RJ's five spot
While Alabama-Clemson could happen (again), watch out for those Oklahoma schools
September 21, 2017 at 7:45PM
This week: Crystal ball gazing
1 Will we see Alabama-Clemson III? The Crimson Tide and Tigers still seem like the best two teams in the country and on a path to meet in the national title game for the third year in a row. First, though, the Tide has to get through the rugged SEC schedule, while the Tigers have a difficult trip to No. 13 Virginia Tech next week.
2 Don't forget about the Oklahoma schools: Sure, No. 3 Oklahoma has the season's most impressive win, a 31-16 beating of Ohio State in Columbus, but No. 6 Oklahoma State is turning heads, too, scoring 162 points in three games. Should both the Sooners and Cowboys go into their Nov. 4 Bedlam game undefeated, there's a strong chance they would meet again in the Big 12 title game. If they both finish 12-1, there's even a chance both could make the College Football Playoff.
3 Ditto for the Heisman Trophy race: Sooners QB Baker Mayfield has emerged as the early front-runner by completing 76.8 percent of his passes for 1,046 yards and 10 TDs with no interceptions. But the Cowboys' Mason Rudolph is coming up fast. Rudolph has completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 1,135 yards and 11 TDs with one pick.
4 Beware the home underdogs: On a weekend without a lot of marquee matchups, a handful of highly-ranked teams have some tricky road tests. Keep an eye on No. 1 Alabama at Vanderbilt, No. 4 Penn State at Iowa, No. 5 USC at Cal, No. 7 Washington at Colorado and No. 8 Michigan at Purdue.
5 Who is this year's Western Michigan? San Diego State (3-0) has that title. The No. 22 Aztecs own wins over Arizona State and then-No. 19 Stanford, and they boast the leading rusher in Rashaad Penny (71 carries, 588 yards). A trip to Air Force and a home game vs. Northern Illinois in the next two weeks will be telling.
about the writer
A former Gophers player, Taylor Landfair, helped the No. 2 Huskers hand No.16 Minnesota its third consecutive loss.
