Joel Klatt names eight national title contenders ‘above the line’ entering Week 11
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt named his eight national title contenders that are “above the line” going into Week 11 of the college football season.
Klatt’s above the line teams are the ones above the rest in terms of title contention and ability to win it all this year. At this point, there are just eight left and it could very well be shortened after this weekend.
Klatt broke down his national title contenders, with his top five being in tier one while the next group was tier two.
1. Michigan
Klatt: “Michigan, no let downs all season, the most consistent, the most dominant team that we’ve had in college football thus far. Michigan’s a tier one team, hands down. And I think that it’s not getting enough attention … how well their quarterback is playing. JJ McCarthy is playing ridiculously well.”
The Wolverines have been absolutely dominant this season, which is Klatt’s biggest point. With the quarterback play from JJ McCarthy at its highest right now, this should be the Wolverines’ best shot at a national title.
2. Georgia
Klatt: “Georgia. 26. straight wins. Still ridiculously hard to beat that team. I don’t care if they have Brock Bowers or not. It’s tough to beat that team.”
Klatt kept it simple when it came to the Bulldogs. Missing one of the best players in college football in Brock Bowers has not slowed this team down one bit. Carson Beck is only getting better at quarterback as well.
3. Ohio State
Klatt: “Ohio State is in tier one. This is a team that is not getting great quarterback play right now to Kyle McCord. You would think that that would improve during the course of the season and we’ll see if it does, but as they’ve gotten healthier on offense, it’s just accentuating the fact that this is a team that can really rely on their defense.”
Ohio State’s defense is top tier, maybe the best in college football. The Buckeyes didn’t have to worry about an upset scare at Rutgers by limiting the Scarlet Knights to field goals. The offense is starting to click again as well.
4. Oregon
Klatt: “They’ve got it all with a quarterback that has seen everything. You know how I feel about Oregon. They’re really good at the line of scrimmage, love their coaching staff. That’s a big one for me. Like this is a group that I can tell they’re gonna win a championship at Oregon at some point. Is it going to be this year? I’m not sure.”
Oregon could very well win the whole thing this season. That’s how much talent the Ducks have. But there’s no margin for error with one loss right now.
5. Alabama
Klatt: “Alabama is in tier one because when you look at them play and you watch them play as the season has gone on, they’ve gotten better and better and better and better. They’re better at the line of scrimmage now than they were against Texas. Jalen Milroe is a better decision maker now than he was against Texas. He’s much more decisive when he wants to run. He is a guy that I think can really win.”
Alabama is hot right now and Klatt has the Crimson Tide in tier one at this point. If Alabama runs the table, would anyone be surprised? Nick Saban and crew and in line for an 11-1 record and the SEC Championship Game.
6. Texas
Klatt: “They’re tier two and not tier one because Quinn Ewers is not playing quarterback right now. Maalik Murphy is not going to win a championship for Texas this year. That’s pretty clear to me.”
Klatt did mention how he loves Texas’ defense but without Ewers in the lineup, Texas will be held back. Ewers is day-to-day and could return this weekend, but until then, Longhorn fans will be on the edge of their seats.
7. Washington
Klatt: “And although they’re undefeated, this is still a team that has to overcome a bad defense. That’s still a defense that got shredded against USC now they came up with a stop here or there. They got the strip sack, gave the football back to their offense. They were able to score and then they scored after half and that was really the turning point in the game. Yes, that’s great. But it’s not a defense that’s stopping many people.”
Despite having Michael Penix Jr., Washington’s defensive talent has to be questioned a little bit. It might do enough to get by, but will it hold up under massive pressure? To be determined.
8. Florida State
Klatt: “The one thing that I would say about Florida State is that they are incredibly talented when they’ve got Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson on the field. So they have the ability to overcome mistakes … The concern with Florida State is outside of one half of football this year, they have not looked dominant at any point. They just kind of play to their level of competition.”
It’s a fair point from Klatt, but Florida State is still winning. It’s one of the few undefeated teams left in college football to this point. They’ll be tested in the playoff if they win out and win the ACC.
Klatt’s two tiers break down, probably, the best teams remaining in college football realistically the only contenders left. You never know what can happen in the last three weeks, so we’ll tune in for the madness.