Be honest: you figured at least one of these new college football teams on the playoff scene was going to fall off last weekend, right? Many experts felt the same way – especially given the ample opportunity for letdowns after big wins. However, not only did they keep it together, many of the teams looked even better this week. It’s time to start taking these playoff surgers seriously.
No. 4 Utah Utes
With a tough California team and College GameDay in town, the Utes once again proved that they deserve to be in the CFP conversation. They topped California 30-24 in a game where senior running back Devontae Booker ran for a season-high 222 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense picked off Jared Goff five times. This is a quarterback who was deemed one of the top players in the country and they made him look really bad.
Utah could have very well suffered a major letdown following its lopsided win over Oregon two weeks earlier but the bye week gave them just enough time to regroup. They made a statement with a second consecutive win over a ranked Pac-12 opponent and are now the team to beat in the conference.
No. 5 Clemson Tigers
Clemson climbed one spot to No. 5 in the country following a 43-24 win over Georgia Tech. Suddenly everybody wants to talk about head coach Dabo Sweeney among the best in the business. The reality is that Sweeney has done an excellent job with sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is looking more comfortable every single week. His backfield mate, sophomore running back Wayne Gallman, topped the century mark for the third straight week and has run for 536 yards and five touchdowns this season. Clemson could have very easily suffered a letdown following last week’s close 24-22 win over Notre Dame but instead they came out with an impressive win. It’s clear they can’t be overlooked in the CFP conversation anymore.
No. 8 Florida Gators
Jim McElwain came under fire earlier in the year but that’s all forgotten now. While some of his coaching methods certainly deserved a measure of criticism, it is impossible to argue against what he has done turning things around at Florida this season. The Gators followed up a 38-10 blowout win over Missouri with another dominant 21-3 win over Missouri this past weekend. However, his team was dealt a big blow when quarterback Will Grier was suspended for one calendar year for failing a drug test. This is a team that had survived in spite of so-so quarterbacking but Grier had come on over the last few weeks. Now all eyes will be on Florida as they break in a new quarterback in a week where they have to head to Baton Rouge for their Top 10 showdown.
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No. 12 Michigan Wolverines
Speaking of coaches that have completely turned around programs in short order, enough can’t be made about Jim Harbaugh on the heels of Michigan’s fifth straight win. The Wolverines followed up a 28-0 win over Maryland with a 38-0 win over previously undefeated Northwestern and it’s clear the Harbaugh Effect is one of the most intriguing storylines in the country. A Michigan letdown after the win over Maryland? Definitely not. They’ve now shutout three straight opponents and have allowed 14 points in the last five weeks!
Suddenly Michigan is being talked about as a legitimate contender to win the Big Ten – even ahead of Ohio State. This week is their biggest test to date as they’re set to host rival Michigan State this weekend.
No. 16 Oklahoma State
The Cowboys climbed five spots from No. 21 up to No. 16 following a 33-26 win over West Virginia and suddenly there is another legitimate CFP contender out of the Big 12. Some experts predicted there would be a letdown following a pair of close wins over Texas and Kansas State, but Oklahoma State answered the challenge and knocked off the Mountaineers to stay perfect and improve to 6-0 on the season. They still have a long way to go before they will be in the CFP conversation but it’s clear we can’t sleep on Oklahoma State any longer.
