Tag: bama football

Georgia tumbles in Joel Klatt’s CFB rankings

College football analyst Joel Klatt ranks Michigan over Georgia. Seriously?

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt has ranked his top five teams in college football following Week 5. Week 5 featured some major storylines.

Georgia nearly lost on the road at Missouri and trailed for most of the game. The Bulldogs won, but lost significant ground in the rankings as a result of the disappointing performance.

Alabama’s star quarterback, Bryce Young, exited the Crimson Tide’s win over Arkansas with a shoulder injury. However, it is not expected to be a major injury for Young.

Clemson knocked off NC State in a key ACC game. The Ohio State Buckeyes are 5-0 and have arguably the best offense in the country along with an improved defense. The USC Trojans beat Arizona State and Mississippi defeated Kentucky in other notable action.

Who does Joel Klatt think are the five best teams in college football?

WATCH: Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs breaks off multiple 70-yard TD runs vs. Arkansas

Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs showed off his explosive, big-play ability Saturday against Arkansas

If you watched Georgia Tech last season, you knew that Alabama was getting a dangerous weapon in transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

The do-it-all playmaker showed off his dynamic skill set Saturday against Arkansas, breaking off a 72-yard touchdown to put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

Gibbs’ long touchdown run helped a Crimson Tide offense that lost Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young to injury in the second quarter.

He wasn’t done yet, either. Gibbs found another crease in the Hogs’ defense later in the fourth quarter, racing 76 yards for another score:

NFL teams should already be excited about the versatility and explosiveness Gibbs will be bringing to the next level.

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CFB analyst Joel Klatt names his updated top 10 following Week 4

Let’s take a look at Joel Klatt’s top 10 CFB rankings following Week 4. Where is UGA football?

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt considers there to be a big gap between the top three teams and the rest of his top 10 college football teams. Klatt considers Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama to be the best teams in the country.

Who would join that trio in his College Football Playoff?

Week 4 of the college football season featured some close calls for highly-ranked teams and an upset win for Kansas State over Oklahoma. Let’s take a look at Joel Klatt’s top 10 rankings following Week 4 of the 2022 college football season:

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum: ‘Georgia is the new Alabama’

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum considers the Georgia Bulldogs to be the top team in college football.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum considers the Georgia Bulldogs to be the class of college football at the moment. For the past decade-plus, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have been the golden standard of college football.

Clemson won a pair of College Football Playoff championships, but Alabama has consistently been in the mix for the national championship since they won Nick Saban’s first title at the program in 2009.

However, Finebaum is not afraid to contribute some of Alabama’s success to former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. Smart, now the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, helped the Crimson Tide have some of the top defenses in college football history during his time at Alabama.

Kirby Smart has brought that same standard of excellence to the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia has played in two national championship games since Smart became the head coach at Georgia in 2016.

Georgia is off to an impressive 3-0 start to begin the 2022 college football season including a 48-7 win over South Carolina. That and Georgia’s season-opening win over Oregon has Paul Finebaum thinking that Georgia is the new Alabama.

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ESPN CFB analyst includes 5 SEC teams in his top 10

ESPN college football analyst Peter Burns ranks five SEC teams in the top 10. Where is UGA and Alabama?

ESPN college football analyst and SEC Network host Peter Burns ranks five SEC teams in the top 10. A lot of college football fans won’t like Burns’ rankings, but remember that several of Burns’ top 10 teams play each other, so it is unlikely this many SEC teams will be able to stay in the top 10 for long.

The Georgia Bulldogs are looking worthy of the No. 1 ranking after Alabama’s disappointing opening game against a Power Five opponent. The Crimson Tide struggled at Texas, but were able to get a big win.

Who is left out of Burns’ rankings? No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 12 NC State, No. 13 Miami, and No. 14 BYU all have strong cases to be ranked in the top 10 (these rankings are per the USATODAY Coaches’ Poll).

Here is how ESPN’s Peter Burns ranks his top 10 college football teams:

Kirk Herbstreit names top six CFB teams following Week 2

How does Kirk Herbstreit rank his top six college football teams? Where is Georgia?

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has named his top college football teams following a crazy week. Week 2 featured two improbable upsets.

Marshall won at No. 9 Notre Dame in a 26-21 stunner. The Thundering Herd helped ice the game with a late interception return for a touchdown.

Additionally, Appalachian State found some magic to win at No. 6 Texas A&M. App State won despite a massive talent gap. Texas A&M’s offense struggled mightily. The Aggies finished with under 200 total yards. App State’s defense gave up 63 points last week to UNC, so the result was extremely concerning for Texas A&M’s offense.

In another great game, No. 1 Alabama won 20-19 at Texas. Quarterback Bryce Young help the Crimson Tide remain undefeated with several clutch plays. The Crimson Tide scored a last second field goal after trailing for almost the entire second half.

