Not only did the Ohio State beat Nebraska, but they dominated them.
It was 38-0 in favor of the Buckeyes at halftime. In Ohio State’s seven first-half drives, they scored five touchdowns, kicked a field goal, and came up scoreless in the final drive before the break.
Justin Fields looked like the five-star prospect we all thought he was, going 15-21, with 212 yards and three passing touchdowns. He added 72 yards on the ground and another touchdown. He made it look easy against the Cornhusker defense.
The only thing that was more impressive than the Ohio State offense was the Ohio State defense. Adrian Martinez was awful, throwing for 47 yards on eight completions and his three interceptions were a career-high. According to ESPN, his QBR was a 3.4. The man who was supposed to thrive in the Scott Frost offense looked nearly worthless.
With how dominant Ohio State to be, there is no reason they should not be ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. If pre-season rankings were not a determinant, there is no doubt that is where the Buckeyes would be. The two teams ahead of them, Alabama and Clemson, have not looked like themselves, allowing some of their games to be closer than expected.
Ohio State has been dominant in every single one of their games, winning by an average on 43.8 points. While they have not played the most impressive teams, neither has Alabama or Clemson.
Oklahoma is the only team that can match the Buckeyes in terms of domination, but their quality of opponent has been too below par. Justin Fields is slowly creeping into the Heisman race, having 1,314 all-purpose yards. J.K. Dobbins is a top-five running back in the country, and the defense is allowing less than two touchdowns a game.
The Buckeyes have done nothing but proven themselves as the best team in the country. The tests will begin next week with Michigan State rolling into Colombus. Add Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan, and the Buckeyes will have a real case to be the No. 1 team if they are able to win out.
Not much changed in our hypothetical playoff matchup, as six of the eight spots stayed the same. Alabama jumped Clemson in this week’s to claim as the No. 1 team in the country. The Group of 5 remains out of the picture, as Boise State is six spots off the mark.
Here is what the eight-team playoff would look like after Week 5:
RULES
Eight teams consisting of five Power 5 champions, best Group of 5 team (if they are ranked in the top 10), two wildcards
If the Group of 5 team is not ranked in the top 10, three wildcards will make it
Power 5 and Group of 5 teams will be ranked No. 1 through No. 6, wild cards number seven and eight
Traditional bracket, No. 1 vs No. 8, No. 2 vs No. 7, etc.
Until College Football Playoff rankings are released, the AP poll will be where standings come from
No. 1 Alabama vs No. 8 Auburn
No. 2 Clemson vs No. 7 LSU
No. 3 Ohio State vs No. 6 Georgia
No. 4 Oklahoma vs No. 5 Oregon
The most interesting first-round matchup
The Iron Bowl is already the fiercest rivalry in all of College Football. Imagine a playoff version of it. Yes, it would be a rematch of the earlier matchup, but that would just fuel the motivation of the other team even more. An even scarier thought? The two sets of fans at a neutral site. All of Alabama would have to shut down, declaring it a national holiday. Good luck to the fanbase that loses this game.
The most interesting possible championship
While it is probably still Alabama-Oklahoma, Georgia-Auburn would not be terrible either. Like the Iron Bowl, making these two teams play at a neutral site would be an interesting one. This happened in 2017 when the two met in the SEC Championship, but a national championship is obviously more important than that. The two teams have met 123 times and this would make for the most important in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
A team that most likely deserves to be in the playoff
I am going to stay with Wisconsin. Jonathan Taylor is the best running back in the country, rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown against Northwestern. While the Badger offense only produced 10 points, a second-half pick-six and strip-sack touchdown had the cruise to a victory at home. Everything about to Badgers will be known when they travel to Columbus on Oct. 26.
Monday CFB Thoughts
Is Clemson even a top-five team?
UNC made the right choice by going for two, just executed poorly
Texas A&M confirmed my belief of being the most overrated team in the country based off preseason rankings
Have a day DeVanta Smith
Bo Nix may start to become an issue
Chubba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace accounted for 83.8% of Oklahoma State’s yards on Saturday. That is amazing
Wake Forest is most likely going to play in the Orange Bowl
Do you think Jalen Hurts is wondering why he did not commit to a Big 12 school in the first place?
The Georgia Tech rebuild is going to take a long, LONG time
Dear SMU, please run the table and make a New Year's Six Bowl. From, Everyone in the country
The Week 6 slate is much better than the Week 5 lineup. There are three ranked on ranked matchups, Texas travels to West Virginia for a revenge game, Washington goes on the road to Stanford, and we get to watch Tennessee attempt to play Georgia. Top teams Alabama and Clemson are off next week, possibly causing for some mix up at the top of the poll.
Bring on Week 6!