A look at the potential undefeated teams for the 2010 college football season…
#1 Alabama 4-0 (1-0)
The Tide is without a doubt the number one team in the country. They blew out #22 Penn State at home, and pulled out a victory at #15 Arkansas (in my opinion the toughest game on their schedule). They have two of the nation’s best running backs, an experienced, proven winner at quarterback, and dominating line play. The concerns about their young secondary are warranted (surrendered 357 passing yards in their win at Arkansas), but the Tide overcame those deficiencies to defeat Ryan Mallett and will not face another passing attack like that for the rest of the regular season.
Bama has four currently ranked teams remaining on their schedule: #7 Florida, @#20 South Carolina, @#12 LSU, and the season finale against #10 Auburn.
-Florida - John Brantley is not going to beat Alabama through the air, and Jeff Demps (while fast) will not be able to singlehandedly put points on the board for Florida. Alabama would win this game on the road, but it’s at home, meaning it could get ugly for Brantley and the Gators.
-@USC – South Carolina has looked impressive so far, but their flaws were exposed against Auburn. The Cocks were unable to run the ball, and even more helpless against the run in their heartbreaking loss to Auburn. The freshman phenom, Marcus Lattimore, was unable to find any success against Auburn’s stout run defense, and I’m expecting similar results for Lattimore against the Tide. On the other side of the ball, the Cocks D could not stop the Auburn running attack of Cameron Newton and Michael Dyer. Carolina was helpless against the Tigers’ QB read option, and the Tigers racked up 334 yards on the ground. Alabama can utilize a similar type of offense with Ingram and Richardson working out of the Wildcat, which could create huge problems for the Carolina defense. However, QB Stephen Garcia may be able to keep the Cocks in this game. He has completed 69% of his passes this year, and was very impressive in the loss at Auburn. He has a stud receiving target in Alshon Jeffery, and the two of them should be able to pick apart the Alabama secondary. This is a home game for the Cocks, but Alabama will control the clock for at least 35 minutes, and come home with a W.
-@LSU – The Tigers have a joke for an offense, and will never compete for an SEC Title with Les Miles as their coach. Jordan Jefferson completes only 54% of his passes, and leads the 115th ranked passing offense in FBS. If LSU has to rely on running the football to beat the Tide (which it will have to do), then they will not come close to winning this game. The Tide rolls big.
-Auburn – Cameron Newton will not be able to run wild on Bama’s D. He will have to throw the ball as part of a more balanced offense in order to pull off the upset. I have not been that impressed with Cam Newton as a passer so far, and I do not see this upset happening. With that being said, Alabama will have trouble running the ball as well, but
McElroy will get Bama the win in a low scoring game.
The Tide will finish the regular season undefeated, and will face South Carolina in the Conference Championship Game. Alabama will win again, and play in the National Championship.
#2 Ohio State 4-0 (0-0)
I don’t know if you can put Ohio State in the same elite category as Alabama, but they are close. In their only test of the season so far, Ohio State defeated #12 Miami 36-24. Miami did not have trouble moving the ball against the Buckeyes, but they did have trouble maintaining possession. The Canes turned the ball over 4 times in a game that would have had a much closer/different result had they taken better care of the ball. Miami is a good team, but the Buckeyes proved they are a great one. Terrelle Pryor is one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, and the Buckeyes again have one of the top defenses. However, the Buckeyes still have a very tough road ahead of them, and finishing the season undefeated won’t be easy.
The Buckeyes also have four currently ranked teams remaining on their schedule: @#11 Wisconsin, #22 Penn State, @#17 Iowa, and the season finale against #19 Michigan.
-@Wisconsin – John Clay is a man, but he struggled against Ohio State last year. Scott Tolzien is a good quarterback, but I don’t think that he can carry a team that relies so heavily on the run.
-Penn State – The Lions aren’t going anywhere with a true freshman starting at QB, and this team won’t even be ranked at the end of the season. Robert Bolden struggled at Alabama, and he will struggle in the Shoe. Ohio State wins big.
-@Iowa – If Ohio State is going to lose this year, this is the game (Iowa lost in OT at the Shoe last year in a game that Stanzi missed due to injury). The Hawkeyes are a balanced football team, and Kinnick Stadium is a tough place to play. This will be a tight game, but Stanzi will outplay Pryor for the win.
-Michigan – Denard Robinson is one of the most exciting playmakers to watch in football, but I’m not sold on him as a quarterback yet. Michigan is currently sitting at 4-0, but its wins over Notre Dame and UConn look less and less impressive as the Irish and Huskies keep losing. The fact of the matter is, Jim Tressel owns the Wolverines, and the Buckeyes aren’t going to lose at home with a National Championship on the line.
Ohio State is a very good team this year, but a much more competitive Big 10 keeps them from a perfect season. Their loss at Iowa severely dampens their National Championship hopes, as Iowa can afford to lose a Big 10 game and still win the Conference Championship. Unfortunately for Iowa, a huge loss at Arizona keeps them out of the National Championship picture.