Here’s how Kirk Herbstreit ranks his top six college football teams:

Bryce Young proves ‘it’ factor again as Alabama escapes Texas

Alabama barely avoided a crushing upset against Texas, thanks to their Heisman-winning quarterback

It wasn’t pretty, but No. 1 Alabama escaped Austin with a 20-19 road win over unranked Texas on Saturday, thanks to plentiful penalties, drops, and other self-inflicted errors.

Those mistakes allowed the Longhorns to stay in the game all the way to the end, despite losing highly touted freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers to a shoulder injury early in the game.

Bama turned to their Heisman-winning quarterback in their hour of need, and like he usually does in the biggest moments, Bryce Young delivered.

Young’s final stat line wasn’t spectacular (27/39, 213 yards, TD), but it was what he did with the game on the line that should remind NFL scouts that he should be one of the first quarterbacks off the board in next year’s draft.

After six straight punts, Alabama’s first possession of the fourth quarter was Young’s cue to take over the game. Young engineered an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that gave the lead back to the Crimson Tide, finishing it off with a cross-body touchdown pass to Jahmyr Gibbs for the score.

The Tide would need another hero drive from Young, though, after the Longhorns took the lead back with a 49-yard field goal in the final minutes. The defending Heisman Trophy winner rose to the occasion yet again, taking over with 1:29 remaining in the game, and marching his offense right back down the field. Young hit Gibbs again for a 20-yard gain, then shook an unblocked blitzter before taking off on a 20-yard scramble to help set up what would prove to be the game-winning field goal with just 10 seconds left.

Some scouts will find reasons to believe Young won’t be able to replicate these kinds of moments and performances at the next level, likely pointing to his lack of ideal size (6-0, 195) as evidence that the NFL game will bee too much for a passer of that stature.

They would be wise to go back to the film, though, and see what Young does in the clutch moments, when the game is on the line. Last year’s Iron Bowl tape should help, too.

For three quarters, Alabama played like anything but the best team in the nation.

It didn’t matter, because Bryce Young is their quarterback.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Saturday’s Alabama-Texas game with Roll Tide Wire

Stacey Blackwood of Roll Tide Wire previews Saturday’s game.

The Texas Longhorns face the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday. At the very least, it will draw a large television audience.

Undoubtedly, many will tune in with hopes that Alabama win the game by technical knockout. Others will watch, curious how much Texas has improved with Quinn Ewers and a retooled offensive line.

We have examined different angles of the game, but Longhorns Wire recently spoke with Stacey Blackwood of Roll Tide Wire to hear his perspective.

Blackwood provided insightful thoughts on how he sees the game unfolding. We see the game playing out in a similar fashion, but he goes in depth on his expectations for the two teams.

Let’s look at what he had to say about Saturday’s big game.

Texas enters Alabama game with nothing to lose, everything to gain

Teams that have nothing to lose can be unpredictable.

Texas will have one psychological edge on its side Saturday. The Longhorns have less than their opponent has to lose.

Steve Sarkisian’s squad entered the 2022 season unranked and unheralded after losing seven games last year. Alabama enters Saturday’s matchup as the national title favorite, head-and-shoulders above the competition.

With their preseason accolades come national championship expectations. The Crimson Tide will receive the benefit of the doubt should they only lose one game, but will face much stiffer competition than Texas to finish the season.

The stated goal for Texas is to play for a Big 12 Championship this year. For that reason, and the fact that they are far away from national title contention, the Longhorns can play a focused but confident game.

Sports psychologists will tell you that between stress and lethargy there is an optimal level of energy in the middle where players perform their best.

The challenge of playing Alabama will no doubt bring focused mental and physical energy. The fact that the game has no bearing on their goals can keep the Longhorns grounded.

Texas has a chance to use this psychological advantage. Saturday will present the opportunity to capitalize.

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Trial By Fire: Texas newcomers face their biggest test on Saturday

Texas needs its offensive line to “play big” on Saturday.

The Texas Longhorns get ready for what could be their most watched regular season game in school history this Saturday. They will take on the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Austin.

With reliable options at wide receiver, running back and tight end, the focus on the team will be directed to the offensive line.

The matchup is hardly a fair fight. On the Alabama side stands the No. 1 player in college football, Will Anderson. Anderson has wreaked havoc at edge over the last two seasons. On the other side is Dallas Turner, another productive edge player.

Kelvin Banks and Christian Jones come in at tackle for Texas. Jones has struggled in pass protection over his career, while Kelvin Banks will presumably make his second college start. Both players played well last week, but Alabama is an entirely different challenge.

Undoubtedly, Steve Sarkisian has something special planned for Alabama. Nevertheless, keeping the game close will be a difficult task.

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