Alabama clear No. 1
Tide top Amway Poll, Playoff field projection
Not sure if you heard, but Alabama played LSU on Saturday. It was billed as a huge showdown. It became a big beatdown. And it is fair to wonder if we should just go ahead and mail another national championship trophy to Tuscaloosa (and while we’re at it, the Heisman Trophy, too, to Tua Tagovailoa).
At the very least, it seems certain the Crimson Tide are a lock for the College Football Playoff (we could do thought experiments involving whether ’Bama would get in even with a loss to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game, but the problem is assuming a loss). So put them in. But the other three spots are up for grabs, with plenty of time left for chaos (and let’s be honest, we all root for chaos).
We will spend the next few weeks trying to figure out who gets in (Clemson seems fine! Notre Dame keeps winning! Michigan? Oklahoma? West Virginia?), and as important: Can they play with ’Bama? LSU certainly couldn’t, which is why the Tigers are no longer in the Football Four. As always, remember we pick the bracket as if the season was over.*
Football Four
1. Alabama: The tour of devastation continued. Against LSU, the offense slowed to fairly normal speeds, but we can officially fast-forward the Tide into the SEC championship game and might as well push ’ em into the Playoff. Can anyone push ’em once they get there?
2. Clemson: The Tigers dominated Louisville (then again, who hasn’t?), continuing their build-up toward a potential showdown (again) with ’Bama.
3. Notre Dame: Ian Book helped the Irish fend off Northwestern’s second- half challenge. Now the challenges to an unbeaten season are dwindling.
4. Michigan: The Wolverines pounded Penn State and now look by far like the Big Ten’s best team. The defense, we knew. But hello, Shea Patterson and the offense are firing up, too.
Four More**
5. Oklahoma: With a wacky night in Lubbock in their rearview mirror, the Sooners are closing in on a double-dip with West Virginia. Two meetings in eight days, anyone?
6. Georgia: The Bulldogs found their running game and exposed Kentucky en route to winning the SEC East again. They’ll meet Alabama in the conference championship game. If they win out en
route to Atlanta, it’ll be a de facto Playoff quarterfinal. 7. West Virginia: “Want to win the game? Let’s go win the game.” — Dana Holgorson, before calling for the twopoint conversion that won it in the final seconds against Texas. The Mountaineers are explosive and on track for a showdown with Oklahoma (and then probably another).
8. Washington State: A struggle with California, but the Cougars emerged 8-1 after scoring a touchdown in the final minute. The Pac-12’s last hope for the Playoff remains alive. *The season is not over. **Don’t be worried that your team sits outside the cut. This is a weekly snapshot. And what do we know, anyway?