College Football Week 6: Playoff Picks

By Andrew Musur on October 9, 2015

Week 5 of college football went down as one of my favorite weeks from this young season.

I got to watch my Illini finish off an improbable comeback as they took down big, bad Nebraska in the final seconds. I watched as TCU, Clemson, LSU and Florida made their cases for why they should be considered for the College Football Playoff. And last but not least, I saw the then top two teams in the country, Ohio State and Michigan State, struggle against two lowly Big Ten opponents in Indiana and Purdue. With all of that being said, let’s take a look at my latest College Football Playoff Predictions.

(I am including each team’s wins, and what rank their opponent is on Football Outsiders, FEI College Football Rankings)

No. 1) Ohio State 5-0 

Best Wins: 

  • @ #35 Virginia Tech (2-3)
  • Vs. #57 Northern Illinois (2-3)
  • @ #62 Indiana (4-1)
  • Vs. #73 Western Michigan (1-3)
  • Vs. #116 Hawaii (2-3)

http://ovikol.com

Yes, it is an obvious fact that Ohio State has not played a single quality team this season. Their best win according to FEI’s rankings is their road victory over Virginia Tech to start the season; that is the lone game where the Buckeyes covered the Vegas spread.

Ohio State has struggled against inferior opponents, but lucky for Buckeye fans they have yet to lose, and until they do I have no reason to take them out of my Top 4. Ohio State has a string of five winnable games, before a final two week gauntlet versus #4 Michigan State on November 21st and at #18 Michigan a week later.

Ohio State has shown promise on offense as they ranked #27 in the country nationally for total yards and their defense has been just as strong allowing the 24th fewest amount of yards this season. Ohio State doesn’t look as strong as it did towards the end of last season, and Cardale Jones isn’t as great as I once thought he was. The unbeaten streak could be coming to an end pretty soon for Ohio State.

No. 2) Baylor 4-0

Best Wins:

  • Vs. #49 Texas Tech (3-2)
  • @ #105 SMU (1-4) 
  • Vs. #119 Rice (2-3)
  • Vs. FCS Lamar (2-2)

 

https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com

When you actually compare the two schedules of Ohio State and Baylor, thus far, it sure looks like the Buckeyes have played a much tougher grid of games compared to the Bears. Baylor has only played one top 50 FEI ranked team this season.

Now that I got all the bad things I wanted to say about Baylor out of the way, it’s time to actually talk about why I have them at this number two spot. I have been the biggest fan of TCU over the past couple of seasons. I love the way Gary Patterson leads the Horned Frogs, and I love the way Trevone Boykin plays. It’s no secret that TCU was one of the final schools I eliminated in the college decision process. I enjoy the Horned Frogs, but something tells me this just isn’t their year.

I love their offense, but they got lucky against Texas Tech. And I can’t stand their defense, which is currently ranked at #85 in total defense. TCU has a veteran quarterback and Baylor has a first-year starer. But I’m a huge fan of the way the Bears play. Baylor ranks number one in the country in points scored and third in total yards. The Bears are averaging a whopping 745 yards per game — yes, 745 yards.

Baylor is a team that will score on you, but can also make a stop on defense, something TCU struggles with from time to time. The Bears have a fairly easy schedule until a brutal three game stretch that features a home game against #10 Oklahoma, and two road games at #21 Oklahoma State and #2 TCU. There will be a team from the Big 12 in the College Football Playoff, and I think that team will be the Baylor Bears.

No. 3) LSU (4-0)

Best Wins: 

  • @ #24 Mississippi State (3-2)
  • Vs. #45 Auburn (3-2)
  • @ #79 Syracuse (3-1)
  • Vs. #122 Eastern Michigan (1-4)

http://wtop.com

There will of course be a team from the Southeastern Conference in the College Football Playoff, and my pick for that team is the LSU Tigers. We are very, very early in the year, but LSU has been one of the most impressive teams in the county. It also doesn’t hurt that the Tigers have the best player in the country in running back, Leonard Fournette.

The Tigers are already 2-0 in SEC play, but have another four ranked SEC opponents still left on their schedule. Besides Fournette, LSU has not been that exciting on offense, but their defense is built with stars. The Tigers rank 17th in the country in total defense, and have only allowed 86 points on the year, good for 29th in the country. If the Tigers’ big sophomore back keeps putting up Heisman numbers, LSU should have no problem sliding their way into one of these four spots.

No. 4) Utah (4-0)

Best Wins: 

  • Vs. #22 Michigan (4-1) 
  • @ #30 Oregon (3-2)
  • Vs. #55 Utah State (2-2)
  • @ #111 Fresno State (1-4) 

http://www.sltrib.com

Boy was this a tough spot to find a team for. I wrestled back and forth between Utah and Clemson for hours, until I finally picked the Utes. Don’t get me wrong, I love the team Dabo Swinney’s got at Clemson, but something about this Utes group has my undivided attention.

Utah has two of the most impressive wins this season with a week one seven-point victory over Michigan and an open conference double over then-ranked #13 Oregon. Utah has established themselves as a real contender in the Pac-12 especially with mighty UCLA falling this week.

The Pac-12 South is wide open, and Utah is a the perfect team to make some noise. The Utes have another ranked matchup this week with Pac-12 North foe #23 California. Utah is currently a touchdown favorite and I do expect them to win, but watch out for my boy Jared Goff and the California Golden Bears.

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