Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Meet the 21 Undefeated Teams Left in College Football (And the 4 who haven't won)

The 21 undefeated teams left in college football are sprinkled in from most of the conferences and have some big surprises like the Kentucky Wildcats (4-0), Syracuse Orange (4-0),and North Texas Mean Green (4-0). There's also the usual suspects like Clemson (4-0), Ohio State (4-0), and Alabama (4-0). Here's a look at the full list in order of their win strength (closest to 0 is good, closer to 130 is weak).

21.)Image result for mckenzie miltonNo. 13 UCF (3-0, 102.3)
The Golden Knights are without the benefit of playing another Power 5 game because of Hurricane Florence, but even North Carolina (1-3) wasn't exactly a top tier team. They've also won blowouts against UConn (1-3), FCS SCST, and FAU (2-2). They should stay undefeated against Pitt (2-2) this weekend.
Best Player: McKenzie Milton- 895 yards passing, 147 yards rushing, 12 total touchdowns
Best Win: FAU

20.)Image result for will grierNo. 12 West Virginia (3-0, 99)
West Virginia is hurt by the fact that their best game to date (NCST) was canceled because of Hurricane Florence. With that being said, they're outscoring opponents 127-37. They'll get a tough task on the road against No. 25 Texas Tech (3-1).
Best Player: Will Grier- 1,117 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, 3 INT
Best Win: Tennessee

19.)Image result for tyree jackson buffaloBuffalo (4-0, 98.5)
Buffalo is scoring points in droves as they've scored at least 35 in all four contests. They do have a win against a Big Ten team albeit Rutgers (1-3). They'll have an interesting match-up against Army (2-2) who has been able to neutralize two high powered offenses already, Hawai'i and Oklahoma, by playing keep away.
Best Player: Tyree Jackson- 1,052 yards passing, 15 touchdowns, 3 INT
Best Win: Eastern Michigan

18.)Image result for michael warren iiCincinnati (4-0, 98.5)
The win against UCLA (0-3) looked good in Week 1, but Cincinnati can only do what they've done best so far and win. Last week it took a comeback effort against the Ohio Bobcats (1-2) to keep the perfect season alive. They should remain undefeated as UConn (1-3) is up next.
Best Player: Michael Warren II- 93 carries, 435 yards, 8 touchdowns, 4 catches, 47 yards
Best Win: UCLA

17.)Image result for eric dungeySyracuse Orange (4-0, 98.5)
Much like Buffalo, this New York school keeps winning. Just like Cincinnati, the Orange also have a marquee win marred by a rough season (Florida St). The real test comes on the road this Saturday as Syracuse heads to No. 3 Clemson (4-0).
Best Player: Eric Dungey: 763 yards passing, 9 touchdowns, 51 carries, 354 yards, 4 touchdowns
Best Win: Florida St

16.) Image result for steven montezColorado Buffaloes (3-0, 95.7)
Another schedule full of wins that look good on paper, but in reality, its been a rough year for Colorado St (1-4) and Nebraska (0-3). The wins should keep coming with UCLA (0-3) on the docket next.
Best Player: Steven Montez- 855 yards, 8 touchdowns, 2 INT, 1 Rushing TD
Best Win: Nebraska

15.)Image result for trevor lawrence clemsonNo. 3 Clemson (4-0, 81.8)
Clemson is one of the few teams to find winning while also trying to find a quarterback. Kelly Bryant has now transferred after losing the job to freshman Trevor Lawrence. They had a close call at Texas A&M (2-2), but have coasted against their weaker opponents.
Best Player: Trevor Lawrence- 600 yards, 9 touchdowns, 2 INT
Best Win: Texas A&M

14.)Image result for blake barnett south florida South Florida (4-0, 80.8)
Playing teams at the right time helps bump the Bulls ahead of Clemson. They've needed some help here as a late rally was used to knock off Illinois (2-2) and ECU (1-2). The Bulls should have an easy path to 7-0 with UMass, Tulsa, and UConn on the schedule before De'Riq King and Houston host USF on Oct. 27.
Best Player: Blake Barnett- 1,099 yards, 8 touchdowns, 3 INT, 120 yards rushing, 4 TD
Best Win: Illinois

13.)Image result for CAl Bears defense No. 24 Cal Bears (3-0, 77.7)
The Cal Bears had a strong start to the season, but had an early bye, which should help them prepare for No. 19 Oregon (3-1) at home. If they survive the Ducks, the bottom of the PAC 12 awaits in Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon St before Washington comes to Berkeley on Oct. 27.
Best Player(s): Cal Defense- 7 turnovers, 1 defensive touchdown, six sacks, 14 tackles for loss, Evan Weaver (38 tackles), Jordan Kunaszyk (28 tackles)
Best Win: BYU

12.) Image result for dwayne haskins ohio stateNo. 4 Ohio State (4-0, 77.3)
Aside from TCU (2-2), it's been an assortment of bottom barrel Power 5 schools and Tulane (1-3). The TCU win looks less impressive after they dropped of the rankings this week. With a weaker non-conference, the Buckeyes are doing what they need to, drop points. They've outscored opponents 218-68. A big blow came to the Buckeyes as Nick Bosa will be out for some time with a core injury. No. 9 Penn State (4-0) is up next in a white out.
Best Player: Dwayne Hasksins- 1,194 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, INT, 1 rushing TD
Best Win: No. 15 TCU

