Though it’s hard to believe, a month has already come and gone in college football. And with Notre Dame at 2-2, many Irish fans have already started to fervently watch other top-ranking teams and games, eyeing any and all results that can help the blue and gold’s case for a backdoor spot in the College Football Playoff. With October arriving, you yourself may be ready to start scoreboard-watching, so let’s take a look at the national picture after five full weeks of play.
The elites
To the surprise of few, last year’s national champion still holds down the No. 1 ranking. Ohio State, after grinding through a season-opening win against then-No. 1 Texas in Week One, has cruised to a 4-0 start. With their defense allowing a total of 22 points through four games, the Buckeyes haven’t needed much from new quarterback Julian Sayin, but he’s developed a quality rapport with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.
The team Ohio State defeated in the Rose Bowl last season checks in at No. 2. Oregon has perhaps the strongest win in college football now after surviving an overtime trip to Penn State last week. The Ducks’ offense is as well-balanced as it gets with Heisman frontrunner Dante Moore leading the way — more on him later.
Only one more team that started the year inside the top 10 reached the end of September without a loss: No. 3 Miami. Though they haven’t yet played away from Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes have beaten a trio of quality opponents in Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida. Experienced transfer quarterback Carson Beck hasn’t been anything to write home about, but he’s been steady, which is more than enough to complement the backfield tandem of Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar Brown.
Beyond Miami, a handful of high-ranking preseason teams are battling it out with one loss. Penn State, which still hasn’t defeated a power-conference team, didn’t exit the top 10 after losing to Oregon but won’t have a chance to earn a respectable win for at least two weeks. No. 9 Texas, which also hasn’t yet defeated a Power Four squad, opens SEC play at Florida this weekend. No. 10 Alabama appears firmly on the rebound after defeating Georgia in Athens last Saturday, while the Bulldogs, LSU and Florida State all just joined the one-loss club after entering the top 10.
The surprises
The No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 teams in the nation all come from the SEC, but they might not be who you’d expect. Ole Miss leads the list after knocking off LSU, as the Rebels look to stick in the national conversation after flirting with it the last few years. Next is Oklahoma, which already has big home wins against Michigan and Auburn. However, the Sooners will have to operate without starting quarterback John Mateer for the foreseeable future. Texas A&M, which stunned Notre Dame in South Bend three weeks ago, holds down No. 6 and will make the Playoff if it can win at least two of its four second-half road games at Arkansas, LSU, Missouri and Texas.
Speaking of the Lone Star State, Texas Tech has climbed from No. 23 to No. 11 and is the current favorite in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have soundly beaten everything on their schedule, including No. 16 Utah in Salt Lake City. A few spots ahead of them is Indiana, which occupies No. 8 after beginning the year ranked 20th. The Hoosiers arrived in the top 10 with a 63-10 massacre of No. 9 Illinois two weeks ago, and they’ll be monumentally tested with a trip to Oregon two Saturdays from now.
Vanderbilt’s experienced bunch has also thrown its hat in the ring, landing at No. 16 with a 5-0 start. Quarterback Diego Pavia has played an outstanding brand of football for the Commodores, who demolished No. 15 South Carolina on the road a few weeks back and have scored at least 31 points in every game. They’ll put their unbeaten start on the line this weekend at Alabama.
The disappointments
There’s a pretty easy starting point for this list, and it resides in Death Valley. Preseason No. 4 Clemson’s season has completely derailed already, with the Tigers wearing a 1-3 record and sharing dead last in the ACC with Boston College. The Tigers are 0-2 in conference play, so their odds of rebounding and returning to the Playoff are slim to none.
Turmoil runs deep in the SEC, with preseason No. 13 South Carolina and No. 15 Florida having already departed the rankings. The Gamecocks have lost their way with the ugly loss to Vanderbilt and overall lackluster play from quarterback LaNorris Sellers, while the Gators have matched Clemson with a 1-3 mark and even worse performances from their signal-caller, DJ Lagway.
SMU and Kansas State have faded after respectively opening at No. 16 and No. 17. The Mustangs have already lost twice before starting ACC play, while the Wildcats, like Florida State last season, have spiraled after a season-opening loss in Ireland.
Heisman watch
As it turns out, winning massive games on the road helps your Heisman Trophy stock. Just ask the two guys currently at the top of the Heisman odds lists.
Dante Moore is the clear-cut frontrunner for now after outlasting the Nittany Lions in their house. The sophomore has passed for at least three touchdowns in four of his five games while throwing only one interception to this point. Not far behind him is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who just led the Crimson Tide to victory at Georgia. Simpson has played near-perfect football, whether it be in his 17-for-17 passing game against Louisiana-Monroe or his season-long touchdown-to-interception line of 11-to-0.
By the end of October, I could very clearly see three or four quarterbacks having their chance to reach the level of Moore and Simpson. Vanderbilt’s Pavia and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (16 passing touchdowns to one interception) will each visit a top-10 team before the middle of the month, receiving an opportunity to legitimize their programs before a national audience. The numbers aren’t as sparkling for Beck and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, but both lead undefeated teams inside the top five and will face stiff road tests of their own during October.
If you’re wondering, Notre Dame freshman quarterback CJ Carr has begun to appear on the fringes of most top-10 and top-15 Heisman favorite lists. Although with the softness of the remaining Irish schedule, Carr may have already lost his shot at Heisman moments against Miami and Texas A&M. However, if he can keep performing at the level he showed against Arkansas while leading Notre Dame from 0-2 to 10-2, that would become quite the accomplishment of its own.
