The star power woulꦉd be off the charts. It would be a ratings bonanza. With four weeks left in the regular season, the College Football Playoff is coming into fo♏cus, and the potential teams are eye-popping.
A💫s of now, with few obstacles in their way, a foursome of Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Notre Dame is very realistic, juggernauts and national brands that would actually bring a much-needed different flavor to the semifinals.
You would get the defending national champion in Alabama and the likely Heisman Trophy winner, Tua Tagovailoa. There would be the team with the best chance to knock off the Crimson Tide: Clemson, its wunderkind freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a defens🔜💧ive line full of NFL prospects. It’s the game everyone wants to see, a fourth meeting between the last two champs in the playoff in the last four years.
Then there would be the popular underdogs — Michigan and Notre Dame — two teams few predicted to get to this point. It would mean Jim Harbaugh ♐finally breaking through at Michigan, and Notre Dame, who everyone either loves or loves to hate, also reaching the playoff for the first time.
That’s not to say it’s a lock. Only undefeated Alabama, which some believe is making the argument to be included in greatest-team-ever debates, could probably afford a loss at this point out of these four teams. Notre Dame still has🌜 to face 13th-ranked Syracuse at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 17. Clemson visits No. 17 Boston College on Saturday. Michigan travels to Columbus for The Game ag🍎ainst bitter rival Ohio State, ranked eighth, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
But based on what we’ve seen this year, these are the four best teams, especially after what we witnessed on Saturday, when Alabama throttled LSU, Michigan manhandled Penn🧸 State and Notre Dame won going away at Northwestern. Michigan’s only loss was a seven-point setback at Notre Dame, and it has overwhelmed quality opponents Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State. Clemson is in another stratosphere from the rest of the ACC. And the Irish have that win over Michigan, their offense has become consistently productive since junior Ian Book became the quarterback in Week 3, and they can boast one of the best defenses in the country.
The dream scenario is very much in play. At this point, it seems likely. The C🌳ollege Football Playoff powers that be have to be salivating.
Rising Tide
A lot has changed for Alabama, but so much hasn’t. The pass-happy offense has become the premier unit in the sporꦅt, which is unique for Nick Saban. But the constant since he arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007 — a dominant defense — remains, too. That has been forgotten amid the Tua hysteria. Saturday night was a reminder of what still powers the Crimson Tide.
LSU held Alabama 22 points under its average and still had no chance. It was held to 12 rushing yards, the Tigers’ worst production since 1999. The nation’s fourth-ranked team at the time, which had scored 36 points against No. 5 Georgia, was held to 196 total yards and gave up five sacks. Alabama has the highest-scoring offense in the🎃 country. But it a✅lso has the 11th-ranked defense, too. That’s somehow been overlooked.
Pac it in
The Pac-12’s forgettable season continued Saturday with more underwhelming results. The league has been out of the playoff mix for a while, so ꦆthis is just more bad optics for a conference that can’t afford any.
It had only two teams — Washington State and Utah — ranked in the first week of the ▨College Football Playoff poll, and that will be sliced in half on Tuesday after the Utes were manhandled by Arizona State. Washington State, meanwhile, was fortunate to squeak by California. The Pac-12 South has to be the worst power conference division in the sport, with four mediocre three-loss teams — Utah, USC, Arizona and Arizona State — battling it out.
Top 10
1. Alabama (9-0) (Last week: 1)
This was supposed to be a challenge? Against LSU in a raucous environment at Tiger Stadium, Alabama oꦰutgained its SEC foe 576-196, and cruised to a 29-0 rout that 𓄧wasn’t even that close.
2. Clemson (9-0) (2)
Intrasquad scrimmages would be more useful for Clemson than these ACC contests. It has defeated its past four league opponents by an astounding 240💟-36.
3. Notre Dame (9-0) (3)
Ian Book’s storybook season, from backup to leader of an undefeated team, continued on Saturday when he threw for a career-high 343 yards and scored three touch𒆙downs in a t꧟ough road win at Northwestern.
4. Michigan (8-1) (5)
ꦇ
It’s all coming up maize and blue. Michigan got back stalwarts Rashan Gary and Tarik Bla🧸ck for Saturday’s 42-7 obliteration of Penn State and is clearly one of the best four teams in the country.
5. Georgia (8-1) (6)
Georgia has its swagger back after consecut෴ive dominant wins over SEC East contenders Florida and Kentucky, lockin♔g up a second straight division crown.
6. LSU (7-2) (4)
The defense did its job, limiting Alabama to 29 points, 22 points below its season average. Unfortuna🌊tely, the pop-gun offense produced even less than expected ♑— limited to 12 rushing yards, LSU’s lowest output since 1999.
7. Oklahoma (8-1) (8)
Oklahoma and West Virginia seem destinedꦅ to determine the Big 12 champion Nov. 23 in Morgantown. Advice: Take the over. The 🦹two teams each won Saturday despite allowing a combined 87 points.
8. Ohio State (8-1) (7)
Woeful Nebraska and its 2-7 record nearly left Ohio Stadium victorious after piling up 450 total yar🎉ds. The bye week did nothing to solve Ohio State’s ma𒁏ny problems.
9. Central Florida (8-0) (10)
The nation’s longest winning streak is now at 21, but the Knights will need to win more emphatically than Thursday’s 52-40 victory over Temple to really grab the playoff committee’s attention.
10. West Virginia (7-1) (NR)
Dana Holgorsen coached to win and was rewarded with a dramatic 42-41 victory over Texas after going for two rather than settling for overtime. Kudos.
Dropped out: Kentucky (7-2)
Heisman Watch
(in order of expected finish)
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Se⭕nd in your ballots — the race is over. Tagovailoa was dominant against LSU, producing 354 total yards and three touchdowns against one of thꦅe nation’s premier defenses.
QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
The clear No. 2 behind Tagovailoa, Murray added to his remarkable season by rushing for 100 yards for the first time this year, to go along with his sixth 300-yard passing performance 💛in a shootout win over Texas Tech.
QB Will Grier, West Virginia
Grier has put together back-to-back brilliant performances, capped by his game-winning two-point conversion run Saturday against Texas, to keep West Virginia in the hunt for its first Big 12 crown꧋.
QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
As the Buckeyes fade, so has Haskins, who has now thrown picks in four of his last five games.
QB McKenzie Milton, Central Florida
Shaking off an ankle injury, Milton’s hopes for a trip to New York City ar▨e alive, after notching four touchdowns and 312 yards through the air in a win over Temple