This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
It's strange, for as much carnage as we've seen this season, you'd think there would be only a handful of undefeated teams remaining, but there are actually more than a few remaining without a blemish on their record. While some may scoff at the notion that all have a chance to make the playoff, I'd suggest that any of them could find their way into the mix. Let's take a quick look at who's left:
Ohio State: While the Buckeyes have underwhelmed for the most part this season, they know that there are only a couple hurdles in their way, and simply beating the dregs of the Big Ten is enough for now.
TCU: The Horned Frogs survived by the skin of their collective teeth last week at Kansas State, but they are in a similar position to Ohio State -- just win, style points don't matter.
Baylor: The Bears have been more impressive than TCU, but it really doesn't matter. All that matters is who wins when they face each other next month.
Michigan State: All of the sudden the Spartans have two big hurdles on their schedule, one they expected in OSU and one they didn't in Michigan.
Utah: The Utes have been very impressive this year, but it's obvious that the Pac-12 is down this year. They will likely need an undefeated season to crack the top 4.
Clemson: It's hard to get past the fact that this is Clemson, and the Tigers have a way of
It's strange, for as much carnage as we've seen this season, you'd think there would be only a handful of undefeated teams remaining, but there are actually more than a few remaining without a blemish on their record. While some may scoff at the notion that all have a chance to make the playoff, I'd suggest that any of them could find their way into the mix. Let's take a quick look at who's left:
Ohio State: While the Buckeyes have underwhelmed for the most part this season, they know that there are only a couple hurdles in their way, and simply beating the dregs of the Big Ten is enough for now.
TCU: The Horned Frogs survived by the skin of their collective teeth last week at Kansas State, but they are in a similar position to Ohio State -- just win, style points don't matter.
Baylor: The Bears have been more impressive than TCU, but it really doesn't matter. All that matters is who wins when they face each other next month.
Michigan State: All of the sudden the Spartans have two big hurdles on their schedule, one they expected in OSU and one they didn't in Michigan.
Utah: The Utes have been very impressive this year, but it's obvious that the Pac-12 is down this year. They will likely need an undefeated season to crack the top 4.
Clemson: It's hard to get past the fact that this is Clemson, and the Tigers have a way of letting up at the worst moment.
LSU: LSU puts a lot of onus on its all-everything RB Leonard Fournette, but it will need some support from the passing game to get through the SEC season unscathed.
Florida: The biggest surprise of the season to date. The Gators have looked very impressive, but may not be ready for such a big leap this quickly.
Florida State: FSU appears to be figuring some things out after a rough start to the season. Could be dangerous as the season progresses.
Oklahoma State: Not being taken seriously at the moment. Will need to win a few more games to get noticed.
Iowa: See Oklahoma State. The Hawkeyes have a decent chance to make it to the Big Ten Championship undefeated.
As you noticed already, I am not on this list. Of course I did not expect to be undefeated at this point in the season, but I surely expected to have a better winning percentage. It is what it is, though. I'll continue to trudge on in the hopes that the peaks are just around the corner.
As always, I'll tweet any insights I come up with post-article each week. You can follow me at @gregvara.
CREAM OF THE CROP: (Week: 0-4; Season: 8-11)
Thursday
UCLA at Stanford: After their ugly loss to ASU last week, it's time to look back at the Bruins' resume. And a closer look reveals a fairly unimpressive start to the season. What looked like a strong win against BYU doesn't look so hot now, and Arizona isn't the team we thought it was either. Stanford, on the other hand, has looked solid since its opening-week loss at Northwestern. Stanford looks like one of a few teams that can be counted on each week from the Pac-12.
Side: Stanford -6
Saturday:
Iowa at Northwestern: The Minnesota game last week is a perfect example of how a game can get out of hand and go over the total, even though it had no business doing so. Unlike that game, however, this game features two teams that play defense, not just one. Northwestern is looking to rebound off a poor performance last week against Michigan, and you can bet the defense will lead the way.
Total: Under 41
Texas Tech at Kansas: After last week's effort against Iowa State, it's painfully obvious that Texas Tech has no interest in playing defense this season. That, or the Red Raiders are just that inept. All they want to do is put up points on offense and let the chips fall where they may on defense, which more often than not, is in their own end zone. Kansas has little to offer in the way of offense in this game, but it just doesn't matter. Texas Tech will score around 60 and Kansas just needs to hit paydirt a couple times.
Total: Over 76.5
Alabama at Texas A&M: The loss to Mississippi combined with a sluggish performance against Arkansas last week has given the impression to the public that this Alabama squad is not to be taken seriously this year, but that would be a mistake for any team lining up against the Tide. While they've had a couple lowlights this season, they've also had a couple strong showings. On the other hand, what have the Aggies done to deserve respect this year? Oh, they beat ASU and Mississippi State. I'm not sold that this Aggies team can hang with an Alabama team that got its butt chewed out all week at practice.
Side: Alabama -4
BEST OF THE REST (Week: 1-2; Season: 5-11)
Thursday
Auburn at Kentucky: This isn't the Auburn squad we've become accustomed to the last decade. This Auburn team has yet to win an SEC game and has struggled to beat Louisville and Jacksonville State. Kentucky is no powerhouse, but the Wildcats smell blood and this might be their best chance to knock off the Tigers for a long while.
Side: Kentucky +2
Western Kentucky at North Texas: After a sluggish start, the Hilltoppers are starting to hit their stride and the impressive thing is, they are playing defense this year. North Texas is not familiar with this word. WKU puts up at least 50 in this game and wins with ease.
Side: WKU -33
Saturday
Nebraska at Minnesota: I'm not ready to accept that last week's performance at Purdue was legit. Minnesota continues to struggle passing the ball and, unfortunately, that's Nebraska's main weakness on defense.
Total: Under 46.5
PASSing THOUGHTS (Week: 1-2; Season: 4-9)
Saturday
Boston College at Clemson: BC simply can't score. The Eagles have amassed a whopping 24 points in their last four games. For the non-math majors, that's six points a game. Clemson seems determined not to slip up against lesser competition this season, and this is a spot where the Tigers normally would let up, but not these Tigers.
Side: Clemson -15.5
Purdue at Wisconsin: A huge win last week at Nebraska may have turned the Badgers season around, and I expect a solid effort from the them this week. Purdue, meanwhile, is just lost. The Boilermakers looked awful last week against a beatable Gophers team, and I wouldn't be surprised if they laid down early in this contest.
Side: Wisconsin -23.5
Oklahoma at Kansas State: Perhaps the Sooners were exposed last week, or perhaps they ran up against a team that put an entire season's-worth of effort into winning that game. I'll give the Sooners the benefit of doubt that they were up against it last week and it was a one-week fluke. Kansas State, on the other hand, played very well last week, but the way the Wildcats lost may have an effect on their performance this week.
Side: Oklahoma -4
Michigan State at Michigan: This line is one of the more surprising lines that I've ever seen. So much so that I actually checked a second source to make sure I was seeing it right. That said, it could be a huge trap or perhaps I'm underestimating the way these two teams have played this season and putting too much on preseason expectations. Whatever the case, I can't pass up over a TD in this game that should be tight.
Side: MSU +8.5
