Thoughts On: Top Four Through Three Weeks
By Rich Lynch
The College Football Playoff doesn’t kick-off until next season, but if the tournament began in 2013, here’s how it might look through three weeks.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0)
Alabama outscored Texas A&M on Kyle Field Saturday in the highest rated college football in the last 23 years. Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron vaulted himself into the Heisman race with his performance. In a loss Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel stayed in discussion as well.
These two teams are very good and neither the winner nor the loser is guaranteed a spot in the national championship game nor disqualified from the game. However, a lot of college football fans would argue that the SEC championship is more important than the national championship — or at least, one in the same. The win by Alabama makes the “be” amongst a group of “wannabes.”
2. Louisville Cardinals(3-0)
Louisville is on hallowed ground here at No. 2 because they are an ABSOLUTE LOCK to roll through the schedule undefeated since they beat rival Kentucky Saturday. It will be difficult to bar the Cardinals from a final two spot this season should they finish unbeaten.
It appears that there are many contenders from the “power” conferences who will have trouble making it through the season with a single loss let alone go undefeated. That leaves the Cardinals on a nice perch.
3. LSU Tigers(3-0)
GEAUX Tigers.
4. Oregon Ducks(3-0)
Not a real big Ducks fan since the athletic department there in the Great Northwest sided with Nike Incorporated and discarded the Donald Duck-esque Puddles logo. This is a different program from the one in which Dan Fouts and even Joey Harrington played.
That being said, the Ducks have been trained to fly in formation since the Autzen sell-out streak started with Mike Bellotti, moved to Chip Kelly and is now entrusted to Mark Helfrich. With CRUSHING wins over Virginia and Tennessee the computer rankings will go bonkers over the Ducks assuming they are undefeated when the first BCS Rankings are divulged. It would be professionally irresponsible for me to not give the Ducks a “place at the table” as Lattimer proclaimed in The Program.
Outside Looking In:
Clemson Tigers
Georgia Bulldogs
Texas A&M Aggies