Five weeks into the season and we are starting to see the real contenders as well as the real pretenders. IMHO, the contenders today are determined not by your W column or who you've played but by your consistent play and crisp execution.
The Pretenders
VaTech looked good on paper but losing to Old Dominion, regardless of your win over a ranked team this week, shows the inconsistency.
BYU never should have been ranked #20 and I agreed more with the Coaches Poll at about #26. Give 'em credit for what they did in Wisconsin but to show up last night with little or no resemblance is evidence they still have a ways to go before deserving a Top 25 ranking.
Jury-Still-Out
Clemson is just hanging on but showing they have the drive to do so - and can.
Georgia is winning and winning handily. But their execution is a bit sloppy and they are just not as crisp as last year. The next few weeks (Vandy, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Auburn) will test them Dawgs.
West VA is gaining ground with the voters and rightfully so.
UCF is, too.
Ohio State is not great. Their win over Penn State was due more to a poor defense than a great offense. We'll see...
Others: LSU, Oklahoma, Kentucky
The Contenders
I was not a Notre Dame believer but they seemed to have turned the corner this year and given a favorable schedule they have a chance to really keep the selection committee up at night. With a worthy independent team the committee will have it's hands full deciding which two Power 5 conferences to leave out this year.
The Huskies looked very good against a decent BYU defense. Their Week 1 loss may hold them out of the playoff depending on who else has 1-loss.
Bama has and continue sot separate itself. Granted - five wins were against opponents who are currently 12 - 12. They still have yet to be really tested and TA&M showed they can at least be hampered. But I've watched my fair share of football over the years and I have not seen a team as well prepared, conditioned and able to execute as the what I've seen in Bama this year. Will they lose one or could they? Sure - any given Saturday shows u s that. But I'd say it's not likely.
The Pretenders
VaTech looked good on paper but losing to Old Dominion, regardless of your win over a ranked team this week, shows the inconsistency.BYU never should have been ranked #20 and I agreed more with the Coaches Poll at about #26. Give 'em credit for what they did in Wisconsin but to show up last night with little or no resemblance is evidence they still have a ways to go before deserving a Top 25 ranking.
Jury-Still-Out
Clemson is just hanging on but showing they have the drive to do so - and can.
Georgia is winning and winning handily. But their execution is a bit sloppy and they are just not as crisp as last year. The next few weeks (Vandy, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Auburn) will test them Dawgs.West VA is gaining ground with the voters and rightfully so.
UCF is, too.
Ohio State is not great. Their win over Penn State was due more to a poor defense than a great offense. We'll see...
Others: LSU, Oklahoma, Kentucky
The Contenders
I was not a Notre Dame believer but they seemed to have turned the corner this year and given a favorable schedule they have a chance to really keep the selection committee up at night. With a worthy independent team the committee will have it's hands full deciding which two Power 5 conferences to leave out this year.The Huskies looked very good against a decent BYU defense. Their Week 1 loss may hold them out of the playoff depending on who else has 1-loss.
Bama has and continue sot separate itself. Granted - five wins were against opponents who are currently 12 - 12. They still have yet to be really tested and TA&M showed they can at least be hampered. But I've watched my fair share of football over the years and I have not seen a team as well prepared, conditioned and able to execute as the what I've seen in Bama this year. Will they lose one or could they? Sure - any given Saturday shows u s that. But I'd say it's not likely.