Championship Week Power 16
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
LSU
The Tigers completed a perfect regular season with an emphatic romp of Texas A&M, and now get ready for their first appearance in the SEC Title game in nearly a decade. Joe Burreaux, I mean, Burrow, has all but wrapped up the Heisman. Now it’s a matter of whether Georgia can slow down his vaunted passing attack. LSU is in the playoff regardless of outcome Saturday, but style points could determine whether they get Utah or Baylor/Oklahoma or face Clemson in the semi-final.
2. Ohio State
The Buckeyes just have more athletes than Michigan, and for anyone that has seen them demolish the Wolverines in recent years, it’s clear the Wolverines are losing these games in December, January and February, not the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Bucks should steamroll Wisconsin, who just doesn’t have enough athletes to play with them. The Badgers have less NFL talent than Michigan on their roster. This thing could get rough.... quick
3. Clemson
I’ve been pretty low on the Tigers all season, but they’re peaking at the right time, and Trevor Lawrence looks like the generational talent at QB again we all said he was last January. Virginia’s athletic director is a Black woman, a rare feat in Power 5 sports right now, so I root for them. That said, Saturday will certainly not be the Hoos day. Clemson will, however, do Virginia a favor. The Tigers going to the playoff means Virginia can get ready for an Orange Bowl bid.
4. Utah
For the first quarter on Saturday, it looked like Utah was going full Oregon on us, primed to blow a golden opportunity to setup the biggest game in school history. The Utes responded, which is why I picked them to make the playoff in August. Kyle Whittingham is perhaps the best coach west of the Mississippi (right up there with Oregon’s Mario Cristobal) and his team plays like it. All that said, it’s going to be intriguing to see how his team responds Friday night. We’re all human and susceptible to anxiousness in big moments, and Utah players and coaches are now presented with an opportunity few get, and even fewer take advantage of. Finally, an intriguing and consequential PAC-12 Title game.
5. Georgia
Georgia’s win over Georgia Tech was about as boring as all their other wins, sans the victory over Notre Dame. The good news for the Dawgs this time around is the nemesis they are charged with trying to overcome aren’t the Tide. Still, Georgia’s offense has looked anemic at best against every ounce of reasonable competition this year, and to beat LSU, you’re going to need to score a lot of points. I’m not convinced Fromm and company can keep pace.
6. Oklahoma
7. Baylor
Baylor gets a chance to avenge their full on meltdown this weekend in what could very well be a playoff play-in game if LSU wins and Utah stumbles. The Bears probably feel very about themselves after a route of Kansas and knowing they outclassed the Sooners for roughly 40 minutes the first time around. That’s still the issue, however, because even though Baylor is really well coached, there’s a reason no one saw this turnaround coming until next year at the earliest. Matt Rhule is a wizard, but he doesn’t quite have the horses to run with the Sooners’ depth just yet. That’s what usually happens to teams coming off recruiting sanctions. We’ll see if they can play a complete game this weekend.
8. Penn State
The Nittany Lions put forth an uninspiring performance in a win over Rutgers, and now sit idle waiting to see whether their Rose Bowl opponent is Oregon or Utah.
9. Auburn
10. Alabama
I would say that Alabama made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes, but that would be a lie, because even though Nick Saban’s guy tend to be relatively disciplined in most phases of the game, they’ve seemed to suffer from shaky nerves and mental failures quite often in the Iron Bowl. Honestly, Gus Malzahn seems to only person in the country that can figure out Saban’s Tide consistently. Now, Bama has to try to find someway to get up for a consolation trip to the Sugar Bowl, and with the bevy of first round picks on that roster that have never experienced not going to the playoff, it will be interesting to see how many, if any of them, stick around for the bowl game.
As for Auburn, they still managed to lose to Florida, who I’m not convinced is a top ten team. Nonetheless, Saturday’s victory was huge, and it’s important for Gus Malzahn and crew to finish this season strong, as momentum will likely catapult them into an offseason of confidence and extremely high expectations. Auburn is going to be a very trendy pick to win the SEC next season and grab a playoff spot.
11. Oregon
12. Wisconsin
13. Florida
14. Memphis
15. Minnesota
16. Boise State
Next 4: Iowa, App State, Michigan, Notre Dame