Clay Travis' Starting 11: Title Contenders Stand Out

We started off this week with nine national title contenders. By the end of Saturday's game we were down to -- eight national title contenders. So far this season the prevailing narrative is the best teams almost always find a way to win. We just haven't had, at least so far, that major upset weekend which throws college football into chaos. Instead, with a metronomic like quality the best teams just keep on winning.

Even when, and I still can't believe this story is happening, your head coach is suspended the day before the game while you're flying to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania and then you don't find out that he won't be receiving an injunction to allow him to coach until a couple of hours before the game.

So who are those eight teams still alive for the national title? Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Florida State, Washington and Oregon.

That's it, it's pretty simple at this point, four of these eight teams will make the playoff and compete for the title.

If I were projecting at this point, I'd stick with Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, and Oregon, which has been my playoff four the past few weeks.

So let's dive into the Starting 11.

As Maximus said in the gladiatorial arena, "are you not entertained?" I can't look away. Hell, I was excited to put on Big Noon and watch in real time to see what the court ruling would be. Did you ever think you'd be putting on a college football pre-game show to see what a court ruling would be? College football really is our craziest and most fun sport in America, there's nothing else like it.

As for the game itself, it wasn't just that Michigan won, it was that they didn't throw the football for an entire half. With a 14-9 lead starting the second half, Michigan essentially decided they would take football back to the pre-passing stone ages and just hammer Penn State with the run game.

On play after play, after play, over thirty consecutive runs in total.

I've never seen anything like this. It was a level of physical dominance you just don't see in any major level of football any more. And it worked! Michigan pulled away 24-9 and at no point did Penn State ever really threaten to win this game for the entire second half.

Okay, on the Harbaugh front, I think this was a spineless, gutless, weak move by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti. Worse than that, Petiitti acted without affording due process to Michigan and, in my opinion, acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner to enforce discipline. Having read all of the suspending documents as well as Michigan's request for a temporary restraining order as well as the Big Ten's response, if I were the judge I would have granted Michigan's request for the TRO and allowed Jim Harbaugh to coach on Saturday.

But given that the judge didn't grant the injunction and scheduled a hearing for Friday of this week, I would bet she isn't going to take any action in Harbaugh's favor. Why? Because if you truly thought there was irreparable harm, how do you find it a week after you allowed the harm to occur by not letting Harbaugh coach against Penn State? That punishment can never be taken back so the "harm" has already occurred. So I don't think the judge will be granting Harbaugh's request to coach against Maryland -- does Michigan need him that week anyway? -- or against Ohio State. Michigan can appeal her ruling, but I wonder if they might just accept the punishment if they don't get the TRO from her.

After all, in any future investigation Michigan could then argue they'd already been punished for this issue with the Harbaugh suspension.

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 11: Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) looks to pass the ball during a college football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 11, 2023 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

And here's the truth, does Michigan play better without Harbaugh on the field than with him on the field? Maybe not in the long term, but in the short term, that is for the final three games of the season, given that Harbaugh can engage in all the preparation for the game, I feel like the rallying effect may be more valuable than his sideline presence.

This also sets up for the possibility of Harbaugh back for the Big Ten championship, where Petitti would have to present the Big Ten title trophy to Harbaugh. Can you imagine that scene?

A part of me would love to see Harbaugh go full WWE heel, simply say, "Bet!" into the mic, which has become the Michigan rallying cry. And spike the trophy there on the field and lead his team off the stage.

Can you imagine how iconic that would become in Michigan lore, the shattered Big Ten title trophy in the university trophy case? Every Michigan fan for generations to come would get their picture taken with this broken trophy. They'd probably sell a million tshirts with the broken trophy on it.

But that's all still in the future.

In the meantime, did anyone watch that Michigan performance and think they're losing at home to Ohio State in what may be the most rabid home crowd in Big House history?

I didn't.

I think Michigan is headed for 13-0, the Big Ten title, and the college football playoff.

Whether fans like it or not.

And even fans who claim to be outraged can't look away. The truth of the matter is this, the Michigan scandal is good for college football drama overall.

And how could you not love this post game interview?

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1723434915792818218?s=20 What a postgame interview. Phenomenal.

A college football thesis for you: records matter less than consistent story lines. That is, Penn State would be better off losing a few more games against less capable foes, but also occasionally beating top ten opponents than they would by almost always beating the bad and mediocre teams and then losing to the top teams. Penn State fans, more than anything else, are just tired of the season story line being the same over and over again. They want fresh content and instead they get the same story every year.

James Franklin has made Penn State into a consistent top 15 caliber program. But what he hasn't done is beat the top ten programs. Franklin is now 3-17 against AP top ten opponents. That sounds awful, but if you go look at those individual games, how many times has Penn State, or Vandy before Penn State, been favored against top ten opponents? Almost never. That is, to a rather remarkable degree, Franklin's teams beat the teams they are better than and then lose to the teams they are worse than. That's how football tends to work, but it's this narrative consistency that has Penn State fans so angry.

