After four weeks, Ohio State is the writer’s pick as college football’s best team, despite losing by one point at Texas after fading in the fourth quarter. The AP No. 5 Buckeyes have a standout in Jeremiah Smith and a strong defense, but need to run the ball better.
Across its first four weeks, Ohio State ranked 38th nationally in yards per carry even after games against Texas were removed. The writer treats that as a small sample and praises Matt Patricia’s defense despite the Buckeyes losing a historic haul of players to the NFL Draft.
The piece sorts all 25 AP-ranked teams into six tiers. Texas, the poll’s No. 1, is described as title-capable, but the article flags its 120th-place yards-per-rush figure (excluding sacks) and 108th-place ranking in passing plays of at least 20 yards, with nine such plays.
