ESPN CFP Picks after Week 3: Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, IOWA

[Franisdaman]

• 
  
  ESPN staff
• 9:51 PM CT

Week 3 came and showed fans something we haven't seen in a while: Alabama tested deep into the fourth quarter.

It looked like the Crimson Tide were on their way to another rout, racking up a 21-3 lead in the first half, but the Florida Gators did not back down despite the early deficit. The Alabama lead dwindled to two, 31-29, late in the fourth quarter, but the Tide defense held on a two-point conversion. Then the offense drained the clock, finally giving the ball back to the Gators with 10 seconds left in the game. Alabama held on for the 31-29 victory and land in the No. 1 spot on every writers' list.

Following the big win at Iowa State, the Iowa Hawkeyes won a very Iowa Hawkeyes game, scoring a touchdown in each quarter and grinding Kent State down in the 30-7 win. The Hawkeyes land in six lists after a 3-0 start, but it's Penn State that makes the biggest impact on the lists this week.

The Nittany Lions outlasted Auburn, 28-20, in front of a thunderous White Out at State College. Sean Clifford finished 28-of-32 for 280 yards and two scores in Penn State's second win over a ranked team this season. The win earns the Nittany Lions six votes this week.

The Oklahoma Sooners were pushed to the end by former Big 8 rivals, Nebraska, but managed to hold on for a 23-16 victory in Norman. It was a relatively quiet day for Heisman-frontrunner Spencer Rattler, who finished 24-of-34 for 214 yards and and a touchdown. He also added 35 yards on the ground and touchdown against the Huskers but the Sooners' offense never got in a steady flow Saturday. The closer-than-expected victory lands Oklahoma on two of 13 lists this week.

Georgia maintained its position on each of our writers' lists following an impressive 40-13 win against South Carolina. Oregon was nearly a unanimous selection once again after taking care of business against Stony Brook. The Ducks will be a mainstay until the Pac-12 schedule heats up in mid-October.

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Andrea Adelson: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Oregon
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Iowa
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
Heather Dinich: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
David M. Hale: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Oregon
Chris Low: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Oregon
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Iowa
Ryan McGee: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
Alex Scarborough: 1. Alabama, 2.Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Oklahoma
Mark Schlabach: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Oregon, 4. Iowa
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Penn State
Dave Wilson: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Oregon, 4. Oklahoma

Most Popular Playoff Picks​

TEAM (RECORD)	VOTES
Alabama (3-0)	13/13
Georgia (3-0)	13/13
Oregon (3-0)	12/13
Iowa (3-0)	6/13
Penn State (3-0)	6/13
Oklahoma (3-0)	2/13

College Football Playoff picks after Week 3

How do Saturday's results impact the contenders for the College Football Playoff field? Our reporters make their picks for the top four.

www.espn.com

 

[BettDogs7]

That seems fair. Iowa will get their shot to knock off PSU in a few weeks. If iowa can win out, they’ll be in the playoff and that’s a great spot to be in right now.

 

[Franisdaman]

That seems fair. Iowa will get their shot to knock off PSU in a few weeks. If iowa can win out, they’ll be in the playoff and that’s a great spot to be in right now.

The last ESPN predictor I saw had Iowa favored in all of their remaining games except at Wisconsin (but it was close to 50/50)

 

[luvmyhawks]

Interesting. Reading this board tonight, I thought we would be falling out of the top 10. National pundits sure seem to think differently.

 

[Franisdaman]

Interesting. Reading this board tonight, I thought we would be falling out of the top 10. National pundits sure seem to think differently.

​

We are on a 9 game winning streak.

In last 9 games, we outscored them 305-113 (34-13 average).

This is the FIRST TIME in PROGRAM HISTORY that Iowa has scored 25+ in 9 straight games.

Iowa has 5 consecutive wins vs. ranked teams (best since 1960).


That's pretty damn good.

There's a lot to be happy about.

Unless you live a miserable life and can only find the negatives in everything that is good.

​

 

[Layoutman]

Glad the Hawks are getting some positive national recognition. We are a fraud top 5 team though. The defense is top 5, sadly, the offense is not even close. Let's hope the offense can get it's act together before playing Penn State.

 

[aapeltzz]

Glad the Hawks are getting some positive national recognition. We are a fraud top 5 team though. The defense is top 5, sadly, the offense is not even close. Let's hope the offense can get it's act together before playing Penn State.

