The 2 Teams That Have Displayed Championship Pedigree in 2014

The 2014 college football season is young, but there are two teams standing out in the ever-unfolding playoff race. It might not be the two you'd initially expect, either. 

It's not Florida State, the defending national champion.

It's not Alabama, the perennial power.

That's not to say those two teams aren't great and won't contend for a playoff berth, but there are questions. The Seminoles suspended quarterback Jameis Winston for one half of this Saturday's game against Clemson following vulgar remarks he made this week. The Tide are still developing at the cornerback spot. 

Texas A&M has to answer questions about its defense as the season progresses. As do South Carolina and Georgia, two schools that haven't held up to great competition just yet.  

Ultimately, there are two teams that have been the most impressive through three weeks: Oklahoma and Oregon, and not necessarily in that order. 

At the very least, the mock selection committee from USA Today has the Ducks and Sooners in the four-team playoff were it played today. Oregon occupies the No. 1 overall spot and Oklahoma is the No. 4 seed, but the gap between No. 4 and No. 5 is as decisive a margin as there's been, per the committee: 

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The Playoff Projection panel this week voted for a top four of Oregon (70 points), Florida State (64), Alabama (45) and Oklahoma (43). The five other teams receiving votes were Texas A&M (20), Auburn (17), Notre Dame (6), Baylor and UCLA (4 each). Georgia and USC, last week's fourth- and sixth-leading vote-getters, received none this week after each losing Saturday.

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Of course, there's a lot of football to be played, and USA Today's weekly post is nothing more than fun. But it provides some context about which programs have the most impressive wins. Though both Oregon and Oklahoma have been known for offense through the years, their respective defenses are grabbing headlines now. 

Besides Texas A&M's road upset at South Carolina in Week 1, no other team had a bigger win this early in the year as Oregon did over Michigan State. And, despite the Big Ten floundering in nonconference games, the Spartans remain a possible playoff team if they go undefeated the rest of the way. 

Oregon gets praise because of its offense, but the Ducks' defensive second-half adjustments against the Spartans were just as impressive.

It started on third down. The Ducks had a hard time getting off the field in the first half but did put Michigan State in more difficult third-down situations in the the third and fourth quarters. Of the Spartans' eight third-down plays in the second half, six were from eight yards or longer. 

The Spartans also had success in the vertical passing game with receiver Tony Lippett, who had 11 catches for 133 yards and a score. While Oregon couldn't shut out Lippett altogether, it was able to limit his impact in third-down passing plays.

That's when an offense needs its key playmakers the most, and with a few exceptions, the Ducks did a good job of taking Lippett out of those plays. 

Similarly, Oklahoma's defense rose to the occasion in a 34-10 win over Tennessee. The Vols are still building up their program, so this was an expected win. But the Sooners didn't leave any room for guessing. 

Oklahoma recorded five sacks for a loss of 32 yards, according to Oklahoma's postgame notes. Linebacker Eric Striker accounted for an additional two tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. That's not including the three takeaways by the Sooners defense. The Vols' offensive line simply isn't very good right now, and Oklahoma's defensive front seven made sure quarterback Justin Worley knew it. 

"They are strong in the interior with (Jordan) Phillips, (Charles) Tapper and (Chuka) Ndulue," ESPN's Chris Fowler said via Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman. "And they have such quickness with (Geneo) Grissom and Striker on the outside. And they are creative with how they want to come after you. It’s just a lethal combination."

Both teams have tricky road games in Week 4. Oregon travels to Washington State, and Oklahoma heads to West Virginia without the services of lead running back Keith Ford because of a fractured foot. If the Ducks and Sooners want to be in the playoff conversation this time next week, wins are still crucial. 

If the defenses have shown anything thus far, however, it's that Oklahoma and Oregon are legitimate playoff possibilities as we near December. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.