Joel Klatt, a Fox Sports college football analyst, ranks the Alabama Crimson Tide as the third best team in the country. He puts the Georgia Bulldogs just behind Alabama at No. 4.
Klatt rates Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers as the top team in the country. He’s got the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are led by quarterback Justin Fields, as the second best team. Ohio State hasn’t played a game this season. The Buckeyes open the season against Nebraska on Oct. 24.
Here’s the full top ten rankings that Klatt released following another week of college football action. He acknowledges that after Notre Dame, the rankings are quite fluid.
My New Top 10 (10/10)
1) @ClemsonFB
2) @OhioStateFB
3) @AlabamaFTBL
4) @GeorgiaFootball
5) @NDFootball
6) @PennStateFball
7) @TarHeelFootball
8) @AggieFootball
9) @GatorsFB
10) @CowboyFBAfter the top 5 it is a total mess!
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 11, 2020
These rankings look pretty sound at the top. It is hard to imagine a much more complete team in the country than Clemson. Ohio State returns a lot of talent and should have a better defense than Alabama, so it is understandable to prefer the Buckeyes to the Crimson Tide even though they haven’t played a game yet.
Beyond No. 4 is where the rankings get murky. Notre Dame still hasn’t faced stout competition. That will change in November, when the Fighting Irish are slated to play Clemson and UNC.
Penn State will be an interesting team to watch. They should be Ohio State’s biggest competitor in the Big Ten. UNC deserves to be rated highly, but the Tar Heels had to fight and scratch to beat a pesky Boston College team.
Texas A&M hasn’t been rated above Florida in most polls, so it is refreshing to see Klatt place the Aggies over the Gators. Texas A&M upset Florida at home last week.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are the only remaining school in the Big 12 with realistic college football playoff hopes. Look for the Pac-12 to remain an afterthought this season. The conference doesn’t begin play until Nov. 7 and with all of Oregon’s opt outs, the conference’s best team will lack elite talent in some key positions.
