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#4 Michigan
Like I said, I had to put Notre Dame ahead of the Wolverines because of the direct matchup, but since then the Maize and Blue have been on an absolute tear. They got a scare at Northwestern, where they had to climb out of a 17-0 hole, but they crushed Wisconsin by 25, only didn’t win with the same margin at East Lansing because of some untimely fumbles landing in Sparty’s hands and last Saturday they annihilated Penn State 42-7.
Michigan has the number one total defense by a comfortable margin, they are fifth in points allowed with just 13.6, they are number one with just 3.73 yards surrendered per play and they have scored four touchdowns themselves. Most impressively however, they have done all that without Rashan Gary for large stretches.
While Don Brown’s unit has been one of the best in recent years, it’s been the quarterback position that has held Jim Harbaugh’s team back since he arrived at Ann Arbor. It took them a while until they figured out how to best utilize Shea Patterson, as they started with more of a wild mix of power rushing out of heavy personnel and spread elements, and he now is looking very comfortable in that Michigan offense, starting to stretch the field vertically and using his legs as a weapon.
Karan Higdon is running as hard as pretty much anybody I have seen in college football and they only now get their most explosive receiver in Tarik Black back. They have defeated everybody on their revenge tour so far, but the biggest enemy still lies ahead – Ohio State.
#5 Georgia
That loss to LSU three weeks ago felt like an enormous hit to the Bulldogs season and some people already wrote them off for the playoff, but this still is the only blemish on their record and they look like a dominant force in the SEC East once again. They already booked their trip to Atlanta to face off with Alabama once again, so they still control their own destiny.
I said it before the season started – D’Andre Swift is special. That guy has incredibly contact balance and you saw it on that first touchdown run versus Kentucky that he can leave defenders stuck in sand effortlessly. I really can’t say enough great things about him as a dual-threat weapon, but he is not even their leading rusher, which shows you how monstrous their offensive line is.
Georgia’s defense was pretty banged up heading into last Saturday, but they still got after Kentucky. I know they lost a lot of talent from last year, but when they are fully healthy, they can match that 2017 unit. DeAndre Walker is a beast up front against run and pass, Monty Rice is already drawing comparisons to Roquan Smith at inside linebacker, J.R. Reed is an experienced and versatile safety and while LSU’s Greedy Williams is a top-five draft prospect on my board, I’m not sure if anybody has been playing the cornerback position better than DeAndre Baker in 2018.
That guy is a stud and he doesn’t back down from anybody. So I look at this team and how quarterback Jake Fromm hasn’t been scared in the big moments for them and I have to say that they are a complete squad. Can they give Alabama a run for their money? Maybe.
