T1B

A two loss LSU team won the MNC. I can see that happening again.

Other than Bama, I really don't see a team who can clearly run the table or even have one loss for that matter and be a representative for the crystal ball.

I'm thinking Boise St., TCU, and Houston will all have at least one loss, so no mid-major is representing.

The Big East has Pitt, but Rutgers UCONN, Cincy, Utah, ND, and Miami(FL) are too much for them to overcome, so scratch them.

The ACC is stronger, but they will beat the hell out of each other in conference play, but a two loss Miami team could sneak in. Va Tech two losses to the likes of a one loss Boise St. and Florida St could be enough to get them in.

The Big XII has your usual suspects at the top with Nebraska in the mix. OU and Texas are still the schools to beat, but the south looks to be a tougher road. Parity in the south comes to mind this season. Could a two loss team come out of the Big XII? No way.

The PAC10 is in the same boat as the Big XII. A one loss Oregon team could get in, but two losses will have the media screaming how weak the PAC10 really is.

Then you've got the BigTen. Two loss Iowa or Ohio St. probably gets in over any other two loss team from any other conference.

Lastly, the SEC has Bama as the frontrunner, but they travel to LSU and Arkansas. They have Florida and the big game against Auburn at the end of the season. Florida lost so much leadership, so I can totally see them losing two.

Again, this is all considering everyone has one loss with a weak SOS or two losses with a strong SOS. Is it plausible?

Excellent thread.

The Iowa-Ohio State winner could easily be undefeated.

Go Coogs' wrote:Other than Bama, I really don't see a team who can clearly run the table

Bama's problem, as Sam has pointed out, is losing 9 defensive starters is going to hurt. I'm sure they had studs waiting in the wings, but 9 new players in a season isn't easy.

I, being a victim of hopeless optimism that will surely leave me a drunken pile of tears one saturday evening, really think that Oregon has a nice shot at the PAC, and potentially an undefeated season (OK, just a little bit of :rolleyes:).

It's all about returning starters... 16 of them. Would have been nice to have the starting QB, but such it is. The replacement QBs have both been in the system for at least 2 years, Costa is entering year 5. The best part is that all 5 O-linemen, and all of their regular backups are all returning, all at full health -- often the key to a bigtime season. Unfortunately, 2 of the DBs swithed from saturdays to sundays, but the replacements are well-groomed.

Oregon vs. Florida for the crystal trinket.

Dinsdale wrote:2 of the DBs swithed

I’m sure that got your motor running.

Hey fucker, some of us have the extra chromosome, so back the fuck off.

It will be like 2007 in that ND won't be playing for the national championship.

It will be unlike 2007 in that ND will have more than three wins.

is 2007 the year we all started doing Skoal yoga to suck our own cocks like SEC fan?

Ohio State should be undefeated at season's end. Who the hell could possibly knock them off?

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but Iowa should knock them off in Iowa City. There's a lot of football to be played before then but it could possibly be a matchup of two undefeated teams on November 20 at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawks will have a number of tough tests prior to that one but, IF they're undefeated when they see tOSU, look for Iowa to pull off the win. Should that happen, I'd like to have a percentage of the beer sales in Iowa City that day.

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but Iowa should knock them off in Iowa City.

Not at all. I see no reason Iowa can't win that game. If it's a pick'em, I'll take the Hawkeyes.

Papa Willie wrote:I still think Boise may be the only one with a shot at being undefeated come bowl time. It's all up to Game 1 for them.

I agree that they realistically have a one game/maybe two game season and, due to the fact that they are highly overrated in the polls, will have a legitimate shot of going undefeated and getting into the championship game. Hopefully, they'll lose game 1 so we can put Boise to bed for the 2010 season and force the pollsters to find another media darling/cinderella story to sneak into the top 5. Hanging your hat on one or two OOC games should not garner the respect that they're getting from the pollsters.

Regarding BSU and undefeated...

They have Oregon St, lucky for them at home.

Brings up a coin flip prognostication -- first, Riley's teams are legendary early-season underachievers. And BSU is just a beyotch at home.

Other side of the coin -- BSU embarrassed Riley a few years ago, their last trip to Boise. And ask Pete Carrol how Riley does against teams that he sees over and over, when said teams don't mix it up much from year to year. You can't give Riley the same look multiple times and expect to win, and I'm not sure BSU will show him much he hasn't seen. Riley is one of the better strategists in the game -- if he could only recruit better to Cowtown.