Texas jumped up to No. 1 in both the AP poll and my College Football Playoff projection this week, mostly thanks to a shaky overall performance by Georgia in the Bulldogs’ 13-12 win over unranked Kentucky. But it’s also a testament to the strengths of the Longhorns, who already had the most enviable backup quarterback situation in the country coming into last Saturday, with a five-star member of football royalty waiting in the wings behind a Heisman Trophy-caliber starter. Then, Quinn Ewers suffered an abdominal/oblique injury, and Arch Manning was thrust into the game against UTSA.
Manning was — in a word — dazzling. Two touchdowns in his first three plays, including a 67-yard touchdown run . Five total touchdowns. One bonafide star. And that’s what made it easy to slide Texas up to the top spot without knowing exactly when Ewers will return. This team can withstand an injury at the most important position in football. Plus, it’s got a nice win at Michigan as a feather in its cap already — while Georgia was fortunate to escape from Lexington, Ky., without a loss this past weekend. That’s why I’ve swapped the two and plugged Texas into the SEC champion spot and put Georgia as the top at-large team.
Ohio State and Miami remain at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, after the Buckeyes’ idle week and yet another blowout win for the ‘Canes. They’ll stay in their current spots until they face teams that actually teach us something about them. I’ve moved Kansas State into the Big 12 champion slot after an impressive win over Arizona last Friday night. That conference still feels like it could be anyone’s to win, and while that wasn’t a league game — yes, I know, it’s very confusing — it still gives me a better sense of the pecking order of the top Big 12 teams. I’ve kept Utah in the mix as an at-large team because I still believe the Utes, when healthy, are one of the toughest outs in the country. Kyle Whittingham teams don’t beat themselves.
Oregon had an important win over in-state rival Oregon State last weekend, a get-right game for its offense after two somewhat lethargic showings. So, the Ducks remain in the 5-8 seed range as the second-best team in the Big Ten to date, followed by Penn State, which sneaks in as an at-large team. Meanwhile, in the SEC, Alabama is rolling behind Jalen Milroe. Tennessee is cruising behind Nico Iamaleava. And Missouri came back to earn a hard-fought victory over a solid Boston College team. All three of those teams should stay in the CFP hunt as the season goes on.
New to my 12-team bracket this week is UNLV. The Rebels are 3-0 on the season for the first time since 1984 with two wins over Big 12 opponents (Houston and Kansas). Barry Odom’s team is one to watch in the Group of 5 race because of both its on-field performance but also the resume it is building that would stack up favorably against top contenders in other Group of 5 conferences. Of course, UNLV would have to win the Mountain West to be in the mix for a CFP bid, but it’s certainly playing well enough to do just that so far this season. So, let’s plug the Rebels into the bracket this week as a new favorite to land that coveted top-ranked G5 champion spot.
A scheduling note: I’ll project the 12-team CFP each week for the rest of the season, and once the selection committee begins unveiling its rankings in November, I’ll analyze them each week as well.
