Miami didn’t show up and was drilled by Clemson, Alabama’s defense nearly overshadowed their dominant offense in a bad way, Georgia clamped down late, and Florida let things slip away in College Station were just some of the highlights from this past weekend.
It looks like we have a top tier of 3 teams with a decisive national game coming up this weekend and many wondering if anyone in the ACC can catch Clemson.
Note: We are only including teams who have taken the field in 2020.
18 Stripes Top 20 Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | NEXT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 4-0 | 42-17 Win vs. Miami |
| 2 | Alabama | 3-0 | 63-48 Win at Ole Miss |
| 3 | Georgia | 3-0 | 44-21 Win vs. Tennessee |
| 4 | Notre Dame (+1) | 3-0 | 42-26 Win vs. Florida State |
| 5 | North Carolina (+4) | 3-0 | 56-45 Win vs. Virginia Tech |
| 6 | Cincinnati (+1) | 3-0 | BYE |
| 7 | Texas A&M (NR) | 2-1 | 41-38 Win vs. Florida |
| 8 | Florida (-4) | 2-1 | 41-38 Loss at Texas A&M |
| 9 | Oklahoma State (+2) | 3-0 | BYE |
| 10 | BYU | 4-0 | 27-20 Win vs. UTSA |
| 11 | SMU (+2) | 4-0 | BYE |
| 12 | Auburn (+2) | 2-1 | 30-28 Win vs. Arkansas |
| 13 | Iowa State (+3) | 3-1 | 31-15 vs. Texas Tech |
| 14 | Louisiana (+1) | 3-0 | BYE |
| 15 | Miami (-9) | 3-1 | 42-17 Loss at Clemson |
| 16 | Tennessee (-8) | 2-1 | 44-21 Loss at Georgia |
| 17 | Kansas State (NR) | 3-1 | 21-14 Win at TCU |
| 18 | Virginia Tech (-6) | 2-1 | 56-45 Loss at North Carolina |
| 19 | Oklahoma (NR) | 2-2 | 53-45 Win vs. Texas |
| 20 | Memphis | 1-1 | BYE |
OUT: TCU, Texas, LSU
IN: Texas A&M, Kansas State, Oklahoma
TCU lost their first game of the season, Texas was taken down for the second time in 2020 in brutal overtime fashion during the Red River Shootout, and LSU is suddenly in panic mode with an embarrassing loss against Missouri.
The Aggies were soundly defeated by Alabama but bounced back in a big way against the Gators. Kansas State now has 3 straight really good wins on their resume (but lost their QB for the season), and the Sooners are back in as our lone 2-loss team in the top 20.
Week 6 Recap
Miami was supposed to be a stiff test for Clemson and they were not. The Canes were limited to 9 first downs and were outgained by 340 yards. Yikes.
Alabama gobbled up nearly every available yard possible on their way to a 63-point, 723-yard effort on the road against Lane Kiffin. I’m sure Saban won’t be happy about the 647 yards Ole Miss was able to accumulate.
Tennessee gave Georgia a game for a while, even leading at halftime 21-17. Then, the Dawgs started barking and shutout the Vols the rest of the way.
North Carolina built leads of 21-0 and 35-14 at which point most of the country tuned out their game against Virginia Tech. The Hokies rallied for 3 straight touchdowns in the 3rd quarter but were largely out-classed by the Heels.
Florida never trailed against A&M until the 4th quarter and even re-gained a 38-31 lead only to see the Aggies score 2 touchdowns over the final 4:30 to spring the upset.
BYU has been getting a lot of love but quietly didn’t exactly dominate UTSA over the weekend.
Auburn won on rather suspect terms, shall we say.
Finally, Iowa State remains unbeaten in the Big 12 and currently sit in 1st place in the conference.
***
AP Top 25: Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Penn State, Florida, Texas A&M, Oregon, Miami, Auburn, BYU, Wisconsin, SMU, Tennessee, Michigan, Iowa State, Louisiana, Kansas State, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, USC
SP+ Top 25: Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, Washington, Auburn, Minnesota, Michigan, Miami, LSU, Oklahoma State, Texas, BYU, Texas A&M, Utah, Tennessee, Virginia Tech
Week 7 Games to Watch
BYU (-3) at Houston
Houston finally opened their season last week against Tulane and looked okay, winning 49-31. I’m sure this will be a quality game and one BYU could definitely lose.
Clemson (-27) at Georgia Tech
This Noon start is a possible let down game for Clemson coming off their big Miami win. Also, Georgia Tech appears to be way, way better in year two under Jeff Geoff Collins.
LSU (+13.5) at Florida
Ed Orgeron as the new Gene Chizik continues to hit way too close to home. The Tigers still have Auburn, Alabama, and A&M remaining on the schedule so a 4-6 season is on the table, if not likely.
UCF (-3.5) at Memphis
Both of these teams have lost already and probably won’t be in the playoff picture. However, it’s still a non-Power 5 matchup worth watching.
Georgia (+6) at Alabama
This feels way too early in the season to be a game already, a titanic matchup, and yet maybe not even that important? If Georgia can beat Florida, this game against Bama is likely a re-match in the SEC Championship for a playoff spot.
Boston College (+11) at Virginia Tech
A week after writing THIS article, former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec went and threw for 358 yards and 3 touchdowns in an upset win over Pitt as 6.5-point dogs. It’s possible BC is 6-2 and one of the better stories this year when they come to South Bend later next month.
Took until mid-October to realize you stopped predicting game scores!
Also, perhaps not likely to happen but say:
–UGA narrowly beats Bama on Saturday
–UF beats UGA
–Bama wins SECCG vs UF
–UGA at 9-1
Does Georgia make playoffs then, presumably with Big10 champ + ACC champ + Bama? Could see that.
So in a way, I think this could be a “punch a ticket game” for the winner. If Bama wins this but loses a rematch to UGA in December, this October win gives them a case of “hey we beat the SEC champ we should be there too”. So I guess for Notre Dame’s sake the loser of this game hopefully spirals with a letdown in the weeks ahead.
Yeah, it’s such a weird season I figured I’d just not even pretend to predict actual scores.
And now Miami will completely disappear from the public consciousness like Game of Thrones after the last season.
You hate to see it.