Fact or Fiction: Wake Forest would beat quality teams ranked behind it
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. Michigan will finish with four losses.
Farrell's Take: FICTION. But it could be close. Michigan has Penn State (away) and Ohio State left on the schedule and those are two very likely losses in my book but there are some others tests as well. Indiana has been a massive disappointment this season but still dangerous. If I were a Michigan fan I’d also worry about that game against Maryland as the Terps are feisty when they get hot. Imagine how a 7-0 start and a 1-4 finish for Jim Harbaugh would impact the Wolverines' offseason?
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2. Wake Forest would beat the quality teams ranked behind it.
Farrell's Take: FICTION. Wake Forest is 8-0 and ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25, ahead of Auburn, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Baylor. But would the Demon Deacons beat most of them? Likely not. Those teams all have quality wins over quality teams, especially A&M over Alabama. Wake’s best win? A 6-3 Virginia team? A 5-4 Syracuse team?
I am a big fan of Dave Clawson and the job he’s done at Wake Forest. He’s in line for a bigger job, but Wake has one of the worst top-10 resumes I’ve ever seen at this stage of a season.
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3. Kenneth Walker III should be the Heisman leader.
Farrell's Take: FACT. Quarterbacks are great and we expect them to win games. They touch the ball every offensive play and impact a football game more than anyone arguably in any team sport. So that’s what makes what Kenneth Walker III is doing all the more impressive.
He’s reminding me of Derrick Henry in 2015 as Henry carried that Alabama team as a running back all season. Walker has been doing the same for Michigan State this season and he’s not nearly as physically dominant.
I don’t think Michigan State will win it all this season, but give me Walker over anyone – including quarterbacks – in the Heisman race right now.