Picks for the College Football Playoff Week 3
It should be official by the time these picks are posted, but the PAC-12 will have announced that they are returning to play on either 10/31 or 11/7. By the time November rolls around, all of the Power Five Conferences should be back in the swing of things and I would imagine that the College Football Playoff Committee will be weighing its options when looking at the staggeringly different resumes of each P5 team.
It is really going to be fascinating. A nine-game conference schedule plus one non-conference game the Big 12, a ten-game conference schedule plus another non-conference game for the ACC, a ten-game conference-only schedule for the SEC, an eight-game conference-only schedule for the Big Ten. The Pac-12 hasn’t announced anything official regarding the schedule, but a six or seven game schedule would make the most sense so the conference can compete in bowl season and the CFP.
How will the Committee compare a 9-2 SEC/Big 12 or 10-2 ACC team (factoring in a conference title game) versus a 9-0 Big Ten team or 7-0 Pac-12 team? Are teams going to get punished for playing fewer games? There are going to be some really fun arguments once December rolls around. However, it’s not December yet so I get to choose who goes in. Here we go:
No. 1: Clemson Tigers (2-0) (LW: 49-0 vs The Citadel)
The best QB in the country. The best team in the country. Playing the Citadel. Being the only team in these rankings to play this week. Sounds like a pretty good recipe for staying in the No. 1 spot for our CFP picks. Trevor Lawrence barely had to open his eyes to average nearly 19 Y/A on his throws (8/9 168 yards and three touchdowns). I mean, just look at some of these throws, ridiculous stuff. The defense only allowed 162 yards. Not much more needs to be said here, Virginia awaits on October 3rd.
No. 2: Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) (LW: N/A)
Oklahoma didn’t play this week, and neither did any of the teams below them, so no change in this spot. The Sooners are getting ready to host Kansas State on Saturday as a big favorite, the Wildcats topping the Sooners in Manhattan last season. It is reported that both teams are struggling with COVID-19 cases and are right on the line of whether or not to play on Saturday. If they do, we’ll get Spencer Rattler against an actual FBS opponent. I can’t imagine there’ll be much dropoff, but we shall see. Oklahoma usually throws up a stinker sometime during their Big 12 slate. I don’t think this will be it though.
No. 3: Alabama Crimson Tide (0-0) (LW: N/A)
SEC finally gets underway this weekend (queue the CBS music!) and Alabama will be on the road to face Missouri for the fourth time since the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012. Like Oklahoma, Alabama is a heavy favorite and should easily roll in their opener. We should see a mix of Mac Jones and Bryce Young, we know Nick Saban isn’t hesitant to play his freshman if he knows they are his best chance to win. If the Crimson Tide look really good on Saturday, I might have to move them above Oklahoma, given how the Sooners fared against Saban two seasons ago.
No. 4: Florida Gators (0-0) (LW: N/A)
Ok Kyle Trask, if I’m going to buy into this Gators hype for the CFP, it starts with you tearing up Ole Miss on Saturday. The Gators are two-touchdown favorites over the now-Lane Kiffin-led Rebels, who won two conference titles in his three seasons at FAU, and is expected to bring some spice to Oxford. I don’t think it starts this weekend. If Trask has a good weekend, I would expect star TE Kyle Pitts to have a good one also. This fourth spot in the playoff should be a dandy to look at all season, especially as we get deeper into the season. For now, it remains in Gainesville.
Next few:
Notre Dame
Georgia
LSU
Writer
-By: TJ Mathewson