As the number of undefeated teams has continued to dwindle, the ones left are not here by mistake. There are some teams that have taken the country by surprise, and in this section I would like to discuss why each team has yet to take a loss.

Alabama

Alabama continues to look like the most dominant team in the country as they improved to 6-0 on Saturday with a 65-31 win over Arkansas. Their offense put up the same stats they have been all year with Tua Tagovailoa throwing for 334 and four touchdowns yards on just 13 attempts (Tua must think all football games last one half with how quickly the backups get put in). Jerry Jeudy and Irv Smith Jr both had over 100 yards receiving with 135 and 123 yards respectively. Damien Harries also had 115 yards on the ground This game was just an all out domination by Alabama’s offense. On the downside, Arkansas did put up 31 points, which may be concerning for when Alabama plays better teams. Arkansas also threw for 230 yards which is concerning since the quarterback play has been a big concern for the Razorbacks. The high powered offense is a new wrinkle for this dynasty, but their defense is not quite as loaded as it has been in previous years. While there are some studs like Raekwon Davis and Deionte Thompson, it seems mortal. The defense is young so it is more than likely that it improves as the season goes on. They will be tested next week against Drew Lock and Missouri. I think Alabama is capable of finishing the regular season undefeated, I find it likely they slip up at some point. In my opinion, it is currently a toss up between Alabama and Georgia for the best team in the country.

Georgia

Georgia sits at 6-0 and the closest game they have played has a 14 point margin of victory. On Saturday, the Bulldogs took down Vanderbilt 41-13 and it never really was a good (Kirby Smart was very angry that they gave up a touchdown on the last play). Jake Fromm has been solid at quarterback and plays with great efficiency. While D’Andre Swift has not been as good he way hyped up to be, Elijah Holyfield has stepped up in the backfield. While they may not be as good as Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were, the backfield is still in good hands and is helped out by a very solid offensive line. DeAndre Baker, JR Reed, and Natrez Patrick have led a very strong defense. There is definite talent on the defensive side of the ball. They also have one of the best kickers in college football in Rodrigo Blankenship (and the best football player ever when it comes to pulling off rec specs while playing). Georgia looks to be building a clone of Alabama under former Alabama assistant Kirby Smart. The thing is, I still think his team has a shot at knocking off Alabama. Their defense would need a great game, but I do think it can be done. Georgia also can definitely finish the regular season undefeated, but the SEC East seems too good this year for them to not slip up at least once.

Ohio State

Ohio State is another team that can definitely be seen in the playoff when it is all said and done. A big part of Ohio State’s success can be attributed to the rise of Dwayne Haskins. Haskins has thrown for 25 touchdowns and nearly 2000 yards through the first six games this season. Haskins’s success has made the Buckeyes offense step up a notch. Besides Haskins, JK Dobbins and Mike Weber make up what could be the best backfield duo in the country as they are both game changers on the ground. Parris Campbell has become an elite receiver as he had 142 receiving yards against Indiana on Saturday. KJ Hill and Terry McLaurin are also reliable pass catchers for the Buckeyes. The biggest concern for Ohio State is their defense. With Nick Bosa gone, it is clearly worse. While they won by 23 against Indiana, I am certain their defense would have given up less than 26 points if Bosa had played. The sooner he is back, the better for this team.The road map is there for them to finish the season undefeated, and while I think it definitely can happen, I think they drop a game they should not at some point (bold prediction alert I think Michigan wins against Ohio State this year).

West Virginia

Now we get to one of the most intriguing teams on this list. West Virginia is 5-0 and has a very high powered offense. What is concerning to me is their ability to finish off their opponents. They held on for dear life in the second half against Texas Tech a couple weeks ago, and on Saturday they let Kansas hang around for way longer than they should have. Against Kansas, Will Grier threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns, but he did throw three interceptions against a defense that is not that talented (Joe Dineen Jr is a beast for at linebacker for Kansas though). If they want to compete nationally, they can not continue to do that as more talented teams will just end up beating them. Their offense is very talented and can put up points, but their defense leaves me worried. They will be tested in their conference games later on, so we will really see what this team is made of then. I do not see them finishing off the regular season undefeated as they have Texas, TCU, and Oklahoma left on their schedule.

