The 2013 college football season has been a year of unbeaten teams.
Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Baylor, which are each ranked in the top five of the BCS polls, have yet to slip up this season. Each team has escaped upsets and made it to week 12 unharmed.
Also making some noise in the BCS standings are No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Auburn and No. 8 Clemson, which have each only suffered one loss during the 2013 campaign.
Smaller conference schools such as Fresno State, Central Florida and Northern Illinois are also doing their part and staying in the BCS conversation.
With just four weeks left of this year’s college football season, the previously mentioned teams all have legitimate shots at BCS bowls and potentially a National Championship berth.
Here’s how I think the rest of the BCS slate will look come early December:
In the National Championship game, it would be silly not to pick Alabama as one of the two teams. The second, however, is more up in the air. My guess would be Florida State, but they still have an end of the year matchup against Florida, as well as the Atlantic Coastal Conference championship game.
Just missing the National Championship will likely be Ohio State. The third-ranked Buckeyes will most definitely cruise to an undefeated season and Big Ten Championship title. Look for Urban Meyer and his squad to take on Stanford in “The Granddaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl.
Baylor has been a solid team in previous seasons and this is the year Art Briles’ gets his team to a BCS bowl. The Bears could finish this season undefeated, but even a one loss team is set for the Fiesta Bowl. Baylor, led by Heisman hopeful Bryce Petty, will square off against either Northern Illinois or Fresno State. It will be close, but I see the MAC’s very own Northern Illinois going to their second-consecutive BCS bowl.
Somehow, someway, the American Athletic Conference has an automatic bid into a BCS bowl this season. That being said, Central Florida is a shoe-in for the Sugar Bowl. The Knights have already beat top-competitor Louisville and they don’t have any more challenges remaining on their schedule. Central Florida will most likely play Auburn, but don’t be surprised to see Missouri if quarterback Maty Mauk can lead his team past the Tigers this weekend.
The Orange Bowl is set to have one of the most entertaining battles of the season. If everything pans out like it should, the high powered offensive attacks of Oregon and Clemson will meet in
Miami. The Orange Bowl representative would love to set these two schools against each other come January.
Obviously, there is still a lot of football to be played and nothing is set in stone at this moment in time. The BCS schedule, however, could look very much like this if teams take care their business throughout the next four weeks.
sk825212@ohiou.edu
