Thought this deserved a thread of its own. Heels crack USA Today Top 10. Klempsun at #9 .. My guess is we'll be around 12 in the CFP poll, but still quite an accomplishment, and several ahead of us will lose because of head-to-head matchups coming up. And unlike the start of last year, this one is earned. Now let's go out and keep it.
Heels land at #10, Klempsun at #9.
Step in the right direction.
@andrew jones ?
www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/after-three-college-football-playoff-contenders-fall-who-joins-the-top-10-our-college-football-coaches-poll-prediction/ar-AA143yxa?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=98d8b7d6a83e40e6845bcce949e8b8c4
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With no changes in the top five but three teams set to drop out of the top 10, here's how this week's poll should start:
1. Georgia (10-0)
The Bulldogs couldn't get things going on the ground against Mississippi State and had to rely on quarterback Stetson Bennett to move the ball offensively. Bennett had 25 completions in 37 attempts for 289 yards and three touchdown, though he did thrown two interceptions for the second time in three games. While the 45-19 final properly represents Georgia's dominance, Kirby Smart should shoulder responsibility for poor clock management late in the first half that led to a Mississippi State punt return for a touchdown, making it 17-12 at the break.
2. Ohio State (10-0)
After struggling in last week's win against Northwestern, the Buckeyes poured it on Indiana early with 21 points in the first quarter and galloped to a 56-14 win. Coming off the worst start of his career, C.J. Stroud threw for 297 yards and five scores on 10.6 yards per attempt to regain some footing in the Heisman Trophy race.
3. Michigan (10-0)
Michigan didn't quite have the field day most expected against Nebraska, which managed to do a pretty good job slowing down J.J. McCarthy but managed nothing offensively in the Wolverines' 34-3 win. Beating one of the worst teams in the FBS is old news for Michigan — add the woeful Cornhuskers to Indiana, Colorado State, Hawaii and others. Maybe the Wolverines are just bored?
4. TCU (10-0)
The defense thing is a new twist for TCU, which had crawled out of multiple deficits in Big 12 play and held off several upset bids by leaning on Max Duggan and a terrific offense. But the Horned Frogs bottled up Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who had just 29 yards on the ground, and hassled quarterback Quinn Ewers, who averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt.
5. Tennessee (9-1)
Overconfidence near the end of the first half breathed some life into Missouri's upset bid, turning the Volunteers' 28-14 lead into a 28-24 game in the third quarter. Could the Tigers pull off the upset? Would the Volunteers wilt after the emotional letdown of last week's loss to Georgia? Tennessee responded with Hendon Hooker's 68-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt, kicking off a 38-0 run that left the Tigers in the dust.
6. Southern California (9-1)
As expected, the Trojans sailed past Colorado in Friday night's 55-17 win. But not without incident: USC running back Travis Dye was injured in the second quarter and is expected to miss the rest of the season, Lincoln Riley said. Dye ranked second in the Pac-12 with 884 rushing yards and was averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
7. LSU (8-2)
Whether LSU looked good against Arkansas matters much, much less than the end result. The 13-10 win against Arkansas maintains the Tigers' playoff hopes, which requires a clean finish through November — against Alabama-Birmingham and Texas A&M — and then pulling off what would be an enormous upset against Georgia.
8. Alabama (8-2)
The Crimson Tide will bounce back into the top 10 after making a late defensive stand to beat Mississippi 30-24. While the win punched the Tide's ticket to the New Year's Six barring an upset loss to Auburn to end the month, topping the Rebels gives the SEC West to LSU and ends any realistic hopes of making the playoff.
9. Clemson (9-1)
Clemson will also return to the top 10 with a win against Louisville, which had won four in a row before but was unable to overcome an injury to quarterback Malik Cunningham. Without Cunningham, the Cardinals couldn't put together extended drives against the Tigers' defense. On the other side, DJ Uiagalelei had his best game in weeks with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns.
10. North Carolina (9-1)
Look for the Tar Heels to take a nice leap up the poll after outlasting Wake Forest in a 36-34 win. As expected, the game was decided by the play of quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Hartman, two of the nation's best. While Hartman threw four touchdowns and averaged 10.1 yards per attempt, Maye finished with 448 yards through the air, 71 yards on the ground and five total touchdowns. The redshirt freshman may be playing his way into a spot as a Heisman finalist.
