Column
Bohls: Iowa State, TCU make their presence known
Posted October 4th, 2020
Through four weeks of games, it seems that it’s been established that there are only four super teams capable of running the table. For now. Check back in 24 hours.
Otherwise, it’s getting harder and harder to define upsets in the crazy 2020 world because teams change their identities — and rosters, thanks to COVID-19 — week to week. Nowhere will this be wackier than the Big 12 where it’s more and more difficult to tell the pretenders from the contenders.
The SEC remains as the alpha conference in college football as Georgia crushed Auburn and served notice that it belongs for now in the top foursome, joining Clemson, Alabama and Florida.
Idle Notre Dame might be capable of crashing that party, but this promises to be a season unlike any other where a Mississippi State can knock off LSU in Baton Rouge one week and slip up and fall to lowly Arkansas the next.
On my ballot, newcomers to the Top 10 were Kansas State, North Carolina and unbeaten Oklahoma State, which may be hitting its stride. Iowa State moved in at No. 17 after its historic upset of Oklahoma, and TCU comes in at No. 19 after upsetting Texas.
I kept Texas and Oklahoma in my Top 25 because the Longhorns were a foot away — and a fumble away — from holding off improving TCU and staying undefeated, and the Sooners are flawed but still potent. But I totally get where other voters might omit both of them from their ballots.
Other teams that made big jumps were SMU to 11th after edging Memphis and Tennessee to 14th for remaining undefeated.
Again, craziness promises to continue.
Here’s my ballot:
- Clemson
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Miami
- BYU
- Kansas State
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma State
- SMU
- Cincinnati
- Virginia Tech
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Louisiana
- Iowa State
- UCF
- TCU
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi State
- LSU
- North Carolina State
- Texas A&M
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