If you were to come up to me in July and told me that Utah would be top 5, Michigan would be ranked, and Oregon would be unranked, I would have told you that you were absolutely crazy. However, here we are. This year so far has already been up and down, upset after upset, and surprise after surprise. Since there have been so many twists and turns, lets take a look at some of them  and also a quick look ahead.
Surprises:
- Utah- I can’t lie, I didn’t know much about Utah coming into the year outside of their running back Devontae Booker, who is coming off a 1500 yard and 10 TD season last year, but I quickly learned a lot about this team. First they beat a Michigan team, who is quickly becoming a very quality win, and then they absolutely demolished Oregon, who is struggling but no matter what, 62-20 is no joke. Their defense has played great all year and if Travis Wilson keeps playing like he is, then this team will quickly turn into a national title contender, if they have not already. They struggled against Cal but still got the win, which says a lot for them and how they can pull it off even when they may not be playing the best.
- Running Backs- Whether it is Leonard Fournette, Ezekiel Elliot, Paul Perkins, Nick Chubb (who unfortunately went down with an injury on Saturday), or the afore mentioned Devontae Booker, running backs have been in full force this season. Currently, out of the 6 top guys that are in the Heisman watch, 4 of them are running backs. Players like Fournette and Zeke are honestly keeping their team undefeated because without them, Ohio State probably drops one against Indiana and LSU may not make it out of Syracuse alive. It is the year of these running backs so far and we will see if it continues or if the Quarterbacks take their title back.
- The Big Ten- I came in to the year like everyone else…the Big ten is a two team race between Ohio State and Michigan State. Honestly, it still may be, but their are some teams that are putting on a nice little show. As much as I hate to say it, Michigan is the main one. Other teams like Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State are also looking strong and could really be a tough task to deal with. Michigan State plays Michigan next week, while Ohio State plays Penn State, and Iowa travel to Northwestern. The Big Ten could look very interesting.
Disappointments
- Oregon- A team that has not had a losing season since 2004, and since Chip Kelly took over in 2009, the ducks combined record is 69-8, they are in some trouble this year. They are 3-3 with losses to Michigan State, Washington State and Utah, and things are not looking up after the Washington State loss Saturday. The main problem with this team right now is the quarterback position. Oregon has been known for being a “plug and Play” type team, with throwing any quarterback into the mix and them succeeding. This year has been a perfect example of the issues with that. Vernon Adams, the transfer QB from Eastern Washington, has played alright, but he has not played up to the normal Oregon QB standards and now they must rely on defense keeping them in the game and their defense has not delivered. They need to better their defense before this year gets out of control to where it is too late.
- Arkansas- Yikes. This team has been a complete disaster. The season started well with them being ranked and winning the opener, but from there it started going downhill. First it was the rockets from Toledo knocking them off, then it was Kliff Kingsbury and Texas Tech and then it was Kyle Allen and A&M to get the job done. They got a big win against Tennessee then proceeded to lose all momentum they gained in a loss to Bama. With Brandon Allen, who came into the season the most veteran QB in the SEC, and a much improved defense, there was a lot of hope for Arkansas this year. Now, it looks like they will have to fight to finish .500.
- AP Rankings- Self-Explanatory
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