By: Brock Vierra

This recent week of college football was what I labeled as chin check time. Multiple Top 25 matchups, the opening weekend for conference play for many teams throughout the country, and for those less fortunate, many National Championship dreams were ended this week. I’m looking at you Clemson. This week was the hardest to rank because of the plethora of 4-0 and 3-1 teams throughout the country. I decided to drop LSU and Ole Miss due to their poor performances last week as I couldn’t put them over Missouri and Kentucky who are undefeated. However don’t worry, they’re still in the thick of the National Title picture and they will have their opportunity to get into the playoff.

Last week, UCLA, Oregon State, Colorado, and Iowa were in the Top 25. They were dropped due to their losses. We welcome newcomers Georgia State, Louisville, Maryland, and Kentucky while welcoming back Fresno State. All love for these undefeated programs. North Carolina and Washington State continue to make a rapid climb behind stellar QB play and their underrated defenses. Just missing the cut this week are Rutgers, Memphis, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Colorado, Wisconsin, Liberty, Ohio, Air Force, and Oregon State.

1. Georgia. They played UAB and won big. Next!
2. Michigan. Jim Harbaugh is back and so are slow first-half starts. However, Blake Corum was on fire as the Wolverines cruised to a dominant second-half performance and victory.
3. Texas. 1-0 in conference play after dismantling Baylor, the Longhorns have a straightforward path to the CFP but an annual appearance at the Cotton Bowl against OU in a few weeks should give us a proper evaluation of Sark and his high-flying squad. Jonathon Brooks is doing a fantastic job, carrying on the tradition of excellent Texas running backs.
4. Florida State. The Seminoles passed their chin check behind a hard-hitting defense. Their second-half offensive woes are a bit concerning but count on Keon Coleman when the going gets tough. Jordan Travis proves once again why he’s in the Heisman conversation.
5. Washington. The best offense in the nation didn’t even get a chance to step on the field before the Huskies were up 14-0 against Cal. A pick-six and a punt return TD sank the Golden Bears before Michael Penix Jr and the best WR room in the country added insult to injury behind a 45-point first-half performance. They get the big boost this week.
6. Ohio State. A game that was decided by the last play, the Fighting Irish lost the game more than the Buckeyes won it. However, Ohio State still got the job done and they put a Top 10 win under their belt as they pulled out a gritty win in South Bend. Is it finally TreVeyon Henderson season? His big performance gives me hope that Ohio State is much better than what the media portrays it to be.
7. USC. The Trojans struggled against an Arizona State team that is in a major transition period. Yes, Drew Pyne got the start, giving the Sun Devils a veteran presence but considering their previous season high point total was 24 against Southern Utah, the Trojans giving up 28 points highlights the major concerns that continue to plague this USC defense. Arizona State lost to Fresno State at home 29-0 which means that USC has a mid-level Group of 5 defense that can’t stop the run. However, a win is a win but USC falls anyway.
8. Penn State. A shutout on whiteout, the Nittany Lions push back Brian Ferentz’ drive to 25 (points per game). They looked complete in all facets of the game and their roster continues to excite NFL general managers.
9. Oregon. They took care of business, blowing out Colorado. Bo Nix was like their rushing attack, unstoppable as Dan Lanning continues to show why he is one of the more exciting young coaches in college football.
10. Notre Dame. Winners aren’t built overnight and the youthful errors of a young head coach shined brightly for all of America to see. They generated no offense in the first half, weren’t physically dominant as expected, and having only 10 men on the field twice during Ohio State’s last two plays shows that the Irish weren’t ready…yet. With USC still on the horizon, the CFP is a possibility but with Clemson failing to beat FSU and remaining unranked, their anticipated matchup with the Tigers won’t be as beneficial as previously suggested.

11-25:

11. Utah

12. North Carolina

13. Alabama

14. Oklahoma

15. Duke

16. Miami

17. Washington State

18. Missouri

19. Kansas

20. Syracuse

21. Fresno State

22. Kentucky

23. Maryland

24. Louisville

25. Georgia State

For more CFP content, check out Team NBS Media’s Sunday morning recap show, The Last Word.