Well that went by fast! We are quickly approaching week 8 of the 2017 college football season. So, what have we learned? Alabama is still the best team in the country. Kenny Trill and the Horned Frogs are doing big things in Fort Worth and Bryce Love would be the Heisman front-runner if the voters stayed up to watch the PAC-12 games. Those are just a few of the headlines of the first half of the 2017 college football season. Below is my mid-season Top 25 with a brief analysis.
1. Alabama – Jalen Hurts and the Tide are rolling. This team is not unbeatable, though. Look for a close game against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
2. Georgia – The Bulldogs have a solid road win over Notre Dame and have crushed everyone else they have faced since. The defense looks strong and Kirby Smart has the offense rolling, too.
3. TCU – The Horned Frogs have quality wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia. The Big 12 is top heavy, though. The conference title will come down to TCU and Oklahoma.
4. Penn State – Heisman frontrunner Saquon Barkley is having a monster season, but it’s the defense that has been a difference maker. They’ll be tested in the next couple weeks, though.
5. Clemson – The loss to Syracuse was a bit baffling, but this team has the talent to return to the CFP. If Kelly Bryant is sidelined long-term, the Tigers could drop another close game.
6. Wisconsin – The Badgers have won every game thus far against lesser competition. The true test will come on November 18th when they face Michigan.
7. Ohio State – The Buckeyes have the talent to win the Big 10. Even though J.T. Barrett has yet to impress me in his fifth season in Columbus. The defense will need to carry this team.
8. Washington – A shocking loss to Arizona State may have cost the Huskies a shot at their return bid to the CFP. Jake Browning and Chris Pederson are too good to give up on, though.
9. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys offense is prolific. A home loss to TCU looks better and better each week, but there is no more room for error out of this team.
10. Oklahoma – The Sooners looked indestructible until the mighty Cyclones of Iowa State came to Norman. Bedlam on November 4th will essentially be a playoff elimination game.
11. Miami – There is a lot of hype around the Hurricanes, but I am not sold just yet. Their schedule has been fairly weak up to this point and they’ve pulled out a couple close wins. We’ll see if they can maintain this pace.
12. Virginia Tech – The Hokies are getting better each week. Besides being outclassed by Clemson early on in the season, this team has a high ceiling.
13. Southern Cal – Sam Darnold has not lived up to the hype this season. He turns the ball over at a high rate and almost saw the Trojans fall to Utah at home a week ago.
14. NC State – The Wolfpack have overcome their season opening loss to South Carolina by beating Florida State and Louisville. The November 4th date with Clemson will be a must win for Nyheim Hines and the Pack.
15. Notre Dame – A close home loss to UGA is the only blemish on the Irish’s record. I like them at home against USC this week.
16. South Florida – The Bulls have continued to win big with each passing week, but the schedule does not have any challenges, which hinder their ranking.
17. Washington State – Mike Leach had Wazzou rolling until an ugly trip to Cal. The Bears steamrolled the Luke Falk and the Cougars, who turned the ball over seven times.
18. Stanford – Back to back losses to USC and SDSU ruined any chance of spoiling the CFP for the Cardinal. Bryce Love is worth staying up late to watch, though.
19. West Virginia – Will Grier and David Sills have been a really good combination. Two losses to top 15 teams don’t look bad, but the Mountaineers need to prove they can win big games.
20. Michigan – The offense has certainly taken a step back with the injury to Wilton Speight. Don’t count out Jim Harbaugh to make some noise before the season is over.
21. Kentucky – The Wildcats are looking like the top challenger to Georgia in the SEC East. That close loss to Florida looks worse and worse each week.
22. San Diego State – A big win over Stanford allowed the Aztecs to gain some momentum, but that was quickly halted by the Broncos of Boise State.
23. Texas A&M – Kellen Mond is a really good quarterback. I think he may have saved Kevin Sumlin’s job and will continue to get better as the season progresses.
24. Auburn – I had high hopes for the Tigers this season. Jarrett Stidham was going to be the answer for Gus Malzahn’s offense. Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
25. Utah – The Utes have looked really solid. I loved Kyle Whittingham’s decision to go for the win against USC with the two point conversion attempt, even though it failed.
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