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.”
