Teams to Beat in College Football

This past weekend was pretty good but not great for college football. The upcoming weekend is going to be incredible though.

There are numerous big games this Saturday including Texas/Oklahoma and LSU/Florida.

After Saturday we will have a somewhat clearer picture of who the National Title contenders are than we do now. There are still numerous games to play but this weekend should help determine which teams are contenders and which are pretenders.

After this past weekend I think we have a solid idea of which teams are competing for the championships in the BCS conferences. And I of course have my own opinion on which teams are favored in each conference.

Lets take a look:

SEC

Alabama has an excellent chance to win the SEC this season. And yeah I know they are the #2 team in the country so this isn't really a stretch but it is my honest opinion. Their schedule is set up for them to continue winning and go undefeated.

They only have 2 road games remaining this season, @ LSU and @ Tennessee, which makes it easier to get the wins. Obviously the LSU game is their most difficult game remaining and might make it hard to win. But if you compare Bama's schedule with the other top teams in the SEC, their road is the easiest.

The other competition for the title in the SEC is LSU, Georgia, Florida, and maybe Vanderbilt but I doubt it. LSU has a good schedule if they get through Florida this weekend. After that they only have 2 road games, @ South Carolina and @ Arkansas, and they get Georgia and Alabama at home. Georgia has to go to Auburn and to LSU and they still have to play Florida and Vanderbilt at home. Florida has to play @ Georgia and @ Vanderbilt and get LSU at home.

Basically its like this....if LSU wins Saturday in the Swamp you can make LSU the favorite to win the conference and Florida will be on the outside looking in.

My pick for Conf champ......Alabama


Big 12

Right now I think Oklahoma is the best team. They have played a decent schedule and haven't been challenged yet. But Texas is right there. It is tough to really pick the best out of the two of them.

Looking at the schedules though says Oklahoma has the easier road. Texas has 7 games remaining and 5 of those games are against teams ranked in the top 17! And they have to travel to Texas Tech and Kansas while they get Missouri and Oklahoma State at home. Oklahoma's schedule isn't as daunting but they still have a tough schedule. Out of their last 7 games 4 of them are against the top 17. But only 1 of them, Oklahoma State, is on the road. And they don't have to play Missouri.

Missouri is a possibility to win the conference as well. They have a much easier schedule than the other big teams in the conference but they have a really tough game @ Texas that I don't see them getting through. They get Oklahoma State and Kansas at home though. The should make the Big 12 title game and then who knows.

My pick for Conf champ........Oklahoma


Big 10

Technically this is a 4 team race, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, and Northwestern. But I really don't think Northwestern has a chance. Michigan State is a curious team but I don't think they get through their schedule. So I consider this a 2 team race.

And they meet October 25th in Columbus, Ohio.

Penn State's schedule is pretty easy compared to teams in other conferences but it isn't a walk through either. They head to Wisconsin this weekend, get Michigan at home next weekend, and then go to Ohio State. They finish the season with a home game against the Spartans. They are good enough to get through the season undefeated as long as they don't beat themselves. The Lions are probably the most complete team in the Big Ten and SHOULD win the conference.

Ohio State is not a bad team though and just won @ Wisconsin. They still have to go to Michigan State, Northwestern, and Illinois. They should win all of those games but it isn't an easy schedule. Michigan State and Northwestern may still be in the running for a Rose Bowl berth when they meet which would make the games much more competitive. And Illinois is a good team that has had to play 2 of the countries most complete offenses in Missouri and Penn State.

My pick for Conf Champ.......Penn State


PAC 10

USC is obviously the best team in the conference but they obviously can't just walk through their season. That is when they lose games. It was a somewhat impressive win on Saturday night although I don't find Oregon to be very good. But a couple teams to watch are Arizona and California. I think both of those teams COULD beat the Trojans and win the conference.

Arizona only has 3 road games remaining and they get USC at home. But they get Cal the week before the Trojans and that is a significant trap game. After USC they don't have a game on the schedule that they SHOULD lose.

Cal unfortunately has to go to Arizona, to USC, and to Oregon State. But they get a week to prepare for Arizona so they may win there. But that is not an easy schedule I suspect they will lose at least 1 of those games.

That leaves the Trojans who have a manageable schedule remaining. They have games @ WSU, @ Arizona, and @ Stanford. They are all winnable games. And they don't really have any tough home games left either. But we know the Trojans don't always show up. So......

My pick for Conf Champ......Arizona!


There really isn't a reason to look into the ACC or Big East too much. Both conferences are completely up for grabs. Quickly here I will say Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech in the ACC and either Pitt or USF in the Big East.

So there you go. After 6 weeks I am giving my opinion of which teams will win the conferences. And none of them are really huge surprises.

But there are still many games to play and the season is becoming increasingly interesting!


Check back later today for my updated Top 10 rankings.