Nittany Lion fans didn't boo their team and their coach a decent amount on Saturday because of this one game, they were booing the same story line they'd seen time after time, the fact that they feel like college football's version of Lucy, constantly getting psyched up that this year is their year, only to have Lucy yank the football away from Penn State's Charlie Brown at the last moment possible moment over and over again.

The frustration with this offense was palpable. And so was the frustration with the program. The truth of the matter is, Penn State is probably going to go 10-2 and it's going to be the most disappointing 10-2 season in college football history. Because Penn State fans use Ohio State and Michigan as a measuring stick and Penn State can't reach either of those program's levels. At least not right now.

Combine that with the fact that Franklin made some frustrating decisions, going for two twice on touchdowns, a fourth quarter fourth and long decision that backfired with a Michigan TD on the next play. His gambles didn't pay off. (And I still don't understand why teams go for two early instead of late.)

But Franklin is 86-38 and he won 11 games last year and has a good shot at winning 11 again this year. How many programs would kill to be 22-4 in their last 26 games?

Franklin's problem isn't his own program, it's how good Michigan and Ohio State are right now.

Which is why I'd urge a pause here for Nittany Lion fans.

A 12 team playoff is going to, in my opinion, change the measuring sticks for many programs. Instead of focusing on the top teams in your conference, I think the new measuring stick will become did you or did you not make the playoff? And then how did you do there? Kind of like the NCAA tournament exists as the ultimate status marker in college basketball, not how you do relative to your conference opponents.

And this year Penn State would stand a really good shot at making the playoff.

And last year Penn State would stand a really good shot at making the playoff, too.

Sure, Penn State isn't beating Michigan and Ohio State this year, but who else is? The Nittany Lions are still, in my opinion, a top 15 program right now in all of college football. That should be good enough.

Yesterday Milroe had three touchdown passes and three touchdowns rushing and I really do feel like Alabama without his talents isn't very good at all on offense. That is, I think the Tide is average at wide receiver and running back. And the offensive line is just okay. This offense is not filled with gamebreakers like we've gotten used to in the past.

Milroe's excellence is covering up a great deal of average on the Bama offense.

Now Auburn is starting to peak at the right time and the Iron Bowl, especially on the road, is always dangerous, but if Alabama can get to 11-1 the Tide have a winnable SEC title game against Georgia to slingshot their way back into the playoff. How many people would have thought that was possible during the South Florida game?

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 11: Roydell Williams #5 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field on November 11, 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

But only one problem looms for the 12-1 Tide: if Texas keeps winning.

There's a scenario where Michigan/Ohio State, Florida State, Washington and Texas are all 13-0 conference winners and 12-1 Alabama would get left out because of the loss to Texas earlier in the season.

Tide fans need to be rooting like heck for Texas to lose down the stretch here.

Let's break down where we are here: Oregon has at Arizona State and Oregon State at home in Autzen to finish out the regular season. (Oregon State is a sneaky good 8-2 on the year.)

Washington finishes at Oregon State and then Washington State at home. The Huskies, at 10-0, are the first Pac 12 team to reach 10-0 since 2012 Oregon. And there have only been four other Pac 12 teams to start 10-0 since 2000. So they are in a rare position here.

Most importantly, while Washington may stumble on the road against Oregon State, Oregon and Washington both getting to the Pac 12 title game with one loss or less feels very likely. And that would almost assuredly guarantee the Pac 12 a title spot. (I say almost assuredly because what would happen if Texas, Alabama, and Oregon/Washington all finished 12-1 with conference titles and Michigan/Ohio State and Florida State were 13-0 conference champs? You'd only have two spots for three 12-1 teams. I think Texas is in because of the Alabama win, but who gets in, the 12-1 Pac 12 champ or 12-1 Alabama?)

Here are your poll results for that question:

Regardless, it feels to me like the Heisman trophy race is down to two quarterbacks: Bo Nix and Michael Penix, Jr. whichever guy plays better in the Pac 12 title game is probably your Heisman winner.

The Longhorns now finish at Iowa State and with Texas Tech before needing to win the Big 12 title game as well.

And I just don't see Texas running this table.

But if the Longhorns do win out, they're 100% in the playoff. And they set up some potentially difficult playoff scenarios as well.

Early prediction: Iowa State beats Texas on Saturday.

Daniels passed for 372 yards and ran for 234 yards. That's a combined 606 yards of offense for Daniels. I'm not sure I've ever seen a player look faster than an entire defense. On those runs it was like Daniels was running a 4.2 and everyone on Florida's defense ran a 5.0 forty.

