By Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
As the end of September creeps around the corner, football season continues to ramp up with more great games every week.
However, I’m not here to talk about the games occurring on Saturday. We are already one-third of the way through the season, so let’s recap how we got to where we are.
To the surprise of no one, Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama are still the three teams to beat. Each team has shown weaknesses, as the Bulldogs struggled to put away a pesky Kent State squad, the Buckeyes looked sluggish against Notre Dame and the Crimson Tide collected one of the ugliest wins you could imagine against Texas.
Despite these flaws, I don’t see many other teams being able to stop these three. There are some contenders that might be able to give those three some problems.
The main contender that stands out is Michigan, as the Wolverines absolutely demolished three straight opponents before winning a one-possession game against Maryland. The Wolverines have all the pieces to win, but I want to see how they fare against some tougher competition. If Maryland gives them a tough game, I would hate to see what Ohio State would do to them.
Next up on the list is Clemson. The Tigers have relied on their offense to win games, which is a complete turnaround from last season. Wake Forest proved to be a worthy opponent for the Tigers, with Clemson defeating the Demon Deacons in double overtime, 51-45.
With a massive battle against North Carolina State on the horizon, the Tigers need to win that game to cement themselves as a contender this year.
The rest of the contenders on my list have one major problem: They haven’t played anyone of importance yet. Kentucky and Tennessee both have a win over Florida on their resume, but that win looks worse after every week. Oklahoma State and North Carolina State both have major tests Saturday, with the Cowboys travelling to Baylor and the Wolfpack playing Clemson.
If these teams can continue to win, they will have a case to be a contender.