The biggest flaw of every top 25 college football team

Quarterback pressure. It's hard to nitpick about a team that boasts the Sun Belt Conference's top offense and defense. However, the Mountaineers could put a little more pressure on the opposing quarterback. Their 13 sacks this season rank eighth in the 10-team conference.

A lack of Love. The Cardinal had high hopes for the season and especially for 2017 Heisman runner-up Bryce Love. While Stanford is in the mix for a Pac-12 North title, injuries have plagued Love. He's missed two games and has just 348 rushing yards on 87 attempts and three touchdowns. If Stanford is to win the division, Love likely must be a factor. 

Penalties. Winners of three in a row, the Utes are feeling good about themselves. However, Utah could use a little work in terms of discipline. Its 38 penalties during Pac-12 play are second-most in the conference. Twice this season the Utes have committed nine penalties in a game.

Aerial containment. The Wolfpack were exposed through the air in a 41-7 loss at Clemson over the weekend. Trevor Lawrence threw just one touchdown pass, but he and backup Chase Brice totaled 380 passing yards on the day. That's not totally surprising, considering N.C. State ranks 11th in the 14-team ACC and is allowing 258.3 passing yards per contest.

Living on edge. The Bulls have opened with seven straight wins for the second consecutive year, but it has not been easy. They've trailed in the fourth quarter in three of their games and were tied in another. South Florida also fell behind to lowly Massachusetts at one point this season. Houston, Cincinnati, Temple and UCF all await the Bulls, so more late heroics might be tough to come by going forward.

Alex Hornibrook. Perhaps it's not fair to pinpoint a team's so-called flaw to one person, but the Badgers quarterback likely needs to play better if they are to win the Big Ten West Division. The Wisconsin staff has never asked Hornibrook to go above and beyond his capabilities, but in three games this month he's 33-of-66 with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Stop the pass. Oregon is one of the best teams in the nation in stopping the run, allowing 116.3 yards on the ground. However, its pass defense leaves much to be desired. The Ducks rank 10th in the 12-team league, yielding an average of 251.0 yards through the air.

Ground support. The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 113-47 while going 3-0 this month. They rushed for a season-high 224 yards in the 23-0 win against Maryland over the weekend. That's the kind of ground effort Iowa needs more of down the stretch. The Hawkeyes rank ninth in the Big Ten, averaging 165.4 rushing yards per game.

Don't bend too much. Penn State has not allowed more than 28 points in its last six games, but the defense continues to allow chunks of yards. The Nittany Lions, ninth in the Big Ten in total defense (392.0 average yards allowed), have given up at least 400 yards in three of the last four games, including a season-high 554 at Indiana over the weekend.

Forcing turnovers. The Aggies are in the midst of a three-game road stretch, with the next two at Mississippi State and Auburn. If they are to win either game, they'll likely need to create more turnovers. Texas A&M has forced just four turnovers on the season, though two came in its last game at South Carolina.

Seeing red. We know how good the Huskies' defense has been at keeping opponents out of the end zone, but the team needs to do a better job of finding its own way to pay dirt. Washington ranks last in the Pac-12 in red-zone touchdown percentage, at 51.0 (21 of 41). However, those 21 TDs rank third in the league within the red zone.

Make a run. The Cougars boast the most prolific passing offense in the nation, but it would not hurt to have a consistent run game to go with it. Washington State averages a Pac-12-low 72.6 rushing yards and just 3.4 per carry. That hasn't been an issue thus far, but the Cougars still have to face Stanford, Colorado and Washington.

Winning on the road. The Mountaineers survived a Texas Tech rally in Lubbock earlier in the season but fell flat at unranked Iowa State in their last game. West Virginia allowed its most yards in a game this season in its only two road contests, and trips to No. 6 Texas and Oklahoma State are still to come. 

Time to get offensive. Kentucky's ranked because of an elite defense that's allowed 90 points this season. Offensively, it's been a bit more of a challenge for the Wildcats, who rank 10th in the SEC, averaging 27.1 points. They've scored 14 in each of the last two games and still have to face Georgia.

Becoming one-dimensional.  Sure, the Buckeyes linebackers and defensive backs were exposed while Purdue totaled 539 yards in last weekend's upset rout. However, the fact Ohio State has failed to rush for 100 yards in each of the last two games should be concerning to Urban Meyer. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was in the Heisman conversation, but the Purdue loss proved this is not a one-man team. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber have combined for 155 yards and no TDs on 43 rush attempts in the last two contests.

Early intensity. A team with 20 consecutive victories, including a New Year's Six bowl triumph, probably doesn't have too many shortcomings. The Knights are among the elite teams in the country, but they probably shouldn't wait around to display their dominance. In the last three games, UCF has allowed the opponent to score first. It was almost an issue against Memphis on Oct. 13, and with the schedule getting tougher, that trend likely must end.

Feleipe Franks. The sophomore quarterback has certainly made strides this season, but he's still the biggest X-factor for the Gators. Through the first four games of the season, Franks threw 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. In the last three, he tossed three TDs and was picked off three times.

Defense. This one is more obvious than Kyler Murray's versatility. In the first game since Mike Stoops was fired as defensive coordinator, the Sooners almost blew a 28-7 lead at TCU but only allowed 27 points after giving up 81 in the previous two contests and melting down against Texas. Whether that unit's confidence has fully been restored remains to be seen.

Line play. On both sides of the ball could be the difference for the Bulldogs down the stretch. Georgia rushed for a season-low 113 yards in its loss at LSU while allowing 275 on the ground in that contest. The Bulldogs have recorded just nine sacks; however, eight have come in the last four games. They've also yielded eight in the last three.

Sam Ehlinger's shoulder. Look at this as more of a concern than anything else. Ehlinger is a key reason the Longhorns have won six straight and lead the Big 12, but he suffered a shoulder sprain in their last game, against Baylor on Oct. 13. The sophomore quarterback's status for this weekend at Oklahoma State is uncertain. Shane Buechele is a capable backup, but the chemistry Ehlinger has built with the offense is massive to the cause.

Quinn Nordin. The Wolverines defense is dominant and the offense is more than serviceable, but what about Nordin? It seems to always come back to the junior kicker, who went four straight games without missing a field goal before going 3-of-6 in the last two. He's also 8-of-12 from 30 yards or beyond this season.

Offensive consistency. The competition in the SEC is so good that even the league's best teams — other than Alabama at the moment — will take a step back on either side of the ball. For the Tigers, the league's 10th-ranked offense (383.6 yards per game) must be at the top of its game if LSU is to crack the College Football Playoff. Twice in the last three games, the Tigers have been held to below 20 points.

The aura of being Notre Dame. Aside from Alabama, the Irish might be the most complete team in the country — in all phases. But this is Notre Dame, where greatness, not just success, is expected. The Irish play against the opponent but also history. They've gone undefeated once during the regular season since 1994 and haven't won a national title since 1988, so the pressure is always there. 

Quarterback depth. Clemson avoided a scare last month when star freshman Trevor Lawrence was injured and backup Chase Brice was able to lead the Tigers past upset-minded Syracuse. Kelly Bryant is no longer with the team, and though Brice is serviceable, should Lawrence get knocked out of a contest again — say in the ACC title game or College Football Playoff — then the Tigers might not be as fortunate.

Competition. It's quite possible the Crimson Tide's biggest test prior to the SEC championship game will come Nov. 3 at No. 4 LSU. There's no doubt Nick Saban's bunch is special (54.1 points per game), but we should see against the Tigers if Bama's been prepared enough to face such a challenge — and succeed.