College Football Playoff Teams: Week 2
WEEK 2 ARTICLES: WEEK 2 RECAP, G5 TOP 4, GOPHERS UPDATE, W3 GOTW
It's getting harder to pick playoff teams, but at least some games are clearing up the mud. While three teams stayed, we added one new team and the order of the first three changed.
Oklahoma, in case you missed it, dominated Ohio State on the road. I don't know if they just wanted to copy what the Buckeyes did last year, but it certainly worked. Their fullback led their team in receiving yards. Yes, you read that right. Dimitri Flowers had 98 yards and a touchdown, further proving his worth in the offense. I don't expect the Sooners to stay at the top, but it's got to make Oklahoma State fans upset that they're up top.
USC shook off the notion that they struggle with Stanford, at least offensively. Sam Darnold threw two interceptions, but looked good otherwise. He got some help, ok a lot of help, from his backfield too. Ronald Jones II and Stephen Carr each rushed for over 100 yards against the Cardinal. One thing they need to address is run defense. Cardinal running back Bryce Love ran for 160 yards and, while the Trojans brought down their average for the season, they're still allowing 216 rushing yards per game (which also tells you how good Western Michigan's offense is). If USC wants to make the playoff, stopping the run needs to be a priority.
Alabama's only knock is they played Fresno State, but moves them to third for now. Yes, they may get up to #1 eventually, but that's not any fun to do now. I could also make a case that, if the season ended today, USC and Oklahoma have better resumes right now. Luckily, there are 10 games left for all of them.
Penn State cracks the Top 4 for the first time this year, and they look like a well-rounded team. Running back Saquon Barkley still looks elite, and the defense looks stout as well. Georgia State's in for a long day on Saturday.
Oklahoma State routed South Alabama and Mason Rudolph looked great once again. The defense looked better this week, but that's not saying a lot. It will be disappointing if this team can't be the top team in the Big 12 with the talent they possess. This was supposed to be the year they take over, but apparently Oklahoma had other plans despite losing coach Bob Stoops. Clemson did beat #13 Auburn this week, I get it. But I have some concerns about their offense. The Tigers defense is arguably the best in the country, and have a huge test this weekend on the road against Louisville and Lamar Jackson. Clemson's defense needs to play better against Jackson than they did last year. The Heisman Trophy winner accumulated 457 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers, and that can't happen again. Deshaun Watson is gone, and I'm not sure if the offense can put up 42 points again.
