The first rankings are out, and the debates have begun. Here are some talking points about the country’s best teams.
The first College Football Playoff rankings for this pandemic-disrupted season were revealed Tuesday. Then came all sorts of righteous and ritualistic self-regard and fury. The coming days will bring games that will feed the cycle. But that cycle — a staple of a sport that has thrilled generations of fans with weekly offerings of the predictable and the downright ridiculous — is more fragile than ever because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Win out” may not prove a surefire route to a berth in semifinals at the Sugar Bowl or the Rose Bowl. Games could vanish from the schedule with only hours of warning, new matchups might be added, and postponed showdowns might be resurrected. A team might miss a chance to play for a conference title because of a viral outbreak. If the season lasts, the final rankings are expected on Dec.20, soon after many top teams play for league championships and just a year after a Playoff slate that drew few complaints. In the meantime, that sound you hear, besides some cousin’s bumbling over a video chat or the smoke detector announcing that the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes are burning, may just be the birthright bickering of college football fans. Here are the top teams they’re arguing over because, well, not everything is different in 2020. Remaining games: No.22 Auburn, at Arkansas Nick Saban needs one more national championship at Alabama to equal Bear Bryant’s six titles with the Crimson Tide. Saban, for years one of the country’s finest defensive minds, has a path to it this season with the best scoring offense in the Power 5 leagues and third over all. Quarterback Mac Jones has entered the mix in the race for the Heisman Trophy, and Najee Harris is a human highlight reel of a tailback. But never sleep on the Iron Bowl game against Auburn, planned for Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Saban, however, will not be on the sideline: On Wednesday, Alabama said Saban,69, had tested positive for the virus. Remaining games: at No.19 North Carolina, Syracuse, at Wake Forest The Fighting Irish, who are playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year, cleared their biggest test of the regular season this month when they defeated an undermanned Clemson. Keep an eye on Kyren Williams, the sophomore running back, especially on Friday when Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly and North Carolina’s Mack Brown will face each other for the first time. And remember that Notre Dame’s dealings with Clemson may not be over: The Tigers just might be waiting for the Irish in the A.
