Kirk Herbstreit likes Alabama at No. 1, others interchangeable
Kirk Herbstreit was in the booth for Florida State’s 28th straight win on Saturday, but there’s another elite he’s turning his attention to for championship Saturday next weekend.
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Herbstreit has Alabama as the top-ranked team in his latest top four, putting the Crimson Tide ahead of Oregon, the Seminoles and newcomer TCU after 14 weeks of action.
“I would put Alabama at No. 1 after today and an entire season of work … based on how the second half went, I ended up keeping Oregon at No. 2,” Herbstreit said on Saturday’s late SportsCenter. “Florida State deserves credit once again for finding a way to win a game. I have no problem though putting Alabama and Oregon ahead of the Noles.”
Herbstreit’s had Big Ten favorite Ohio State at No. 4 the last two weeks but traded that spot to the Horned Frogs after TCU’s impressive win at Texas on Thanksgiving night.
My top 4 after rivalry Sat.
1. Bama
2. Oregon
3. FSU
4. TCU
Reserving judgement on Ohio St w/ C. Jones at QB till this Sat vs Wis
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 30, 2014
The Buckeyes suffered a devastating blow to their national championship hopes during their win over Michigan after quarterback J.T. Barrett went down with a season-ending ankle injury in the second half.
“The big mystery is which team is four,” Herbstreit said. “The J.T. Barrett injury is significant. I will reserve judgement on Ohio State until the end of the year. You don’t just take away one of the great stories of college football with a guy who has never played and expect them to be one of the best teams.
“We’ll see what Cardale Jones can do against Wisconsin.”