milesl
11/19/2015, 09:46 PM
http://thearmchairallamericans.com/2015/11/19/contender-or-pretender-how-your-team-stacks-up/
https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/usp_ncaa_football__kansas_at_oklahoma_68932458.jpg ?w=1000&h=664
By Jacob Walker on November 19, 2015
This has been a unique year for collegiate football. For the first time in about 9 years, there is no dominant team. Every team that is in the top-ten, no matter what their record is, appears to be completely beatable. In previous years, there was always an unquestionable king, a team that was obviously on a different level than the rest of the field. Last year we had Ohio State, the year before was Florida State, and the year before that was Alabama. No one questions those teams’ dominance throughout their respective years, but this season is a different story.
The top-4 currently consists of Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. Arguably, any of these teams could be interchanged with teams such as Iowa, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Florida. We all have our different opinions about who is better than who, but there is no real standard set by a team this year. Traditionally dominant teams such as Alabama and Ohio State have seemed inconsistent at times. Clemson has a statement win over Notre Dame, but one play could have changed the entire outcome of that game. While Notre Dame seemed elite against teams like USC and Navy, they struggled against a team like Temple. Iowa is undefeated, but has played no proven teams.
The list goes on, but you get the picture. No team sticks out, so it’s time to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Clemson #1
The Tigers are probably the easiest team to review. With arguably the best quarterback in country, Clemson has the ability to score 60 points if things are executed correctly. Their defense is only allowing about 18 points a game, which is good enough for the 15th ranked scoring defense in the country. When your team is capable of scoring at will, it’s going to take a lot more than 18 points to beat the Tigers.
Conclusion- Contender
Alabama #2
If you watched Alabama play at the beginning of the year, you will know that it’s a miracle how far they have come. There has never been a question about Alabama’s defense, but nobody expected it to be this good. CBSSports.com released a projection of the first round of the coming draft, and it contained four Alabama starting defenders, including three on their defensive line. In their third game, they had 5 turnovers against Ole Miss, ultimately leading to a 6 point loss to the Rebels. Since then, quarterback Jacob Coker has accepted the challenge of leading an elite team. He hasn’t played perfect, but he doesn’t have to. Coker just needs to be able to manage the game and not turn the ball over. If Coker can continue throwing for 200 yards a game with a touchdown and no interceptions, this Alabama team becomes scary. It doesn’t take an elite quarterback to hand it off to Heisman hopeful Derrick Henry.
Conclusion- Contender
Ohio State #3
It has been argued that the defending champions are ranked as high as they are only because they are the current champions. The Buckeyes are undefeated and deserve to be ranked extremely high, but do they deserve to be ahead of Iowa? This week Ohio State will go up against their first ranked opponent of the year… that’s pathetic. It has taken ten games to get to this point, with their biggest win coming against the all-intimidating Gophers of Minnesota. This team has two identities, one corresponding with Cardale Jones, and the other with J.T. Barrett. The Buckeyes have the problem that most teams want, which is having multiple NFL quarterbacks. But Cardale has not played as well as hoped this year. Jones started off the year as the starter, and has since lost the job to Barrett. Barrett has a skill that every leader should have, which is improving the players around him by simply being on the field. However, their performance on the field has not matched their skill. Judging off performance resume…
Conclusion- Pretender
Notre Dame #4
Notre Dame started off the year with a nightmare scenario, losing your starting quarterback to a season ending injury. But DeShone Kizer came in and killed it. The Irish haven’t had a terrible schedule, but it hasn’t been strong. Their lone loss of the year came to the #1 team Clemson, and it was by a mere two points. Notre Dame hasn’t really been challenged other than Clemson and Temple, but judging from the eye test they seem to be a pretty impressive team. The best part about the Irish is that they don’t seem to have a glaring weakness. They will have their opportunity to really prove themselves in the coming weeks when they take on Stanford.
Conclusion- Contender
Iowa #5
The Hawkeyes are perhaps the biggest surprise in college football this year. Coming into this week 10-0, Iowa looks to sneak into the playoffs if they can take down Ohio State in the B1G Championship. With a resume that is better than Ohio State, it’s hard to see why they aren’t in the playoff instead of the Buckeyes. With their best win of the year coming in a 40-10 slaughter of Northwestern, they have played a total of two teams that are currently ranked, which is still two more than Ohio State has. Iowa looks good, but has no experience in big games, which makes it hard to favorite them over any other big team. Their defense has really played above expectations this year by allowing only 18.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes seem like they are a great team, but it’s hard to really expect them to contend in the playoff.
