CFB Power Rankings – Week 6

/ Kolton McKinnies
  1. Michigan (5-0)
    • Listen, the Wolverines have been the most dominant team in the Country and yes it’s been against a bad schedule but they’ve treated the bad schedule the way a #1 team should. Teams below them have all had struggles against bad teams, so regardless of who they’ve done it against, it’s still been dominant football. Like we’ve been saying the real season begins 11/11, but continued domination until then will keep them here. Next up, Minnesota, night night.  
  2. Florida St (4-0)
    • Outside of the near loss to lowly BC, the Seminoles have looked like a true title contender, with wins over LSU and Clemson, that should age pretty well, especially with Clemson looking much better recently. They had an off week but are now diving into the ACC schedule with a cupcake of VT at home. Not going to tell us much, but it would be nice to see them put up a crooked number on a bad team.
  3. Texas (5-0)
    • Texas has obviously been awesome, and a blowout of a frisky Kansas team is just another notch on the bedpost for a team that is clearly National title good. You’re splitting hairs with the top-3 and a lot of people would say Texas’ resume should earn them the #1, but in terms of who I genuinely think is better, this is where they fall. Huge game this weekend though, with Oklahoma up next in a massive matchup.
  4. Georgia (5-0)
    • It’s finally time to drop Georgia, and while they still deserve the benefit of the doubt they have now struggled with Auburn and S. Carolina…2 below average teams. We’ve seen A&M handle Auburn and UNC/Tennessee handle S. Carolina with more ease, and you could argue Georgia just gets everyone’s best shot, but they haven’t looked like a #1. The upset is coming, and maybe it’ll be Kentucky this weekend. I doubt it, but Ole Miss and Tennessee are lurking.
  5. Penn St (5-0)
    • Penn St hasn’t been quite as dominant as a team like Michigan but every 4th quarter it has been comfortable thus far. Last week was no exception, even though they allowed Northwestern to hang around for a little it was still a 28 point win. They have a bye week and then UMass before things really ratchet up with a trip to Columbus. I still think they can knock off the Buckeyes, so I can’t wait for 10/21.
  6. Ohio St (4-0)
    • Unlike Michigan, Ohio St has a tough October, with Maryland, Penn St at home and then trips to Purdue and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have a lot more meat on their resume bone, I just don’t think they get through the slate clean. The defense has improved, but I’m not sold on McCord and this offense, especially against a team like Wisconsin and even more so Michigan. This week against Maryland is an interesting one, because the Terrapins have looked really good. Watch out.
  7. Washington (5-0)
    • The Huskies survived a trip to Arizona, although the score doesn’t quite reflect how not close the game actually was. Zona scored late to cut from 14 to 7 but there was only a minute left, still though not a dominant performance and their defense leaves a lot to be desired. They get a bye week before Oregon comes to town in a clash of titans next Saturday.
  8. Oregon (5-0)
    • Outside of the trip to Texas Tech where they had to scrap out a tough W, the Ducks have been absolutely dominant. Last week was no exception with a 42-6 drubbing of Stanford and Bo Nix looks like a true Heisman contender. They are off this weekend and then head to Washington in a massive game for the Pac-12 and the overall CFP race. A road win over Washington and they’re in the driver’s seat in this Conference.
  9. USC (5-0)
    • Of the Pac-12 teams USC clearly has the best QB and probably the most dynamic offense, but their defense is beyond bad. They almost allowed Colorado to come back and win last week in a 48-41 win. They get Arizona this week so that should be another win, but that trip to ND is looming and I’m not sure they can get out of South Bend alive.
  10. Notre Dame (5-1)
    • The Irish have a really good team this year but man this schedule is brutal, as they’ve now played 2 ranked teams in Ohio St and Duke, get Louisville on the road this week who is 5-0 and have USC around the corner. Not to mention a trip to Clemson is still out there. Comparing that to what Michigan has done and you could argue a 10-2 ND team could have a better resume than a 11-1 Michigan team. That’ll all settle out, but ND gets fighting and I don’t see Louisville knocking them off.
  11. Oklahoma (5-0)
    • It’s prove-it weekend for Oklahoma as they have started off much improved over last year, but now in Texas they finally play a legit contender. Gabriel has been good, but the biggest change is on defense, as that side has looked completely different. However, in Texas they get one of the most dynamic offenses in the Country, with an emerging Quinn Ewers and an elite WR group. It may come down to Gabriel and this O-Line, as Texas has been able to dominate up front all season. Huge game, huge measuring stick for this program and Venables.
  12. Miami (FL) (4-0)
    • The Hurricanes aren’t getting the respect they should, as the AP has them 17, behind teams like Bama, Oregon St and Ole Miss who all have 1 loss. Miami beat a very good Texas A&M team, a win that is going to age like fine wine. They get a bad GA Tech team this weekend in what should be a huge W to setup a massive game @ UNC next weekend. That’s where they can officially declare themselves contenders in the ACC.
  13. Washington St (4-0)
    • The Cougars have 2 wins over teams I have in the top-25, Oregon St and Wisconsin, but somehow they are 3.5 point dogs against UCLA. Vegas isn’t buying this team, but I think they can easily go in and beat UCLA. Will they? That’s another question, but a 3.5 point dog is still a disrespectful line for a team that has played this well on the field. It’ll be a shootout, but if Ward plays well they can keep up with anybody.