Clemson

Clemson was on the right hand of a 63-3 thrashing of Wake Forest on Saturday. Clemson had three different players with at least 125 yards rushing with Travis Etienne, Lyn-J Dixon, and Adam Choice rushing for 167, 163, and 128 yards respectively. Etienne has emerged as an elite running back in the last few games. Trevor Lawrence threw for 175 yards with an 80% completion percentage. Clemson dominated on defense holding Wake Forest to 74 passing yards and a 26% completion percentage. Clemson definitely has the talent on the offensive and defensive lines wit players line Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Mitch Hyatt to compete with Alabama and other elite teams. There are two main concerns I have about this team. First, I worry the moment may get too big for Trevor Lawrence when the playoffs come around, like I would with any freshman quarterback. Second, I worry that Clemson will just coast through the regular season and come into the playoffs unprepared. This recently happened to Florida State in 2014, and Ohio State in 2016 and neither of those teams had a good result. Clemson has a really good chance to finish the season undefeated but I think we need to look at how they play in each game, and see if they bring the intensity each week.

North Carolina State

At 5-0, North Carolina State is looking good, but untested so far. Their game against West Virginia was cancelled due to a hurricane, and they have not faced top quality competition quite yet. On Saturday, they outlasted a Boston College team that was missing AJ Dillon. North Carolina State has a efficient quarterback in Ryan Finley (had a bad game against Boston College where he threw two picks but I think he is a good quarterback still). Reggie Gallaspy had 104 rushing yards and Kelvin Harmon had 128 receiving yards in the game on Saturday. Defensively, the Wolfpack play a very hard nosed style. Linebacker Germaine Pratt had 13 total tackles on the day. The next game for the Wolfpack is in two weeks at Clemson. This game can serve as a measuring stick to see just how good this team is. They will not finish the year undefeated (ok there is like a 1% chance) but this team can definitely get 10 wins.

Colorado

Colorado beat Arizona State 28-21 in their first true test of the season. Although even in this game Colorado caught a lucky break as Arizona State’s standout receiver N’Keal Harry missed the second half. With all that said, Colorado is still a good team that I think will win the Pac 12 South. Steven Montez is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. Travon McMillan has become a staple in the run game and he ran for 136 yards against Arizona State. Laviska Shenault is one of the best receivers and offensive weapons in the country as he had all four of Colorado’s touchdowns on the day. KD Nixon provided support in the passing game with 97 yards receiving. This team may be able to rekindle the magic of their 2016 season. While they likely will slip up in a game or two, this team is an underrated contender to win the conference title and at least appear in an NY6 bowl. Besides Washington, there are no games that I think they will have a hard time winning.

Notre Dame

Of all the undefeated teams left, Notre Dame is the most proven with three victories over teams that were ranked at the time. Notre Dame took care of Virginia Tech 45-23 on Saturday, and are now sitting at 6-0. Switching to Ian Book at quarterback has definitely made a difference for this team as they have put up 46 points per game since the decision and 23 before it. Book is dangerous as a passer and seems to always play with a sense of poise. The return of Dexter Williams has played a part in Notre Dame’s success as Williams has put up 339 rushing yards in just two games. Miles Boykin has also emerged as Book’s number one target. Their defense is stout led by linebacker Te’Von Coney and defensive back Julian Love, who leads the nation in pass breakups. What is scary about this team is that the hard part of their schedule is done. They have definitely played three of their four hardest games (the one they have not played would be USC). They are very likely to finish the year off undefeated, but I bet they drop a game somewhere. With their strength of schedule, 11-1 will (did I say will because I meant to say should) get them into the playoff.

