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WATCH: ESPN's College GameDay crew picks best team in the country through week 9

Alex Weberby:Alex Weber•10/29/22
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Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

We are well into the college football season, with the playoff race starting to take shape. So at Week 9’s College GameDay show on Saturday morning, the entire crew picked who they think is pound for pound the best team in the country right now, just given the season to date.

There were three primary candidates for the gang, as Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and David Pollack all made picks for the top dog in the sport as of Halloween weekend.

Check it out (or read their responses below):

Herbie went first, letting a little bit of bias show: “We’ll have a better answer today, but I think Ohio State is the most complete team. I would put Tennessee right there with them, ahead of Georgia. We get to see that next week. But I’d put Ohio State right now.”

The crew agreed that it was sort of tough to parse through the resumes and pick a definitive No. 1. But Desmond Howard didn’t agree with that line of thinking. He sees one team as superior to the rest.

“I have absolutely no difficulty. The most impressive team I’ve seen is Tennessee,” Howard asserted. “They have the highest quality win I’ve seen. We’ve seen them twice. We’ve been in Knoxville two times. But we watched them play Florida and we watched them go toe-to-toe with the King of the Hill, Alabama, and it’s the highest-quality win. So, to me, it’s a no-brainer. Tennessee is the No. 1 team in the country.”

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David Pollack could see Howard’s logic, but didn’t side with it. “I understand why you would say that. I think them and Ohio State together are pretty ridiculous. But if you’re doing most complete team, they still give up points. I think to win it all in the end, it requires both sides of the football to be complete. So I’d give it to Georgia.”

Pat McAfee took Las Vegas’ side. He sees Tennessee as a bit overinflated and sides with Ohio State as his team to beat across the country.

“The thing about that Georgia-Tennessee debate is next week, 13.5-point spread, I believe. I think Georgia is favored by 13.5 against this Tennessee team. I think it’s because of the defense, because of what Will Levis may potentially do today. For, right now, Ohio State is the most complete team. All hell can break loose one week from now, and I feel like that’s what the College Football Playoff is all about. I have Ohio State No. 1. But Tennessee clearly has the best resume.”