USA TODAY International Edition
Arkansas impresses; Georgia falls back
No. 3 Clemson stays unbeaten but looks lackluster in win
Each weekend during the regular season, USA TODAY Sports will highlight the race for the College Football Playoff. Here are three teams moving up and three moving down in the sprint for the four- team field after Week 2 of the regular season.
TEAMS THAT PLAYED THEIR WAY IN
Arkansas. It wasn’t always pretty. Arkansas took a 20- 7 lead heading into the fourth quarter against then- No. 12 TCU but allowed 21 consecutive points and needed a late touchdown and two- point conversion to draw even. We’re just getting started: The Razorbacks also needed to block TCU’s potential winning field goal attempt with seconds left in regulation and another two overtimes to notch an enormously positive win for the team and the program as a whole. Arkansas is on the Playoff map.
Pittsburgh. The Atlantic Coast Conference is led by Florida State, Clemson and Louisville. Across the way in the Coastal Division, however, Pittsburgh looks like a team worthy of a top- 25 ranking. The Panthers’ win against Penn State revealed flaws — including an uncharacteristic showing on defense — but also showed a team capable of outscoring the competition. That combination makes the Panthers dangerous.
Florida. Yeah, it was Kentucky, so let’s not all leap on the bandwagon at once. Still, Florida has clearly found an answer at quarterback in former Oregon State transfer Luke Del Rio; that alone makes the Gators dangerous. But add improved quarterback play to a defense with the talent to make teams earn every point, and you have a team that just might be the leader in the Southeastern Conference East Division.
TEAMS THAT PLAYED THEIR WAY OUT
Oklahoma State. In defense of the Cowboys, the loss to Central Michigan comes with an asterisk: Officials made an unbelievable error in allowing CMU one last play in the fourth quarter, one the Chippewas converted into a miracle touchdown as time expired. Well, so much for an undefeated season. The Cowboys still can win the Big 12, but the nature of Saturday’s defeat — which was entirely avoidable — hides the truth: OSU might not be that good.
Clemson. Let’s be honest: Clemson is still very much in the thick of the hunt for another turn in the Playoff, one year after losing to Alabama in the national title game. At the same time, however, the Tigers have looked far from impressive in beating Auburn and Troy, the latter by four points. What gives? We might be seeing a little bit of last year’s Ohio State, which struggled to match its high- energy run to the title in 2014 but was dynamite when on its game. It’s up to Dabo Swinney and his staff to get the Tigers back into shape. Georgia. Only name recognition placed Georgia in the Playoff hunt in the first place. After two weeks — both victories, to be fair — it is extremely obvious that the Bulldogs will do no such thing in Kirby Smart’s first season. Saturday’s 26- 24 win against lowly Nicholls State highlighted the team’s issues, from inexperienced quarterback play to an overall lack of productivity in all three phases. Is an East Division title a possibility? Maybe, but it’s impossible to imagine Georgia making a Playoff run in 2016.