UCF

The defending national champions (I just like doing this to trigger people at this point) are now 5-0 after their win against SMU. What will be held against them is that the best team they have played so far is Pittsburgh and their game against North Carolina was cancelled due to a hurricane. What is good for them is that their closest game was a 20 point victory. My main critique of their playoff resume was their margin of victory, and they have erased that concern so far. This team may very well be better than their team last year. They have talent everywhere on offense and their defense is slightly improved from last year statistically. They are the most likely team of the ones I have listed to finish the regular season undefeated and I think they will do it. Now I doubt they will get into the playoffs but they will force themselves to be looked at more seriously if they go undefeated. They also need to leave no doubt in their victories, which is doable but much harder. I hope that one day a G5 team can make the playoff, and UCF seems to be the likeliest choice to do it, although the odds are still not in their favor.

South Florida

South Florida is quietly 5-0 on the season and also has a fairly solid schedule. Jordan Cronkrite has 606 rushing yards in four games, including 302 last week against Massachusetts. Blake Barnett has been solid at quarterback (and better yet has not transferred for the 37th time yet). They also have a nice defensive backfield led by Jaymon Thomas and Nick Roberts. The bad news for the Bulls is that UCF and Cincinnati are in their division meaning at most, one team will finish the season undefeated. I think UCF is also the definitive best team of those three so an undefeated regular season looks out of reach. On the bright side, they have a solid program and will be a good team. It is also nice to see Charlie Strong succeed as even though he was not fit to be the coach at Texas, it it clear that he is a great guy who deserves success.

Cincinnati

And the award for the most surprising and random undefeated team this year goes to Cincinnati. While they have not played elite competition, they are 6-0 and must be take seriously as a good team that is now in the top 25. Offensively, they are led by quarterback Desmond Ridder and running back Michael Warren. Ridder can keep the ball moving through the air, and can make some plays, but he is also a very good running quarterback. On top of that, Warren is a reliable source of yards at running back with over 100 yards in each of their last three games. Another big strength for this team is their defense that gives up just 13 points per game. This team is good, but I do not think they can keep up with UCF (they are pretty evenly matched with South Florida) so I doubt they finish the season undefeated. Luke Fickell looks to be bringing along positive change with Cincinnati’s program. Also it is still crazy to me that if it was not for the refs giving Texas one more second (the right call) in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game, Cincinnati would have played in a national Championship in the last ten years on top of being in a BCS (now referred to as NY6 Bowl).

Texas Power Rankings

So to answer your question, yes I did choose to do this again because I could rank Texas at one. I also am a native Texan who likes to cheer on all the the teams in Texas (except one that I am sure you could guess) and still hope for there to one day be a conference with all Texas teams.

1. Texas

(So warning my inner Texas homer will bleed out here) So Texas just had the biggest win in the recent history of their program. This game also showed how quickly I can have a change of emotions as I went from happy to exuberant to concerned to terrified to nervous and then back to exuberant. Sam Ehlinger had a coming out party (for casual fans) as he had 386 total yards and five total touchdowns on the day. Oklahoma could not stop the slant passes to Collin Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Texas tortured them for it. Humphrey had 133 receiving yards on the day and also has lessened my concern for what happens if Sam Ehlinger gets hurt (sorry Shane Buechele I only kid) as he threw for a touchdown as well on a trick play (Humphrey definitely beats out Hunter Renfrow for best receiver that also has rudimentary quarterback ability in the country). Keaontay Ingram was a beast carrying the ball as his stats may not show an outstanding performance, but I felt confident we would get at least 3-4 yards every time he carried the ball. As he is just a freshman, Ingram can definitely carry on the recent legacy of big running backs who can put up big time yardage. Their offensive line has also shown immense improvement. Cameron Dicker also permanently made himself part of Texas lore as he made one of the biggest field goals in recent memory for the Longhorns (as soon as they showed him on the sideline smiling at the camera I knew he had to either completely drill it or have a catastrophically bad miss and nothing in between). Texas also showed that they can weather a storm as they bounced back from Oklahoma scoring 21 straight points and had a nice offensive drive to set up the winning field goal. My biggest concern for the game was that the corners just flat out left CeeDee Lamb and Hollywood Brown open too much. I can mostly chalk it up to playing against a very good group of receivers and a very good quarterback but it does worry me a bit. Texas definitely can be a NY6 team and has a shot at the Big 12 Title. Those are two things I did not even remotely think I would say after the Tulsa game. All in all, this looks to be the best Texas team since 2009 (that would have won the title if Colt McCoy did not get hurt and you will never change my mind on that) and this game was the happiest I have felt as a Longhorns fan since they beat Texas A&M in 2011.