11.)Image result for ryan finleyNCST (3-0, 76)
The Wolfpack are another team impacted by Hurricane Florence. Their three games have come against the right opponent at the right time despite playing the likes of Georgia St and Marshall. NCST will face much tougher opponents next as they see Virginia (3-1), Boston College, Clemson, and Syracuse.
Best Player: Ryan Finley-1,056 yards passing, 5 touchdowns, INT
Best Win: Marshall

10.) Image result for mason fine North Texas (4-0, 76)
North Texas is blowing everyone out, including a stunning rout of Arkansas. Even better is that they will unretire No. 75 for one game only, as they'll unveil a statue to "Mean" Joe Greene. Greene was a consensus All-American and is inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. North Texas has a chance to run the table at 12-0, but with their strength of schedule fading, don't expect to hear their name in the College Football Playoff discussion.
Best Player: Mason Fine- 1,328 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, INT, 2 rushing TDs
Best Win: Arkansas

9.)Image result for jake frommNo. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (4-0, 74)
Georgia already has a win against a ranked opponent and doesn't looked to be challenged in the next couple weeks. However, starting in mid-October they face three currently ranked opponents in four games.
Best Player: Jake Fromm- 739 yards passing, 9 touchdowns, 2 INT
Best Win: No. 24 South Carolina

8.)Image result for trace mcsorleyNo. 9 Penn St (4-0, 74)
It started out with a scare against Appalachian St, but the Nittany Lions have made sure that hasn't come close to happening again. In the last three games, they've outscored opponents 177-40. Their big test is this week at home against No. 4 Ohio St.
Best Player: Trace McSorley- 763 yards passing, 8 touchdowns, 2 INT, 235 yards rushing, 6 TDs
Best Win: Appalachian St (Seriously, they're better than you think)

7.)Image result for kyler murrayNo. 6 Oklahoma (4-0, 71.5)
The Sooners survived a scare against Army and were even challenged by Iowa St, but Kyler Murray has been so good, they've walked away unblemished. They have to make sure not to look past Baylor before the Red River Shootout against now ranked Texas.
Best Player: Kyler Murray- 1,028 yards, 11 touchdowns, 2 INT, 240 yards rushing, 3 TD
Best Win: Army

6.)Image result for benny snell jrNo. 17 Kentucky (4-0, 71.3)
Admit it, no one saw Kentucky going 2-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1977. Well here they are and both those conference wins were against ranked opponents. It's strange to see "Big Blue" in the rankings for college football.
Best Player: Benny Snell Jr.- 87 carries, 540 yards, 7 touchdowns, 43 yard-touchdown pass
Best Win: No. 14 Mississippi St

5.)Image result for quentin harris duke football No. 22 Duke (4-0, 58.8)
Another big surprise to the ranks, Duke has played some solid, but unranked opponents and that trend continues as they welcome Virginia Tech next.
Best Player: Quentin Harris- 388 yards passing, 6 touchdowns, 141 yards rushing, TD
Best Win: Baylor

4.)Image result for j.j. arcega-whitesideNo. 7 Stanford (4-0, 58.3)
Two wins against ranked opponents and another win against a top tier Group of 5 team, the Cardinal have shown that they are unfazed when it comes to adversity. Whether it's Bryce Love getting bottled up or trailing big at Oregon. It doesn't get easier as they head to No. 8 Notre Dame next.
Best Player: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside- 17 catches, 408 yards receiving, 7 touchdowns
Best Win: No. 17 USC

3.)Image result for nick brossette No. 5 LSU (4-0, 46.8)
LSU doesn't just have two wins against ranked opponents, they have two wins against top ten teams. Throttling Miami and kicking a last second field goal against Auburn, the Tigers can do it all, but the age old question is can they knock Georgia or Alabama from the top of the SEC?
Best Player: Nick Brossette- 83 carries, 409 yards, 5 touchdowns, 2 catches, 23 yards
Best Win: No. 7 Auburn

2.)Image result for ian book No. 8 Notre Dame (4-0, 43.4)
As an independent Notre Dame doesn't have a lot of filler on its schedule. Ball State was by far the worst opponent, but the rest while not sexy, were respectable Power 5 opponents. They seem to have found their quarterback in Ian Book. They can get their second win against a ranked opponent with a win against Stanford next.
Best Player: Ian Book- 338 yards, 3 touchdowns, 40 yards rushing, 3 TDs
Best Win: No. 14 Michigan

1.)Image result for tua tagovailoa No.1 Alabama (4-0, 41.8)
Alabama has been crushing anything in their path and only has the one ranked win. However, they've gotten credit for week 1 Louisville, a 3-1 Arkansas St team, and a 3-1 Ole Miss team. There is no quarterback controversy as Tua Tagovailoa has clearly supplanted himself as the team leader.
Best Player: Tua Tagovailoa- 1,033 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, 103 yards rushing, two touchdowns
Best Win: No. 22 Texas A&M

And now the Bottom 4:
There were a lot of teams who picked up win number one last week, but four poor teams can't claim a victory yet. The real surprise is that the list includes a Big Ten and a PAC 12 school. No surprise is that the longest losing streak is still alive.

1.) Nebraska (0-3, 55)
Worst Loss: Troy
Best hope for first win: Purdue, Northwestern, Bethune Cookman

2.) San Jose St (0-3, 64.3)
Worst Loss: UC Davis (FCS)
Best hope for first win: Colorado St, UNLV

3.) UCLA (0-3, 64.7)
Worst Loss: Fresno St
Best hope for first win: Arizona

4.) UTEP (0-4, 110.3)
15-game losing streak
Worst Loss: Northern Arizona (FCS)
Best hope for first win: UTSA, Rice, Western Kentucky









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