This will be another weekly post on the site, as I take you through who I believe are the top 10 teams in the nation. In addition to that I will also have bowl projections for the New Year’s Six bowls and the College Football Playoff.
I have to preface this as it will be a bit confusing if you look straight at the rankings and compare them to the bowl projections. The rankings will be based on teams that have played thus far. Big Ten and PAC-12 teams will not be in my top 10 as of right now.
My reasoning behind that is in terms of ranking the best of 2020, it doesn’t feel right to rank teams who haven’t played yet over teams that have. In terms of ranking the best teams in 2020, I don’t believe in the idea of projecting other teams to be better or worse than teams who have been on the field. Once those conferences (Big Ten, PAC-12, MWC) get into their schedule they will begin to fill up our top 10 list.
Now the bowl projections will include those teams that have yet to play. My reasoning behind this is that they are projections which means that it is a forecast of what I believe will shape out in the future at this point in the season. To make it simpler projections are what I think plays out in the future, and rankings are what I believe is true for now.
Now that I have confused you enough let’s get straight into the top 10 teams and a quick sentence or two on each for why I have them ranked where they are.
Top 10
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Clemson 4-0 – The Tigers are dominant once again having won their games by a combined score of 169-53. They will be truly judged on how they play against Notre Dame (and UNC?) but they are on the right path to dominate those teams as well.
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Alabama 3-0 – This offense is rolling, but the defense needs to look itself in the mirror after giving up 48 to Ole Miss last Saturday. Mac Jones leads the nation in yards per attempt (13.3) and passer rating (220.3).
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Georgia 3-0 – Having them higher than Alabama was heavily considered due to the fact Georgia has already beaten two top 20 teams in impressive fashion. I do think Alabama is better all around despite that and will prove that this Saturday.
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Notre Dame 3-0 – Best offensive line in the nation. Great running game. The question is will Ian Book be able to keep up with Trevor Lawrence and Sam Howell?
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North Carolina 3-0 – Sam Howell is shaping into a great player, let’s all hope we can see Trevor Lawrence and Howell battle in the ACC Championship. Potentially a game where the next two #1 picks in the NFL draft face off.
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BYU 4-0 – BYU ranks top 5 in the nation for both total offense (557.3 yards per game) and total defense (250.8 yards per game allowed). The opponents have not been great, but BYU has rolled through everybody thus far with a balanced attack.
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Oklahoma State 3-0 – This team struggled with Tulane and West Virginia a bit too much for my liking as a top 10 team. However, the offensive talent on this team is legit and they are the Big 12’s last hope to make the CFP.
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Texas A&M 2-1 – Huge win over Florida on Saturday. Their efficiency on 3rd down was good enough to beat any team in the country. This win puts them right in the argument for who is the 2nd best team in the SEC.
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Florida 2-1 – We all love this offense. It is a good enough unit to be a playoff contender. But this defense has been downright miserable through 3 games. Allowing 100 points through 3 games will not win you the SEC, even in 2020.
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Cincinnati 3-0 – The Bearcats have looked impressive, but also have played opponents with a combined record of 5-7. Will their defense be able to hold down SMU, Memphis, and Houston?
New Year’s Six Projections
Orange Bowl: Notre Dame vs Georgia
Peach Bowl: Florida vs North Carolina
Cotton Bowl: BYU vs Oklahoma State
Fiesta Bowl: USC vs Penn State
College Football Playoff
Rose Bowl (January 1, 2021): Clemson vs Oregon
Sugar Bowl (January 1, 2021): Alabama vs Ohio State
CFP National Championship (January 11, 2021): Stop me if you heard this one before Alabama vs Clemson
