All I want for Christmas is Coastal Carolina to make the College Football Playoff.
In a season that’s been so chaotic and defined more by who’s not playing due to COVID-19 cancellations, the Chanticleers are arguably the best story in college football.
Surely, BYU scheduled this game to pad their resume for a New Year’s Six bowl game. The Chants had other plans, however, and needed every last yard to pull the upset and move to 10-0.
I know there’s no chance of Coastal Carolina getting into the CFP. But this is my petition to at least give them a New Year’s Six slot. Because let’s face it, Coastal is more deserving than some of the teams in the Power Five conferences.
With that in mind, let’s delve into this week’s top 10 power rankings.
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1. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0, 9-0)
Roll tide… My goodness. What a beating the Crimson Tide put on the defending national champions. Not much else needs to be said about Alabama. They’re clearly the best team in college football. If the SEC was smart, they would cancel both Alabama and Florida’s upcoming games this week and let the two teams reduce the risk of contracting the virus before the SEC Championship Game.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0, 9-0)
The Irish failed to cover a massive 34.5-point spread at home against lowly Syracuse. But they don’t need style points at this point. The Irish are undefeated and should have locked up a spot in the Playoff, regardless of what happens in the ACC Championship rematch with Clemson.
3. Clemson Tigers (9-1, 8-1)
Clemson cruised to victory over Virginia Tech and earned a rematch with Notre Dame in Charlotte in two weeks. Barring anymore COVID issues, the Tigers should be at full strength for the rematch. And by at full strength, I mean they’ll have Trevor Lawrence under center.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0, 5-0)
Ohio State will try to gain as much praise as possible for beating a lousy Michigan State team by 40 without head coach Ryan Day and a bunch of players who missed the game due to COVID. Okay, I guess? Actually, the best thing for Ohio State’s resume was Indiana knocking off Wisconsin on the road without Michael Penix Jr.
The real drama will come this week. The biggest question for the Buckeyes this week is whether they’ll actually play against Michigan, not if they’ll beat them.
5. Texas A&M Aggies (7-1, 7-1)
Last week I wrote at length about why I don’t think Texas A&M is really deserving of being in the Playoff. A road win over a mediocre Auburn team didn’t do much to change my opinion. One thing I’m certain of: You aren’t winning a championship with Kellen Mond at quarterback.
6. Florida Gators (8-1, 8-1)
Kyle Trask might be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy after tossing four touchdowns in another good win for the Gators. He’ll get another chance to pad his resume against an LSU team that let Mac Jones throw for 385 yards and four touchdowns last weekend.
7. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0, 8-0)
The Bearcats are in an odd position here. They travel to Tulsa this week before playing them again in the American Conference title game. In most situations, the Bearcats might hold some things back to ensure they’re healthy for the conference championship. But with an outside shot at making the Playoff, the Bearcats need to win impressively this week and next week to even have a chance.
Cincinnati will also likely need some losses from Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Florida to have a chance at getting in.
8. Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 6-1)
The other contender for best story of the 2020 college football season? These Hoosiers. Indiana grounded Wisconsin’s offense in a 14-6 grind. It’s clear Tom Allen has something brewing in Bloomington. Indiana has now beaten the Badgers, Michigan and Penn State all in the same season. The Hoosiers wrap up the regular season at home against in-state rival Purdue.
A New Year’s Six bowl is definitely on the table, and a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game isn’t completely out of the question either. It’ll all depend on whether Ohio State plays this weekend.
9. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (10-0, 7-0)
What an effort from Coastal, who made Heisman Trophy finalist Zach Wilson look pedestrian against them. The Chanticleers held Wilson to just 240 yards passing and one touchdown. Meanwhile, the Chants pounded BYU for 281 yards on the ground. Next up for Coastal is a trip to Troy before battling Louisiana for the Sun Belt championship.
10. Iowa State Cyclones (8-2, 8-1)
What a season it’s been for Iowa State. The 2020 campaign began with a nasty loss to Louisiana. Now, the Cyclones are headed to their first Big 12 Championship game, where they’ll likely have a rematch with Oklahoma. The Cyclones get the nod in the top 10 hereafter impressively destroying a pretty good West Virginia team. They’re better than both Miami and Georgia and could wind up in a New Year’s Six bowl.
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Matt Barbato is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.