The Fab Four: Week 1

Week number 1 isn't completely done as of this writing but none of the games the rest of this Labor Day are going to have any effect on my inaugural Fab Four for 2017. What I do know is there is a long season ahead of us and we will see more ebs and flows throughout. What I always tell people is not to buy in totally into weekly narratives especially this early (unless your are an Alabama fan because why else). We have many big games coming up on the schedule including the huge battle at Columbus between Ohio State and Oklahoma next weekend which could potentially shake up the top 10.

On a sidetone I will add the "other six" teams at the end of the weekend so look out for the adjustment on Tuesday morning.

On with the rankings

1. Alabama

While one can argue Florida State gave the game to the Tide, the larger truth is Nick Saban ALWAYS finds a way to win. This is why he is the best coach in the entire college football landscape. One thing we also learned this week is that there is virtually no one I believe in the SEC that can even remotely challenge Alabama for conference supremacy at this point. The gap between Alabama in the next best team(s) is gigantic right now. It's their conference to lose at this rate.

2. Ohio State

​While they initially struggled against Indiana on Thursday night you knew eventually they would turn it up. Their showdown against Oklahoma next week has the potential to shake up the entire top 10 as a whole. By the way I'm still a tad on the fence about JT Barrett.

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3. Clemson

To me probably the most impressive of the top 10 teams yesterday. It wasn't who they beat because there is zero shock value there. Clemson entered the season at #5 in the AP as the defending National Champion. So despite losing 80% of their offensive talent from last season there was a feeling of disrespect and zero benefit of the doubt. As a result I look at Clemson's win moreso as a statement on Saturday afternoon. Coupled with the potential that Florida State's quarterback Deondre Francois could miss significant time this season, it's not out of line to say right now Clemson could be the favorites to win the ACC and with an inside track on grabbling one of the four playoff spots this December.


4. Penn State

Again -- another team that came into the season with a huge chip on their shoulder. Remember I was one of the few in the media that thought despite losing two games because they won the Big Ten outright combined with winning their head to head matchup with Ohio State that Penn State had every right to be in the playoff four last season. Their schedule at a glance looks very weighted so the opportunity to make the case in 2017 is more than set for them.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend. If you want to hear the mini-podcast I did explaining this week's Fab Four, look no further.