2. Texas A&M

(Warning as much as I will try, the fact that I a talking about my least favorite sports team will come out in the upcoming section) Texas A&M finally just flat out beat the good team they were playing instead of playing them close on Saturday. It was a very good win for the Aggies, but it was a game that Kentucky definitely could have won (I guess this does make up for the Clemson game for A&M though). Kentucky choosing not to give the ball to Benny Snell on third and short at the end of regulation should haunt them. Texas A&M absolutely shut down Kentucky’s offense, forcing repeated three and outs. They also held Kentucky’s running back, Benny Snell to just 60 yards on the ground. They had a few errors with ball security, but overall it was a good performance on Saturday for the Aggies. This team is good, but their record may not show this as they play a very tough schedule.

3. Texas Tech

Texas Tech still has the high powered offense they everyone has come to expect from them. The new wrinkle with this team is a defense that is capable of shutting down offenses. With a good offense and at least a decent defense, this team already looks better than previous teams Texas Tech has had. This team also looks improved since they went with Alan Bowman at quarterback. Bowman returns from injury in their next game is against TCU which will be a big game to help show their standing in the big 12.

4. TCU

TCU has last Saturday off, and they sit at 3-2 with both losses against very good teams (I get to call Texas a very good team now and that makes me happy). This team has some weapons on offense in running back Darius Anderson and speedy wide receiver KaVontae Turpin. The biggest thing this team needs is for Shawn Robinson to improve his play at the quarterback position. This team looks to lead the middle class of the big 12, so it can be expected for them to have around seven wins on the season.

5. Houston

Houston sits at 5-1 on the season. Their one loss is at Texas Tech. Their offense is led by dual threat quarterback in D’Eriq King, who put 100 yards through the air and on the ground last week. Ed Oliver is still a force on defense and will command double and triple teams anytime he is on the field in AAC play. This team is capable of putting up points on offense and has one of the best players in college football on defense. This is definitely a formula for success in the conference they play in. Expect 9-10 wins on the season for the Cougars.

6. North Texas

The Mean Green have slipped a bit in the rankings here after they dropped a game to Louisiana Tech then struggled to beat a winless UTEP. They still have a scary offense and one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country in Mason Fine. 10 wins is not out of the question for this team if they can improve upon their recent form.

7. Baylor

Baylor won a very exciting game last week against Kansas State to bring their record up to 4-2. Charlie Brewer (or Connor Brewer as I heard the announcers call him at one point) has been solid at quarterback. Jalen Hurd has been a great addition this season at receiver and as a threat running the ball. Denzel Mims is also a very good player at receiver (his tipped catch for a touchdown was one of the best I have seen recently). Their defense is a bit lacking but this team is headed in the right direction.

8. UTSA

While thy are 3-3, UTSA has yet to lose to a G5 team. Their three losses are to Baylor, Kansas State, and Arizona State. The Roadrunners may not be amazing, but bowl eligibility is definitely likely for them.

9. SMU

SMU sits at 2-4, but they have played a very tough schedule so far. They have lost some games to good teams, but they have stuck around enough for me to think they can be a solid team and make a bowl game.

10. Rice

Rice sits at 1-5 and is still looking for their first FBS win. With their recent form, David Bailiff may be on the hot seat.

11. Texas State

Texas State is also looking for their first FBS win. The Bobcats sit at 1-4 and will likely get rid of their head coach, Everett Withers at the end of the season.

