Posted on November 24, 2020
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1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Notre Dame (8-0)
3. Ohio State (4-0)
4. Clemson (7-1)
5. Texas A&M (5-1)
6. Florida (6-1)
7. Oregon (3-0)
I dropped the Ducks below the top one-loss SEC teams because of their struggles against UCLA with a backup quarterback and a lot of other missing players. The Ducks got to 3-0, which is nothing to dismiss in this wild and crazy season, but their defense has looked concerning in every game and they got a freak mistake play from an opponent just before the end of the first half again that may have made the difference in the game for the second straight week.
I still really like how they look on offense with Tyler Shough and that’s going to be huge for them in a season where so many games are going to be shootouts. They don’t look like a legit CFP right now, though.
8. Northwestern (5-0)
9. Cincinnati (8-0)
10. Indiana (4-1)
11. Miami (7-1)
12. BYU (9-0)
13. Georgia (5-2)
14. Iowa State (6-2)
15. Oklahoma (6-2)
16. USC (3-0)
The Trojans finally looked good, dismissing Utah in their first game on the road somewhat easily. Putting up 33 on Utah’s defense on the road in any year lately is a big statement as is holding them to 17 after USC’s defense struggled in recent weeks. The Trojans looked a lot more like the team I thought they could be going into the season, and that’s great news for them as they head into the home stretch of this short season.
17. Washington (2-0)
Washington beat Arizona in every facet of the game, in as convincing of a way as possible, one week after the Wildcats should have beaten USC. To me, that’s more than enough to push the Huskies up right with USC and into the mix of the Top 25. Most promising was how successful Washington’s offense was rushing and passing with new quarterback Dylan Morris.
18. Arizona State (0-1)
Arizona State missed their game against Cal which now looks like it could have been a golden opportunity to get a big win, given how Cal looked against UCLA. The Sun Devils’ next game has now been moved to Sunday, and there’s a chance it may be canceled as well, with ASU still dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. It’s really a question of how many games they can get in this year.
19. Texas (5-2)
20. Auburn (5-2)
21. Oklahoma St (5-2)
22. Wisconsin (2-1)
23. North Carolina (6-2)
24. Marshall (7-0)
25. Colorado (2-0)
Colorado’s win over UCLA looks better now since the depleted Bruins almost took down Oregon in Eugene. The Buffs looked great on offense in two games and are right in the thick of the South race as they had a week off to prepare for USC this week. Don’t sleep on the Buffs. All they have to do is steal a win over the Trojans this weekend to command the South.
On The Edge: UCLA, Coastal Carolina, Tulsa, Washington State, North Carolina State
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