POWER BROKER
This could be rare year non-Power 5 school breaks through into College Football Playoff
ALABAMA looked human on Saturday. Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma have looked ordinary. Notre Dame has looked even worse than that.
For the first time in years, there doesn’t appear to be a clear elite group of programs. It is wide open.
If ever there was a season for a nonPower Five school to break into the College Football Playoff, this is it.
Cincinnati, ranked eighth in the latest Associated Press poll, beat quality Big Ten foe Indiana on the road. In two weeks, it goes to South Bend, Ind., to face 12th-ranked Notre Dame. Prevail there, and the Bearcats absolutely deserve to be in the mix as long as they remain undefeated.
I’ve been of the belief that the committee will never take a Group of Five school until it expands. We’ve seen it ignore undefeated Central Florida and Cincinnati in the past. But this year could be different.
Cincinnati smartly beefed up its non-conference schedule. Perhaps more importantly, there are early signs that the teams we are used to seeing decide the title aren’t the same as in years past.
Oklahoma struggled to get past winless Tulane and woeful Nebraska at home. Ohio
State lost to Oregon and couldn’t put AAC alsoran Tulsa away until the fourth quarter on Saturday. Clemson has a high-caliber loss to Georgia, but barely got by mediocre-at-best Georgia Tech at home and the weakened state of the ACC won’t offer the Tigers any significant victories. Even Alabama was fighting for its life on Saturday against Florida, beaten up at the line of scrimmage — it was out-rushed 245-91 — and remained undefeated mostly because time ran out on the Gators. Once conference play begins, expect chaos.
Now, there are a few programs that might be better than advertised. Penn State has wins over No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 23 Auburn. Oregon has the victory over No. 10 Ohio State. Florida may be underrated if its performance against Alabama is any indication.
But the door is open. The programs we’re used to sitting atop the rankings clearly aren’t the same. There is room for a party-crasher. It’s up to Cincinnati to force its way in.
’No doubt
Pac-12 After Dark has never been better, or more dramatic. Deep into the night, UCLA and Fresno State played, combining for 34 fourth-quarter points, the lead swinging back and forth like a pendulum.
Late in the fourth quarter, Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener took a nasty hit. He stayed down, only to throw a 19-yard touchdown pass two plays later despite obvious searing pain in his right hip that gave his team the lead. UCLA responded with a long touchdown drive to retake the lead, leaving only 54 seconds on the clock. But Haener came right back, guiding the Bulldogs 75 yards in six plays while holding his hip after every throw to finish off a 40-37 victory.
It was fantastic theater, and a great win for Fresno State, a signature victory after it nearly knocked off thirdranked Oregon to start the season.
Emory & Ivory
In this space last week, I called on Florida coach Dan Mullen to bench Emory Jones in favor of electric freshman Anthony Richardson. I still think Richardson is the answer, now and for the future, but Jones deserves plenty of credit for how he played in Saturday’s loss to Alabama. He rebounded from a shaky first half to finish with 274 total yards and a rushing touchdown in the narrow loss to Alabama. He led Florida on three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half. There is a ton for the junior to build on.