Former Heisman winner and Baylor football legend Robert Griffin III has ranked the five best college football teams ahead of Week 9. Griffin III also played in the NFL, most notably with Washington, and is now an ESPN football analyst.
Week 9 of the college football season features several games with College Football Playoff implications. Ohio State-Penn State and Tennessee-Kentucky are expected to be the two most important games of the week. Can Penn State or Kentucky pull off an upset?
Griffin III’s two Heisman front-runners, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker and Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud, are big reasons their respective schools are in Griffin III’s top five.
Who does Robert Griffin III rank as the top five teams in the country? Where does he rank the Georgia Bulldogs?
No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs
Griffin III removed Clemson from his top five following the Tigers’ unconvincing win over the Syracuse Orange. Clemson has a bye in Week 9 before playing at Notre Dame.
TCU had another comeback win in Week 8. The Horned Frogs knocked off Kansas State at home last week. TCU quarterback Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs play at J.T. Daniels and the West Virginia Mountaineers in Week 9.
No. 4 Michigan Wolverines
Michigan stays at No. 4 in Griffin III’s top five. The Wolverines, who are coming off a bye week, face Michigan State in Week 9. Michigan State is having a down year, but you never know who will win in a rivalry game.
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia plays Florida in Jacksonville in Week 9. The Bulldogs had a bye in Week 8. Georgia is heavily favored against Florida, but the Gators have a very talented team and could give Georgia trouble.
Kirby Smart and Georgia can’t overlook Florida before Week 10’s huge game against Tennessee.
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State faces arguably the biggest challenge of any highly ranked team this week. The Buckeyes, who are coming off a dominant win over Iowa, go on the road against No. 13 Penn State.
Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud will face a rowdy Penn State crowd in one of Ohio State’s four true road games this year.
No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee can’t afford to look ahead to its Week 10 game at Georgia. The Volunteers host No. 17 Kentucky this week. Quarterback Hendon Hooker and the Tennessee offense will face a solid Kentucky defense. Additionally, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis will have another chance to prove himself to NFL draft scouts.