Not to overuse an old phrase, but defense wins championships. If the national pundits think Iowa is worthy of a way to early CFP inclusion then that bodes well for Iowa. Fraud? If Iowa keeps the under 25 points streak going throughout the season they have a very good chance at making a deep run.

 

[BioHawk]

Glad the Hawks are getting some positive national recognition. We are a fraud top 5 team though. The defense is top 5, sadly, the offense is not even close. Let's hope the offense can get it's act together before playing Penn State.

Outside of Alabama I don't think there's a team Iowa can't beat as is. They would need better production from the offense to beat Alabama though, imo. That hasn't always been true, but I feel like outside of Alabama the field is wide open.

 

[KuwaitHawk]

IF Iowa runs the regular season and finishes 12-0, loses to a 12-1 B1G East team, any of the teams that can finish 11-1 regular season, would Iowa get a CFP slot? Two B1G teams in CFP?

 

[BioHawk]

IF Iowa runs the regular season and finishes 12-0, loses to a 12-1 B1G East team, any of the teams that can finish 11-1 regular season, would Iowa get a CFP slot? Two B1G teams in CFP?

They would not. The team that beat them would go and Iowa ends up in...Rose Bowl? Fiesta Bowl?

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

We want Bama!

 

[fezzador]

Outside of Alabama I don't think there's a team Iowa can't beat as is. They would need better production from the offense to beat Alabama though, imo. That hasn't always been true, but I feel like outside of Alabama the field is wide open.

If the Hawks can get a couple of early turnovers and get some easy points and get the Tide in a 17-0 hole, Iowa’s swarming defense can make Bama quit. I know it’s easier said than done but games are played on the field and not on paper for a reason. The unpredictability is half the fun.

Plus it’s fun seeing long faces on poor white trash. Roll Tears Roll!

 

[hawkeyekid]

The biggest thing about this is how bad the media thinks Nebraska has fallen. OU won and they sunk like a rock.

 

[jonesy5960]

We want Bama!

Really? Have you projected that hard fought trap game loss to Colorado State yet?

 

[jonesy5960]

Glad the Hawks are getting some positive national recognition. We are a fraud top 5 team though. The defense is top 5, sadly, the offense is not even close. Let's hope the offense can get it's act together before playing Penn State.

So who is in your top 5 today?

 

[QChawks]

I watched a lot of football yesterday and I stand my thoughts Iowa is not the 3rd best team in country.

Although like the rest of you I do enjoy all the national pub right now. It certainly won’t hurt with recruiting either.

 

[SI_NYC]

I watched a lot of football yesterday and I stand my thoughts Iowa is not the 3rd best team in country.

Although like the rest of you I do enjoy all the national pub right now. It certainly won’t hurt with recruiting either.

It's really impossible to tell until teams play each other. Teams that look great one week, look horrible the next and vice versa. Who do you put in your top 5?

 

[BioHawk]

If the Hawks can get a couple of early turnovers and get some easy points and get the Tide in a 17-0 hole, Iowa’s swarming defense can make Bama quit. I know it’s easier said than done but games are played on the field and not on paper for a reason. The unpredictability is half the fun.

Plus it’s fun seeing long faces on poor white trash. Roll Tears Roll!

Agreed. I just don't think you can count on Alabama to cough the ball up like that. Particularly later in the season when the early season mistakes that lead to turnovers are minimized, especially with really good teams (that's one of the reasons they are really good!). Iowa will need to be able to manufacture their own points to beat Alabama. They would have some advantages with this, though. With their defense and their punter the offense is likely to get the ball in good field position a few times.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

We want Bama!

Take it easy. lol

 

[jonesy5960]

So for those of you who say Iowa is not top 5 then fine.. Tell everyone who your top 5 is. Otherwise you've really just found a new way to whine about why Iowa isn't an offensive juggernaut. Seriously, lay out for everyone who's body of work suggests they belong in the top 5. I'll start.

Bama - no argument I'm sure.
Georgia- Win over Clemson looking not as impressive of late but still 3-0 witu a recent flogging of South Carolina.
Oregon- Still the best road win this year vs the Buckeyes.
PSU - They have 2 really good wins vs Wisconsin on the road and Auburn at home.
Iowa - 3-0 with wins over 2 quality teams. No close games averaging 20 points better than opponents. Indiana win looking not as good of late but they were dominating the number 8 team in the country yesterday before a bad call took out their all American middle linebacker and they weren't the same after that. Before that play Cincinnati had one first down in a quarter and a half.

