College Football’s Top 25 after 10 weeks

#6 Oklahoma

Unlike most years of the Saban – Alabama era, we don’t look at how to crack their mighty defense, which is still one of the elite units in the nation, but rather it’s about slowing down Tua and this high-flying offense.

Well, Oklahoma offers a different approach – Why not just try to outscore them? Of course it’s a possibility that the Sooners defense gives up a hundred points if these two teams were to square off at some point, but at least they are not scared if they got into a shootout because that’s what they do in the Big XII every single weekend.

Any other season we would talk about Kyler Murray as the lead candidate for the Heisman trophy. Unfortunately for him he cost himself the chance of having one of those Heisman moments against Texas, but he is a dynamic playmaker. Murray is somewhere in the top five as a passer, but he is also probably the most dangerous running QB in the nation.

He is not just shifty and gets out of trouble with his feet, when he gets in the open he can flat-out outrun defensive backs. Just check out that 65-yard run he had versus those Longhorns. He was clearly the fastest guy on the entire field.

The Sooners have been putting up even more impressive numbers with him at the helm than number one overall draft pick Baker Mayfield, as they average a bonkers 8.7 yards per play and 49.1 points a game. Their collection of skill position players is better than any team ahead of them has.

I thought the loss of running back Rodney Anderson would be a huge blow, but Trey Sermon has emerged as a guy who can make defenders miss as well as having the power to run through tackles.

#7 Ohio State

Man, these last two weeks have been ugly for those Buckeyes. First they get blown out at Purdue and then they come back to win a close one against Nebraska, who was winless until the middle of October, by just five points. Talent-wise Ohio State might be right behind Alabama and Clemson, but where is this team’s identity right now?

Coming into the 2018 season, I thought J.K. Dobbins would be in the running for the Heisman trophy and their defense would suffocate opposing teams. Right now they are outside the top 50 in rushing yards and total defense, but more importantly get this – they allow 1.5 points more per game than West Virginia, who is just coming off a 42-41 shootout versus Texas and plays those type of games most weeks in the Big XII.

Their lack of defensive success is unacceptable, yet I think they will turn it around eventually. They are too talented to keep this up. Of course they miss Nick Bosa up front, but let me tell you – Chase Young will be an absolute monster for them. In addition to that Dre’Mont Jones is a stud defensive tackle and their entire starting secondary would be drafted in the first two days right now.

Offensively, I’m concerned with this tendency of relying on Dwayne Haskins to throw the ball all over the yard, because he is frighteningly immobile and that will be a major problem if they did square off against one of the elite defensive fronts in the College Football Playoff.

They will need some help from the Big XII and SEC, but if they still win their conference they have a solid chance. I think they need to go back to being a smashmouth running football team however, which was the key to their last national title.