Author: Damian Mendieta
With college football gearing up toward the regular season finale, Bowl Championship Series (BCS) playoff contenders are stacking up left and right with five different teams still a perfect 9-0.
The undisputed No. 1 right now continues to be Alabama, holding all opponents under 20 points. Recent stellar performances from quarterback AJ McCarron (redshirt junior) have also raised eyebrows for a potential Heisman winner. As the Southeastern Conference (SEC) race tightens between ‘Bama and Louisiana State University (LSU), the Tide has emerged as the superior team with their recent win over the Tigers at LSU. Come January, no one should be surprised that the Crimson Tide will be the first team to repeat as national champions.
The main obstacle stopping ‘Bama from another BCS title continues to be the pesky Pacific Duck.
Though the Ducks are third in the BCS standings, they have also held onto the No. 2 slot in the AP 25 Poll right behind No.1 Alabama. All teams feel the mallard threat because of one huge reason – their rookie sensation quarterback Marcus Mariota (redshirt first-year) has improved an offense that was already remarkable when the Ducks went 12-1 overall last year. It shouldn’t be a surprise if the Pac-12 produces a contender for the BCS championship game.
However, with a little luck, a remarkable Kansas State can prevent an epic Ducks-Tide match up. Their scoring rates are fourth in the country, and their Big 12 conference has numerous ranked teams loaded with talent. The Wildcats are looking to get the Big 12 back into the national championship game for the first time since the 2009-2010 season, when Texas A&M; lost to the Tide. The teams with godly quarterbacks are the ones looking to stick around come winter, and Collin Klein (senior) is a player every coach in the nation would want to have. However, this abundance of talent across the league goes to show just how insane the race for the BCS title will be.
Meanwhile, back in the SEC, Alabama has continued to dominate every poll out there, and continues to eye its rival LSU with immense loathing. As Crimson Tide wide receiver Kevin Norwood (junior) told ESPN, “LSU is the SEC championship team…and not us, we’re just the national championship team…that’s one of our goals, to be the SEC championship team.” ‘Bama’s successful run at another championship calls for more superb performances from McCarron; his brilliance adds support to the Tide’s elite defensive line ranked first in the nation for points allowed per game at 9.1.
‘Bama and Oregon are the most likely contenders for the BCS crown. Kansas State will put up a fight, but then lose steam because their offense may not produce in the heat of the Big 12 playoffs. Currently, the Wildcats’ defense deserves most of the credit of being undefeated, but they stand to face the unstoppable 54.3 points-per-game Ducks’ offense. Along the road to the BCS Championship, the BCS standings may be an obstacle for Oregon as teams are ranked based on a computer program and opinions from analysts, neither of which are empirical. Despite being third in the flawed BCS standings, the Ducks have a shot to win it all, if Mariota’s inexperience doesn’t slow him down.
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