Conclusion- Pretender
Oklahoma State #6
The Cowboys are sitting pretty as the only current undefeated team in the Big 12, but face their two hardest games in the next few weeks. Oklahoma State already took down TCU 49-29, and looked to be a force to be reckoned with. However, after this monumental win, the Cowboys followed up with a scare against Iowa State. The Cowboys were lucky to pull out the 35-31 win against the 3-7 Cyclones. At times, Mason Rudolph has played like a superstar quarterback, often channeling his inner Tom Brady. Rudolph has passed for a whopping 3,161 yards and 18 touchdowns, proving he is lethal through the air. The Iowa State game appeared to be a fluke, and as long as they get past Baylor and Oklahoma, they will be guaranteed a spot in the playoff.
Conclusion- Contender
Oklahoma #7
Oklahoma looks strangely similar to the Ohio State team from last year. Earlier in the year, the Sooners had a humiliating loss to their rival Texas, 24-17. Texas is now 4-6, and is a terrible loss to have on a playoff resume. However, Baker Mayfield has since improved and the Sooners look like a team other teams wouldn’t want to play. If Oklahoma wins out, they will have a good shot at the playoff, but it will not be a guaranteed spot. Oklahoma needs Stanford to beat Notre Dame in order to have a guaranteed chance after winning out. The lethal combination of Baker Mayfield and Sterling Shepherd is a passing duo that seems near impossible to stop. Alongside Mayfield is a sophomore sensation running back named Samaje Perine who is a wrecking-ball in the backfield.
Conclusion- Contender
Florida #8
Florida comes in as probably the most unpredictable team on this list. They have gone from almost being able to beat LSU, to almost losing to Vanderbilt. Coach Mac has done a tremendous job with this team, exceeding any expectations that were placed on him in his first year. Florida seemed more powerful earlier in the year, until they lost their starting quarterback Will Grier for the rest of the season due to an illegal substance. They have responded by going 3-1 since his departure, and have lacked on the offensive side of the ball. Fortunately, the Gators claim one of the stoutest defenses in the country, only allowing 280 yards a game. That defense is good enough to be ranked 5th nationally, but their offense has hindered their playoff ranking. The Gators can prove themselves in the next few weeks by beating Florida State and Alabama in the SEC Championship. Until then, their offense doesn’t allow for high amount of respect.
Conclusion- Pretender
https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/usp_ncaa_football__kansas_at_oklahoma_68932458.jpg ?w=1000&h=664
By Jacob Walker on November 19, 2015
This has been a unique year for collegiate football. For the first time in about 9 years, there is no dominant team. Every team that is in the top-ten, no matter what their record is, appears to be completely beatable. In previous years, there was always an unquestionable king, a team that was obviously on a different level than the rest of the field. Last year we had Ohio State, the year before was Florida State, and the year before that was Alabama. No one questions those teams’ dominance throughout their respective years, but this season is a different story.
The top-4 currently consists of Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. Arguably, any of these teams could be interchanged with teams such as Iowa, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Florida. We all have our different opinions about who is better than who, but there is no real standard set by a team this year. Traditionally dominant teams such as Alabama and Ohio State have seemed inconsistent at times. Clemson has a statement win over Notre Dame, but one play could have changed the entire outcome of that game. While Notre Dame seemed elite against teams like USC and Navy, they struggled against a team like Temple. Iowa is undefeated, but has played no proven teams.
The list goes on, but you get the picture. No team sticks out, so it’s time to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Clemson #1
The Tigers are probably the easiest team to review. With arguably the best quarterback in country, Clemson has the ability to score 60 points if things are executed correctly. Their defense is only allowing about 18 points a game, which is good enough for the 15th ranked scoring defense in the country. When your team is capable of scoring at will, it’s going to take a lot more than 18 points to beat the Tigers.
Conclusion- Contender
Alabama #2
If you watched Alabama play at the beginning of the year, you will know that it’s a miracle how far they have come. There has never been a question about Alabama’s defense, but nobody expected it to be this good. CBSSports.com released a projection of the first round of the coming draft, and it contained four Alabama starting defenders, including three on their defensive line. In their third game, they had 5 turnovers against Ole Miss, ultimately leading to a 6 point loss to the Rebels. Since then, quarterback Jacob Coker has accepted the challenge of leading an elite team. He hasn’t played perfect, but he doesn’t have to. Coker just needs to be able to manage the game and not turn the ball over. If Coker can continue throwing for 200 yards a game with a touchdown and no interceptions, this Alabama team becomes scary. It doesn’t take an elite quarterback to hand it off to Heisman hopeful Derrick Henry.
