Andy Staples shares his thoughts on the college football landscape

Key notes from Andy Staples interview

• Ohio State is not as convincing as they have been in the past.  They have Nebraska coming up and that will be a stern test for them.  The LSU-Alabama game will be interesting due to the changes that have been made at LSU.
  
  
• No one has been able to stop Alabama on the ground but LSU may be the team that is able to do that. The one thing to worry about is the ability of Danny Etling to deal with the Alabama pass rush and his ability to take care of the football.
  
  
• The two, three, and four spots for the College Football Playoff are a toss up.  I would have Louisville knocking on the door, with Texas A&M following closely behind them.
  
  
• The win against Auburn for A&M is looking better and better every week.  If A&M keeps winning and Alabama loses they will be fine.  Even if Alabama doesn’t lose, they still may be fine in the long run.
  
  
• If LSU can win out and win the SEC championship they may get some looks for the College Football Playoff.  The committee could possibly look at them as two separate teams and the latter team would be 9-0.
  
  
• Texas A&M is doing everything they need to do. They don’t need to be discouraged by what happened at Alabama, because Alabama is doing that to everyone.
  
  
• The Aggies need to stay the course and try to win out.  Trevor Knight has been the stabilizing force for this offense and Noel Mazzone has called some great games for A&M so far this season. Defensively they have been solid and if A&M can beat LSU, they could very well be sitting at 11-1 with a good chance to make it into the College Football Playoff.
  
  
• The Heisman Trophy race is far from over.  Lamar Jackson is still the front-runner but there are other players creeping in. If Jabrill Peppers keeps playing the way that he has, he makes a strong argument to be considered. Deshaun Watson still is in the conversation and can push his way in.  Dalvin Cook is unbelievable as well. Jonathan Allen has been a monster also because he affects Alabama’s gameplay just as much as anyone else on the field.