Ok, so I owe you an apology, if you haven't given up on me by now.
Non-Web got the better of my time, and it's been far too long since I posted, but here I am. Week 10 of College Football is in the books, and it's time to see where we stand.
I know we are all mostly concerned with the top 4, so let's start with that.
1. Auburn Tigers
I know this is surprising to see, but the win over K-State and the early beating that they gave Arkansas are looking better and better. They were lucky to escape against Ole Miss, but escape they did.
This team can score with anyone, even though everyone knows what they are going to do. Nick Marshall is a much better passer this year, fast approaching serviceable and he has a pair of matchup problems racing down the field in Duke Williams and Sammy Coates. Most teams have to cheat down into the box eventually, and these two are too big and fast to cover one on one, which makes this offense a real problem.
2. Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are unbeaten with 3 wins over top 10 teams. That should be enough, but they have done it in a fairly convincing manner as well.
The only concern is their bend but don't break defense. If they ever hit a team that can break it, what will they do? One could ask, if Auburn couldn't do it, who is going to? Then again, did you see what that freshman QB from LSU did when they let him throw it down the field? Mississippi State is a damned good team but college football, as always, is a game of matchups. If the Bulldogs have to face off with a team who can push them out of their comfort zone, an force them off their schedule, they may be in trouble.
3. Oregon Ducks
People gave up on the Ducks when they dropped a game to Arizona earlier this season. It's fair to say that it was not a good loss, but it was not a bad one either. The Wildcats have been in and out of the rankings all year and have a puncher's chance against anyone. More to the point, the Ducks have gotten healthy since that game, and they have reminded us of what they were expected to be.
Stanford is a good team, that has been Oregon's kryptonite the past few years, and Oregon just walked out and put a beating on them. If they run the table, as expected, they will have a chance to use the PAC-12 championship to make a statement to the rest of the country.
4. TCU Horned Frogs
So, has anyone been paying attention to what is going on in the Big-12? Oklahoma and Baylor were expected to be the noisemakers, but they have slipped a bit. TCU is taking advantage by showing an offense that is far more explosive than was expected.
Of course, the flip side is that K-State has done the same and is a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes away from being unbeaten. This next week, the question gets answers as to which of those 2 is going to make a real run at the playoffs.
THE REST OF THE TOP 10
5. Ole Miss Rebels
6. Kansas State Wildcats
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers
8. LSU Tigers
9. Ohio State Buckeyes
10. Florida State Seminoles
You'll note that there are a lot of teams that would normally be expected to be at the top of the rankings, which are lower than anticipated.
As always, these rankings are according to what has happened. Teams are rewarded for winning, playing tough teams, and then get a slight bump for margin of victory.
Florida State and Alabama haven't played tough enough schedules to put them at the top. If Bama runs the table, they will re-shuffle the order of things with 2 of the top 4 left on their schedule. If FSU runs the table, they will be pushing that top 4 as well, but they will need to be more convincing than they have been to this point.
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