It was another slow start for Ohio State, albeit against a solid, undefeated Maryland squad. Of course, the Buckeyes overpowered the Terrapins and came out on top by a large margin, but because no one in the national media gave the Terps any respect, (they weren’t ranked in the top 25 but somehow two-loss LSU was) the win didn’t carry as much weight.
But let’s be honest though, this OSU team looks off a bit. Between the offensive line struggles and Kyle McCord underthrowing extremely wide-open receivers, it’s hard to put the Buckeyes in the upper echelon of elite teams. And that seems to be Joel Klatt’s opinion as well.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsWith Georgia and Michigan looking dominant once again, both have separated themselves from the pack. Let’s take a look at how Klatt sees things after a mediocre performance from Ohio State in his updated weekly rankings.
Teams just outside Klatt's rankings
Texas Longhorns
Alabama Crimson Tide
Louisville Cardinals
What we think
Three solid choices here. Texas lost an absolute thriller to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry and the game could’ve easily fallen in favor of the Longhorns. Alabama is Alabama and the Tide seems to be getting better each week. There is still a definite path for ‘Bama to get to the College Football Playoff. Louisville made easy work of Notre Dame, although some questionable coaching decisions made life much easier for the Cardinals.
NEXT … Klatt’s top ten teams
No. 10 - North Carolina Tar Heels
What we think:
North Carolina is undefeated, so there’s that. It got South Carolina early in the season but struggled with Appalachian State. We’re not sure who this team is. The Tar Heels get Miami next week and could help clear some things up.
No. 9 - USC Trojans
What we think:
Plain and simple, this defense is going to cost USC at some point in the season. As long as Caleb Williams is healthy, the Trojans will have a chance, but needing triple-overtime to beat Arizona is concerning.
No. 8 - Oregon Ducks
What we think:
The Ducks were off this week. We’ll see if Oregon is for real when it heads to Seattle to face Washington.
No. 7 - Washington Huskies
What we think:
The Huskies were off this week. We’ll see if Washington can notify the college football world it’s a national title contender when Oregon comes to town this weekend.
No. 6 - Ohio State Buckeyes
What we think:
Klatt dropped Ohio State two spots this week after seeing the Buckeyes in person and we can’t really blame him. They’ve have some issues that need to be fixed before Penn State comes to town in two weeks. The defense keeps playing strong, but without a consistent running game, Ohio State is not a complete team.
No. 5 - Penn State Nittany Lions
What we think:
Penn State has looked the part of national contender thus far in the season. The Nittany Lions get one more tune-up game before heading to Columbus for what will have huge Big Ten East implications. They have the tools to upset Ohio State.
No. 4 - Oklahoma Sooners
What we think:
Brent Venables has really turned things around after a dismal first year at Oklahoma. The Sooners showed poise in defeating Texas in the closing seconds of the Red River Rivalry. OU is playing at a high level right now and should be favored the rest of the way.
No. 3 - Florida State Seminoles
What we think:
Who is Florida State? We’re not really sure why the Seminoles are getting the benefit of the doubt but Ohio State isn’t. One week the ‘Noles look like title contenders and the next very average. Not much competition coming up for FSU in the near future but we thought the same thing about Boston College, right?
No. 2 - Michigan Wolverines
What we think:
Michigan continues to dominate. While the Wolverines still haven’t faced a great team, they continue to do what they should do against lesser opponents. Harbaugh has Michigan playing with a lot of confidence right now.
No. 1 - Georgia Bulldogs
What we think:
There were some who thought that Kentucky might give the defending champs some trouble after dismantling Florida a week earlier. But Georgia did what Georgia does and ran roughshod over the Wildcats. Even though the Bulldogs have been sleepwalking through the season, they have talent from top to bottom and will most likely be in the conversation all the way to the end.
Joel Klatt's opinion rankings after Week 6
New CFB Top 10 (10/8)
1) @GeorgiaFootball
2) @UMichFootball
3) @FSUFootball
4) @OU_Football
5) @PennStateFball
6) @OhioStateFB
7) @UW_Football
8) @oregonfootball
9) @uscfb
10) @UNCFootball
Almost: @TexasFootball @AlabamaFTBL @LouisvilleFB— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 8, 2023
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