College Football's Top 10 Teams Heading into Week 5
Folks, the smell of October is lurking in the air, and that means conference showdowns are upcoming!
It looks like we’re in for the best Saturday of the college football season this weekend with some terrific games like Florida-Alabama, Texas-Oklahoma, and Stanford-Oregon all on tap.
Get your Tivos set because this Saturday looks like it will be the springboard for how the rest of the season will play out.
Let’s take a look at who the country's best teams are as we head into the big weekend.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
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The Crimson Tide certainly proved their worth in a 24-20 comeback victory in a hostile Razorback Stadium on Saturday.
Down 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, Alabama did what national championship-caliber teams do and took advantage of vital opportunities. The defense picked off quarterback Ryan Mallett twice and running back Mark Ingram finally put the dagger in Arkansas' heart with a late rushing score.
The 4-0 Tide can now prepare for the anticipated SEC Championship rematch with the Florida Gators this weekend.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
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Sure, the 0-4 Eastern Michigan Eagles may not be the strongest opponent out there, but what Ohio State was able to do on Saturday was still quite impressive.
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor stated his Heisman case as he carried the Buckeyes to a dominating 73-20 win, throwing for four TDs, rushing for one, and catching another.
Pryor is finally coming into his own as a quarterback and a leader, and he's consistently been proving all his doubters wrong.
The Buckeyes are loaded with talent on offense and defense, and it looks like the only team that has a chance to beat them this year is itself.
3. Boise State Broncos
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This Boise State team isn’t you normal lower-level BCS buster.
The Broncos roster is filled with a good amount of elite talent.
Guys like WR Titus Young, WR Austin Pettis, OL Nate Potter, DT Billy Winn, and CB Brandyn Thompson all have NFL futures ahead of them and more importantly, Boise has the most reliable quarterback in the country in junior Kellen Moore leading the way.
They’ve done what they had to do early on in beating their two BCS opponents, and now it’s up to the Broncos to keep their focus throughout conference play.
Nevada will be the biggest challenger but Chris Petersen’s bunch still has some work to do before their late November matchup with the Wolfpack.
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4. Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Well at least they got their sleepwalk game out of their system early on.
That has to be what Nebraska fans are thinking after watching their passionless team trudge their way to a 17-3 win over South Dakota State on Saturday night.
Was this the same team that completely manhandled Washington in Seattle just a week before?
No, it wasn’t.
Taylor Martinez looked every bit a freshman, completing just six of his passes and throwing two interceptions.
There’s no doubt the Cornhuskers will contend for a Big 12 Championship, but they’re going to need to put in some more consistent effort as the level of competition gets ratcheted up.
5. Stanford Cardinal
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Sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck has been one of the hottest names of the early part of the season and it seems he's now everyone’s new golden boy in terms of the upcoming NFL Draft.
Luck has the type of talent it takes to go No. 1 in next year’s draft even though he’s still at an early stage in his development.
Stanford isn’t just a one-man band though, this is a team loaded with difference makers on offense and defense.
They also have a great leader in head coach Jim Harbaugh.
After a convincing win over Notre Dame in South Bend this past Saturday, Harbaugh’s team now has to turn their attention to a big Pac-10 match up with Oregon this weekend.
6. Auburn Tigers
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Dear College Football, you have a new superstar and his name is Cameron Newton.
The 6‘6" 250-lb. junior quarterback has been nothing short of sensational in his first four games as Auburn’s starter.
Newton has passed and rushed for over 100 yards in every game he's played in, and he looks like he possesses that special "it" factor.
Cameron is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback and his explosiveness will be tough for any opponent to contain this season.
As long as Newton is behind center and the Auburn defense keeps playing with tenacity, this team will continue to pile up the wins this season.
This year’s Iron Bowl could be one for the ages.
7. Oregon Ducks
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Jeremiah who?
The fear that the Oregon offense would fold without quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has certainly been put to rest as the Ducks have stormed out of the gate, averaging almost 60 points in their first four games.
New quarterback Darron Thomas has been great and running back LaMichael James is up to his old tricks, rushing for 475 yards on just 58 carries.
The Ducks defense showed a few chinks in their armor, allowing 31 points to Arizona State on Saturday. But if the offense keeps putting on performances resembling the ones from September, this team will undoubtedly make another run at a Pac-10 championship.
8. TCU Horned Frogs
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This is more of an under-the-radar TCU team than the one we saw in 2009 which finished the regular season undefeated.
It has a lot to do with being overshadowed by Boise State, but it also has to do with lacking a true “statement” win.
Yes, the Horned Frogs did beat a ranked Oregon State team on opening weekend, but their opponents since haven’t exactly been marquee.
That’s not to take anything away from what this TCU team has accomplished though.
Quarterback Andy Dalton has a lot of talent to work with, and this team looks like one that is capable of repeating what they accomplished last season.
9. Florida Gators
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Well that’s more like it. Florida finally looked like Florida on Saturday as the Gators ran up and down the field on a quality Kentucky Wildcats team in a 48-14 victory.
Do it all freshman Trey Burton scored six total touchdowns, waking up an offense that looked somewhat dormant through the early part of the season.
With win No. 100 under his belt, head coach Urban Meyer can now focus on getting his team back to the SEC Championship game for a third year in a row.
That quest starts with Saturday's matchup against a familiar foe, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
10. Oklahoma Sooners
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If we were ranking teams on actual performance instead of overall talent, the Sooners would probably hover somewhere in the 50s.
But as it is, when you look at Oklahoma’s roster, it’s hard not to consider them one of the best teams in the nation.
Sure, their play through the first four games has left something to be desired, and they’ve made their fair share of mistakes and missteps so far. But as we saw in the Florida State game, this is a team that has the potential to explode on any given Saturday.
We’ll find out exactly what the Sooners are made of when they travel to the Cotton Bowl this weekend for the annual Red River Rivalry game against Texas.
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