UTAH UP TO NO. 4 AFTER STARTING YEAR UNRANKED
First half was great; second half promises to be even better
Fourteen of the teams in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll have played six games, otherwise known as half of their regular- season schedules. That makes this as good a time as any for some first- half review and second- half preview.
Team of thefirst half
It has to be Utah, which has gone from unranked heading into the season to fourth in the current poll. The 5- 0 Utes handed Michigan its only defeat, went on the road and devastated Oregon by six touchdowns and took down unbeaten California on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Teams of the second half
1. Ohio State: The top- ranked Buckeyes, oozing with talent and championship experience, have slogged through the weaker half of their schedule, struggling on both sides of the ball. It’s as though they’re simply biding their time until their matchups against Michigan State and Michigan the last two weeks of November. What’s the deal with these guys?
2. Baylor: The No. 2 Bears haven’t had to break a sweat yet, but the schedule the rest of the way— with anywhere from three to six legitimately losable games, depending on your point of view — is no joke.
3. Notre Dame: If the 5- 1 Irish win out, they’ll triple- dog- dare the College Football Playoff committee not to include them. On the other hand, there are no assurances they won’t go bad in the second half, as they did in 2014.
Player of thefirst half
If we’re talking about the Heisman Trophy race here, the far- and- away leader is LSU running back Leonard Fournette. Forget all those fancy- pants quarterbacks. This 230- pound monster is averaging 204.4 yards per game on the ground, 46 more than the next guy.
Players of the second half
1. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU: The Horned Frogs are a playofforbust group, and Boykin is their leader and best player. He’s as clutch as they come, too.
2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida
State: The No. 11 Seminoles are a quiet 5- 0, with a real shot to win out and return to the playoff. They’ll ride Cook, perhaps the most dynamic offensive player
in the country.
3. Cardale Jones and J. T.
Barrett, QBs, Ohio State: Will the Buckeyes’ quarterback play be as good as it should’ve been all along?
Coach of the first half
In six weeks, first- year coach JimMcElwain completely has remade Florida’s performance and reputation. The Gators were punch lines underWill Muschamp. Now they’re 6- 0 and in the top 10.
Coaches of the second half
1. UrbanMeyer, Ohio State: Flip that switch already, would you?
2. JimHarbaugh, Michigan: You’d better believe Meyer and Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio are more than a little concerned about their visits to Ann Arbor.
3. Dabo Swinney, Clemson:
The No. 5 Tigers are led by perhaps the most fired- up guy in the sport.
Game of thefirst half
Not sure if Ole Miss or Alabama even will win the SEC West, but the Rebels’ 43- 37 victory in Tuscaloosa was a championship- level event. The teams combined for five fourthquarter touchdowns.
Games of the second half
1. Florida State at Clemson, Nov. 7: The ACC is a two- horse race— at least where the playoff is concerned.
2. Michigan State at Ohio State, Nov. 21: Still the baddest Big Ten matchup on the docket— for now.
3. Baylor at TCU, Nov. 27: If all goes according to plan, this will be a playoff play- in game. Follow me on Twitter @ SLGreenberg.