Alabama, Clemson and wide open
Continued from Page 1C
Nine weeks in, some narratives have been shattered. Others linger stubbornly. We are rolling toward the Game of the Century This Week: Alabama vs. LSU, Saturday night in Baton Rouge. There will be hype stacked atop the hype.
But what if, go with us here, the Southeastern Conference is Alabama, then a large gap, and then a collection of decent to good teams? Because it sure looks that way.
Of course, that also might be true of Alabama’s relationship to all of college football. With the potential exception of Clemson. Oh, and of Michigan’s defense and Oklahoma’s offense (which, we checked, cannot be combined; sadly, the rules won’t allow for midseason mergers).
Or maybe LSU will reveal flaws no one has seen in Alabama — we know, but stay with us, and consider that the Tide’s schedule has been less than rugged — and throw the College Football
Playoff picture into disarray. And maybe Georgia will win out and then pop the SEC West winner. That’s the fun thing about all of this: All our perceptions can be radically altered, every week.
Speaking of the CFP, those other guys will unveil their first bracket on Tuesday night, a day ahead of Nick Saban’s birthday/Halloween. The Football Four welcomes them to the conversation — where’ve y’all been? — while understanding this: As we roll toward November, things are about to get super-heated and very loud. That’s how this works. But as always, remember we pick the bracket as if the season was over.*
Football Four
1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide took Saturday off, which prevented another SEC opponent from being dominated. Could LSU present the first real obstacle? We’ll see.
2. Clemson: Yeah, the kid is all right, and so is Clemson. A trip to Tallahassee stacked up as a potential trap game (we know, we know — and now, after a 59-10 win at Florida State, we know). The defense is routinely terrific. With Trevor Lawrence at the controls, the offense isn’t quite video game quality, but it’s super dangerous. 3. Notre Dame: No trouble with Navy, and it’s time for fans of other teams and conferences to begin watching the calendar. The Irish probably have to run the table to get in, but the schedule looks doable. 4. LSU: We’re not sure the Tigers, who took Saturday off, are the fourthbest team in the country; those early wins against Miami (Florida) and Auburn don’t look as impressive now. But if they beat Alabama, they’ll have a decent claim as the first-best.
Four More**
5. Michigan: The Wolverines got the weekend off. Up next, Penn State. Win that, and Michigan will likely be set up for a showdown with Ohio State that could define Jim Harbaugh’s tenure.
6. Oklahoma: With Kyler Murray, Oklahoma’s offense is a video game. The defense, which smothered Kansas State (yeah, but still), seems to have improved, at least slightly. The combination might be enough to power the Sooners to the Playoff again.
7. Georgia: The Bulldogs bounced back very nicely to beat rival Florida, setting up an unexpected SEC East showdown at Kentucky. Georgia’s hopes consist almost solely of winning out and winning the SEC (which likely means beating Alabama). 8. Washington State: Gardner Minshew led a second-half comeback at Stanford, and suddenly Mike Leach’s Cougars are 7-1 and the Pac-12’s only (faint) hope.
A Few More After That***
Central Florida: Can the Knights go unbeaten again? Would it matter? With that schedule, there’s a very real ceiling, unless sheer chaos erupts in the Power Five leagues. Up next, Temple on Thursday. West Virginia: Blew out Baylor. Win at Texas this week, and the Mountaineers could be headed for a showdown (or even the first of two, maybe?) with Oklahoma.
Kentucky: The Wildcats pulled out a win at Missouri on the very last play. This week, they host Georgia in Lexington, with a chance to turn a good season into a great one.
Ohio State: After a weekend off, we’ll see whether the Buckeyes can make us forget that loss to Purdue by rolling through November.
*The season is not over. **Don’t be worried that your team sits just outside the cut. This is a weekly snapshot. And what do we know, anyway?
***See the previous note, but it’s OK to be slightly concerned or very angry. But what do we know, anyway?