Alabama reigns supreme in the polls, and while not everyone believes the Crimson Tide are the best team in the country, the consensus certainly leans in the direction of Nick Saban's team. However, one of the leading statistical projections in the country actually places Alabama third (!) after four weeks, and the two teams ahead of the Tide happen to be arch rivals.
Bill Connelly's S&P+ ratings (via Football Outsiders) were updated earlier this week and both Ohio State and Michigan landed ahead of Alabama. The Wolverines were buoyed by the number two defense in the country, while Ohio State lands among the top ten on both sides of the ball despite playing only three games given their open date on Sept. 24.
At this point, it is (way) too early to get riled up about something like this, but given that Michigan and Ohio State wrap up each season by facing off on the field, it could be very intriguing. The Crimson Tide will definitely have the opportunity to zoom ahead given the difficulty of their SEC schedule, but as Nov. 27 approaches, it is at least conceivable that No. 1 and No. 2 in this particular ranking could be playing each other with everything on the line.
For now, though, we can simply yell and scream about this odd combination sitting atop this projection. That's the fun part.