I know there has been a ton of talk about Caleb Williams and Drake Maye as the top two picks in this year's draft, but I don't see how Daniels isn't in this conversation too. He still needs to put on some weight, but he's electric. I don't see how he isn't a top five pick. And it wouldn't stun me if some teams start talking about him as the overall top pick.

BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 11: LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) rushes the ball during a game between the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators on November 11, 2023, at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

As for Florida, the Gators have a really good recruiting class. That's all you can say for them. Missouri, who we will discuss below, should whip the Gators and then Billy Napier will be facing a final game of the year against Florida State. If the Gators lose that game then Florida would have three straight losing seasons for the first time since 1945 to 1947.

And are the Gators really going to be much better next year?

I just don't see it.

Right now Billy Napier looks like Ron Zook 2.0.

First, congrats to Cody Schrader who ran for 205 yards on 35! carries and also caught five passes for 110 yards. In addition to winning a football game, he also now has legal title to Knoxville's Sunsphere. I'm curious to see what he does with it.

There was nothing fancy about his performance yesterday, he just lined up and physically dominated Tennessee's defense. Every Tennessee linebacker running against him looked like they were playing in snowshoes.

Mizzou should get to ten wins this season, which will get Drinkwitz to 17-17 in the SEC after four seasons. Is this year's Mizzou team a blip on the radar or is it sustainable? That's the question for Tiger fans.

As for Tennessee, Josh Heupel's team has major road issues. The Vols are 1-3 on the road this year with losses against Florida, Alabama, Missouri and a close win over Kentucky. In the losses, I would say the team played one good half of football, the first half at Alabama, one mediocre half, the second half at Florida, and four bad halves, including three atrocious halves.

COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 11: Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) crosses the goal line during a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of an SEC football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Missouri Tigers on Nov 11, 2023 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It's one thing to lose, it's another thing to get completely and totally dominated like Tennessee did at Missouri. Yes, Heupel went 11-2 last year and beat Alabama, LSU and Florida, that was a tremendous season. But this year, barring a huge upset against Georgia, Heupel will finish 8-4 and the best win of the year will be who, Texas A&M? Kentucky? I expect Tennessee will play better at Neyland against Georgia, but for Tennessee to show up and play like they did against Missouri is alarming. The Vols, at least in theory, still had a chance to win the SEC East. (Ole Miss at Georgia didn't kick until after this game was complete). And they went out and posted the biggest loss in the Heupel era with everything to play for.

In terms of laying an egg in a big situation, it echoed what happened at South Carolina last year.

You shouldn't lose to Missouri by 29 points ever if you're a decent Tennessee program, but certainly not in year three with the SEC East title still out there to play for.

Just like I asked about Missouri, is this year a blip on the radar, the same can be asked about Tennessee as Heupel prepares for year four next year. A win against Georgia would change the narrative, but barring that the question will remain. Heupel has proven he can take Tennessee to elite levels, but can he sustain that level? That's the question.

Goodness, that story vanished in a hurry, didn't it?

The Buffaloes have now lost six games in a row and Colorado won't make a bowl game in year one of the Deion era. And I know the transfer portal changes the importance of recruiting classes, but Colorado is presently ranked 63 in the 2024 class rankings with only ten commits. Unless Colorado is going to flip a lot of top commitments from elsewhere, there just aren't that many top players out there.

You know the first year coach who should be getting all the attention Deion got? Jeff Brohm, who has Louisville at 9-1 this year, and has a game at Miami this weekend to punch a ticket to the ACC championship game. What a job he has done.

Speaking of the ACC, Florida State just keeps winning, but not looking that great in the process. But with an effective bye against North Alabama this weekend, FSU needs wins at Florida and probably against Louisville in the ACC title game to make the playoff. A loss in either of those games , given how the playoff picture is looking, would probably knock FSU out of the playoff.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Running Back Trey Benson #3 of the Florida State Seminoles runs during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 4th ranked Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 27-20. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

Michigan +220
Georgia +250
Alabama +700
Ohio State +850
Florida State +900
Oregon +900
Washington +1200
Texas +2000

These numbers feel right to me.

And if Texas were to lose, which I think they will, it would make the playoff four really easy to pick.

On Heisman odds, Bo Nix and Michael Penix, Jr. are at the top of the board. Followed by Marvin Harrison, Jr. at 5-1 and Jayden Daniels at 7-1.

I still have Ole Miss and Penn State in my top ten because they've lost to teams all ranked above them and, frankly, other than Louisville there aren't very many other teams deserving of being ranked in the top ten.

This might be the cleanest SEC power rankings we've ever seen. Usually fans are fired up and arguing about the ranking order. Not this year. It's pretty clear, there have been almost no upsets at all.

ATHENS, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 11: Quinshon Judkins #4 of the Mississippi Rebels is tackled by Smael Mondon Jr. #2 and Kamari Lassiter #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)