Conclusion- Contender
Ohio State #3
It has been argued that the defending champions are ranked as high as they are only because they are the current champions. The Buckeyes are undefeated and deserve to be ranked extremely high, but do they deserve to be ahead of Iowa? This week Ohio State will go up against their first ranked opponent of the year… that’s pathetic. It has taken ten games to get to this point, with their biggest win coming against the all-intimidating Gophers of Minnesota. This team has two identities, one corresponding with Cardale Jones, and the other with J.T. Barrett. The Buckeyes have the problem that most teams want, which is having multiple NFL quarterbacks. But Cardale has not played as well as hoped this year. Jones started off the year as the starter, and has since lost the job to Barrett. Barrett has a skill that every leader should have, which is improving the players around him by simply being on the field. However, their performance on the field has not matched their skill. Judging off performance resume…
Conclusion- Pretender
Notre Dame #4
Notre Dame started off the year with a nightmare scenario, losing your starting quarterback to a season ending injury. But DeShone Kizer came in and killed it. The Irish haven’t had a terrible schedule, but it hasn’t been strong. Their lone loss of the year came to the #1 team Clemson, and it was by a mere two points. Notre Dame hasn’t really been challenged other than Clemson and Temple, but judging from the eye test they seem to be a pretty impressive team. The best part about the Irish is that they don’t seem to have a glaring weakness. They will have their opportunity to really prove themselves in the coming weeks when they take on Stanford.
Conclusion- Contender
Iowa #5
The Hawkeyes are perhaps the biggest surprise in college football this year. Coming into this week 10-0, Iowa looks to sneak into the playoffs if they can take down Ohio State in the B1G Championship. With a resume that is better than Ohio State, it’s hard to see why they aren’t in the playoff instead of the Buckeyes. With their best win of the year coming in a 40-10 slaughter of Northwestern, they have played a total of two teams that are currently ranked, which is still two more than Ohio State has. Iowa looks good, but has no experience in big games, which makes it hard to favorite them over any other big team. Their defense has really played above expectations this year by allowing only 18.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes seem like they are a great team, but it’s hard to really expect them to contend in the playoff.
Conclusion- Pretender
Oklahoma State #6
The Cowboys are sitting pretty as the only current undefeated team in the Big 12, but face their two hardest games in the next few weeks. Oklahoma State already took down TCU 49-29, and looked to be a force to be reckoned with. However, after this monumental win, the Cowboys followed up with a scare against Iowa State. The Cowboys were lucky to pull out the 35-31 win against the 3-7 Cyclones. At times, Mason Rudolph has played like a superstar quarterback, often channeling his inner Tom Brady. Rudolph has passed for a whopping 3,161 yards and 18 touchdowns, proving he is lethal through the air. The Iowa State game appeared to be a fluke, and as long as they get past Baylor and Oklahoma, they will be guaranteed a spot in the playoff.
Conclusion- Contender
Oklahoma #7
Oklahoma looks strangely similar to the Ohio State team from last year. Earlier in the year, the Sooners had a humiliating loss to their rival Texas, 24-17. Texas is now 4-6, and is a terrible loss to have on a playoff resume. However, Baker Mayfield has since improved and the Sooners look like a team other teams wouldn’t want to play. If Oklahoma wins out, they will have a good shot at the playoff, but it will not be a guaranteed spot. Oklahoma needs Stanford to beat Notre Dame in order to have a guaranteed chance after winning out. The lethal combination of Baker Mayfield and Sterling Shepherd is a passing duo that seems near impossible to stop. Alongside Mayfield is a sophomore sensation running back named Samaje Perine who is a wrecking-ball in the backfield.
Conclusion- Contender
Florida #8
Florida comes in as probably the most unpredictable team on this list. They have gone from almost being able to beat LSU, to almost losing to Vanderbilt. Coach Mac has done a tremendous job with this team, exceeding any expectations that were placed on him in his first year. Florida seemed more powerful earlier in the year, until they lost their starting quarterback Will Grier for the rest of the season due to an illegal substance. They have responded by going 3-1 since his departure, and have lacked on the offensive side of the ball. Fortunately, the Gators claim one of the stoutest defenses in the country, only allowing 280 yards a game. That defense is good enough to be ranked 5th nationally, but their offense has hindered their playoff ranking. The Gators can prove themselves in the next few weeks by beating Florida State and Alabama in the SEC Championship. Until then, their offense doesn’t allow for high amount of respect.
Conclusion- Pretender