TAKE TWO: Is Notre Dame a CFB Playoff lock if it goes 12-0?
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with some surprising teams in recruiting, who are the candidates to beat Alabama and predictions for the weekend.
1. FIVE SURPRISING 2019 CLASSES
Taking a look at the 2019 recruiting rankings, a few teams stand out to me as surprises.
1. Texas A&M – Did anyone expect the Aggies to be the No. 2 team in the country in recruiting rankings right now? If they did, they are either a big fan or lying. And even with big numbers (25 commits), Texas A&M has a healthy average star ranking.
2. Oregon – The Ducks at No. 3 are also a big surprise. Usually USC or another Pac-12 is in this lofty range, but the way Mario Cristobal has recruited can’t be ignored. The Ducks' average star ranking is one of the best in the country.
3. Tennessee – The Vols have an average home state when it comes to talent production, but the Vols aren’t even taking advantage of that as Jeremy Pruitt has done a great job heading out-of-state to land a top-10 class.
4. Ole Miss – The Rebels have a lot of commitments (27) and their average star ranking isn’t as elite as others (3.22), but no one would expect Ole Miss to be No. 13 in the country right now with the NCAA sanctions.
5. Arkansas – This is probably the most impressive job of all so far with Arkansas at No. 14 in the country, rarified air for the Hawgs. The average star ranking is strong and they still have more room. Impressive job by Chad Morris.
2. ANY GIVEN SATURDAY
Alabama rules. The Crimson Tide are, by far, the best team in the country. But a number of teams could make a case that they could defeat them in one game. Here are my top choices, and the fun thing about this list is Bama will play LSU during the regular season, should play Georgia in the SEC championship game and then likely play two others on the list in the playoff:
Ohio State – Even with the injuries, Ohio State would fare the best against Alabama. The Buckeyes have shown the ability to come back in a huge game, quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been elite and they can run and throw the ball. Can the defense hold up? That’s the question for everyone on this list. I still think they’d lose by 10 points, however.
Georgia – The Dawgs have a solid defense, can run the ball and quarterback Jake Fromm is a leader, but I worry a bit about the passing game against Alabama if they fall behind. Alabama would win by a couple of touchdowns.
Oklahoma – The Sooners' high-powered offense could lead to a shootout, but I don’t see this OU defense stopping Alabama at all. Alabama would win by 20 or more points and put up over 50.
Clemson – The Clemson defense is very strong and could keep Alabama in check, but the Tigers' offense would struggle. Alabama would stuff the run, putting the pressure on a true freshman to keep things close. Clemson would lose by around 20 as well right now.
LSU – LSU has the best resume but the Tigers' offense would get swallowed up. They don’t have the speed in the running game to be effective and Joe Burrow's accuracy issues would be a real problem. We will see this one played and I think Alabama routs them.
Notre Dame – Notre Dame is good on defense and could hold on for a little bit but the Fighting Irish's offense would struggle a lot and eventually Alabama would overwhelm them. Alabama by nearly 30 here.
3. PREDICTION TIME
Its prediction time!. Here are the games this weekend that intrigue me the most:
Texas vs. Oklahoma – I have Oklahoma winning this one by a couple of touchdowns. The Sooners' offense will be just too much for Texas to handle.
Maryland at Michigan – Maryland has been a surprise and Michigan just had trouble with Northwestern, but Michigan wins this one in a big way. I’m thinking three touchdowns.
Boston College at NC State – I’m taking Boston College in an upset as long as AJ Dillon is healthy. If not, NC State wins easily. But if Dillon is healthy, I’m looking for NC State to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten.
LSU at Florida – The Gators have a real chance here, so watch out LSU. The home field advantage will be key and how the Florida offense does against a very talented LSU defense will be important. That being said, I think LSU wins by a field goal.
Arizona State at Colorado – Colorado keeps on trucking with another win over a pretty good opponent here. I like the Buffs by 10.
Kentucky at Texas A&M – The undefeated season ends for Kentucky as A&M edges them out by six points. The home field advantage and the Aggies' passing game comes alive to aid in the victory.
Auburn at Mississippi State – Auburn finally puts it together on offense in the passing game and the run game and routs Mississippi State.
Notre Dame at Virginia Tech – The Hokies are tough, especially on defense at times, but the Fighting Irish wins another one with ease. Look for a 10-point win at least.
