-2 on the season but they still have a spot in the Top 10 because they have earned a few big wins earlier in the season and have beat Auburn already. This weekend the bruised up Aggies play host to the struggling Ole Miss Rebels, the Rebels have lost a lot of talented players to the NFL and are clearly in what looks to be a rebuilding phase. This is a game that the Aggies need to win in order to prove that they belong in the Top 10. Though the CFB playoff is out of the question, a massive bowl game is still in play for the Aggies.
- Auburn
After a shaky 1-2 start to the season, the Auburn Tigers have won their last 6 games and find themselves in our Top 10 for the second straight week. Last week the Tigers narrowly escaped with the victory at home to Vanderbilt. Auburn still boasts the nation’s third best rushing attack and on the other side of the ball, they’re looking better and better on defense week after week. Standout RB Kamryn Pettway has rushed for over a 1,000 yards on the season. This weekend the Tigers travel to Athens, Georgia to take on the Bulldogs, who have yet to figure it out under first year head coach Kirby Smart. If the Tigers want to get it done on the road, they will need QB Sean White to step up his game and start spreading the ball around. If they want to stay in the Top 10, they will need to win out in their remaining games.
- Penn State
For the first time this year, the Penn State Nittany Lions find themselves in our Top 10. After going 2-2 in the first four weeks of the season, Penn State has won their last 5 games, one of which was against Ohio State, and have slide into our Top 10. In the past couple of weeks, Coach James Franklin has got that offense clicking, as the Lions are putting up some big numbers. Defensively they are functional but have struggled in their pass defense at times. This week Penn State travel to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the 5-4 Hoosiers. Indiana’s offense can move the ball downfield so Penn State has to be on their game defensively. If they want to be successful in this game, they will need to be aggressive on offense in order to keep Indiana on their heels.
By: Matt Kassabian & Taylor Jones