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SALT LAKE CITY — Nine weeks into the college football season and chaos continues to be the theme of the 2021 season. It's not a bad place to be as a fan of the sport, but no team is safe from an upset — except for Georgia.
The Bulldogs are the undisputed No. 1 and show no signs of abdicating that spot anytime soon. And given Georgia's remaining schedule, there's little to believe they won't go undefeated in the regular season. The biggest roadblock in the way of Georgia's path to the playoff is an SEC championship game, but even that seems unlikely at this point.
Behind the Bulldogs there's starting to be a clearer picture of the best teams in the country, but just a few weeks ago Iowa looked unbeatable — and now look at them. Truthfully, any rankings after No. 15 are a crapshoot and could be switched out with anybody else in those final 10 spaces — and likely some outside of the Top 25, too.
While I considered the "throwing darts at a board" option to fill in the final 10 spots, some effort was made; however, I'd probably agree with you if a compelling argument was made for why X-team shouldn't be ranked there, or why Z-team is above Y-team. I've even changed my ballot several times since starting this article. There's just so much uncertainty that the darts option is looking more compelling for those last 10 spots after all.
Here's a look at some of my picks this week:
- If you didn't watch the Michigan-Michigan State game you missed out on a great game — both teams have made a lot of progress since last season (and beyond that). And though Michigan likely played better for a majority of the game, Michigan State made the right plays at the right time. I moved the Spartans up to No. 6 in my ballot and dropped the Wolverines to No. 9. Both deserve to be in the top 10 — until chaos undoubtedly calls.
- Not much needs to be said, but Texas losing a double-digit lead again? Consider me shocked. Either way, Baylor capitalized and continues to be one of the best teams in the Big 12 this season — and its win over BYU is looking even better this week.
- BYU went from unranked to No. 15 in my ballot this week. I try not to get to reactionary, which is why I didn't rank BYU last week following back-to-back losses. While not a perfect system, I like to see a team win two games before jumping back in — and here we are. And talk about a game to make a statement. BYU now has five wins over Power Five programs and has one of the most dominant running backs in the country. Tyler Allgeier is a special talent and will continue to take BYU far. Maybe a New Year's Six isn't quite out of the picture just yet.
- Houston is up to No. 18 in my ballot this week, though I'm not entirely convinced they should be that high. I inserted the red Cougars into my ballot at No. 25 last week, pushing out BYU, and a win over an undefeated SMU certainly merits a rise in the rankings. But was SMU really that good? The Mustangs' signature win was over TCU, and the Cougars' was over SMU. They're playing good football, but I'm not ready to crown them as a great program yet.
- Pittsburgh losing to Miami has my head spinning. I had a lot of love for what Pitt was doing this season and then Saturday happened. I'm still a little confused. Kenny Pickett threw for 519 yards and three touchdowns and they still lost. I still think the Panthers are a good team, but Miami? For now they hang on at No. 25 in my ballot.
Jumping in: BYU, Fresno State, Minnesota, NC State
Dropping out: Iowa State, Penn State, San Diego State, SMU
In consideration: Nevada, Utah State
If you can't see the ballot below, click here.