12. UTEP

The Miners are still looking for their first win on the year. I do admire the fact that they were competitive in their last game against North Texas. I think they will find a wi somewhere in their schedule. On the bright side, they have some very nice looking uniforms.

Some Random Thoughts

1. Houston running back Mulbah Car has a funny name.

2. Georgia Tech 542 rushing yards against Louisville and eight rushing touchdowns. Their offense also performed at remarkable efficiency. I guess this is what happens when a unique offense is firing on all cylinders against a bad defense.

3. The UCF fan who stares down the camera may be one of my favorite people in college football. He also now has his own socks for some reason.

4. Roger Clemens and Toby Keith on the Texas vs Oklahoma pregame show was randomly great.

5. So I guess Brian Lewerke is not that good. Michigan State needs to fix their offense soon.

6. South Carolina beat Missouri in a game some of the weirdest weather conditions I have seen. I also have no idea how good either of these teams actually are.

7. Pittsburgh took down Syracuse in overtime in a very exciting game. Qadree Ollison is the real deal as he had over 200 total yards on offense. Also Pittsburgh’s throwback uniforms need to just be their regular ones.

8. So I guess BYU just is not that good. I definitely bought into their hype after they beat Wisconsin and now I feel dumb.

9. Iowa State best Oklahoma State in a slight upset with a third string quarterback. Iowa State seems like they have used 10 different quarterbacks since last year and somehow all of them are good.

10. Florida took down LSU in a game that feature more offense than I had anticipated. Jachai Polite is a beast on the defensive line for the Gators. The SEC East looks like it going to be really good this year (with the exception of Tennessee and Vanderbilt).

11. UCLA played it close with Washington and gave me some hope that they will knock off a team or two in Pac 12 play. Chip Kelly definitely has his work cut out for him.

12. Texas A&M had some nice throwback uniforms I do to have to say.

13. Nick Fitzgerald ran wild for 195 yards on the ground as Mississippi State ended their streak of poor performances with a win over Auburn. I am convinced that Alabama has just stolen the offensive ability from every other SEC West team (yes like in space jam).

14. Florida State stepped up and played a close game with Miami. That forward pass call that was definitely not a forward pass cost them the game.

15. Stanford misses Bryce Love badly when he is not playing. Their offense went nowhere against Utah.

16. Khalil Tate is still being used wrong by Kevin Sumlin and it is infuriating. Also in that game, Arizona getting an interception, fumbling the ball, then still scoring was amazing to watch.

17. Zack Moss is a very good running back as he had 160 rushing yards for Utah in their upset win over Stanford.

18. So I think the Big 12’s middle class (TCU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State) will just end up cannibalizing itself. I say that now and with my luck, Texas will probably lose to one or two of those teams.

19. Northwestern beat Michigan State with just nine rushing yards. This is even crazier to me because I envision Northwestern as a run heavy team.

20. Did you know Tua Tagovailoa and McKenzie Milton played against each other in high school? ESPN sure does and they love to mention it.

21. Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow played quarterback and punted in their win over Wale Forest. This guy still definitely seems like the quintessential Patriots draft pick that will somehow be a great NFL player.

22. After multiple penalties and lost yardage, Oregon State faced a 4th and 55 in their game against Washington State. Their punt did not even reach the first down marker after it took a nice roll.

23. Texas A&M’s punter, Braden Mann, has continued the tradition (that just basically consists of Michael Dickson) of Texas schools having really good punters.

24. Rutgers’s helmets with state of New Jersey look very weird.

25. And the award for most perfectly named player goes to Kansas defense back Hasan Defense who had two interceptions against West Virginia.

26. Montez Sweat was a beast for Mississippi State in their win against Auburn picking up three sacks. The Bulldogs defensive line is definitely something to fears

27. Connecticut has a bad defense. By that I mean very bad. By very bad, I mean they are on pace to have the worst scoring defense since 1918.

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