Three-point stance: Vols, unbeatens, picks
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I mentioned earlier in the week I would rank the remaining undefeated teams so
here goes...
1.) Baylor -- Best offense in the country. They haven't played a tough
schedule, but who's going to slow them down?
2.) Ohio State -- No, they haven't been impressive so far, but the Buckeyes have one of the two or three most talented rosters in the country.
3.) Clemson -- I know people don't think the same as I do, but this
could be Florida State 2012 or 2013. This roster is that loaded and a national
championship is possible.
4.) Utah -- I'm not as high on them as everyone else. The Utes have a
good running game and a good defense, but can Travis Wilson keep up his level of play?
5.) TCU -- The defense scares the heck out of me, but the Frogs could
outscore everyone, they are that dynamic. Josh Doctson is A.J. Green-level of unstoppable.
6.) Texas A&M -- Playing Bama is tough and the offense and defensive
lines will be tested. Kyle Allen has the "it" factor.
7.) LSU -- I think the running game is amazing with Leonard Fournette and
Derrius Guice, both former five-stars, but they are
too one-dimensional to be higher.
8.) Michigan State -- They are riddled with injuries and not playing
inspired football, but you know they will bring their A-game for
9.) Florida State -- Dalvin Cook wins the MVP Award if such a thing were given out because there is no one player who is so valuable to his undefeated team, not even Fournette.
10.) Florida -- Before Will Grier's suspension, I might have had them ahead of even LSU, but now they are a question mark and the defense
will need to dominate even more.
11.) Iowa -- I like the fact that Kirk Ferentz has embraced change to his offense and has a dual-threat under center, but can they keep up
athletically?
12.) Temple -- I have the Owls ahead of a Power Five team like Oklahoma
State and non-Power Five darlings like Houston and Memphis. Matt Rhule
is a special coach.
13.) Oklahoma State -- The Pokes have won a couple of games they probably shouldn't have and I worry they could get throttled by Baylor and TCU.
14.) Memphis -- Justin Fuente is one of the hottest coaches in the country for Power Five openings. Can the Tigers upset Ole Miss?
15.) Houston -- The Cougars have a great offensive coach, a dynamic
quarterback and they will be tough to beat. The schedule has a few potential slips ahead.
16.) Toledo -- I'm not buying in as much as everyone else because they
beat an overrated Arkansas, but the team's remaining schedule is easy.
3. Prediction time
I usually reserve my amazing predictions for the weekend games from
my Twitter account on Saturday
mornings, but this week I'll thrill everyone a day early.
Remember, I'm horrible at picking games, especially against the spread, so if I
pick your team, just understand I mean no ill will. I won't go over every game
obviously, just the ones that interest me the most.
Arizona State upsets Utah, LSU handles Florida by double digits,
Michigan beats Michigan State by a field goal, Texas A&M wins outright as a home
dog over Alabama, Ole Miss destroys Memphis, USC upsets Notre
Dame somehow, Iowa falls from the ranks of the undefeated and Georgia rebounds with a win at home.
However, I don't really feel great about A&M or USC, so those programs can breathe a little easier. The others are surefire Farrell locks, sorry!
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director