There were several college football teams left for dead after surprising early season results.
I said Clemson was done as a power following the Week 1 34-6 loss to Georgia. Texas A & M was in shambles after its opening week home loss to Notre Dame. A lot of people had Colorado on track for another 4 win season following an 18-point Week 2 loss at Nebraska.
Those three teams through eight weeks now have a combined record of 17-4.
Clemson has fielded the best offense in the country over its last six games. A & M has found balance on offense and gotten stout on defense. Colorado, while top heavy in terms of talent, has gotten better at running the ball and stopping the run.
The Buffaloes are interesting. Deion Sanders was the talk of the college football world for much of the 2023 season. His team got off to a hot start before fading and finishing 4-8. They won at Central Florida two weeks ago as a 15-point underdog. The Buffaloes a week later hung with Kansas State without Travis Hunter.
Colorado is 5-2, 3-1 Big 12, with a real shot at a conference title and playoff berth. The Buffaloes host Cincinnati this week, in a matchup of teams with identical records. Colorado this season isn’t scheduled to play BYU or Iowa State, the top two teams in the Big 12. The Buffaloes this season still play Kansas, Utah and Oklahoma State, which you could argue right now are the three worst teams in the Big 12.
If Colorado wins out, the spotlight will be back on Coach Prime and his band of transfers.
And Coach Prime will talk until he loses his voice.
The “If I Voted” Top 25
1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Penn State
5. Texas
6. LSU
7. Tennessee
8. Clemson
9. Miami
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas A & M
12. Indiana
13. BYU
14. Iowa State
15. Kansas State
16. Alabama
17. Boise State
18. SMU
19. Pittsburgh
20. Army
21. Ole Miss
22. Illinois
23. Navy
24. UNLV
25. Missouri
Week 8 Heisman ballot
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB
2. Cam Ward, Miami, FL QB
3. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB
4. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR
Ranking the best of the Week 9 Slate
1. LSU at Texas A & M
2. Penn State at Wisconsin
3. Notre Dame vs. Navy
4. Missouri at Alabama
5. Illinois at Oregon
6. Boise State at UNLV (Friday)
7. Texas at Vanderbilt
8. SMU at Duke
9. Michigan State at Michigan
10. BYU at UCF
11. Cincinnati at Colorado
12. Washington at Indiana
13. Syracuse at Pittsburgh (Thursday)
14. Oklahoma at Ole Miss
15. Nebraska at Ohio State
16. Florida State at Miami, FL
