 |
| Teddy Bridgewater's Cardinals will have to mash their opponents all season, but if they do, a surprise upset could be in the works. (Credits: USATSI) |
Seven years has separated the SEC and the rest of college football. Not since 2006 has there ever really been a sniff of competition for college football's ultimate conference and just two years ago, two SEC teams played each other in the National Championship. Two teams from the same conference played each other in the BCS Title Game, that's never happened in the BCS' 14 year history. But, you've heard it all concerning the SEC, it's overwhelming talent and it's NFL-ready prospects. On the contrary, let's take a look at what team's have a chance (a chance) to dethrone college football's elite.
5. Texas (Preseason Rank: 15th)
Although Texas is ranked a middling 15th in the preseason rank they have one thing that most teams don't have, 19 returning starters. Continuity of that magnitude in college football is hard to come by, combine that with Mack Brown's experience as head coach and you've got an interesting situation. Remember that the last time a giant (USC in '05) fell it was to an underrated Mack Brown side who was returning a whole heaping of starters. I'm not saying Junior QB David Ash is Vince Young, but if they can keep up their 23rd ranked offense from last year and take advantage of a relatively weak Big 12 (Baylor's probably their toughest foe) then I think they could sneak into the National Championship. Now do they have the talent to beat the likes of Alabama, South Carolina or Georgia? We'll see. But, theoretically, their offense is explosive enough to make something happen.
4. Stanford (Preseason Rank: 4th)
The Cardinal have been one of the most underrated programs in the last year's thanks to Oregon's gaudiness, but they won the Pac-12 last year and did so with a suffocating defense that ranked 11th in points allowed. Led by defensive end Ben Gardner and linebackers Shayne Skov and Trent Murphy the Cardinal defense should once again be dominate. Sophomore Kevin Hogan, who took over in the mid-season for Josh Nunes, should certainly provide stability at the quarterback position. Question marks surround the rest of the offense who only averaged 27.9 points in an offense-centric conference, however. If Stanford is to make a run at the title game, which they very well could do, they will need Hogan to channel his inner Andrew Luck. Remember, even Luck couldn't guide his to the National Championship and he had better weapons. We'll see what Stanford has in store for another exhilarating Pac-12 season.
3. Oregon (Preseason Rank: 2nd)
Hopefully the ghost of Chip Kelly won't haunt these Oregon Ducks, but I think Sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota has Heisman (and championship) aspirations. He was insanely efficient last year completing almost 70-percent of his passes with a 32:5 TD-to-INT ratio. His lowest QB rating of the season was 107.3 and he wasn't even the focal point of the offense. Now that he'll have all eyes on him, it'll be interesting to see what he does, however I think he's up to the challenge. Knowing Oregon, even with new head coach Mark Helfrich, they'll be an unstoppable machine on offense. The real question mark to whether or not they're BCS Title contenders is their defense. Last year they only allowed 21.6 points (25th best in the country) in the high scoring Pac-12. If they can repeat that success, maybe with the help of freshman sensation D-End Lorenzo Carter, then they'll be right there come January.
2. Louisville (Preseason Rank: 9th)
Sure, you've probably started laughing right now and with good reason. Not in a million years would you think that a Big East team beat an SEC team in September, let alone in the BCS title game, but hear me out. The team brings back 15 players, including emerging wideout DeVante Parker, but most importantly sensational junior quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. A surefire preseason Heisman hopeful, Bridgewater was impressive last season but his ceiling is even higher. Maybe I was just shellshocked by the way the Cardinals ran, what I thought was the true BCS favorite Florida, out of the building in the Sugar Bowl. They took the fifth ranked scoring defense to town and didn't even flinch. Yes, it was one game, but it was a important one. And yes, they have a Georgetown Cupcake-like schedule, but if they go out and embarrass all of their opponents (which is very likely) then they'll have an opportunity to be one of the top two BCS teams.
1. Ohio State (Preseason Rank: 2nd)
Obviously the second ranked team should be the biggest threat to the SEC's reign, but Ohio State's SEC blood (Urban Meyer) is my main reason to why they could do what seems impossible. Add a confident, intelligent, playmaking QB in Braxton Miller as well what could be a monstrous defensive line led by Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington and this team has SEC-slaying potential. Their biggest problem? Themselves. All of these early off-field issues could disrupt chemistry and eventually derail a National Championship bid with an embarrassing September loss. Their toughest three games come against Northwestern, Michigan and Wisconsin, but I think the Big Ten will be oddly soft this year. By taking care of business and heading into BCS judgement day undefeated, the Buckeyes will be the best equipped team to take care of business. Will they? Urban Meyer might be their best chance.
0 comments:
Post a Comment