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Written by: John Stocco
Twitter: @realJohnStocco
So far in this college football season, it’s been a pretty obvious decision when you rank the first four teams in the college football playoff. If I had a vote on who would be the four it would be Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, and Clemson in that order. Alabama and Ohio State have looked steller against lower-level competition, LSU has arguably the most impressive win this season against Texas in Austin, and Clemson who I believe is still legit, but they haven’t looked as dominant as everyone would have thought. As we inch closer to the first announcement of the final four teams in the college football playoff, we’re bound to see some elite teams get knocked off their pedestal, and really cause chaos for the committee as they try finding the best four teams. Who are those teams?
#10 Florida 6-0 (3-0)
The Florida Gators have surprised me. I’m not completely sure why either. Maybe I never believed in their offense? Maybe because they didn’t look overly impressive in two out of their first three games? Whatever it was, I was wrong. The Florida Gators have a strong team and leading the way is their defense that completely shut down Auburn’s run game and made Bo Nix look every bit of 19 on Saturday afternoon. Their upcoming schedule comes with a great challenge, just like every other SEC team, but this schedule is something college football fans have to keep an eye on. This week they go up against an LSU team that deserves to be in the final four, while they’re looking forward to facing Georgia in the near future. If the Florida Gators pull off a win against one of these teams that you can make the case deserves to be in the final four, then Florida not only puts themselves in the SEC Championship Game with a chance to knock off Alabama, but it puts them in the mix to be one of the top four teams when it’s all said and done. It feels like something special is developing in Florida. Pat Mullen has developed one of college football’s best defenses, and the backup senior quarterback Kyle Trask has been a warrior for them after Franks went down with a season-ending leg injury. The Gators can beat you in both passing and old school running, while their defense gives them every chance every week to win the game.
#12 Penn State 5-0 (2-0)
It’s time to start giving Penn State more love. James Franklin has proven that he is one of the best coaches and one of the best recruiters in the nation. He’s done a phenomenal job developing talent after losing some of his best players to the NFL. When you lose someone like Saqoun Barkley, then you expect to see some downfall right? Not even close for Penn State. On offense, they have special skilled players that are going to pop some eyes in the scouting rooms of NFL teams. KJ Hamler and Noah Cain are two electrifying players that can give the Nittany Lions a big play on any given down. Their defense, on the other hand, has been playing lights out. They might have the best front seven in the Big Ten, and that’s with a future top 5 pick in Chase Young from Ohio State. Penn State has a brutal schedule coming up. At Iowa, home against Michigan, away for Michigan State, on the road facing Minnesota, and their toughest test, on the road against Ohio State. They have enough playmakers, and great coaching to which I believe they are the toughest test for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Even if they lose against Ohio State, and they go on to win the rest of the four games convincingly, why can’t you put a one loss Penn State team in the mix of the final four?
#11 Texas 4-1 (2-0)
This Saturday is Texas’ chance to finally make its mark and put themselves in a great spot in the discussion of the college football playoff with a win against Oklahoma. After losing to LSU, the Longhorns have done a nice job of bouncing back winning the games they’ve been supposed to win. Their offense has been a one man show with Sam Ehlinger. They haven’t been able to get much going in the running department, but their offense has shown to still be the biggest strength of this team. Texas might have the best loss to LSU, if that even makes sense, and they could end up having the best win if they walk out of the Cotton Bowl and beat an Oklahoma team that’s simply been unstoppable with their playmakers and Heisman trophy candidate Jalen Hurts. This Oklahoma game is a must win, as there has never been a 2 loss team in the college football playoff. If they end up beating Oklahoma, I wouldn’t rule out the Longhorns just yet.
#22 Wake Forest 5-0 (1-0)
Out of all the big programs I previously mentioned, Wake Forest might be the team that could cause the most chaos. Wake Forest is the second best team in the ACC. College football fans and analysts talk about the cakewalk that it is for Clemson in their conference, but Wake Forest is a team that Clemson has to face, and if Wake Forest pulls off one of the biggest upsets of the season it will open up the floodgates for a lot of teams with one loss. It’s not a pipe dream to think that Wake Forest can pull off this upset. Clemson hasn’t been dominant as everyone projected them to be. Sure, getting pushed to the limit might have been Clemson taking their foot off the gas pedal, but if they do that with Wake Forest it could have a worse ending. Wake Forest puts up yards and points in big numbers. Through five games they have a total of 2,575 yards, averaging 515 yards, and 25 first downs per game. It’s one of the best offenses in college football. Facing Clemson’s defense will not only be the Demon Deacons' biggest test, but Clemson’s defense facing Wake Forest’s offense will be their biggest test of the season.
We’re getting closer to the first announcement of the college football playoff rankings, and make sure you stay tuned as I will be here every week announcing my picks and the teams that I think deserve a spot in the college football playoff. Conference games getting more intense week after week, expect to see some chaos.