2. Penn State (7-0)
Look, all credit is due to James Franklin. This program wouldn’t be where it is now without him, especially given the scandals that Penn State has had to endure over the past several years. Penn State is a really good team, but untested. They have several games coming up that, if they got through them, would prove they are worthy to be the final four.
That being said, Penn State’s offense, comparatively, moves like molasses compared to Alabama’s. They have RB Saquon Barkley, a Heisman contender, but Damien Harris has just as many yards and has done it with fewer carries. It’s not a good idea to look past Penn State, but Alabama fans would be confident in a victory.
Alabama “Fare-ability” Score: 7 wins out of 10 games.
There you have it. After careful thought and based upon eight weeks of college football, the biggest threats to a 2017 Alabama football national championship are Wisconsin and Notre Dame. After the Badgers and the Irish, the next greatest threats are the TCU Horned Frogs and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Next: Alabama Football: Damien Harris is no longer the Invisible Man
Remember this exercise was based upon the AP Poll Top Ten. In no way am I suggesting which of the ten teams will actually make the College Football Playoff field.