Yahoo Top 10: After beatdown of Ole Miss, just how good is Florida?
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Last December, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin did more than just kick the proverbial Lane Kiffin tires.
But when it was clear that he'd be headed to Baton Rouge, Stricklin turned to, at that point, a little-known former Kentucky linebacker who'd led Troy and Tulane to successful seasons. Nine months later, Jon Sumrall's Gators are the toast of college football after a drubbing of the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. Florida's ability to control the line of scrimmage and move the ball on the ground may present serious problems for the rest of the league.
Despite a 24-point win over a top-five team Saturday, Sumrall quipped to reporters afterward, "We have not arrived."
No, Jon, you have. Florida vaults into our Top 10 at No. 3.
Plenty other wildness transpired on the fourth full Saturday of college football. In the Big Ten, for instance, Iowa (over Michigan) and Wisconsin (over Penn State) picked up comeback wins on the road, and Oregon gashed through USC's defense even without starting quarterback Dante Moore. In the SEC, the Longhorns remain our top-ranked squad after beating Tennessee, Alabama QB Keelon Russell seems like the real deal and OU's Brent Venables owes the Sooners back that contract extension. If you're wondering why more than half of our Top 10 is from the SEC, look at the non-conference power league records (the SEC was the only power conference with a winning record — 10-2 — against the others over the first three weeks).
In the Big 12, Utah cracked our Top 10. In fact, are the Utes the best of the Big 12? They've certainly played the toughest schedule yet of the challengers in the conference. With a win at Louisville, Wake Forest made it more difficult to answer a vexing question: Who the heck will challenge Miami in the ACC?
Let's hit the rankings, which, no, don't yet include Indiana (wins over North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky and Northwestern don't get you ranked).
1. Texas Longhorns
This week: beat Tennessee 20-17
Next week: Off
No program in the country has the combination of two wins like Texas: Ohio State and at Tennessee. The Longhorns tried to cough it up late in Neyland Stadium, but they hung on to give QB Arch Manning a win at a special place (he wears jersey No. 16 because of uncle Peyton's years in Knoxville). In an odd stat, Arch was sacked more times (6) than he threw incompletions (five). His 18-yard, third-down strike to Ryan Wingo on Texas' eight-play, 60-yard touchdown drive helped Steve Sarkisian's guys take a 10-point lead.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
This week: beat Illinois 42-19
Next week: at Iowa
Last week, the Heisman Trophy seemed destined to head to Oxford and into the hands of QB Trinidad Chambliss. This week, it feels like it's right back to where it was originally: in Columbus in the glue-coated hands of Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes receiver and future NFL top-10 pick continued a heater of a season with 217 yards, 12 catches and four touchdowns on Saturday. He's up to more than 600 yards through four games and seven scores. He's a magician with his hands, catching nearly everything within a 2-mile radius.
3. Florida Gators
This week: beat Ole Miss 52-28
Next week: at Missouri
Shocked? Don't be. The Gators have two wins in very impressive ways, scoring 44 points in a win at Auburn and then 52 against Ole Miss in The Swamp. First-year coach Jon Sumrall's team plays a physical brand of football that's fun to watch. They've rushed for nearly 550 yards in consecutive SEC games. That's no easy task. QB Aaron Philo is playing smart, consistent football and the Gators look like legit contenders in the league.
4. Miami Hurricanes
This week: beat Central Michigan 52-3
Next week: at Clemson
QB Darian Mensah's numbers through his first four games are simply absurd. Get this: He's got 12 incompletions — twelve! — and 14 touchdowns. Don't ignore that he's thrown for at least 330 yards twice, too. His favorite target, Malachi Toney (Baby Jesus!) caught another six passes for 120 yards on Saturday. The Hurricanes are as explosive as they've been the last few years. Can they continue the onslaught against a Clemson team that's, sort of, found some momentum?
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
This week: beat South Carolina 49-18
Next week: at Mississippi State
Perhaps it's time to start talking about QB Keelon Russell in relation to the Heisman Trophy, no? He's completing more than 70 percent of his passes, has eight touchdowns and two picks. On Saturday against the Gamecocks, Russell misfired on just six passes and threw four touchdowns. He's got plenty of pieces around him too. Kane Wommack's defense held South Carolina to a 21 percent clip on third downs.
6. Ole Miss Rebels
This week: lost to Florida 52-28
Next week: Off
The Rebels need the bye next week. After an emotional victory against former coach Lane Kiffin and LSU, they laid the egg in Gainesville without star running back Kewan Lacy. The Gators' defense swallowed Ole Miss' ground attack and pressured Trinidad Chambliss just enough. But the most concerning thing for Pete Golding is his defense, which was exploited earlier this year against Louisville, nearly collapsed in the second half against LSU and allowed almost 500 yards on Saturday.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This week: beat Purdue 49-10
Next week: at North Carolina
The Irish's schedule isn't glamorous so far. In fact, they haven't beaten a team that will finish ranked inside the top 25 at the end of the season (at least that's our assumption about Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State and Purdue). But the wins are fairly dominant and despite the struggles at times to run the football, Marcus Freeman's defense is one salty group. They entered third in the country in total D — a ranking that won't move much after Purdue's 218 yards.
8. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: beat Oklahoma 41-13
Next week: vs. Vanderbilt
The Bulldogs haven't played the toughest schedule so far, which is why they're at No. 8. But between QB Gunner Stockton and Kirby Smart's defense, they appear to be legitimate SEC title contenders — again. On Saturday, they forced the Sooners into a plethora of mistakes, including two fumbles, an interception and a turnover on downs. It's no fun playing against the Dawgs defense, despite NIL and the portal making it more difficult for them to stockpile front-seven depth.
9. Mississippi State Bulldogs
This week: beat Missouri 31-24
Next week: vs. Alabama
Get ready to hear a whole lot about a Mississippi kid named Kamario Taylor, the Bulldogs' electric sophomore starting quarterback. He's slung 14 touchdowns and just two picks and, most recently on Saturday, put up 360 yards passing against Missouri in State's first top-25 win in more than a decade. Are the Bulldogs perfect? No. The defense can be exploited but former head coach Zach Arnett, the defensive coordinator, has the unit playing good enough.
10. Utah Utes
This week: beat Iowa State 31-17
Next week: Off
Welcome to the Top 10, Utes! They nearly let a 17-point lead slip away, but QB Devon Dampier showed just how slippery he can be. Most folks thought Dampier might follow Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor. Not so fast! He stuck around with new coach Morgan Scalley, who's got Utah playing its always-dependable D. On Saturday, RB Wayshawn Parker had a breakout performance (18 carries for 174 yards and three total TDs).
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