2013 College Football Power Rankings: Top 5 BCS Title Contenders

2013 College Football Power Rankings: Top 5 BCS Title Contenders: The 2013 college football season is just past its halfway point, and the numbers of teams that have a legitimate shot at playing for a national title is dwindling rapidly. Clemson, Louisville and Stanford are among the teams that have recently fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten, and one-loss teams like Georgia and Texas A&M have suffered additional losses in recent weeks that doom their title hopes. With that in mind, here is a closer look at how the remaining title contenders stack up after Week 8 of the college football season.

1.      Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 SEC)

Sure, the schedule hasn’t been brutal, but Alabama did throttle a Virginia Tech team that has since climbed into the top 15 and outlasted Johnny Manizel and company in College Station. Not to mention the fact the Crimson Tide own the stingiest defense in the country. Alabama is allowing just 9.7 points per game, and if you throw out the Texas A&M game, the average drops to a ridiculous 4.3 per game. A.J. McCarron isn’t too shabby under center either. The bottom line is that the Crimson Tide are the two-time defending champs, and if they run the table, they are going to get a shot at a three-peat.

2.      Florida State Seminoles (6-0, 4-0 ACC)

The Seminoles have faced back-to-back top 25 opponents, and they defeated them by a combined score of 114-14, including a 51-14 destruction of third-ranked Clemson. Quarterback Jameis Winston has been a Heisman candidate, and Florida State has been balanced and explosive on both sides of the ball. In fact, the Seminoles rank third in the country in both points scored and fewest points allowed, and they are as physical in the trenches as any team around. Florida State will have to continue to win convincingly to hold off some other challengers in the BCS rankings, but with games against in-state rivals Miami and Florida still remaining, the Seminoles will have their chances to prove they deserve a title shot.

3.      Missouri Tigers (7-0, 3-0 SEC)

Missouri shoots up the rankings thanks to three straight quality wins in conference play. The Tigers went on the road and easily handled Vanderbilt, and the followed up that win with a convincing victory over a Georgia team ranked in the top 10 at the time. Perhaps more impressively, Missouri beat a ranked Florida team last weekend despite missing dual-threat QB James Winston because of a shoulder injury. While the Tigers are definitely a better team with Franklin, their offense is legit either way. Running backs Henry Josey and Russell Hansbrough form a dynamic duo in the backfield for a unit that ranks 15th in rushing and eighth in scoring. Meanwhile, defensive end Michael Sam’s 9.0 sacks are tied for the most in the country, and he leads a very athletic defensive front. Keep in mind, Missouri still has games against ranked opponents South Carolina and Texas A&M remaining, and if the Tigers run the table, they will play in the SEC title game. If the Crimson Tide are also still unblemished heading into the conference title game, it will essentially become a battle for a spot in the BCS title game.

4.      Oregon Ducks (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12)

Led by Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota and his dual-threat ability, the Ducks have been overwhelming opponents with a high-powered offense that ranks second in the country in rushing and scoring. Of course, Oregon also ranks 12th in the country in fewest points allowed so the defense isn’t too bad either. An argument can be made that the Ducks have been the most dominant team thus far, but since a road win against a collapsing Washington team is their biggest victory to date, it’s tough to justify putting them in the BCs title game at this point. However, Oregon has games remaining against ranked opponents Stanford, UCLA and Oregon State, and if the Ducks run those teams off the field, they will more than state their case to play for a championship.

5.      Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten)

While the Buckeyes haven’t played a brutal schedule by any means, they are undefeated with wins against a couple of top 25 opponents. Meanwhile, Ohio State ranks seventh in the country in scoring and 11th in rushing, and Urban Meyer’s offense has looked a lot more balanced since quarterback Braxton Miller and running back Carlos Hyde have returned to the field. Granted, the defense hasn’t been as dominant as expected as the secondary has suffered some injuries and underperformed, but the 19.9 points per game the unit is allowing is by no means terrible. Fair or unfair, the perception that the Big Ten is a weak conference is going to likely hurt the Buckeyes in the long run. However, Ohio State is going be 25-0 over the past two seasons if they do indeed run the table this year, and that is a compelling argument toward playing for a title.

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