#4 Oregon 4-0 (1-0)
The Ducks and their prolific offense are off to a hot start, but the questions are there about their defense. Their defensive statistics are padded by shutout wins over New Mexico and Portland State, but as their most recent win at Arizona State showed us, they are vulnerable. The Ducks gave up 597 yards to the Sun Devils, but took advantage of 7 ASU turnovers en route to a 42-31 road victory. Oregon still has their toughest road ahead of them, and it does not bode well for a perfect season.
The Ducks have three currently ranked teams left on their schedule: #9 Stanford, @#18 USC, and #14 Arizona.
-Stanford – The Cardinal are a physical team, and pose an interesting matchup with the flair of the Ducks. Andrew Luck is establishing himself as the Pac-10’s elite quarterback (goodbye Jake Locker), and his o-line has done a terrific job of protecting him thus far (1 sack through 4 games). Stanford’s defense is really good, and I see them limiting the Oregon ground game. Oregon won’t reach 30 points and Stanford pulls off the upset.
-@USC – USC is not back. Yes, they put up 50 on Washington State, but Wazzou is one of the worst teams in the country. They lit up Hawaii for 49 points, but gave up 36. And they only beat an awful Minnesota team by a margin of 32-21. Oh yea, and Lane Kiffin is not a good coach.
-Arizona – The Wildcats’ claim to fame is knocking off Iowa in a game where they scored on offense, defense, and special teams. The Cats followed up that performance by racking up 10 points in a 10-9 win over Cal. That offense has to be better if they want to hang with the Ducks. It will be, but it won’t be enough.
#9 Stanford 4-0 (1-0)
If you’re keeping track, Stanford will be 5-0 (2-0) heading into their home match-up with USC. Again, if you’re keeping track, I don’t think USC is a very good team. This leaves #14 Arizona as the only currently ranked team remaining on the Cardinal’s schedule. Stanford gets them at home, and I like the Cardinal pulling it out. Will the Cardinal lose to a middle of the pack Pac-10 team and lose all hope of a perfect season? Probably not. Will the Cardinal finish the season undefeated? You heard it here first.
#6 Nebraska 4-0 (0-0)
The Huskers have a great defense, a fast quarterback, a great running game, and a very favorable schedule. The Blackshirts dismantled Washington in the “Jake Locker should have left early for the pros game”, and are seeking their place in the Big 12 Championship game. If only Taylor Martinez could pass the ball. #21 Texas is the only currently ranked team on the entire Nebraska schedule, and the Nebraska defense should have a field day against struggling youngster Garrett Gilbert. The Big 12 North continues to be a joke so expect to see Nebraska in the Conference Championship Game. Just don’t expect Nebraska to be undefeated when they get there. Taylor Martinez will not enjoy his trip to Kyle Field, and the Aggies will upset the Huskers behind a strong run defense and the arm and legs of Jerrod Johnson.
#8 Oklahoma 4-0 (0-0)
Landry Jones is performing admirably in place of Sam Bradford, but the Sooners’ defense is leaving something to be desired. Oklahoma has struggled in games against Utah State, Air Force, and Cincinnati. Texas, @Texas A&M, and @Oklahoma State are three very loseable games. Expect the Sooners to lose at least one of these.
#3 Boise State 3-0 (0-0)
They’re undefeated now, and they’ll be undefeated at the end of the season. Just don’t expect to see them in the National Championship. Their win over Virginia Tech is pretty meaningless at this point, and Oregon State has done nothing to merit themselves as a quality opponent (only beating Louisville 35-28?). They play at #25 Nevada in the season’s second to last game, and they’ll win that game too. But does beating Nevada count as a quality win? Nope. I think Boise State is a great team, but if Stanford and Alabama both finish undefeated, there’s no way I’m putting the Broncos over either of them.
#13 Utah 4-0 (2-0)
Utah’s defensive line was absolutely dominant in their win over Pitt, and held Dion Lewis to only 75 yards on 25 carries. The Utes’s two remaining tests are at home against #5 TCU and at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is still irrelevant, and I like Utah upsetting TCU. The combination of a strong run defense plus a great home crowd carries Utah to an undefeated season.
#23 NC State 4-0 (1-0)
They won’t have an undefeated season or be in the National Championship talks. But I figured I’d give a shout out to the only undefeated team left in the lowly ACC. Russell Wilson is doing work, and is legitimizing himself as the ACC's POY. They will challenge Clemson for the Atlantic Division Title, but that game is at Clemson so probably not. Enjoy the limelight while it lasts.
In case you lost count, I have Alabama, Stanford, Boise State, and Utah finishing the season undefeated, with Alabama beating Stanford in the National Championship game. The non automatic qualifiers make another great case for both the National Championship and a playoff. They will never have the one without the other.
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