Ask the expert: So, who are top 10 college football teams according to my 'Eye Test'?
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James Franklin wasted little time getting back on the sideline, the SEC and Big Ten still can’t figure out playoff format and what the heck is happening in Texas?
USA TODAY Sports college football columnist Blake Toppmeyer answered your questions in his Week 13 Ask Me Anything.
Q: Who are your top 10 teams according to your “Eye Test”?
A: Good question. Tough question, because if I were ranking teams, I’d incorporate elements like SOS and head-to-head.
But, here we go, my eye-test only rankings:
- Ohio State
- Texas Tech
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Honorable mention: Miami
Q: Desmond Howard suggested Steve Sarkisian may leave Texas this offseason. Would that surprise you? And if he does leave, where does Texas turn for a hire?
A: Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte responded to Howard by writing on social media, “This is news to me.” Despite Texas’ flop of a season, I don’t detect overwhelming heat for a coach who has taken Texas to its only two CFP appearances. Maybe, the temperature changes if the Longhorns lose to Texas A&M or especially if it loses to Arkansas, but I think Del Conte is telling the truth here that Texas would not entertain a coaching change.
Could Sark leave for the NFL? Plenty have wondered that. He’s a former NFL coordinator who’s had head coaching success in college, so, yeah, I could see it. For now, it’s just speculation, which Sarkisian’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, has publicly attempted to downplay, for whatever that’s worth.
If Sark left, where would Texas turn? First up, check on where Lane Kiffin is and whether he’s kept under lock and key there or is up for (another) move. Money matters as much as ever in college football, and Texas should attract high-level candidates if Howard’s shot in the dark comes true.
Q: Were you surprised James Franklin took the Virginia Tech job this quickly as opposed to waiting for maybe a ‘bigger’ job?
A: Franklin accepting Virginia Tech tells me he took the temperature of a few situations elsewhere and learned he wasn’t a top candidate for those ‘bigger’ jobs. And so then he asked himself: Do I want to sit out a cycle and hope I can land a bigger job next year, or do I want to jump back in immediately with the Hokies?
From the day he was fired, Franklin sounded like a man who wanted back in immediately. I don’t begrudge him for that, but I do wonder if he could’ve re-entered at maybe a higher level than Virginia Tech if he’d waited until 2026.
That said, I think he’ll do well in Blacksburg. He’s an excellent fit for the Hokies’ needs. If he does succeed, that could unlock bigger jobs in the future.
Q: Will the SEC stay strong in only expanding to 16 or will they give what the Big Ten and others want in 24-team playoff despite majority of fans hating 24?
A: I don’t think there’s any world in which the SEC would sign off on a playoff in which it’s ineligible to receive more than 58% of the bids. That’s what this 4+4+4+4+2+6 playoff plan is. And, let’s be honest, Notre Dame is nearly always going to grab one of the six at-large bids. So, that makes the SEC unable to access more than 62% of the bids. I can’t see the SEC going for that.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has said for years that he favors models that favor at-large selection. Would the SEC be up for a 24-team model with all bids assigned by at-large selection? Perhaps at some point in the future. But this current model coming down from Big Ten land that’s loaded with AQs would seem like the very thing the SEC detests.
Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Co.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Expert Q&A on CFP rankings, Steve Sarkisian future, James Franklin
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