SDS Mailbag: Best 4 teams in college football, Jayden Daniels’ best NFL fit and predicting title game winners

It’s time, y’all! One of the greatest traditions in college football returns this weekend.

No, I’m not talking about conference championship games or the final College Football Playoff rankings.

I’m talking, of course, about the Dr Pepper Challenge! College students will be competing on the field for tuition money during halftime of conference title games this year.

As always, expect to see more chest passes than actual football-like throws. Until the rules change, that’s the more efficient way to rack up points.

Here’s hoping we see those rules change in the future, though!

Now it’s time for your questions for this week’s SDS Mailbag:

Shane:

You always hear people talk about how the Playoff should get the “best” 4 teams in, rather than the 4 most-deserving teams. If you had to pick today, regardless of outcome this weekend, who are the 4 “best” teams in college football?

Georgia and Michigan are locks. Those 2 teams have proven to be absolutely elite, mowing down their competition this year. Now, that doesn’t mean they haven’t struggled a bit at times, but great teams find ways to win even during lackluster performances. The Wolverines and Bulldogs have done that.

Florida State with Jordan Travis would be on this list, too. Unfortunately, without Travis, there’s not really a case for the Seminoles as 1 of the 4 best teams. The QB position is simply too important. If JJ McCarthy was injured, Michigan wouldn’t be in the top 4. That’s just the way it is.

Washington beat Oregon, yes, but the Huskies have struggled against some lesser opponents lately. Meanwhile, the Ducks have used the loss at Washington as a wake-up call. Oregon is 1 of the 4 best teams in college football. Washington isn’t.

That leaves us with Alabama and Texas as 2 teams vying for 1 spot. It’s one of the toughest debates we’ve had in recent years. I’m sure plenty of folks will go to the comments and say “blah blah blah, head-to-head win for Texas, blah blah blah,” but that was back in Week 2. Things have changed since then, including a key injury to Texas’s best running back.

Personally, I’d put Alabama in the top 4 “best” teams right now, but you can’t go wrong with either the Longhorns or the Tide. Flip a coin. Georgia, Michigan and Oregon are all locks for me, though.

Steve:

With the NFL moving toward more dual-threat QBs (Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Anthony Richardson, Justin Fields, etc.), which team would be the best fit for Jayden Daniels next year?

Jayden Daniels should win the Heisman Trophy this year. He should also be a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in April. I think there’s also an outside shot he could rise to No. 1 overall. For his sake, though, I hope he doesn’t end up with the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots or Arizona Cardinals.

Two teams that could be drafting in the top 10 where I think he could have success are the Bay teams – Tampa Bay and Green Bay. The Packers have a solid offense, with rising young receivers, a decent line and a good running game. The Buccaneers have 2 solid veteran wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

If the Packers decide Jordan Love isn’t the guy and snag a top-10 pick, they could do a lot worse than taking a shot at one of the most electric college football players of the last couple of seasons.

Jimmy:

Who will win the Power 5 title games this week? Any major upsets brewing?

Certainly not in the Big Ten Championship Game. Give me Michigan to win by a million. Iowa’s defense is good, yes, but the Hawkeyes might not score a single point (unless it’s a defensive safety/touchdown) on the Wolverines.

Oregon is ranked lower in the College Football Playoff rankings at the moment, but the Ducks enter Friday’s game favored by 9 points over Washington, so that’s not exactly an upset.

Even without Jordan Travis, I still think Florida State has enough weapons to take down a Louisville team that just lost to Kentucky.

I’m predicting that this year’s SEC Championship Game will be an all-time great game. Georgia and Alabama should come down to the wire, but I’ll take Carson Beck and Brock Bowers to make 1 more big play than Jalen Milroe and the Tide. Give me Georgia to win a close one.

That leaves the Big 12 Championship Game. Texas vs. Oklahoma State with the Longhorns looking to bolster their CFP résumé. I’m predicting a Cowboys upset here. Ollie Gordon is an elite running back. Texas lost its top running back (Jonathon Brooks) as mentioned earlier. I’m not saying the Big 12 will instruct officials to give the Longhorns a tough time in their final game in the conference, but I’m also not saying it’ll be a fairly officiated game.

We could see some shenanigans in that one, so Texas will have to be at its best to avoid an upset from Oklahoma State.

@Dobbe8:

What’s the best holiday for sports? Thanksgiving Day with the NFL and the Egg Bowl? Christmas Day NBA action? New Year’s Day bowl games and CFP semifinals? Labor Day Weekend with the return of college football? Something else?

I’m going to pick Thanksgiving. There’s also college basketball on Thanksgiving, which gives it an added boost and some extra variety that Christmas Day doesn’t have. This year was even better for me, since I got to see my Green Bay Packers score a surprising win over Detroit.

My dad is a Dallas Cowboys fan, too, so this year we got to both see our teams win, which is always great. The Egg Bowl is the icing on the cake (or the whipped cream on the pie, I suppose).

New Year’s Day bowl games are also fun, but that’s more of a solitary experience after the festivities of New Year’s Eve. I prefer the social aspect of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

No matter which holiday sports slate you choose, though, they’re all great days on the calendar. You truly can’t go wrong.

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me directly at Adam.Spencer@XLMedia.com.

Just a reminder, tomorrow is game day! Be sure to check out our homepage for our Saturday Morning Tailgate. From TV schedules to power rankings to the SEC’s top players, it’s the one-stop shop every SEC fan needs to kick off the best day of the week. 

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.