1We’re going to learn a lot about Ohio State this week. Yes, the Buckeyes beat Texas to open the season, but the offense was not impressive in that performance. It’s performed well in cakewalks against Ohio and Grambling, but we’re not taking anything from those games too seriously. This week, Julian Sayin has to go on the road for the first time in his career, and he’ll be playing in one of the loudest stadiums in the country: Washington’s Husky Stadium. How will he handle the environment, and how well will he be able to lead his team in a tough spot? Last week: 1 | National Title Odds: +6002Oregon took care of business in a 41-7 thrashing of rival Oregon State, but honestly, the biggest takeaway from the game is more about how quickly Oregon State has fallen apart since the Pac-12 was torn apart. This week, the Ducks are on the road for one of the most anticipated games on the regular season schedule. It’s a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship against Penn State, and it’ll be in Happy Valley. As I write this, the Ducks are 3.5-point underdogs. If that holds, it’ll be the first time Oregon’s been an underdog since last year’s Rose Bowl. They were also home dogs to Ohio State in the regular season. The last time Oregon was a dog to anybody not named Ohio State was when they lost 36-33 at Washington during the 2023 season. Last week: 2 | National Title Odds: +6503We have our Nos. 2 and 4 teams squaring off Saturday, and we have our Nos. 3 and 5 are doing the same. Georgia will welcome Alabama to Athens this weekend in a game that will have huge ramifications in the SEC and national title races. Alabama has won the last two meetings, and last year’s game was one of the wildest of the season. Alabama jumped out to a 28-0 lead, and still led 33-15 entering the fourth quarter but blew its lead in the final minutes only to turn around and have Ryan Williams make one of the most incredible plays I’ve ever seen to steal the game right back. Last week: 4 | National Title Odds: +7004I doubt he’ll talk about it publicly because it’s not his modus operandi, but this is a huge game for James Franklin. Everybody knows the record at this point. Franklin is 2-20 in his career against AP top six opponents. Penn State has lost 14 straight such games, and Drew Allar’s 5.2 yards per attempt in his five games against them is the lowest of any QB with at least five starts against top six teams in the past decade. There was a lot of hype surrounding this team all offseason. A loss here would not change the team’s ultimate goals. However, a win would go a long way toward shutting people up. Last week: 3 | National Title Odds: +6505There’s no denying Alabama has looked great since losing to Florida State, and that loss looks more excusable every week. This week’s game against Georgia would work wonders for washing that taste out of their mouth, though. If Alabama wins, the first loss no longer matters. If the Tide lose, they’re 2-2 with wins over ULM and Wisconsin and everybody starts talking about how Kalen DeBoer “ain’t built for this” again. And, regardless, the Tide will still be ranked somewhere in this top 12, and I’ll get yelled at by people for it. So, you know, there’s a lot on the line here. Last week: 5 | National Title Odds: +12006Do I care that Arch Manning was flexing over a Sam Houston State player? I do not. It’s football, and football isn’t just a physical sport. It’s emotional, too, and if my man had to let out some of the frustration following The Discourse through the first three weeks, I get it. That said, maybe the Texas social media team shouldn’t lean so heavily into it? I’m in the media. I understand what Arch Manning Discourse does for your engagement numbers, but maybe give him some space? Like, the Longhorns are off this week, so how about we go the entire week without engagement farming with him? Last week: 6 | National Title Odds: +7507The Hurricanes continue to dominate opponents along the lines of scrimmage. The offense had its worst performance of the season against Florida (they scored late to make things look better), but when you can dominate on defense the way Miami’s capable of doing this year, it allows for such performances. If Miami had this same defense last year, it might’ve won the damn national title. The ‘Canes are off this week, too, to prepare for another huge showdown: a road trip to Florida State in Week 6. Last week: 9 | National Title Odds: +16008You might not like Curt Cignetti’s scheduling habits, and you might be hesitant to accept the fact that this is a legitimate football team now, but deal with it. Yes, the schedule is much more difficult this year, and there are some tough games remaining. A road trip to Iowa this week will be followed by a road game against Oregon. But after beating Illinois, the Hoosiers let the world know they’re still very much in the Big Ten and CFP picture. Last week: Not Ranked | National Title Odds: +40009So this is a legitimate QB controversy in Oxford, right? I know Austin Simmons was named the starter, and I’m happy to assume he’s getting paid more than Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss, but Chambliss has played better than Simmons since he’s been in there. How Lane Kiffin manages this situation on the field and in the locker room could be a determining factor in how the rest of the season plays out. Or maybe this week’s game against LSU will settle the debate. Last week: 8 | National Title Odds: +300010From a power rating standpoint, Oklahoma’s wins over Michigan and Auburn are a stronger top two wins than anybody else in the country has. So while this team has flaws (I wonder how long they’ll survive with John Mateer being the run game), it’s also been tested and survived. That’s very useful information to have about any team. The Sooners get a bye this week and then another one against Kent State the following week, all in anticipation of Texas in Week 7. Last week: 7 | National Title Odds: +200011So, for those keeping track at home, LSU’s resume continues to get worse. From a power rating standpoint, wins over Clemson and Florida are still respectable, but even here, they get less respectable every week. Clemson is down to 37 in my ratings, while Florida is 32nd. Though, on the bright side, the Tigers almost scored more points (56) against Southeastern Louisiana this weekend than they had in their first three games combined (60). Last week: 10 | National Title Odds: +140012