FAVORITE TEAMS

25) MISSOURI

We’ll find out if Missouri is an SEC and CFP contender by November, and that all depends on Ahmad Hardy’s return. They face Florida and Texas A&M at home. Then, they travel to Ole Miss and Arkansas with a bye in between. Nothing comes easy for the Tigers unless Hardy’s healthy.

24) KENTUCKY

Kentucky still has plenty to prove, but maybe Will Stein’s motivation gets them to an SEC opportunity in November. They travel to South Carolina and Oklahoma and host LSU and Vanderbilt. LSU and Oklahoma are tough customers, but Vanderbilt and South Carolina might not back down either.

23) UCLA

UCLA could control the Big Ten this month. First, they come out of a bye traveling to a tough, yet familiar environment in Autzen. Then, they host Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Nevada which makes for a fairly easy run to November as long as they don’t slip up.

22) BOISE STATE

I wouldn’t say Boise State breathed a sigh of relief just yet. Utah State, Fresno State, and Washington State are no slouch. They know what’s at stake. Texas State could make for a fun Halloween weekend on the blue turf. Boise doesn’t face James Madison, but they are battling them for a Group of 6 CFP spot.

21) SMU

Did SMU get one of the easiest October schedules? Guess we’ll see. They face Boston College, Virginia, Cal, and Syracuse (on the road). None of them are ranked, we’re not sure if any of them will be by November, and SMU playing this smart could make them a sneaky CFP contender by November.

20) HOUSTON

There’s no telling what October will present to Houston. We know Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Utah are gauntlet level matchups. But what about UCF? Who is UCF and do they present a challenge to the Cougars?

19) OKLAHOMA STATE

The new-look Ok State team hosts UCF before traveling to Houston. They turn around back home to host a physically competitive Colorado team. On Halloween, Iowa State comes to Stillwater to try and bury the Big 12 title hopes six-feet under.

18) USC

USC’s hanging by a thread with the way their defense is playing. Things may look easy on their October schedule, but seeing teams like Washington and Ohio State at home and Penn State and Wisconsin on the road may prove to be a bit more complicated.

17) TENNESSEE

Tennessee’s kinda seeing reality of the current SEC after a tough loss to Texas. They host the state of Alabama (Auburn and Alabama) and travel out to Arkansas and South Carolina before a bye. They either come out alive as CFP contenders or buried six feet under by November.

16) MISSISSIPPI STATE

Are the Bulldog’s truly a legit team? They host Alabama and Oklahoma, which is already a tough matchup. But things get even tougher when they have to travel to Death Valley and Austin to face LSU and Texas. They’re likely a CFP team if they come out unscathed.

15) OREGON

Oregon departs September without Dante Moore and enters October with Dylan Raiola. Coming out of a bye next week is a major test against a rising UCLA team (also Moore’s former team) packed with James Madison vibes. If Raiola is still running the team, he hosts his former team Nebraska. Then the Ducks travel to Illinois before hosting Northwestern. The Wildcats are also not easy.

14) IOWA

Iowa pulls off a game-winner against Michigan and now hosts Ohio State on a Game Day Saturday. They then travel back-to-back to Washington and Minnesota and hope they avoid those traps and jet lag before concluding against Wisconsin on Halloween.

13) UTAH

Devon Dampier and company put the clamps on their opponents early in the Morgan Scalley era. They have a bye before tussling with Kansas and Houston at home and road matchups against Colorado and Cincinnati on Halloween. If they survive October, November gets really intense.

12) TEXAS TECH

I think it’s time Texas Tech wakes up and smells some cinnamon-flavored coffee because they must avoid getting axed by their Big 12 adversaries. Tech travels to Colorado before hosting a rematch against Arizona State. They travel to Cincinnati before playing on Halloween against Arizona.

11) LSU

Lane Kiffin and LSU have a chance to bounce back and take control of the SEC while the rest of their co-horts (or adversaries) are tested. They have McNeese to kick things up before traveling to Kentucky. They might be tough, but Mississippi State might be tougher. Then they face Auburn before their bye.

10) BYU

Off to a good start, but there’s nothing like traps and tough matchups for BYU in October. Will there be an upset against Notre Dame (and me storming the field with Cougar fans?) or will they be victims of an upset to TCU, Iowa State or UCF? Stay tuned to find out.

9) OLE MISS

Ole Miss must bounce back after suffering one of the most predictable upset losses in college football history. They come out of a bye clashing with Vanderbilt, have back-to-back big matchups against Missouri at home and Texas on the road, and close out on Halloween at home against a tricky Auburn team.

8) FLORIDA

The Gators chomped Ole Miss and cleaned them out. But they must shake it off quick because they face road matchups against Missouri and Texas while hosting rivals South Carolina and Georgia in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia on Halloween.

7) ALABAMA

Alabama has one of the toughest October schedules in what has to be a good bit. They travel to Mississippi State and Tennessee. Do things change against Georgia or does Bama still own them in the regular season? They also host Texas A&M, but that remains to be seen if they’re still a competitive team? Keelon Russell and the run game will definitely be tested.

6) INDIANA

They delivered on their September schedule as defending champs, but it came at a cost with a few key players hurt and almost losing to Northwestern. Now, they travel 3 times for the next 4 weeks before hosting Minnesota on Halloween. Either Rutgers, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, or Minnesota could deliver a big scare to Indy in October.

5) OHIO STATE

Ohio State may be in for an October to remember. Either they survive all of their road games against Iowa, Indiana, and USC, or they likely suffer their worst downfall in Ohio State’s history for what must be decades.

4) MIAMI

I think it’s time to finally wake up to some football in October. They travel to Clemson, host Florida State and Pitt, and travel to face Bill Belichick and North Carolina. Maybe Halloween could be a scary moment for the Hurricanes.

3) NOTRE DAME

This month gets a bit tricky. North Carolina won’t back down and a road matchup at BYU can definitely decide who potentially gets a playoff spot. Otherwise, Stanford and Navy (at a neutral site) should be a cakewalk.

2) GEORGIA

Georgia cleared their September schedule about as easy as my walk-in closet. Now, their October schedule gets interesting. They travel to Alabama to hopefully end their regular season meeting skid against them. They host Auburn and clash with rival Florida for what could be a potential SEC shifting moment matchup.

1) TEXAS

Texas escapes 1/3 of their schedule with an inconsistent offense and run into probably their toughest October schedule ever. Luckily, they don’t leave the state of Texas until November. They face Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry matchup. Then, they host a hot Florida team, Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss, and Ole Miss’s rival Mississippi State.

10 TEAMS POTENTIALLY IN THE TOP 25 BY NOVEMBER

1) JAMES MADISON

2) NORTH DAKOTA STATE

3) USF

4) DUKE

5) VIRGINIA TECH

6) WAKE FOREST

7) LOUISVILLE

8) CINCINNATI

9) ARIZONA STATE

10) PENN STATE