I've got no one else that belongs in this list. Somebody tell me who else and why.

 

[fezzador]

Agreed. I just don't think you can count on Alabama to cough the ball up like that. Particularly later in the season when the early season mistakes that lead to turnovers are minimized, especially with really good teams (that's one of the reasons they are really good!). Iowa will need to be able to manufacture their own points to beat Alabama. They would have some advantages with this, though. With their defense and their punter the offense is likely to get the ball in good field position a few times.

We didn’t think the game against OSU in 2017 went down like it did. It was a one in a thousand game, but if Iowa can rout OSU it can beat Bama with the right bounces.

 

[BioHawk]

We didn’t think the game against OSU in 2017 went down like it did. It was a one in a thousand game, but if Iowa can rout OSU it can beat Bama with the right bounces.

Oh, it certainly can happen, but they tell you not to put all your money on 24 in roulette for a reason. Sure, lightning might strike and you win a lot of money, but it usually doesn't.

 

[Franisdaman]

Not to overuse an old phrase, but defense wins championships. If the national pundits think Iowa is worthy of a way to early CFP inclusion then that bodes well for Iowa. Fraud? If Iowa keeps the under 25 points streak going throughout the season they have a very good chance at making a deep run.

And remember, this is the FIRST TIME in PROGRAM HISTORY that Iowa has scored 25 or more points in 9 straight games.

 

[Franisdaman]

Outside of Alabama I don't think there's a team Iowa can't beat as is. They would need better production from the offense to beat Alabama though, imo. That hasn't always been true, but I feel like outside of Alabama the field is wide open.

Alabama looked average vs Florida, imo. Nevertheless, it's hard to bet against them because they are loaded with 5 star talent

its pretty cool, though, to be considered a CFP team at this point in time. It's gotta open some eyes and help in recruiting.

 

[Franisdaman]

Why not Iowa?

From CBS Sports:

College football chaos is on the horizon​

Every team in the AP top 10 won Saturday, but for the first time in a long while, a few of college football's superpowers looked fallible. The middle class of the sport has put on a show through the first few weeks. Ole Miss has been putting together an offensive exhibition. Programs like Virginia and Maryland have shown that they can cause some issues with their offensive playmakers. As most programs head into conference play, there's no question that upsets are coming once these teams play consistently better competition. Is there any truly good team this year? Get ready, we're about to find out.

College football winners, losers, overreactions for Week 3: There's an absence of elite teams this season

Several top-10 teams faced near-upsets in a wild Week 3

www.cbssports.com

 

[sbhawk64]

Not to overuse an old phrase, but defense wins championships. If the national pundits think Iowa is worthy of a way to early CFP inclusion then that bodes well for Iowa. Fraud? If Iowa keeps the under 25 points streak going throughout the season they have a very good chance at making a deep run.

But not only defense wins games. Teams that win conference/national championships have both. One dimensional is not good. when we play a top team ibn Big. the defense will get tired doing 3 and outs.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

IF Iowa runs the regular season and finishes 12-0, loses to a 12-1 B1G East team, any of the teams that can finish 11-1 regular season, would Iowa get a CFP slot? Two B1G teams in CFP?

The only way Hawks get into the playoffs is the same as 2015 scenario. An Iowa team with a loss will not get the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Sett1997]

Before Indiana if someone would have said to me we would be ranked number five at this point in the season I would have laughed in their face.
I hope the offense can continue to improve by leaps and bounds.

 

[Sett1997]

But not only defense wins games. Teams that win conference/national championships have both. One dimensional is not good. when we play a top team ibn Big. the defense will get tired doing 3 and outs.

Seen that movie over and over.

 

[hawkcub]

IF Iowa runs the regular season and finishes 12-0, loses to a 12-1 B1G East team, any of the teams that can finish 11-1 regular season, would Iowa get a CFP slot? Two B1G teams in CFP?

We don't play in the SEC. Only way Iowa gets in with 1 loss is they lose to PSU then beats an undefeated team in the BTC game.

