Please, please, please I beg of you college football gods, do not force us to look forward to a national title game of Florida/Alabama versus Iowa, Boise or Cincinnati. I have seen the Big 10 versus the SEC in the title game before, it does not end well, and at least those Ohio State teams were talented. I am going to give my quick run down of who is left in the running for the title game.
Iowa
I do not care that Iowa keeps on winning, when you need 14 missed fgs at the end of the game to beat Northern Iowa, and recover an onside kick to defeat Arkansas State, you cannot be taken seriously. I am a Wisconsin Badger fan, and I can tell you this, the win over Wisconsin is not that impressive. The Penn State win is a good win, but please let this team get knocked off and let them play in the Rose Bowl, not the National title game.
Boise State
Their best win was their first game of the season against Oregon. If those two were to play again, Oregon would handle the Broncos, the Ducks have really improved. That is not Boise’s fault, you can only win the games on your schedule. Congrats on a nice season, enjoy the Fiesta or whatever BCS bowl your program gets, but this team cannot compete on a weekly basis with the non-Big East BCS conferences. Now, if Boise were to join the Mountain West, then you would have something.
Cincinnati
I like this team over the other two, but the Big East is so pathetic, I cringe any time I have to watch any game involving most of the teams from that conference. Rutgers is annually overrated, Syracuse is horrid, Pittsburgh is coached by Wannstedt, West Virginia is a shell of its former self, UConn has actually built a nice little program, but come on, outside of South Florida there isn’t a lot to like about the Big East.
Texas
I do not like this Texas team. They barely beat Oklahoma and the Sooners are riddled with injuries at this point. Texas still has no running game, and Colt McCoy is not as hot as he was last year. They WILL lose at least one game.
Miami
I think Miami has a great shot to sneak back into it. The remaining schedule is very manageable, and they have an offense I would like to see in a title game. A storyline of Miami versus Florida could be a fairly good storyline.
The True Contenders
For me, the true contenders at this point are Florida, Alabama and USC. USC needs to hold on at Oregon, but if Florida and Bama win out, then when one of those teams lose in the SEC title game, USC should step in. If there are no other unbeaten teams in the country, and USC has more than one loss, the committee and voters need to seriously consider a rematch of Florida-Alabama.
Everybody brings up the scenario, if Alabama loses a close game to Florida, should they get a rematch? Most experts say no to that. But I ask this question.
What is Florida loses a close game to Bama? If nobody else is undefeated, only a one-loss USC would keep the Gators out of a rematch.
Here is my superficial top 10:
1. Florida – barely holding onto the top spot.
2. Alabama – I think this is the best team in the country.
3. USC– I think this is the best team outside of the SEC. Imagine how good Matt Barkeley will be by the bowl season, or next year, or the year after that! If they finish the season with one loss, they will have won at Ohio State, at Notre Dame, at California and at Oregon, that is impressive.
4. Texas – Something does not look right. I do not trust teams that cannot run. It will be hard to win in the Big 12 when the wind starts blowing around if Texas cannot find a ground game.
5. Cincinnati– I like this team the most out of the cinderella’s.
6. Miami– I will throw out the monsoon loss to the Hokies at this point. If USC and Texas lose, Miami will get pushed up.
7. Iowa – Please College Football Gods, give this team a loss. They are a nice story of over-achievers, but please do not make me watch another overmatched Big 10 team get crushed by USC or the SEC.
8. Georgia Tech – They only have one loss, feels like more. They have an outside shot of getting into the title game, that is why I have them ahead of Boise and TCU.
9. TCU – I put TCU ahead of Boise for the simple fact that the Mountain West is a very tough league. It is better than the Big East, and has as much quality at the top, if not more, than the Big 10 or ACC.
10. Boise State – Nice story, again. Enjoy your BCS game, again.
To read some more college football opinions at fansided checkout Howard the Dunk’s weekly writeup.