  14. Oregon St (4-1)
    • The Beavers bounced back after a road loss to Wazzu by knocking off Utah. They had the most success of any offense against Utah’s vaunted defense. DJ looked good enough, but it’s the O-line and Martinez running the rock that impressed the most. Utah had been the best team in the Nation defending the run, and this O-line opened up massive holes early. Utah started to clamp down but still they were good enough, and this defense was good enough to get a 21-7 win. Up next is Cal and then UCLA at home so they should keep it rolling.
  15. Alabama (4-1)
    • Bama has shown us who they are so far, a great defense with a shoddy offensive line and an average QB. They now go on the road to play Texas A&M, and I have already placed my ML bet on the Aggies. The line is closing, but I really don’t think this Bama team a title contender. They very well could go 10-2 and win the West, but I still think the Pac-12 trio, Big 10 trio, FSU and Texas are all better and there will be 4 teams from that group more deserving to be in the CFP. They can change my mind this weekend though.
  16. Ole Miss (4-1)
    • The Rebels bounced back after the Bama loss to knock off LSU in what was a surprising finish. I didn’t realize how bad the LSU defense was, but if you give up 55 to anyone that’s bad. Ole Miss has an equally as bad defense though, so it’s hard to believe they march through the SEC schedule without dropping more games. The next few weeks are must-wins with Arkansas, Auburn and Vandy. Then the season gets real with A&M and Georgia back-to-back.
  17. Duke (4-1)
    • Duke lost a heart breaker to ND but they clearly have proven they are a top-20 team and a force in the ACC. They are off this week but next up is NC St which should be another W, but a trip to Florida St is up after that. Do I believe they can win that game? Not really, but they’re good enough that I wouldn’t be shocked if they muck it up and make it a dog fight. The Dukies are no joke, and we’re talking football not hoops.
  18. UNC (4-0)
    • The Tar Heels are technically undefeated but it hasn’t been all that pretty and it’s been against just an ok schedule. I don’t think they’re better than Miami or Duke and they play both later this season. They should beat Syracuse, although the Orange are frisky, but after that is Miami at home and that’s when we learn who the real contender is in the ACC outside of FSU. With Drake Maye you can’t ever count them out, but the defense doesn’t seem as improved as they need it.
  19. Utah (4-1)
    • Is Cam Rising ever coming back? We’ve been hemming and hawing every week guessing if he would or wouldn’t, and without him Utah looks bad bad on offense. They hung around with Oregon St but man, these backup QB’s just aren’t good enough. The schedule is tough, but a bye week and home tilt with Cal buys them a little more time to get him back. Then they get USC and Oregon in back-to-back weeks, so they’re running out of time.
  20. Wisconsin (3-1)
    • People wrote the Badgers off after a loss to Wazzu early in the year, but is a road loss to a clear top-20 team that bad? Especially with all the turnover and a new QB, it shouldn’t have been shocking, or season ending. Here’s my prediction for the Badgers, they rip off their next 3 (Rutgers, Iowa, @ Illinois) and are 6-1 with Ohio St coming to Madison. Look out, because that could be the game that shakes up the entire Big Ten.
  21. Texas A&M (4-1)
    • The Aggies are getting over looked after the loss to a really good Miami team, but this weekend they have the chance to get back on the map. Max Johnson is just as good at QB as Weigmann so I’m not worries there, and the defense has been really good outside of the Miami game. Milroe is no Tyler Van Dyke, so as I said earlier I already have the ML bet placed, I’m just ready to enjoy a great W.
  22. Mizzou (5-0)
    • Possibly the most surprising 5-0 team in the Country? I would say so, and the win over K-State stacks up better than some of these other surprise 5-0 teams. They have a massive test with LSU this weekend, but a win here and we have to start taking Mizzou more seriously. They’re 6.5 point home dogs though, so nobody is really buying them. Watch out LSU could be 3-3 after being pre-season top-10.
  23. Kentucky (5-0)
    • Well Kentucky beat an average Florida team at home and now we have to question if they are for real or not once again. Last year the same thing happened and it didn’t come to fruition. Here we are again, but now they head to Georgia, where I feel we all come back to earth with Kentucky. Good team, well coached but just not good enough to beat great teams.
  24. Maryland (5-0)
    • Maryland has been pretty dominant against a bad schedule, dropping 44 last week on an IU team that held Ohio St to 23. It’s unfortunate their first big game is in Columbus, as I just don’t think they have enough defense to knock them off. However, they host both Michigan and Penn St later this year. There are two teams who can rock the boat in the Big Ten and it’s Maryland and Wisconsin.
  25. LSU (3-2)
    • I haven’t quite given up on LSU, despite the defense looking like swiss cheese I still think this offense is good enough to beat most teams in the Country. 2 tough losses to Ole Miss and Florida St aren’t enough to knock them out for me, but a loss to Mizzou would be the last straw. However, if they can go to Mizzou and win and then take down Auburn and Army then they’re 6-2 heading to Bama. That’s what I expect but stranger things have happened.

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