Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
March 29, 2024

Which college football team will lead the league?

By BRANDON WOLFE | September 28, 2017

b11_Bama

MATTHEW TOSH/CC BY-SA 2.0 The Alabama University Crimson Tide is no stranger to the No. 1 college football ranking.

Four weeks into the season, it is hard to say for sure who the favorite is to take home the National Championship, but there are clearly some front-running teams and standout players that have made big impressions early in the season.

With an absolutely dominating performance against SEC rival Vanderbilt University this past week, the Alabama Crimson Tide are early favorites to finish on top, as they have been in years past.

With top 10 finishes every year since 2008 and four National Championships, Head Coach Nick Saban and his team are always an early favorite, as most teams are just working to get a shot at the Tide.

After Alabama’s big victory against third-ranked Florida State in week one, it is hard to argue against their dominance and the consistency of their play.

The one team challenging Alabama is the very team that beat the Tide in last year’s National Championship: the Clemson Tigers.

Head Coach Dabo Swinney and his team have had an impressive run so far this season, defeating the Auburn Tigers and the Louisville Cardinals before this week’s sloppy, albeit convincing, win over the Boston College Eagles.

With a victory against Virginia Tech this week, the Tigers have a good shot to win out a spot in the National Championship once again, as they are favored in every game for the rest of the season.

The Penn State Nittany Lions had a nail-biting game that almost turned into the upset of the week, requiring a last second touchdown pass from quarterback Trace McSorley to defeat the University of Iowa Hawkeyes on the road.

Running back and Heisman contender Saquon Barkley was a monster against the Hawkeyes, putting up video game-like numbers with 211 rushing yards and 94 receiving yards.

Looking ahead, the Nittany Lions face quite a tough schedule the rest of the season, including back-to-back matchups against the University of Michigan and Ohio State in late October.

If Penn State can survive that onslaught, they may just have what it takes to claim the No. 1 ranking. University of Oklahoma remains the team to beat in the Big Twelve Conference, despite struggling this past week against Conference rival Baylor.

With quarterback Baker Mayfield off to a hot start, leading his team to an upset victory against the then-number two Ohio State and initiating a media frenzy after planting his school’s flag in the Buckeyes’ stadium, the Oklahoma Sooners now stand at number four.

Like it is for Penn State, the rest of the road is going to be a test for the Sooners, with the University of Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Christian University and West Virginia University all to come this season.

Meanwhile, the University of Southern California (USC), which leans on the leadership of quarterback Sam Darnold, has had a weak performance considering the many expectations fans had for the team this season.

Although Darnold is perhaps the most highly regarded prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, he has left much to be desired.

After throwing only nine interceptions in 366 pass attempts last year, Darnold has already thrown seven interceptions in just four games this season. The defense, which has been stellar this season, with 10 takeaways in two games, is not to blame for this lackluster performance.

Darnold proved last year how solid of a player he can be, but if he cannot find his groove, it will be tough for the Trojans to keep up with other teams offensively.

Furthermore, the number five-ranked Trojans have Pac-12 foe and number six-ranked University of Washington Huskies to worry about. The Huskies, who have looked sharp so far this season, have a chance to challenge USC and defend their spot atop of the Conference.

The Huskies’ non-conference schedule is going to make it hard to tell just how good they are, and despite their weapons on offense — particularly quarterback Jake Browning, receiver Dante Pettis and tailback Myles Gaskin — this is the same team that whimpered off the field in last year’s the college football playoffs, losing to Alabama 24-7.

Also, we cannot count out Head Coach Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes, one of the few teams that have been able to successfully challenge Alabama, despite an early loss to Oklahoma.

The Big Ten has been very top heavy in terms of teams’ success, and the Buckeyes should cruise for a few games, but they still face Penn State and the University of Michigan at Michigan Stadium.

The University of Georgia Bulldogs had a statement game against SEC foe, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, winning 31-3 However, the Georgia Bulldogs have traditionally had a difficult time managing their success.

With games against Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech still on the horizon, it will be tough for the Georgia Bulldogs to make it to the playoffs.

While the season is still young, some teams are clearly making their presence known and making their intentions of making the college football playoff clear.

The next few weeks will show how well these teams can maintain success, as conference schedules always present a challenge, but expect another raucous and exciting season.


Have a tip or story idea?
Let us know!

Comments powered by Disqus

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.