The BCS is officially in the rearview mirror and the new College Football Playoff is just down the road. Statements were made by several teams this past weekend, but which teams are for real? Here’s the contenders and pretenders after the first slate of games.

Contenders

Alabama Crimson Tide

Week 1 result: Defeated West Virginia, 33-23

Alabama’s season didn’t get off to the dominating start everyone imagined it would against West Virginia, but there should be no reason why Alabama can’t once again have a very strong season. They dominate at multiple positions and with a running back duo like TJ Yeldon and Derrick Henry, it’ll be incedibly tough for opposing defenses to hold up for an entire 60 minutes. They should wear down most opponents this season and if Blake Sims improves, their offense will tough to stop, which is a scary thought considering how great their defense will be.

Georgia Bulldogs

Week 1 result: Defeated Clemson, 45-21

As one of week one’s most impressive teams, the Georgia Bulldogs looked for real against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. A sluggish first half defensively held no bearing on the final 30 minutes of the game. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt’s adjustments shut down a Clemson offense that only gained one first down and 15 total yards in the second half. In addition to their stingy defense, Georgia boasts the best depth at running back in the entire country. Todd Gurley is a beast by himself, but when you add in Keith Marshall, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel behind him, it’s virtually unfair. Georgia excels in the important areas – defense and ball control. They have all the ingredients to be a contender throughout the season.

Oregon Ducks

Week 1 result: Defeated South Dakota, 62-13

In typical Oregon fashion, the Ducks did what they wanted on offense this past weekend – and looked good doing it too. At No. 3 in the latest AP Poll, the Ducks have a championship-caliber offense. Behind quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back Byron Marshall, Oregon will be putting up a ton of points in 2014. If they can get by Michigan State, UCLA and Stanford – games in which they’ll be favorites in – they’re a virtual lock to be undefeated this season. We’ll know a lot more about the Ducks after this weekend’s game against the Spartans, but so far so good for the team from Eugene, Oregon.

Pretenders

Ohio State Buckeyes

Week 1 result: Defeated Navy 34-17

After a rocky start against Navy last Saturday, Ohio State looked anything but like the dominating team they were tabbed to be heading into the season. A big reason why is the loss of senior quarterback Braxton Miller. To lose a starting quarterback that had more than 3,000 total yards last season is tough, but to lose him with less than two week left until the season begins makes the abrupt transition nearly impossible. His replacement, JT Barrett, looked OK in his debut, but it’s unlikely the Buckeyes can withstand the loss of Miller throughout the entire season without faltering somewhere along the line.

UCLA Bruins

Week 1 result: Defeated Virginia, 28-20

Give UCLA credit for traveling cross-country for a season-opener, but the Bruins weren’t very sharp in Charlottesville on Saturday. If it wasn’t for three touchdowns by their defense, UCLA could have very easily been heading home 0-1. Quarterback and Heisman hopeful Brett Hundley didn’t throw for a touchdown all game and was rather unimpressive. If he’s unable to get it going soon, UCLA will find themselves on the losing ends of these kind of games quickly. For now, UCLA looks more like a pretender than contender.

Ole Miss Rebels 

Week 1 result: Defeated Boise State, 35-13

I’m not quite sure if Ole Miss was ever considered a true contender for the College Football Playoff, but at No. 15 in the latest polls, they’re certainly within striking distance. Ole Miss boasts a tough, aggressive and opportunistic SEC defense that will lead them to several victories this season.

However, the issue lies in their quarterback Bo Wallace. It’s hard to see Wallace performing a high level consistently enough to make the Rebels the team to beat in the SEC. He’s too turnover prone and his three-interception performance against Boise State was a good indicator of his questionable decision making. I like the Rebels defense, but their offense won’t hold up against the tougher competition of the SEC.