Just two weeks ago, many people were speculating that, by the end of the season, four of the nations top teams would remain undefeated, and serious controversy would come about. As we know, however, that is not the case, and only one team remains perfect; Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have one game left in the regular season against the USC, and an upset lurks around the corner. Three SEC teams are eagerly hunting for the number one spot, and if Notre Dame were to lose in the final week of play, the BCS Championship Game might be between two SEC teams for the second year in a row.
1. Notre Dame: The close game between Notre Dame and Pitt caused doubt among fans on whether or not the Fighting Irish deserved to be number one. With a perfect record, though, they were voted number one, thanks to big wins over Stanford, Michigan, and Oklahoma. USC is the final game of the regular season for Notre Dame, and rivalries always add a whole other dimension to games, even if on paper, the game appears to be lopsided. Notre Dame ought to be fuming after losing the past nine out of ten games to USC in the battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. On the other hand, USC has nothing to lose, and will be more than happy to dethrone the number one seed. Matt Barkley will challenge Notre Dame's elite defense, led by Heisman contender Manti Te'o.
2. Alabama: Out of all the teams to suffer an upset this past season, Alabama's loss to Texas A&M late in the game was the most shocking. Alabama was coming off of back to back wins over ranked football teams, and a win over (at the time) 15th ranked Texas A&M was almost a given. Unfortunately, the combination of Johnny Football's leadership and Alabama's turnover amount late in the game was what led to their downfall. Just like Notre Dame, Alabama will be facing one of their bitter rivals in the final week of play, the Auburn Tigers. Alabama's top ranked defense will likely smoother the unranked Auburn offense.
3. Georgia: Though Georgia has only played two ranked teams so far this season, one was a victory over the SEC-rival Florida. Gator nation ranked second overall when the game took place, and Georgia previously lost to 6th ranked South Carolina. In a low scoring game, Georgia managed to put up 17 points and upset the Gators. Freshman running back Todd Gurley has been absolutely extraordinary so far, and the best part is, he is only a freshman. Their one loss to South Carolina was by an extremely large margin (35-7), and apart from Florida, this team has done little to prove they are worthy of the third spot in the nation.
4. Florida: Observing the list of team's overpowered by Florida, you will notice just how many bowl contenders are named. Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, and South Carolina all lost to the Gators, where Georgia was the only team who succeeded in taking them down on the road. Up next: the Florida Gators will voyage to Florida State's campus, and compete in this bitter rivalry. The Seminoles have lost just one game this year, but the loss came against an unranked NC State. That said, Florida State will be looking to get back in the hunt for the BCS Championship Game, and defeating Florida would help them do so.
5. Oregon: For the first time since 2007, the number one and two ranked teams lost in the same week. Oregon, the second ranked team in the nation, fell to Stanford in one of the best Pac-12 games seen in a very long time. The loss only bumped them down three spots, so Oregon, if all goes well, is still in the hunt for the National Championship. Oregon's high flying offense ranks second in the nation (51.1 points per game) all thanks to their top notch running game. It is unclear how this offense would play against the elite offense seen from Alabama, but it is likely they will run all over the 15th ranked Oregon State Saturday.
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| Todd Gurley |
2. Alabama: Out of all the teams to suffer an upset this past season, Alabama's loss to Texas A&M late in the game was the most shocking. Alabama was coming off of back to back wins over ranked football teams, and a win over (at the time) 15th ranked Texas A&M was almost a given. Unfortunately, the combination of Johnny Football's leadership and Alabama's turnover amount late in the game was what led to their downfall. Just like Notre Dame, Alabama will be facing one of their bitter rivals in the final week of play, the Auburn Tigers. Alabama's top ranked defense will likely smoother the unranked Auburn offense.
3. Georgia: Though Georgia has only played two ranked teams so far this season, one was a victory over the SEC-rival Florida. Gator nation ranked second overall when the game took place, and Georgia previously lost to 6th ranked South Carolina. In a low scoring game, Georgia managed to put up 17 points and upset the Gators. Freshman running back Todd Gurley has been absolutely extraordinary so far, and the best part is, he is only a freshman. Their one loss to South Carolina was by an extremely large margin (35-7), and apart from Florida, this team has done little to prove they are worthy of the third spot in the nation.
4. Florida: Observing the list of team's overpowered by Florida, you will notice just how many bowl contenders are named. Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, and South Carolina all lost to the Gators, where Georgia was the only team who succeeded in taking them down on the road. Up next: the Florida Gators will voyage to Florida State's campus, and compete in this bitter rivalry. The Seminoles have lost just one game this year, but the loss came against an unranked NC State. That said, Florida State will be looking to get back in the hunt for the BCS Championship Game, and defeating Florida would help them do so.
5. Oregon: For the first time since 2007, the number one and two ranked teams lost in the same week. Oregon, the second ranked team in the nation, fell to Stanford in one of the best Pac-12 games seen in a very long time. The loss only bumped them down three spots, so Oregon, if all goes well, is still in the hunt for the National Championship. Oregon's high flying offense ranks second in the nation (51.1 points per game) all thanks to their top notch running game. It is unclear how this offense would play against the elite offense seen from Alabama, but it is likely they will run all over the 15th ranked Oregon State Saturday.
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