Alabama & Ohio State remain atop Chris Carlin’s top 10 college football teams

We’re nearing the halfway point of the college football season and the elite teams are starting to show why they are just that. Each week, College Sports Nation host Chris Carlin will break down his top 10 teams and what to expect out of them heading into the new weekend in the 2016 college football season. 

College Football Top 10 Rankings

10: Wisconsin Badgers (4-1)

The Badgers may not have an explosive offense, but their defense is “oustanding,” according to Carlin, and that will likely carry them throughout the season. Wisconsin has some time to recover from their tough loss to Michigan this past weekend as they prepare for another elite opponent on Oct. 15: The Ohio State Buckeyes

9. Louisville Cardinals (4-1)

Sure, the Cardinals couldn’t hold a lead against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, but if you saw Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson play you can see why Carlin thinks this team will be near the top of the polls all season long. Not only did Jackson throw for nearly 300 yards, he managed to rush an astounding 165 more and three total touchdowns. Louisville will look to get back on track when they play Duke Oct. 14.

8. Texas A&M Aggies (5-0)

After a week without defensive monster Myles Garrett, the SEC sack leader returns in a big matchup against Tennessee. There’s already been a few veiled jabs sent his way from the Vols (probably not a great idea), so it should be interesting to see these two teams finally face off with so much at stake.

7. Tennessee Volunteers (5-0)

The Volunteers find themselves in the No. 7 spot, in part, due to blind luck after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs on a 47-yard Hail Mary. Chris Carlin thinks that luck won’t last for very long. Will it end when Tennessee heads to Texas this weekend? With Myles Garrett rushing the passer all game long, it’s very much a possibility.

6. Houston Cougars (5-0)

Yes, the Cougars should beat Navy this weekend, but Carlin wants to remind us all that Navy’s triple-option is no joke. Houston’s normal defensisve schemes will have to be scrapped this week as they prepare for Navy’s high-powered offense.

5. Washington Huskies (5-0)

This is a team that SiriusXM College Sports Nation host Chris Carlin is very high on. They face a struggling Oregon Ducks team on the road on Saturday, and considering they are PAC-12 rivals, it shouldn’t be too hard for the Huskies to get pumped for the matchup. If Washington continues to play the way they’re playing, Carlin thinks they can go 12-0 this season and find themselves in the College Football Playoff.

4. Michigan Wolverines (5-0)

After a very strong win over Wisconsin last week, the Wolverines proved they are for real as they now ready to leave the state of Michigan for the first time all season. They face Rutgers this weekend.

3. Clemson Tigers (5-0)

Despite giving the ball away four times last week, Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson still managed to come through in the clutch by scoring two touchdowns to clinch the game. “It really showed me an awful lot about Watson, and I’m sure he had an awful lot to prove considering all the hype (Lamar) Jackson has gotten.”

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)

The Buckeyes rolled last week against Rutgers, but now they face an explosive Indiana offense. Don’t expect the Hoosiers to put up a bunch of points against Ohio State though. Why? The Buckeyes have an elite defense.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)

No surprise here. Carlin expects ‘Bama to beat Arkansas by two touchdowns this weekend but it’ll also be a lot closer than most people expect in the third quarter.

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