Fact or Fiction: Ole Miss can challenge Alabama
In today’s Fact or Fiction national columnist Mike Farrell looks at three big recent topics in college football and decides whether each statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
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1. Ole Miss can challenge Alabama.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I liked how Ole Miss looked against Louisville, and I’m a big fan of Matt Corral and his talent, but I don’t think the Rebels can hang with Alabama. There are some issues on defense that I just can’t see being fixed for the Rebels to hang in a high-scoring game with that Alabama offense.
The way the running game looks - and how mature Bryce Young looks - I feel that the Tide offense will carve up Ole Miss.
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2. Clemson should be lower than No. 6 in AP poll.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I don’t see how a Clemson team that looked so inept on offense and had zero solution for a Georgia defense can drop only down to No. 6 in the latest poll. The Tigers are the only 0-1 team in the top 10, and there is no way they should be ahead of Iowa and Penn State, which won big conference games against ranked opponents.
This is the problem of preseason and early-season polls. Wait until week six to figure out who should be where.
3. We are giving too much credit to UCLA.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. LSU didn’t look good. I get that. And maybe we are expecting too much of the Tigers, and perhaps Ed Orgeron is the reincarnation of Gene Chizik, but that topic is for another time. Throw away the negatives about LSU and focus on UCLA as a team, especially on offense.
The Bruins appear to have one of the best offensive lines in the country, they have numerous weapons in the passing game and the running backs are fast and elusive. And Dorian Thompson-Robinson appears amazingly poised and confident in this Chip Kelly system. To say the Bruins are the best team in the Pac-12 is not a stretch at all. They are a legit playoff contender.