THE CAPITAL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL – Hello friends from the ATL. Week 3 of the College Football season is now upon us, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty before a loaded conference slate.
It’s impossible to rank 25 teams in order 1-25 without some blow back, as we have seen with the AP Poll this week. It is also impossible to watch every team on a Saturday and justify just why 12 is better than 13 or why 19 is better than 20. Therefore, we are trying something different – tier rankings. These tier rankings aren’t an exact science, and just because one tier comes after another doesn’t mean those teams are worse, per say. Tiers and teams will change weekly, just like Barstool Big Cat does with his satirical NFL rankings each Tuesday. Also, because of the early nature of college football – we are including a whopping 40 teams because I just couldn’t stop at 25- or 30- or 35. It’s College Football Week 3 with a lot on the line, so here we go!
Tier 1: Looking elite – Ohio State, Oregon, Miami
Let’s just get to the point – these three teams have looked the best so far. Ohio State’s defense shut down Texas, Oregon blew out Oklahoma State, and Miami might have the second-best win of the season over Notre Dame.
In the words of Kirby Smart, you’re either elite or you’re not!
Tier 2: Big wins but are you elite? – LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma
Three teams led by a good quarterback, sign me up for the Mateer to New York City bandwagon, but I still don’t think these teams are as elite as the tier 1 teams, at least not yet. LSU could do a lot of goodwill this weekend by beating Florida, but I won’t know more about Florida State until they play Miami and Oklahoma until they play Auburn.
Operator, won’t you put me on through!
Tier 3: Incomplete until you play a Power 4 team – Penn State, Georgia
No offense to Nevada, FIU, Marshall, or Austin Peay, but I have questions about both of these teams until they play someone worth a dang. Fortunately, we get Georgia going to Knoxville this weekend, but we will have to wait until Penn State hosts Oregon in week 5 before we get any answer on the Nittany Lions.
Georgia at least tried to schedule UCLA in the Rose Bowl, but had to replace the Bruins with Marshall. Penn State, what are you doing, man?
Tier 4: You lost but we still believe in you, for now – Texas, Notre Dame
No shame in losing to Ohio State and Miami on the road, but beating San Jose State does nothing for us. Texas will be a question mark until they can show us what they are made of in Gainesville. Meanwhile Notre Dame has a huge game this weekend against Texas A&M, which could either propel them to title contender or almost drop them out of CFP contention all together, with a road trip to Fayetteville looming.
Big words from the Fighting Irish there. Now go prove it!
Tier 5: Nice Power 4 wins, you deserve credit – South Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, TCU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Auburn
A whopping seven teams in this category that we find various levels of good, but all seven deserve credit for their wins. Although, I’m not sure if the 3 SEC teams can compete for the SEC in the long run, they look like teams that can beat anyone on any given Saturday. Therefore, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU better watch out. South Florida is a Bonafide playoff contender for the G5 spot, and I think Iowa State is the favorite in the Big 12 right now. Illinois and TCU went to the Triangle and demolished Duke and North Carolina respectively, which sits better with me than demolishing Nevada, FIU, or Villanova like some contenders.
Can the Bulls pull off the trifecta this week?
Tier 6: Brent Pry hot seat ignitors – Vanderbilt, South Carolina
Look away Virginia Tech fans. South Carolina is a top 25 preseason team and is getting their due, but not the Pavia Mafia and Vanderbilt. Vandy actually looked better against Virginia Tech than South Carolina, so I’m not sure why they are only getting one total vote in the AP Poll. But lucky for us, they play this week in Columbia so we will get answers.
The Beamer Ball days are a thing of the past, eh?
Tier 7: The Big 12 will be fun this year – Utah, Texas Tech, Baylor, BYU
I’m not sure what to do with these Big 12 teams, other than these teams will have a say in the conference title race. Utah and Texas Tech look great to start the year, and Baylor rebounded nicely with a comeback win against SMU. BYU is lurking, but need to see better competition than Portland State and Stanford. We will know more about these teams in week 4, as Utah hosts Texas Tech and Baylor hosts Arizona State while BYU goes cross country to play at East Carolina.
Much better than that Sawyer over at NASCAR.
Tier 8: Huge tests this weekend to determine how good you really are – Texas A&M, Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia Tech
Let’s be real here. Syracuse and Colorado are not elite power 4 teams, and Clemson has looked rough. Throw in Texas A&M playing UTSA and Utah State, we have our wait and see tier. Fortunately, we will get answers this week as Tennessee hosts Georgia, A&M goes on the road to South Bend, and Clemson visits Georgia Tech. Safe to say, it is a monumental weekend for these four teams.
Elko returns to South Bend!
Tier 9: SEC teams we don’t know what to do with yet – Ole Miss, Alabama
Alabama rebounded nicely against ULM, and Ole Miss survived Kentucky, but I still have no clue how good these SEC teams are. Alabama gets Wisconsin at home, followed by Georgia in two weeks, so we are in a wait and see pattern with them. Ole Miss gets Arkansas, Tulane, and LSU back-to-back-to-back, so we should have more answers on them soon, too.
DeBoer gets another crack at the Power 4 on Saturday.
Tier 10: Big Ten lurkers – Indiana, USC, Michigan
I have liked what I have seen from these three teams so far, despite Michigan falling to Oklahoma on the road. Indiana and USC have shown good production behind Cignetti and Riley’s offensive minds, and Bryce Underwood will continue to develop. Watch for these teams to possibly cause chaos in the Big Ten this year.
Is Indiana better than last year?
Tier 11: You good bro? – Arizona State, Florida, SMU
What a week for these three, and it doesn’t get any easier. Although an early loss means they are behind the eight ball in terms of CFP implications, we aren’t quite ready to give up on these teams yet. Although Florida will be on life support if they lose to LSU, Arizona State and SMU still can have a say in their conference races.
Big one for Sun Belt Billy on the Bayou this weekend.
Tier 12: Five more to watch – Louisville, Nebraska, Tulane, UNLV, Pitt
Tulane and UNLV will compete with South Florida for the G5 spot, and Louisville, Nebraska, and Pitt are all sitting at 2-0 right now. We will know more about these teams in the coming weeks as Nebraska hosts Michigan in week 4 and Louisville travels to Pitt in week 5. Keep an eye out on these teams as the season progresses. Could this year’s Indiana be in this group?
Alright, that’s the list. Congratulations sailor, you made it. Check back next week for Week 4!
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