Playoff Contenders Week 4

Is four weeks enough to have a decent grasp on who is a legitimate playoff contender? I'll do this every week from here out, and this is just my opinion.

ACC: Florida State- They're the only one left from this league. Jameis Winston may have locked up a Heisman invite by not playing Saturday night, because they win that game by 3 TD with him.

B12: Oklahoma- In my opinion, this is the best team in America. They took WVU out for a woodshed beating in Morgantown, and are capable of beating everyone on their schedule like that. Oklahoma has a very good QB, good WRs, they can run the ball, and their pass rush is hellacious. The only issue with OU is you never know when Choklahoma is going to show up in their place, maybe against....

Baylor- The Bears score a shitload of points, but they would be in real trouble if the machine breaks down. Nonetheless, in what looks to be a depleted conference with Texas and Oklahoma State dealing with rebuilding, QB issues, and injuries, Baylor really only needs to bring its A+ game one time this season. Unfortunately for them, Norman is a hard place to win.

B1G: Michigan State- MSU is hanging on by a thread, and that's only because national writers respect Oregon more than I do. I personally thought they should have been punished harder for blowing that game and wilting down the stretch, but this team could easily steamroll through the rest of their schedule and present a 12-1 record with only a loss at Oregon. Would that be enough considering how bad the B1G is?

Pac 12: Oregon- It's Oregon, so there's a loss to a team that plays grown up football somewhere along the way, but their tendency to run up the score on shitty teams will make their average margin of victory look really nice. Marcus Mariota has taken the next step as a passer, so they have that to rely on if the run game breaks down like it did against Michigan State.

UCLA- They haven't been impressive, but they haven't lost yet, either. Their playoff hopes depend on the offensive line's ability to protect Brett Hundley. A 28-20 win at Virginia looks pretty good now considering it was a noon kick (9am Los Angeles time) and UVA isn't an ACC bottom feeder like we thought they would be. If they can step up Thursday against Arizona State, the national opinion of the Bruins will change.

Arizona State- The game Thursday at home vs UCLA is a playoff elimination game. The Sun Devils can hang a big number on the board on any given Saturday, but they can give up a big number too.

SEC: Alabama- 645 yards against UF notwithstanding, they haven't looked like the same juggernaut as the 2011-2012 versions did. The schedule is brutal, but they get Auburn and aTm at home this season. LSU is beatable, and any team with true playoff aspirations should be able to get by Ole Miss and Mississippi State on the road.

Auburn- A funny thing happened on Thursday night, they won a game with defense. Kansas State did a wonderful job against the Auburn offense, but the Wildcats missed three FGs and dropped a TD pass that was eventually intercepted. Sometimes, you need to catch a break or two to have a special season, something Auburn knows all too well. They get aTm at home, but UGA and Alabama on the road. They should be able to win at least two of those.

Texas A&M- That 52-28 win at South Carolina looks pretty good right now. Is A&M really that good, or did Carolina just have a miserable day? A&M has finished their annual cupcake portion of the schedule, and now it's time to see if their run defense has bowed up. Arkansas in Dallas is waiting for them. They get Alabama, Auburn, and Mississippi State on the road.

Independents: BYU- BYU ran train on Texas again, and they have a terrific chance to finish 12-0. However, they could be in trouble if Texas goes into the tank; their best win might be a home win over Virginia.

Notre Dame- The committee would welcome a 12-1 Notre Dame team with open arms, but the win over Michigan looks like nothing to write home about at this point. They still have to play at FSU, at USC, and get Stanford at home. They'll probably lose two of those, but if they win two of them and hold serve the rest of the way, they're probably in.

Thoughts?