Joel Klatt breaks down new-look Top 10 after Week 6
FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt’s Top 10 has seen some serious movement over the last few weeks. But he made one big declaration after six weeks of games: The top five are virtual locks, no matter the order.
“What is unquestioned right now is really the top five,” Klatt said on “Breaking The Huddle with Joel Klatt” Wednesday night. “You can put them in differing orders, but the top five teams in the country right now are the top five teams in the country.”
Klatt once again had Ohio State as his top team while moving Georgia up from No. 5 to No. 3. However, there’s also a new entry into his top 10: UCLA, which is coming off a big win over Utah last week.
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Here’s his new top 10, which he revealed on Twitter earlier in the week:
Klatt: UCLA could be the best team in the Pac-12
After last week’s victory over Utah, Klatt made a bold declaration about UCLA’s ceiling this year. He thinks the Bruins, thanks to a strong running game and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, can be the best team in the Pac-12.
“This UCLA team, by the way, under Chip Kelly is very good and very balanced,” Klatt said. “When I look at this team, they run it well with Zach Charbonnet. ‘DTR’ is playing as well as anybody out there and I think he should actually start getting some love and mention for the Heisman Trophy. That’s how well that he’s been playing. He’s throwing it really well, he’s running it, using his legs. That’s a good team that they just beat last week, that Utah team.
“Nobody has handled Utah like UCLA since Cameron Rising became their starting quarterback last year. They haven’t. Not even Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, not Florida in that loss. Nobody. UCLA, that’s impressive, and right now, they could be the best team in the Pac-12. They’re probably the most balanced and it’s certainly a bad matchup for USC, but that could be the best team in the Pac-12 going forward.”
Joel Klatt explains why he’s picking Tennessee over Alabama this week
One week after sneaking out a win over Texas A&M, Alabama is gearing up to head to the hostile environment that is Neyland Stadium to take on Tennessee. Klatt has the Crimson Tide six spots ahead of the Volunteers in his rankings, but he predicted that will change last week.
He’s picking the Vols.
“This Alabama team struggled a week ago, and rightly so,” Klatt said. “They didn’t have their quarterback, they played sloppily and they still won. Credit to them for doing so. But this is team that still struggles on the road, folks. They’re going on the road this week against a team that can exploit one of the few areas where they’re not strong, which is their passing defense.
“When you look at what Hendon Hooker and Tennessee can do, they can exploit you down the field. In fact, they’re second in the country in 30-yard pas splays or more with 16, only to Ohio State. This is a bad matchup for Alabama. They’re favored by seven, and even if Bryce Young plays, this is a bad matchup for Alabama. I’m going with Tennessee this week — not just to cover. I think Tennessee in that environment gets a full-blown win.”