Ohio State finally looked like the Ohio State team we all expected to see at the beginning of the season. Yes, it was only Western Kentucky, but the Buckeyes dominated a team they should have dominated and it was good to see.
But how did Joel Klatt see things? OSU was one of the few teams in the top 10 that looked good in Week 3. So was the Buckeye performance enough to move up the weekly opinion rankings in Klatt’s eyes? Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t. Actually, the Fox analyst dropped the Bucks in his most recent list.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsHow far? Let’s take a look at Joel Klatt’s top 10 and wonder why in bewilderment as. As you would expect, the usual suspects from weeks prior, like Georgia, Michigan, Texas, and Penn State are all included.
10
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
What we think
Notre Dame has looked pretty sharp so far this season. While the competition hasn’t been the greatest, the Irish have been doing exactly what they should be doing to lesser opponents. Sam Hartman has been as good as advertised after coming to South Bend via the transfer portal. Next week’s matchup against the Buckeyes will be a true measuring stick.
9
Utah Utes
What we think
The Utes keep rolling despite not having starting quarterback Cam Rising. The defense remains one of the best in the country. When Rising returns, this team will only get better.
8
Penn State Nittany Lions
What we think
Penn State struggled with Illinois before eventually pulling away this week. However, the Nittany Lions still boast a physical defense and a much-improved offense from a year ago. We’ll get a chance to see how good the offense is next week when Iowa comes to town.
7
Florida State Seminoles
What we think
The ‘Noles had all they could handle with Boston College and didn’t look like the same team that dismantled LSU. Maybe Florida State got caught looking ahead to Clemson next week as the Seminoles would love nothing more than to take the ACC crown back from the Tigers.
6
Ohio State Buckeyes
What we think
We’re not sure what Ohio State did to fall a spot on Klatt’s listing. In our opinion, this seems too low after the Buckeye offense exploded against Western Kentucky and the defense continued to shine. A win against Notre Dame in South Bend next week should move OSU up this list.
5
Washington Huskies
What we think
Washington continues to impress, especially Huskie quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. We know Michigan State is reeling after Mel Tucker was placed on administrative leave, but UW put a whoopin’ on Sparty and looks every bit a top 5 team.
4
USC Trojans
What we think
The Trojans were off this week. We get that it’s hard to drop spots when you don’t play, but we’re not convinced USC is for real. Caleb Williams is arguably the best player in the country, but we’re still not sold on that defense.
3
Texas Longhorns
What we think
Maybe Texas still had a hangover from a big win in Tuscaloosa the week before, but the Longhorns didn’t look like the No. 3 team in the country against Wyoming. Texas would eventually pull away in the fourth quarter, but anyone who watched the game would have to agree.
2
Michigan Wolverines
What we think
There is no doubt that Michigan is loaded with talent, but that talent allowed Bowling Green to hang around longer than it should have. J.J. McCarthy looked very average throwing three interceptions. Sometimes you have to grind out a win, but with one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the country, we expect a little more.
1
Georgia Bulldogs
What we think
South Carolina was a couple of misses away from knocking off the defending champs. Georgia looked a little out of sync in the first half but the defense shut the Gamecocks down in the second half. Until someone is able to hang a loss on the Bulldogs, they’ll remain No. 1 on most lists.
