Jake Coker |
The Four
1 Ohio State Buckeyes
It is hard to really take too much away from Ohio State's victory against a solid Virginia Tech squad. Sure, the final score indicated a blowout victory on the road for the Buckeyes, while in reality the team was down at halftime. Though, an injury to the Hokies' quarterback, Michael Brewer, helped push OSU over the top to a breeze of a win. The Buckeyes' offense looked particularly lethal against a stout Tech defense, with impressive performances from H-back Braxton Miller, receiver Michael Thomas, and Cardale Jones, who started at quarterback. Though, the scary thing about this Ohio State team is that they are only going to get better in Week 2 and onward; All-American defensive end Joey Bosa returns from suspension, along with offensive playmakers Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson. That makes this team even more scary to oncoming opponents. Even with a relative scare early on, Ohio State did enough to cement themselves as the team to beat in the nation right now, until someone proves them wrong.
2 Alabama Crimson Tide
The big game of the weekend was the neutral site clash between Alabama and Wisconsin, two power-run teams who were sure to create an exciting game. Instead, Alabama had no problems with the Badgers, easily getting past them. Derrick Henry quickly inserted his name into the Heisman conversation with a three touchdown day against a Wisconsin defense that looked lost, and long awaited Florida State transfer Jake Coker led the aerial attack which looked strong, even without Amari Cooper making every catch. Defensively, Alabama dominated the line of scrimmage against the Badgers and never let them get into any rhythm offensively. Overall, it was a statement that the Tide are certain to be reckoned with, and should be serious Playoff contender, even with a brutal schedule that is statistically the nation's toughest.
3 TCU Horned Frogs
TCU managed to add a quality win to their resume, taking home a road victory against Minnesota. Although, it wasn't the prettiest of games, TCU's defense played terrific, certainly a good sign for a unit that has questions with the losses of a number of key contributors. Offensively, the Horned Frogs, who averaged 46.5 points per game a year and return 10 starters, didn't absolutely dominate, but considering it was their first game, some struggles were to be expected. Trevone Boykin still kept his name on the Heisman short list with a quality game, while the ground game was able to rack up a ton of yardage led by explosive senior back Aaron Green. The win was a solid start to the year for TCU, and gives the Horned Frogs a leg up over Baylor and others with a nice non-conference vcitory on the road.
4 Auburn Tigers
Much like TCU, the Tigers weren't exactly dominant in their opener. The offense had some rough moments, particularly QB Jeremy Johnson. Hyped as a Heisman dark horse entering the season, Johnson threw three interceptions. Even so, Peyton Barber and Roc Thomas along with a solid showing by the defense was enough to land Auburn a good win over a quality Louisville team. Although Auburn won by just one touchdown, the team held a lead the whole game and the victory should look nice in the committee's eyes and could help bump the Tigers over some other teams.
Next Four Out
Baylor Bears
The final score of the Baylor-SMU game might have the look of a blowout, when in reality, the Mustangs played pretty competitive against the Bears in the first game of the Chad Morris era. Baylor still obviously got the victory and certainly kept themselves in the Playoff mix, and the offense looked as sharp as ever under the leadership of new QB Seth Russell. But, the defense wasn't great and it was not the dominating victory Baylor needs with a cupcake non-conference slate.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
To be frank, Texas is not that good of a football team. Charlie Strong's team managed just 163 yards of total offense against the Irish in a Week One battle of college football heavyweights. Sure, ND's defense did play very well, but the Longhorns have a ton of problems and their struggles are more on them probably than the Irish D. Even so, Malik Zaire shredded Texas' defense and Jaylon Smith leads a hungry Irish defense. Even with Texas clearly struggling, a 35-point win over a team with that type of recognition will only help ND.
Michigan State Spartans
Quietly, P.J. Fleck has built a strong program in Kalmazoo, Michigan. But, the Western Michigan Broncos still were no match to Michigan State, who dominated the game from start to finish. Big name NFL prospect and Heisman candidate Connor Cook put together a big game against a flustered WMU defense, while the Spartans' defense was as strong as ever, even without defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi (now Pitt's head man) leading the charge.
Oregon Ducks
Just a few weeks ago, it wasn't clear whether or not Vernon Adams was going to for Oregon. The Eastern Washington transfer put up prolific numbers at the FCS level but was going to make a jump during his senior year to Oregon, hoping to boost his pro aspirations. Adams ended up playing against his former team, a still solid Eastern Washington squad. The Ducks' high-powered offense had no problems under the leadership of Adams but the defense allowed 500-plus yards to a FCS team. That's extremely worrying, what are they going to do when they face some of the elite spread offenses in the Pac-12, like both Arizona schools, UCLA and USC?
Others in the Mix
USC Trojans
Texas A&M Aggies
Georgia Bulldogs
Florida State Seminoles
Clemson Tigers
LSU Tigers
UCLA Bruins
Ole Miss Rebels
Arkansas Razorbacks
Oklahoma Sooners
Missouri Tigers
Tennessee Volunteers
Arizona Wildcats
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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