 

[NevadaHawk]

Before we think about a matchup with Bama, how about concentrating on winning the west and winning the B1G Championship Game first? We still have a long way to go including games with Penn State and on the road at Wisconsin.

 

[cidsports]

​

We are on a 9 game winning streak.

In last 9 games, we outscored them 305-113 (34-13 average).

This is the FIRST TIME in PROGRAM HISTORY that Iowa has scored 25+ in 9 straight games.

Iowa has 5 consecutive wins vs. ranked teams (best since 1960).


That's pretty damn good.

There's a lot to be happy about.

Unless you live a miserable life and can only find the negatives in everything that is good.

​

Iowa played against 8 Top 20 teams in 9 games in 1960.

Sadly, lost one game that season road to #1 team in the nation in 1960.



So, what were those games for the Hawkeyes, since 1980?

One was clearly 2002 in Ann Arbor.

 

[fezzador]

View embedded media

Iowa played against 8 Top 20 teams in 9 games in 1960.

Sadly, lost one game that season road to #1 team in the nation in 1960.

View embedded media

So, what were those games for the Hawkeyes, since 1980
One was clearly 2002 in Ann Arbor.

A few without actually looking up.

2009 @ Penn State is another I’m guessing.
Maybe 1987 @ Ohio State
1990 @ Illinois maybe?

 

[MAXIMUSHAWKEYE]

I love the rating. We will lose a game or 2 before the end of the season. Our offense will hold us back from the promised land. This defense and sp teams is Alabama like though.

 

[punk1980]

But not only defense wins games. Teams that win conference/national championships have both. One dimensional is not good. when we play a top team ibn Big. the defense will get tired doing 3 and outs.

All Iowa's offense has to be able to do is score 2 td's on long drives a game The offense has to be able to take advantage of the short fields that they are given by the best defense in the NCAA. If we score more than 20 we should win every game.

 

[WadeWilson]

So for those of you who say Iowa is not top 5 then fine.. Tell everyone who your top 5 is. Otherwise you've really just found a new way to whine about why Iowa isn't an offensive juggernaut. Seriously, lay out for everyone who's body of work suggests they belong in the top 5. I'll start.

Bama - no argument I'm sure.
Georgia- Win over Clemson looking not as impressive of late but still 3-0 witu a recent flogging of South Carolina.
Oregon- Still the best road win this year vs the Buckeyes.
PSU - They have 2 really good wins vs Wisconsin on the road and Auburn at home.
Iowa - 3-0 with wins over 2 quality teams. No close games averaging 20 points better than opponents. Indiana win looking not as good of late but they were dominating the number 8 team in the country yesterday before a bad call took out their all American middle linebacker and they weren't the same after that. Before that play Cincinnati had one first down in a quarter and a half.

I've got no one else that belongs in this list. Somebody tell me who else and why.

I can't. Those are my top 5 right now. I'm expecting a win every game and want another shot at the cfp. If our offense comes along I don't see why we can't win every game. Just hoping for a magical year. 2002 except the win over isu. I know we have a long ways to go to match that but I still believe until we actually do lose.

 

[fezzador]

I love the rating. We will lose a game or 2 before the end of the season. Our offense will hold us back from the promised land. This defense and sp teams is Alabama like though.

Better than Bama's this year.

 

[Franisdaman]

All Iowa's offense has to be able to do is score 2 td's on long drives a game The offense has to be able to take advantage of the short fields that they are given by the best defense in the NCAA. If we score more than 20 we should win every game.

For the FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY, Iowa has scored 25 or more points in 9 straight games.

The last I saw, ESPN had Iowa predicted to win every game but at Wisconsin (but that was close to a 50/50 coin flip).

But 11-1 will still not be good enough for some on here.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Nihilist Rodgers]

All Iowa's offense has to be able to do is score 2 td's on long drives a game The offense has to be able to take advantage of the short fields that they are given by the best defense in the NCAA. If we score more than 20 we should win every game.

PSU didn't even practice together the first 5 games.. they never even finished the O install.. yet they bombed you guys on a couple of huge plays.

PSU Can Do That, Maryland Can Do That... but that's it. The whole west comes down to Iowa simply trying to keep up with the East. No Michigan and no Michigan State are a huge plus.

They are going to have to even out East/West.. the talent disparity is only growing. Rutgers prob has more team speed than Iowa, Wisconsin, or Nebraska.. Maryland surely does.