Imagine, if you will, being a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee and having to sit through and analyze the slop of this weekend.
Bad news: what you thought days ago might not be what you think now.
Good news: there are 11 weeks ahead. It has to get better.
A look at our weekly feature Four In and Four Out after the first week of the season:
Four in
1. Oklahoma: The Sooners led Louisiana Tech, 41-3, early in the third quarter, got bored and slipped into neutral on the way to a 48-16 win. The big question: Could QB Trevor Knight be the same player that looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate against Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl? The answer: He was serviceable, throwing for 253 yards, (1 TD, 1 INT) and completing 56 percent of his passes against an overwhelmed defense.
Next week: A dicey test at Tulsa, which needed overtime to beat Tulane.
2. Florida State: This team is clearly loaded; full of elite skill players on offense and fast, nasty players on defense. The best team, by far, on paper. But can the Seminoles stay focused and motivated week after week with the idea that they can turn it on when needed? In one way too close week, the ‘Noles learned that every victory will be analyzed and scrutinized, and in the end, every victory will be relief. Good luck dealing with that for three months.
Next week: vs. Citadel. Jacob Coker would have played more in this game than he will all season at Alabama.
3. Oregon: Stop me when you’ve heard this before: Oregon scored 60-plus in a non-conference game to start the season. We can’t glean much from a rout of FCS South Dakota, where QB Marcus Mariota was close to perfect for a half before sitting out the third and fourth quarters. And where his backup, Jeff Lockle, might have played even better. One key takeaway: the Ducks may have found another WR option in freshman Darren Carrington.
Next week: vs. Michigan State, the best non-conference game of the season and a clear indicator of CFP hopes for two of the nation’s heavyweights.
4. Michigan State: Don’t let the FCS designation fool you: the Spartans destroyed a Jacksonville State team that has enough talent to win a national championship in the lower division. Michigan State’s revamped defense looked strong, limiting one of the top five players in FCS (TB DeMarcus James) to 17 yards. Connor Cook looked sharp, and the Spartans, unlike most in the preseason top 10, played with a purpose.
Next week: at Oregon. Spartans could not get a better test for their rebuilt defense.
Four out
5. Alabama: Quarterback isn’t the problem here, at least not yet (see: those SEC defenses are waiting, Tide). The Alabama defense, the backbone of Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa, has some leaks. Especially in the secondary. The uneasy win over West Virginia included numerous drops from Mountaineers receivers, and the reality that the Tide defensive front can’t get pressure on its own like it has for so many years.
Next up: vs. FAU.
6. Texas A&M: Now do you believe? There’s a reason Kevin Sumlin was the hottest coaching prospect in the nation three years ago. He knows offense, and knows how to put players in position to be successful. Case in point: QB Kenny Hill, a former three-star recruit who won the starting job in fall camp and then put on a show on the road at South Carolina. A bigger positive for Texas A&M: freshman DE Myles Garrett. He played like an All-American in his first game, and clearly was the best defensive player on the field for either team.
Next up: vs. Lamar.
7. USC: The Trojans have now beaten a strong Fresno State team 97-33 over the last two games they have played: last year’s bowl game and this year’s season opener. QB Cody Kessler was magnificent, playing as well as Carson Palmer or Matt Leinart or any of those stars of the past have played in season openers. The defense forced four turnovers and the Trojans dominated the lines of scrimmage. A talented — but thin because of scholarship limitations — team looked very impressive and prepared under first-year coach Steve Sarkisian.
Next up: at Stanford. Here’s USC’s chance to prove this year will be unlike those of the past post-Pete Carroll. A tough road game against a preseason conference favorite — and a team USC hasn’t beaten in Palo Alto since 2008.
8. Georgia: It may have taken a couple of quarters, but Georgia finally played better defense under new coordinator Jeremy Pruitt than it had in all of 2013. The Dawgs shut out Clemson in the second half of a 45-21 rout, and we found out Georgia has a leading Heisman Trophy candidate (TB Todd Gurley) and two other tailbacks (Nick Chubb, Sony Michel) who could play anywhere else in college football (no, really, Jimbo).
Next up: bye week, then at South Carolina, Sept. 13.