College Football Playoff Teams After Week 3
Right now, an eight team playoff would be more than ideal. But since it's so early in the season, I can't complain. We still have plenty to learn about the Top 25, let alone the four playoff teams. The defending champs look even better than last year, and their defense seems to be up for any challenge.
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There was never any doubt that Oklahoma would win against Tulane, it just took a little longer than expected to get there. Down 14-7, the Sooners ramped up the intensity and put away the Green Wave in the second half. Baker Mayfield looks extremely focused this season, and the defense has been surprisingly good so far. This team still holds the best win in college football, and that's why they currently hold the top spot.
Clemson now has notched two Top 15 wins this season, and the defense played a big role in those victories. Auburn's Jarrett Stidham and Louisville's Lamar Jackson found out firsthand how tough the Tigers are defensively, and their teams struggled mightily to keep up. Why are the Tigers only second? I personally just like Oklahoma's win over Ohio State better than two wins over Top 15 teams. They could easily be flipped, and I wouldn't be upset either. Regardless of ranking, they're both in the Top 4, which is all that matters at this point.
Penn State makes a jump to third this week, simply because of their consistency. They have arguably the backfield in college football with Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley, but their defense appears to be dialed in this year as well. A tough matchup against Iowa awaits. Did I say tough? Yes, because a trip to play the Hawkeyes isn't easy. Just ask Michigan how that went for them last year. Penn State is the better team but Iowa is always underrated.
Alabama drops a spot simply because of a concerning game against a Group of 5 team. Disclosure: Colorado State is not a bad team. The Rams are a solid team, and struggling against them isn't abnormal. But this just wasn't an impressive win to me. Mostly, this is probably just an overreaction to Alabama's backups making the score appear closer than it was, but I still thought the Tide should have won by more. I'm probably just nitpicking at this point, but there is still plenty to be desired from Nick Saban's team.
USC won, I get it. But it hasn't been the most impressive three games by the Trojans so far. The Stanford win was good (although the Cardinal's loss to San Diego State isn't helping), but they didn't pull away from Western Michigan until late and went to double overtime with Texas. If this team truly is a contender, they need to show us more. Oklahoma State's offense has been outstanding to this point. The Cowboys have yet to score less than 44 points in a game, and their offense might be their best yet. Four players had 100 yards receiving last game. FOUR! That's unheard of even in this era of college football. Mason Rudolph is already making a strong case for the Heisman, and his weapons are making life easy. The question for them will be if their defense can continue to keep up. The Pokes have a huge matchup this when when they host TCU, and the Horned Frogs appear to be playing stout defense once again.
