Pyle of List

“This is it.”
-Michael Jackson

I did not see the IMAX film, but even from just watching the preview I could tell that, had he lived, MJ’s new concert would have been epic.  There’s no possible way I would have ever got tickets, so really it not happening doesn’t affect me that much.  Still, the world would have been a cooler place if it existed.

Similar thing with this year and college football playoffs.  My team, the USC Trojans, generally improve so that at the end of the year, I believe they could handle any team out there.  Not so this year.  No chance they would have even MADE a playoff series, which is just fine because they wouldn’t have lasted long.  Still, it would be great fun to see the five undefeated teams get a chance to prove themselves as the best on the field.  And since we’d need an even amount of teams, Florida, as the only one-loss one, would get a chance to redeem itself.

Alas, with the current bowl set-up, we are guaranteed of having at least two undefeated teams (and tons of unanswered questions) left.  Here’s my current rankings of the undefeated teams and my predictions for their bowl games. (Current record: 70-18.)

#5 Cincinnati:  Their game against Pittsburgh made two things clear: they will never quit, and they will never play defense.  Despite other undefeated teams needing a few “miracles” to win games, the Bearcats are the ones who got the luckiest.

The departure of Brian Kelly prior to finishing off an undefeated season has really affected the players.  But I think it will be in a good way as they try to prove, just like a girl who was dumped, that “they don’t need him anyway.”

With the emotional power and karma in the Bearcats’ corner, you have to wonder if Urban Meyer’s announcement (followed by his unannouncement) was just a ploy to steal some of it back.  I’m not saying the statement itself was, but the timing was strange.  Why do it before the game if you’re coaching the game anyway?

Despite their porous defense, Cincinnati has continued to find a way to win.  I don’t know what that way will be, but I think they find it.

Winner: Cincinnati

#4 Boise State: It took Cincinnati nearly giving a game away for me to appreciate how the Broncos have consistently won and played pretty good defense.  Also, looking at their game against Oregon again, I realized how much more they’d be applauded for it if it had been their last game of the season instead of their first (and the results had been the same, of course).

I don’t think their game against TCU will tell us much, but it should be a lot of fun to watch. (Prediction under the TCU section.)

#3 Texas: To clarify, I don’t think Texas is bad, and I think Nebraska’s defense is very good.  But I feel that their performance in the game, combined with their lack of defense against Texas A&M, validates this placement.  If TCU were from a Big Six conference, the voters might have moved them into the number two spot.

The bad news for Texas is that their defense and offense got “exposed” in back to back games.  The good news is they know exactly what they need to fix. (Prediction under the Alabama section.)

#2 TCU: Given the current format, I’d probably match Alabama against Texas too.  But it’s a shame that an undefeated team that has a track record of success (meaning this season was no fluke) won’t even get a chance to prove itself against a “big boy,” much less win a championship.

They do EVERYTHING well.  Not necessarily great at anything, but very good all around the board.  But no matter how badly they beat Boise State, it won’t make anyone assume they could have beaten Alabama.

Winner: TCU

#1 Alabama: Florida was pushed aside like an annoying, needy child.  The Crimson Tide didn’t sail to the national title game.  They hit some choppy water along the way.  But the important thing is that they kept the ship upright and got it to the port.  Now they just have to see if they have the right goods on board.

It sure seems that way.  They have a Heisman-winning running back who beat out the highly-acclaimed Texas QB for the award.  They have their own QB with an exceptional record (never lost in high school or college).  Most of the country is declaring that Texas has no chance against them.  Bama fans are already making merchandise to celebrate their new national championship.

I’ve seen this before.  And as a USC fan, I must warn you Bama… Texas comes to play.  Things are eerily similar to the way they were back in 2006.  The year before USC had slaughtered Oklahoma in the BCS game and figured the Longhorns were just another overhyped Big 12 team.  They were wrong.

Sure, it was Florida who played Oklahoma last year instead of Bama, but since all of the SEC is one team, that’s moot.  And Florida didn’t steamroll them in the same way, but clearly Oklahoma couldn’t handle that SEC speed.  And Oklahoma had set a record for points scored, while Texas isn’t even close to that level.

None of this matters.  Texas will play tough.  And I think the voodoo is on the Longhorns side.  Look at all of the national title games where a team was expected to beat the other easily (Miami/Ohio State, USC/Texas, Ohio State/Florida).  The “weaker” team has pulled the upset.

If I’ve learned only one thing about college football, it’s that it’s unpredictable.  Luckily, I’ve learned two things, so I know another piece of information.  Actually… it is.

Winner: Texas