We’re only four weeks in, and it’s already been a dramatic season. Head coaches are losing jobs, refs are costing teams chances at the playoffs, favorites have been defeated, dark horses have emerged, and I’m sitting here in a glass case of emotion! What have we learned so far?
1. Lamar Jackson is really good at football – Before the season started, all of the Heisman hype surrounded Leonard Fournette, DeShaun Watson, and Christian McCaffrey. Now, they’ve all taken a back seat to Louisville’s stud quarterback. Through four games, Jackson has passed for 1,330 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just three interceptions – good for a QBR of 176.7. He’s also the team’s leading rusher, accumulating 526 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s 25 total touchdowns. That’s 6.25 touchdowns per game. The kid isn’t human.
2. Alabama is still the champ until proven otherwise – It’s business as usual for Nick Saban and company. After finally exorcising the demon of Ole Miss, Alabama remains at #1 and will remain there as long as they continue to win. This team is the epitome of ‘reloading’ each season.
3. The Big Ten is the best conference in college football through four games – I live in SEC country. It’s very hard for me to accept this, but to this point in the season, the Big Ten has more teams competing for a playoff spot. Sure, the SEC has seven ranked teams, but let’s be honest with ourselves, people. Does anyone expect Georgia, Florida, or Arkansas to be there at the end of the season after running the SEC gauntlet? I don’t. Look at the Big Ten: Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Nebraska could all be competing for a New Year’s Six bowl come season’s end. With 3-0 Maryland and 3-0 Minnesota in the conference, the Big Ten has six undefeated teams. Will it stay that way? I doubt it. But looking back at the season so far, there’s no debate the Big Ten has been the king of the college football world. Ouch.
4. LSU and Notre Dame were pretenders – Welp – there goes my National Champion pick (LSU). Both teams started the season in the top 10, but have lost their way out of the rankings altogether. Both teams are a cumulative 3-5. LSU has even fired its coach, Les Miles. Yuck.
5. Clemson looks vulnerable – Starting the season at #2, the Tigers have won their way down to #5 through four games. It ain’t been pretty. Last year’s national runner-up struggled with a middling Auburn team in the season opener before squeaking out a competitive game against Troy of the mighty Sun Belt. It seems like Clemson got it going a bit against Georgia Tech, but the first real gauge comes Saturday against #3 Louisville. I don’t think this team has the firepower to earn a playoff spot.
6. Louisville and Texas A&M are contenders – It’s time to say it: the Cardinals and the Aggies are legitimate playoff contenders. Kevin Sumlin has Texas A&M rolling. Alabama fans should be very concerned about this team sneaking up and stealing the SEC West, or the entire SEC for that matter. If they can keep from falling off, they may end up in one of the playoff spots. Meanwhile, Louisville looks like they can score on anyone in the country. They still have games against Clemson and Houston to survive, but if they can, they’ll be one of the four elected to compete for the National Championship.
7. Washington-Stanford should determine the Pac-12 Champion, maybe a playoff spot – Whoever wins this game this weekend absolutely should win the Pac-12. Both are top 10 teams right now, and if whoever wins out may just sneak into the top four. Tomorrow night (Friday, September 30, 2016), we’ll be treated to our first effective college football playoff game.
8. Houston is for real, San Diego State and Western Michigan may make a push from the group of 5 – the Cougars survived Oklahoma and crept up to #6, but playing in the American Conference, the Cougars absolutely have to go undefeated to get into the playoffs. They draw Louisville on November 17, a game that could be another effective playoff game. The Aztecs and Broncos are too far down the list to get into the playoff, but both could contend for a New Year’s Six spot. San Diego State has no excuse for not running the table with such a light schedule. Western Michigan, on the other hand, has to endure a season full of tricky MACtion and games against Central Michigan (this week), improved Eastern Michigan and Ball State squads, and the high-scoring Rockets of Toledo. Gah – who else is pumped about the 2016 MAC schedule??!!
9. The Big 12’s hope for a playoff spot comes down to Baylor and West Virginia – Yikes. Not the best spot to be in, but it’s true. The Mountaineers schedule is backloaded with competitive games. Baylor closes the season with Texas, TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia….IN A ROW. Count ’em out. No playoffs for the Big 12 this year.
10. Oregon and Iowa have regressed – Both were considered dark horses after 2015 seasons that went better than imagined. Both have an ugly, ugly loss on their resume in 2016. The Hawkeyes lost to FCS North Dakota State, and have beaten no one of note. The Ducks have lost back-to-back games against Nebraska and an improved Colorado. Both teams can count on a bowl game, but they’re definitely already out of the playoff conversation.
Projected Heisman Finalists: Jackson, Greg Ward, Jr., and J.T. Barrett
Projected Playoff Teams: Michigan, Stanford, Texas A&M, Houston
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley,@PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo,@Bama_Hammer
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