Let’s start out with “The Game:” Michigan vs Ohio State. Michigan dominated with a 45-23 victory at Ohio State. This was due to OSU’s terrible defense and their lack of adjustments. The Buckeyes looked as if the pressure was too much for them. They made numerous unforced errors and committed 9 penalties for 91 yards, including some costly pass interferences. Michigan’s dominant 22 point victory solidifies their place in the College Football Playoff (CFP) and gives them a sound argument for being the number 1 team in the country. 

The last undefeated team left is TCU, who I am skeptical about. They played a weak schedule and needed late game magic to come back against mediocre teams. Their best win was against 17th (at the time) Kansas State (who they will play again for the Big 12 Championship) when they had to come back down 18 in the 2nd quarter and 11 at the half, but Kansas State had lost their starting QB early in the game. TCU will be in with a win, but there is a chance they will get knocked out with a loss. 

USC will rematch Utah (their only loss) for the PAC 12 championship after beating 15th Notre Dame. With a win they will get into the CFP, but with a loss they will likely be left out. 

Then there is Alabama. Alabama’s 2 losses were on the road in some of the most hostile environments in college football: Tennessee and LSU. The eye test tells me that Alabama was clearly the better team in both of those games. Bryce Young was just coming back from injury against Tennessee, where they were rusty in the first half but dominated the 3rd quarter to storm right back. The refs also made a lot of questionable calls, mostly against Alabama. The worst of them was a pass interference call on Malachi Moore, who tipped the ball to Kool-Aid McKinstry on 4th and 5 with 4 minutes left, up 49-42. Alabama would then miss a game winning field goal and allow Tennessee to kick a game winning field goal of their own as time expired. As for LSU, they lost in overtime when the Tigers went for 2 and converted it. 

5th ranked LSU is out of playoff contention after getting dominated by Texas A&M 38-23, 8th Clemson is out after losing to South Carolina 31-30, and 10th Tennessee should be eliminated after getting destroyed 63-38 against South Carolina. Alabama would likely need either TCU or USC to lose to sneak in, and Ohio State would likely need TCU AND USC to lose for a shot.

Heisman Watch:

First of all, Bryce Young is the best player in college football and it’s not that close. The only reason why he won’t win his 2nd Heisman is because he missed one and a half games. In my eyes, that only leaves 2 candidates: CJ Stroud and Caleb Williams. I would give it to CJ Stroud. He’s played better defenses, been more accurate, has more Touchdowns, and has thrown for only 372 less yards than Williams on 52 less attempts, not to mention his higher QB rating. Caleb Williams plays in a pass heavy system, and because USC’s defense is porous, they find themselves in high scoring shootouts which pad his numbers. The eye test tells me that CJ Stroud is a better player.