The first College Football Playoff rankings featured one surprise with Texas A&M listed at No. 4 behind Alabama, Clemson and Michigan. Everybody expected the Crimson Tide, Tides and Wolverines to be at the top but the Aggies’ presence ahead of undefeated Washington caught plenty of experts off guard. The Huskies are ranked fifth in the first CFP poll but we have them ahead of Texas A&M as the fourth-best playoff candidate right now. Here is a look at the top four College Football Playoff candidates heading in to Week 10 of the season.
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide
There is absolutely no doubt that Alabama deserves its spot atop the playoff rankings after another dominant start to the season. The defending national champion Crimson Tide has recorded eight straight wins to open the year and is riding a 20-game win streak dating back to last season. Alabama has won 12 straight games against ranked opponents and they have somehow recorded a non-offensive touchdown in 10 straight games. The Crimson Tide have been scary good out of the gate and all eyes will be on Nick Saban’s side to see if they can keep on rolling versus LSU in Baton Rouge this weekend.
#2 Clemson Tigers
Clemson has been one of the tougher teams to figure out so far this season but their ability to get the job done in big games has been enough to deserve this spot on the playoff list. The Tigers survived its first big test with a 42-36 win over Louisville and then took care of business with a 37-34 win over Florida State last week. Clemson didn’t look particularly dominant in wins over Troy and NC State but the reality is that this team has played its best in its biggest games and is undefeated at 8-0. The Tigers are clearly the frontrunners in the ACC and the favorite to get back to the national championship game and challenge Alabama.
#3 Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines extended their undefeated season with an eighth straight win at Michigan State and they certainly earned a measure of redemption in the process. The offense looked excellent early on and Jabrill Peppers in particular jumped out again as he played at four different positions and was on the field for 64 of Michigan’s 70 defensive snaps. The Wolverines will play Maryland, at Iowa and then back home against Indiana before their season finale at Ohio State and right now there is no reason to think their perfect season will end before they arrive in Columbus later this month.
#4 Washington Huskies
Texas A&M might have received the fourth and final spot in the College Football Playoff rankings but that doesn’t mean they are the fourth-best candidate to take part in it. The Huskies are 8-0 and while their schedule hasn’t been as tough as the Aggies they also don’t have a double-digit loss to Alabama. A&M is a solid team but they will need the Tide to lose twice to have a shot at winning the SEC West so it’s hard to imagine them reaching the playoff if Washington completes a perfect season in the Pac-12. It makes sense that the playoff poll would have at least one surprise in place but we like the Huskies slightly ahead of the Aggies in terms of playoff candidates heading in to Week 10.
#5 Texas A&M
We all know that the current College Football Playoff actually has Texas A&M as the fourth team in Washington as the first team out, but we feel it should be the other way around. For starters, Washington has yet to lose this season. Secondly, none of their games have really been that close. Yes, their recent win at No. 17 Utah was by seven points but they’ve still won all of their games by seven or more. You can make the case that Texas A&M’s schedule has been a bit tougher but when you look back at it now, it’s not that strong. Yes, UCLA was No. 16 at the time but they haven’t been a Top 25 team this year. Same goes for Arkansas, who was No. 17 at the time that they played but they aren’t in the Top 25 anymore. And Tennessee has proven to be weak as well. Yes, their only loss was to Alabama but their schedule hasn’t been as hard as people think. They’re still a Top 10 team but we rank Washington slightly ahead.
