MORE FARRELL: Best and worst from the weekend | Week 11 breakout stars
Our weekly Twitter Tuesday file continues this week where you ask National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell your football questions via social media. Here are four questions, including one about the CFB Playoff picture after a volatile weekend.
Here's how I see it after such a crazy weekend:
1. Alabama – Nick Saban's team is still the best -in the country when it comes to overall balance. The Crimson Tide struggled with Mississippi State but showed they can win the tough games.
2. Oklahoma – The Sooners boast the best offense in the country and a team that can outscore anyone. That Iowa State loss isn’t looking as good as it did a few weeks ago, but this team looks like its peaking.
3. Miami – Do the Hurricanes have the best defense in the country with Alabama shorthanded at linebacker? Maybe. Either way, Miami finally beat a good team and did so convincingly.
4. Clemson – The ACC title game is essentially a CFB Playoff quarterfinal game. I don’t trust Kelly Bryant as much as I do Malik Rosier.
And rounding out my top 10...
5. Auburn – The Iron Bowl is essentially a CFB Playoff elimination game as well. The Tigers can beat anyone and could be the most dangerous team in the country right now.
6. Wisconsin – The Badgers' weak schedule hurts them but if they run the table they should be in when the dust settles.
7. Georgia – The Dawgs still have a chance here in either an epic battle against Alabama or a rematch with Auburn.
8. Ohio State – Can a two-loss Buckeyes team sneak into the playoff? They sure can if they beat Wisconsin, Oklahoma stumbles and the committee doesn’t take two from the same conference.
9. Notre Dame – The Irish are essentially out and so is everyone behind them barring some divine intervention.
10. USC – The Big 12 has one chance and one chance only at the playoff and that’s Oklahoma, so I have USC here ahead of Oklahoma State and TCU. But there’s no way USC gets in.
We definitely could. It would just take the normal amount of late-season craziness to open the door for a two-loss team. Auburn could easily be that team if the Tigers beat Alabama and Georgia. Ohio State could be that team if a few things fall their way.
My assumption is that Clemson and Oklahoma are out with their second loss and Wisconsin is out with one setback. Notre Dame would need some divine intervention as well.
Here's an easy answer: no way. Can you imagine the revolt in Knoxville if the Vols settled for Brady Hoke after his disastrous run at Michigan? Don’t get me wrong, Hoke is a good coach, but there’s no way he's the next Tennessee head coach unless the Vols strike out on about 10 different targets or more. Jon Gruden is the dream, but guys like Dan Mullen, Justin Fuente and others are legitimate targets. Heck, there are plenty of young coaches out there and even coordinators that Tennessee would take ahead of Hoke.
Nebraska will move very fast after that final game against Iowa, but the Huskers should have done it after the Minnesota loss. With Florida and now Tennessee firing coaches, firing Riley after this past weekend would have sent a message to Scott Frost and other candidates that NU is equally serious about change. It wouldn’t give the Huskers much of a head start , but it sends a message that is clear – losing in such an unacceptable manner is not what Nebraska football is about.
LSU could definitely land both, which is not something I would have thought possible a month ago. Anthony Cook now wants to stay closer to home and is apparently torn between LSU and Texas while most feel that LSU is the team to beat for Patrick Surtain.
My prediction is that Texas lands Cook while Surtain ends up at LSU, but it would sure be fun to watch both of them in the same secondary.
