College Football Top 25- Week 6

Another week, another successful prediction for the Saloon. Cincinnati firmly planted itself in College Football Playoff contention after beating an extremely overrated Notre Dame team. While we have seen multiple undefeated Group of 5 teams snubbed from the top 4 at the end of the season, none of them have had as big of a win as the Bearcats had on the road in South Bend. While Cincinnati is still behind Iowa and Penn State for now, one of those two has to lose this weekend when they meet in Iowa City. If Cincinnati can handle its business against Temple, they will be a top 4 team next week.

If you have been following along with the blog, you will see that there is a lot of change every week between numbers 15-25. That is why this season has been so great, there is just so much turnover in the top 25. Team between 1-14 are the ones we need to look into. These are real teams that have a chance.

One team that has quickly risen over the last couple of weeks has been Michigan. Everybody has been suspicious of the Wolverines, which is understandable given how disappointing this team has been in Harbaugh’s tenure. However, there is something different here in Ann Arbor. Running back Blake Corum is one of the most underrated players in the country, and while QB Cade McNamara doesn’t light up the box score, he has yet to turn the ball over this season. This is an offense that will shred you on the ground just enough for you to load the box and forget about the pass. The Wolverines have a plethora of speedy receivers that can burn you in man coverage and pick up big yardage when needed. On defense, this team is suffocating. Aidan Hutchinson is looking like the best defender in the nation, and often breaks through his double team to get pressure on the quarterback. New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald mixes up his looks extremely well and loves to use stud DB Dax Hill in his blitz packages. I was waiting to put Michigan over Ohio State until they proved themselves with a big win, and they did so in Madison against the Badgers. Don’t make the mistake of underrating this Michigan team, they are legit.

This Penn State Iowa matchup is going to be one for the ages, as both these teams are fighting for their seasons. With the disappointment of the Big Ten West, Iowa doesn’t have as much to lose as Penn State, as they can afford a loss and still likely end up in the Big Ten Championship. However, this is massive for the College Football Playoff. The team that wins this has the 3rd spot in the CFP secured if they can win out. Jahan Dotson is the best receiver Iowa has faced, but I think they’ll be ready for them. I think between the hostile Iowa atmosphere and this tough defense, Penn State QB Sean Clifford will be uncomfortable and make enough mistakes to give Iowa great field position and the win. James Franklin will lose out on the CFP this year, making it even more likely he leaves for the USC job after this season.

The Red River Rivalry returns with both Oklahoma and Texas in the top 25. Texas did not expect to be 4-1 heading into this game, but their season is far from over. They dropped one game to a good Arkansas squad, but if they can beat the Sooners and #14 Oklahoma State en route to a 1 loss Big 12 Championship, they have a shot, albeit small. Oklahoma has won all but one game by a single possession, and they just seem out of sorts. The biggest matchup that will decide this game is Oklahoma’s rush defense against Texas RB Bijan Robinson. The Sooners have the 7th best rush defense in the nation, but Robinson is 2nd in rushing yards per game with an average of 130.4 so far this season. If Robinson is able to rush at will against this defense, Texas will escape with a home win. If not, it’ll be up to Rattler and the Oklahoma offense to take advantage of their opportunities. I am not convinced he will be able to do that in such a hostile environment, so I’ll take the Longhorns in this one.

There aren’t any other real upsets I can see on this board, except perhaps Rutgers over Michigan State. I think the Spartans are a pretty good team, but their offense is a slightly worse version of Michigan’s, a team Rutgers played extremely well two weeks ago. They love to run the ball with Kenneth Walker III, who currently leads the nation in rushing yards, but I’m not completely convinced they have the passing game to compliment him. Payton Thorne has looked good, but he also has not played a defense as good as Rutgers. Scarlet Knights Head Coach Greg Schiano is desperate for a program-changing win, and his team knows they can get the job done against this kind of offense. I think the Spartans are on upset alert this week.

That’s all for this week folks! Could be a lot of shake up in this list as we head into the second half of the season, so be sure to watch tomorrow and sign up for my email newsletter for next week's rankings!