I am a little scared to admit this but the two or three times in the last month I’ve thought about something to write, only to see @Ketchum write it first. I don’t know if I should be more scared that I am starting to think like Ketch or Ketch should be scared that he’s thinking more like me. Either way, we both came to the same conclusion … watching this year’s Texas squad, neither of us sees a team that looks like a national championship contending team. But also like Ketch, I don’t see any other teams that are killing it. That has me shaking some things up in the week 2 College Football Playoff projections.
Oregon and Miami both moved up above Texas just because of how they have looked so far.
I’m not exactly giving Oregon a ton of credit for beating up on Oklahoma State, the Cowboys look like a team that is going to get Mike Gundy fired. That could explain why Gundy, who railed against NIL for players, is now cashing in on commercial opportunities as well. He’s become the proverbial squirrel collecting his nuts before winter.
But I do give Oregon credit for HOW they so completely dismantled the Pokes. Dante Moore, who is third in the country in QB rating (granted, it’s a small sample size), was 16-21 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. I think I believe more in Moore than I do Penn State’s Drew Allar.
Incidentally, I kept Penn State in the CFP projections just because their schedule is not exactly the most daunting in the world but nobody should be shocked if they have enough stumbles along the way and miss out on the CFP.
Meanwhile, Clemson is now completely off the board leaving Miami looking like the most likely ACC champions. Color me as surprised as you to see Carson Beck outperforming Cade Klubnick so far this year. Miami’s October 4th grudge match against Florida State is shaping up to be a doozy!
Speaking of Florida State and quarterback play, Tommy Castellanos is one of the most exciting QB’s in all of college football. His brashness shines in just about everything he does. The Seminoles appear to be taking their cue from him. FSU’s turnaround from last season is noticeable and they are looking more and more like they will be a staple of my CFP projections moving forward.
I predicted Utah to win the Big 12 and I like the way that’s playing out so far. Quarterback Devon Dampier headed west from Albuquerque to Salt Lake City and has continued to excel (he’s 16th in the country in QB rating).
The only other Big 12 team that has looked as impressive so far is Iowa State, who I considered adding into this week’s projection, along with Utah. Instead, I chose to stick with Notre Dame.
I honestly struggled to figure out which teams belonged in the 10th and 11th positions in this latest CFP projection. For now, it’s the Irish and Illini making the cut just because of their high rankings.
I think I may believe in Illinois more than I do Notre Dame, but voting for Bret Bielema team makes me feel icky inside.
Finally, I have no qualms sticking with Navy as the G5 representative. I’m sure many people will be projecting South Florida following the incredible start to their season, and I don’t blame them. But I’m sticking with Heisman Horvath and the Midshipmen.
Go Navy! Beat Army!