Heels land at #10, Klempsun at #9.
Step in the right direction.
@andrew jones ?
www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/after-three-college-football-playoff-contenders-fall-who-joins-the-top-10-our-college-football-coaches-poll-prediction/ar-AA143yxa?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=98d8b7d6a83e40e6845bcce949e8b8c4
*****************
With no changes in the top five but three teams set to drop out of the top 10, here's how this week's poll should start:
1. Georgia (10-0)
The Bulldogs couldn't get things going on the ground against Mississippi State and had to rely on quarterback Stetson Bennett to move the ball offensively. Bennett had 25 completions in 37 attempts for 289 yards and three touchdown, though he did thrown two interceptions for the second time in three games. While the 45-19 final properly represents Georgia's dominance, Kirby Smart should shoulder responsibility for poor clock management late in the first half that led to a Mississippi State punt return for a touchdown, making it 17-12 at the break.
2. Ohio State (10-0)
After struggling in last week's win against Northwestern, the Buckeyes poured it on Indiana early with 21 points in the first quarter and galloped to a 56-14 win. Coming off the worst start of his career, C.J. Stroud threw for 297 yards and five scores on 10.6 yards per attempt to regain some footing in the Heisman Trophy race.
3. Michigan (10-0)
Michigan didn't quite have the field day most expected against Nebraska, which managed to do a pretty good job slowing down J.J. McCarthy but managed nothing offensively in the Wolverines' 34-3 win. Beating one of the worst teams in the FBS is old news for Michigan — add the woeful Cornhuskers to Indiana, Colorado State, Hawaii and others. Maybe the Wolverines are just bored?
4. TCU (10-0)
The defense thing is a new twist for TCU, which had crawled out of multiple deficits in Big 12 play and held off several upset bids by leaning on Max Duggan and a terrific offense. But the Horned Frogs bottled up Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who had just 29 yards on the ground, and hassled quarterback Quinn Ewers, who averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt.
5. Tennessee (9-1)
Overconfidence near the end of the first half breathed some life into Missouri's upset bid, turning the Volunteers' 28-14 lead into a 28-24 game in the third quarter. Could the Tigers pull off the upset? Would the Volunteers wilt after the emotional letdown of last week's loss to Georgia? Tennessee responded with Hendon Hooker's 68-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt, kicking off a 38-0 run that left the Tigers in the dust.
6. Southern California (9-1)
As expected, the Trojans sailed past Colorado in Friday night's 55-17 win. But not without incident: USC running back Travis Dye was injured in the second quarter and is expected to miss the rest of the season, Lincoln Riley said. Dye ranked second in the Pac-12 with 884 rushing yards and was averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
7. LSU (8-2)
Whether LSU looked good against Arkansas matters much, much less than the end result. The 13-10 win against Arkansas maintains the Tigers' playoff hopes, which requires a clean finish through November — against Alabama-Birmingham and Texas A&M — and then pulling off what would be an enormous upset against Georgia.
8. Alabama (8-2)
The Crimson Tide will bounce back into the top 10 after making a late defensive stand to beat Mississippi 30-24. While the win punched the Tide's ticket to the New Year's Six barring an upset loss to Auburn to end the month, topping the Rebels gives the SEC West to LSU and ends any realistic hopes of making the playoff.
9. Clemson (9-1)
Clemson will also return to the top 10 with a win against Louisville, which had won four in a row before but was unable to overcome an injury to quarterback Malik Cunningham. Without Cunningham, the Cardinals couldn't put together extended drives against the Tigers' defense. On the other side, DJ Uiagalelei had his best game in weeks with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns.
10. North Carolina (9-1)
Look for the Tar Heels to take a nice leap up the poll after outlasting Wake Forest in a 36-34 win. As expected, the game was decided by the play of quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Hartman, two of the nation's best. While Hartman threw four touchdowns and averaged 10.1 yards per attempt, Maye finished with 448 yards through the air, 71 yards on the ground and five total touchdowns. The redshirt freshman may be playing his way into a spot as a Heisman finalist.
