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Welcome to the real world, Alabama.
The real world is one in which your team doesn’t steamroll all others and advance to the College Football Playoff each season. The real world is being without Nick Saban (he now works for ESPN). The real world is having two losses in your first seven games (that happened just once under Saban: his first season in 2007).
The real world can be a harsh place. Brace yourselves.
The Tide’s 24-17 loss at Tennessee is a devastating blow to Bama’s conference title and playoff chances in the first year of the expanded postseason. And though the result didn’t directly impact our Top 10, the collective college football world is left asking itself: What’s going on in Tuscaloosa?
First-year head coach Kalen DeBoer has big problems to fix before back-to-back games against ranked teams Missouri (at home) and LSU (on the road). The Tide play undisciplined football and make silly mistakes (15 penalties on Saturday). These are things we are not used to from them.
Welcome to the real world.
Let’s check in on other real world events, shall we? And, no, I’m not talking about the presidential election.
I’m talking about a pair of Big 12 teams, BYU and Iowa State, needing incredible, game-winning final drives to stay unbeaten. I’m talking about undefeated Indiana. And undefeated Army and Navy. Miami escaped again too and is now 7-0.
Saturday, as it often does, delivered some wild moments. Like Missouri quarterback Brady Cook returning from a midgame hospital visit to lead the Tigers to a comeback victory over spiraling Auburn. Or how about the wacky series of events that unfolded in Austin during Georgia’s dominant 30-15 win over Texas?
There was plenty of misery for a few fan bases. In Maryland, Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans dropped a third straight game and a fourth in five games (they blew a third fourth-quarter lead). In Oklahoma, the Sooners are epically bad on offense (they’ve scored a combined 12 points in back-to-back losses to Texas and South Carolina). And Michigan dropped a third loss in seven games to shatter any playoff chances.
This week’s Top 10 is perhaps the toughest to pick thus far. A host of one-loss teams are vying to remain in or crack the rankings. Someone has to get left out! Sorry to: LSU, Texas A&M, Illinois, Kansas State, Tennessee and Missouri. Maybe next time!
1. Oregon Ducks
This week: beat Purdue 35-0
Next week: vs. Illinois
All of the ingredients were there for the ol’ trap game: a long road trip for a Friday night kickoff against a bottom-dweller after an emotional victory in a top-five matchup. And, yet, the Ducks rolled. In fact, Dan Lanning’s team got its first road shutout in over 30 years.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: Bye
Next week: at Wisconsin
Is it time for Penn State-Ohio State yet?! No, it is not time. The Nittany Lions can’t look past a Badgers team that is playing better football lately. James Franklin might have his best all-around team in his 11 years as head coach in State College. But the hurdle has always been Ohio State and Michigan. Free from the prison that was the Big Ten East Division, Penn State has to play only one of them this year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that one (Ohio State) is 9-1 against Franklin in the past decade.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: beat Texas 30-15
Next week: Bye
Look, we get it. A one-loss team is ranked ahead of all of these other unbeatens. But Georgia’s résumé (wins over Clemson and Texas) and strength of schedule (12th nationally) stand alone among the Top 10 teams. The Bulldogs are a terror on defense and have enough offensive weapons to score on anyone. Look out.
4. Miami Hurricanes
This week: beat Louisville 52-45
Next week: vs. Florida State
The Hurricanes’ defense gets, at times, completely exploited. And when we say “at times,” we mean a lot of times. But Miami has something few do: Cam Ward. The transfer QB is putting up Heisman-type digits. He’s tossed for at least 300 yards in every game this season and has at least three TDs in all but one game.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
This week: Bye
Next week: vs. Nebraska
The Buckeyes got a much-needed week of rest after the heart-pounding loss at Oregon last Saturday night. Their final six-game stretch of the year features three ranked opponents. Don’t worry, owners of one of the most expensive rosters in football, the Buckeyes are talented enough to win them all, claim the conference title and still, with a loss, get a first-round bye into the expanded playoff. Or they could stumble a couple more times, miss the playoff and subsequently see their fans burn it all down in Columbus.
6. Clemson Tigers
This week: beat Virginia 48-31
Next week: Bye
QB Cade Klubnik’s past three games: 73 for 108 for 922 yards, eight touchdowns and one pick. He’s been the engine that’s driven the Tigers to six straight double-digit victories since that season-opening loss to Georgia in Atlanta. The Tigers play just one ranked team in the regular season — a tussle at Pitt on Nov. 16.
7. Indiana Hoosiers
This week: beat Nebraska 56-7
Next week: vs. Washington
The Hoosiers are a football school! At least lately. Indiana has scored at least 41 points in six straight games. The path is there for first-year head coach Curt Cignetti to lead this team to the College Football Playoff. They should be favored in all of their remaining games except for a trip to Ohio State on Nov. 23.
8. BYU Cougars
This week: beat Oklahoma State 38-35
Next week: at UCF
The Cougars survived a real scare from the Pokes on Friday night in Provo, needing a 35-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left from QB Jake Retzlaff. Head coach Kalani Sitake’s team has won three one-score games this year. BYU gets three road games over the next month (UCF, Utah, Arizona State) that could very well make or break the season.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This week: beat Georgia Tech 31-13
Next week: vs. Navy (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
It’s not always pretty with the Irish, but they’ve won a fifth straight and are playing some of the nation’s best defense. They’ve allowed 13 or fewer points in four of those victories. The game against undefeated Navy at MetLife Stadium looms large.
10. Iowa State Cyclones
This week: beat UCF 38-35
Next week: Bye
If you don’t know yet who Rocco Becht is, do some research and you’ll find out quickly. The Iowa State quarterback threw for 274 and ran for 97 on Saturday, including marching the Cyclones down the field for the game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive.
Dropped out: Texas (3)