The 2013 college football season is in the books and a fun season it was. Really one of the better ones in recent memory. The SEC grip on the mythical "National Championship" was finally broken although the valid argument that it is still the "best" conference in big time college ball is still raging. Nothing new there.
I won't get into all that here but I will point out that an SEC team does not, for this year at least, hold top spot.
1. Florida State: A rather weak ACC schedule helped propel this team into the big game. That being said, this is a quality squad and deserve the number one slot.
2. Michigan State: Overlooked by many. That was a mistake.
3. Auburn: Made it to the championship on the back of a fluke play to beat the vaunted Tide.
4. Alabama: An implosion of sorts kept Nick from a repeat. Would take 2 of 3 from both Auburn and Oklahoma. Kiffin hired as OC? That is insane! Don't look for the Crimson Tide to be in the top spot in the upcoming season. Tide fans are already scratching their collective heads.
5. Oklahoma: Finally started to show up. Will be the team to beat in the Big Twelve. May make some noise on the national level in the upcoming season.
6. Missouri: Gary has shown this school can compete in the SEC. Strange. They didn't do much in the Big Twelve.
7. South Carolina: On the cusp of greatness. Falls just short.
8. Oregon: When the young gun is healthy, this is a tough team to beat for anyone.
9. Clemson: Very good for an ACC squad. A bit over rated early.
10. Stanford: Another quality season
11. Ohio State: Lacks heart and character. Should have been a legitimate contender for the tops spot in the land. QB stays another year it seems. Look for them to contend this season upcoming.
12. UCLA: Mora stays and this team will be a force in the PAC 12 directly.
13. UCF: Turned out to be a pretty darn good team. Surprised a lot of folk. A BCS buster not called the Broncos finally makes good....
14. Baylor: Fell off a bit but a dangerous team for anyone on the right day.
15. Louisville: QB gone to try his hand in the big time. HC headed to Texas. Petrino hired? Just goes to show that a school will deal with scumbaggery in order to win.
16. USC: Right now this is a legitimate top 20 team. Started playing ball after Kiffin got the boot. Hear that Bama honks?
17. LSU: Defense not what it has been in recent past and this kept them from being a real good team. May be ranked a bit high here.
18. Oklahoma State: Flashes of brilliance. Flashes of utter mediocrity. The Cowboys never really showed us what they are capable of. This team should have been much better this year. Perhaps there were some distractions.........?
19. TAMU: Wonder how Sumlin will do now that the silly "Johnny Football" is going to "save" some NFL team or other. Hope the Texans aren't obtuse enough to pin their hopes on this guy. The Aggies may not be a team that is a serious SEC competitor upcoming. We will see. Sumlin is a good coach as long as he has a stellar QB behind center. The true colors may show themselves before all is said and done in the 2014 season.
20. Vanderbilt: A very good season as far as such things go. Now HC Franklin off to PSU? What, is he nuts? Must be a money thing.
21. Wisconsin: The best of the rest in the Big Ten. That doesn't say a whole lot really.
22. Arizona State: Turned out to be a pretty good PAC 12 team.
23. Notre Dame: Folks need to get used to this being a lower level top 25 program (in a good year).
24. Duke: A great season for the Blue Devils. In basketball a ranking this low would be an anomalous failure. On the gridiron? Nothing short of miraculous.
25. Nebraska: Pelini better start winning big and soon. His teams have been decent but decent just don't cut it in Lincoln. Remember the Huskers left the Big Twelve so they could compete somewhere. The Big Ten doesn't seem much more a friendly environment.
Honorable Mentions:
Washington
Houston
Bowling Green
Northern Illinois
Fresno State
Utah State
Ole Miss
Rice
Mississippi State
East Carolina
Ohio
Ball State
Arkansas State
Louisiana Cajuns
Georgia
San Diego State
Miami
Kansas State
I hoped you enjoyed my half baked, ill informed, and off the cuff (but no worse than the standard ESPN "expert") analysis of the college game this season. It was a fun year.
2 comments:
Lane Kiffin vs. Les Miles calling offenses. The mind boggles. Of course Les has Cam Cameron, so that doesn't really happen, but to have those two in the same stadium. Something wierd would have to happen to the atmosphere. I think I would take my own oxygen to the game.
Good pick with Michigan State. Many people would have overlooked that, but I actually picked them to beat Stanford.
I think you have LSU a little low. I would put them above USC and Louisville. That may be putting too much weight on Kiffin's tenure at USC, but you can't erase him just because he's gone.
I may have LSU one or two spots low (or high). Hard to say. I have watched them numerous times and they still were a bit of a mystery.
Louisville seemed to play down to the level of the competition most of the season. The QB play was outstanding without all the controversy and showboating of the other college star. Well coached, although I'm not sure I would have gone with Strong to be the new head man at Texas. He was obviously not their first pick.
I think Kiffin is a program destroyer and it is hard to imagine him being placed in any real play calling position for any college team at any level anywhere. Not sure what the folks in Tuscaloosa are thinking.
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