Welcome in to a new feature we are trying out here on SoBros Network because we were recently approved to be on Google News (YUGE win, LFG), and I am testing whether or not it’s worth doing these sorts of power rankings for the SEO. Yes, that’s the entire basis for this set of College Football Power Rankings.
For me, the premise is simple – it’s about who’s had the most impressive body of work. Like Mose mentioned on an earlier episode of the College Football Roundup, it seems a tad whack that preseason rankings are factored into the College Football Playoff discussion at all. Just because someone was ranked #1 before the season started doesn’t mean they’re actually the best team in the country. My rankings will be based largely on quality wins. You’re about to see why I’m prefacing you to read that…
College Football Power Rankings: Week 4 2019
1. Auburn Tigers – I don’t know that anyone in the country has two quality wins the caliber of Oregon at a neutral site and Texas A&M on the road. The Tigers defense could be the best in the country, built for playing these SEC juggernaut offenses. They’re allowing just 15.8 points per game, and keep in mind, their quality of opponents is better than probably anyone else in the nation right now. Even that win over Tulane doesn’t look too shabby since the Green Wave is now 3-1.
2. LSU Tigers – The Tigers have that big shootout win at Texas on their resume, and I don’t know that any other team in college football has looked quite as good as LSU. Joe Burrow is a bona fide Heisman contender, and Joe Brady has this offense looking like an NFL team playing in college. This team is going to be tough to slow down.
3. Georgia Bulldogs – People were sleeping on how good that Notre Dame team that Georgia just beat is. The Bulldogs are 4-0 behind a powerful rushing attack. Like Auburn, this team is built to compete in the SEC in all facets of the game.
4. Clemson Tigers – Same story as 2018 – the Tigers haven’t been particularly impressive…but they just keep winning games. That Texas A&M win is their best of the season, and honestly, now that it’s out of the way, I don’t know that anyone left on their schedule can beat ’em.
5. Wisconsin Badgers – Prior to the 14 points they spotted Michigan, the Badgers defense hadn’t allowed a single point all season. They have the best win of anyone in the Big Ten in that 35-14 trouncing of Michigan. Jonathan Taylor is starting to pop up in the Heisman race, and it looks like that game at Ohio State on 10/26 could be a preview of the Big Ten Championship.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes – I don’t care who it comes against, putting 76 points on the board is impressive. This Buckeyes squad is as potent as ever with Justin Fields at quarterback. I don’t know that they’re truly going to be tested until they host Wisconsin at the end of October. This team has its sights set on a playoff spot.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide – The Tide is 4-0, Tua Tagovailoa is a Heisman contender, and the defense is allowing just 10.7 points per game. Sounds great, right?! Business as usual and all. But, they simply haven’t played anybody. The first half against Duke and the wonky road win in South Carolina make you wonder about how this team is going to perform when they’re faced with a credible opponent. We won’t find out until the travel to Texas A&M on 10/12.
8. Oklahoma Sooners – Gotta love the Jalen Hurts story, and you gotta love how this Sooners offense is firing on all cylinders. But, giving up 31 points to Houston is a little worrisome. I’m interested to see how this team performs against a better defense, and an overall uptick in quality of opponent.
9. Oregon Ducks – They probably should’ve won that Auburn game, but regardless, they were able to put that 27-21 loss behind them and right the ship. They’re only allowing five points per game since then, meanwhile putting up 44.3 points on offense. Despite the loss, this is still clearly the best team in the Pac-12 and maybe the conference’s only hope of a playoff spot.
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Instead of talking about another “big game loss,” people should be talking about how impressive it was for this Irish team to play physical football and hang around with Georgia the way they did. They led the Bulldogs at halftime, 10-7, before the Bulldogs rattled off 16 unanswered. It really felt like that Divaad Wilson interception could’ve been the difference in the game. But, Ian Book still had the ball with two minutes to go. This team deserves a lot of respect and because of the close loss, it could still be in the CFP mix.
Best of the Rest
SEC: The Florida Gators are currently ranked at #9 in the AP Poll at 4-0. But, I wouldn’t say they’ve been particularly impressive in their 24-20 win over Miami or their 29-21 win at Kentucky. Wins over Tennessee and UT-Martin aren’t nearly enough for me to put ’em in the top 10 right now.
Big 12: Despite that loss to LSU, the Texas Longhorns are still in the running for a College Football Playoff spot if a few dominoes fall their way. Sam Ehlinger is a Heisman dark horse, and and he’ll get his crack at Oklahoma on 10/12. If Texas wins that game, watch out.
Big Ten: Both the Penn State Nittany Lions and Iowa Hawkeyes are sitting right outside the top 10 in the AP Poll. Both are undefeated, and both are jockeying for position in the Big Ten. Both have been tested so far this season, too. They play each other on 10/12, and the winner could have a say in who wins the Big Ten this season.
ACC: For lack of a better term, the ACC just plain sucks. The only other team in the current AP Top 25 is the Virginia Cavaliers at 4-0. But, what do we really know about this team? They have an impressive 30-14 win over Pitt, and a win against a struggling Florida State. But, they had a difficult time against Old Dominion. We’ll find out a lot more about this team this weekend when they travel to Notre Dame.
Pac-12: I love how the California Golden Bears are playing defense this season. They’ve traveled to Washington and knocked off the 14th ranked Huskies (at the time), and they’ve traveled to Oxford and beaten a game Ole Miss squad. But, their gauntlet is about to start – three of the next four come against Arizona State at home and at Oregon and Utah. I’ll be a firm believer if they come out of that stretch at 8-0 or 7-1.
Group of Five: Given they have the highest ranking in the AP Poll, it looks like the Boise State Broncos have the inside track to the Go5 spot in the New Year’s Six. But, I see a couple of potential slip-ups in road trips to BYU and Utah State. Meanwhile, I like the Memphis Tigers to run the table and sneak up as a dark horse NY6 contender.
Wild Card: At 3-0 with an impressive road win at Mississippi State under their belt, the Kansas State Wildcats are in position to make some noise in the Big 12. Conference play starts with Oklahoma State this week, so we’ll find out how this team stacks up in conference play soon enough.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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