2013 College Football Predictions: BCS National Title Favorites and Top Contenders: The 2013 college football season is fast approaching, and although a playoff format to determine the national champion looms in 2014, one more year of the current BCS system remains. Regardless of the system in place, the road to a championship has gone through the SEC for quite a while now, and the conference will be looking for its eighth consecutive crown in 2013. Not surprisingly, there are multiple SEC teams on the short list of contenders for the national title, but there are several strong challengers from other conferences that have a chance to become the first non-SEC team since Texas in 2005 to claim win a national championship. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the favorites and top contenders for the BCS title in the 2013 college football season.
The Favorites
It’s tough to bet against the Alabama Crimson Tide these days. After all, they have won back-to-back national titles and three of the last four. Granted, this year’s team loses three starters along both lines, but quarterback A.J. McCarron is back after leading the country in passing efficiency last year along with running back T.J. Yeldon and receiver Amari Cooper, who both had 1,000-yard seasons as freshmen. Meanwhile, star linebacker C.J. Mosley is back to lead a defense that allowed the fewest points in the country last year. Throw in the No. 1 recruiting class, and the Crimson Tide are as loaded as ever. Looking at the schedule a rematch with Johnny Manziel in just the second game of the year and a meeting with rival LSU in Tuscaloosa are the two biggest challenges on an otherwise manageable road back to the BCS title game.
Penalties imposed by the NCAA kept the Ohio State Buckeyes from playing in the postseason despite an undefeated regular season, but they are eligible once again in Urban Meyer’s second year on the sidelines. Dual-threat quarterback Braxton Miller is back to run Meyer’s explosive spread offense, and he will have even more weapons at his disposal after the Buckeyes landed their second top-five recruiting class in as many seasons. Ohio State should be faster and more athletic on both sides of the ball, and with the Big Ten suffering from an overall lack of talent, Meyer’s Buckeyes have more than enough talent and weapons to dominate their schedule.
Other Contenders
When Andrew Luck left for the NFL, the Stanford Cardinal were supposed to fade back into irrelevancy. However, they went to a BCS bowl for the third straight year, and it appears Stanford has found the answer at quarterback in the form of Kevin Hogan. All five of his starts came against ranked teams last season, and he led the Cardinal to a 5-0 record. Meanwhile, Stanford welcomes back a vicious front seven that shutdown almost every offense it faced last season. The Cardinal get Oregon at home this season, and if Hogan can build on last year’s success, Stanford has a championship-caliber defense it can rely on for the rest.
Chip Kelly bolted for the NFL, but the cupboard is still pretty full and the Oregon Ducks dodged any major sanctions that would make them ineligible for postseason play. Dual-threat quarterback Marcus Mariota is back to lead an offense that ranked third in rushing and second in scoring last year, and while running back Kenjon Barner is gone, the speedy De’Anthony Thomas is back to line up all over the field and highly-touted recruit Thomas Tyner should only add to the offense’s scoring punch. Granted, Oregon did lose some experience along its defensive front, but the secondary is rock solid, and there aren’t many Pac-12 teams capable of shutting down or keeping pace with the Ducks’ offense. A road game against Stanford will likely determine whether this season has a chance of ending with an appearance in the BCS title game.
Last year, the Georgia Bulldogs fell just short of topping Alabama in the SEC title game and playing for a national title. Instead, they missed out on a BCS bowl completely because of the ridiculous setup of the system. The silver lining to the situation is that the Bulldogs welcome back quarterback senior Aaron Murray, who will likely set just about every SEC passing record by the time the year ends. The offense also returns two-headed monster Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall in the backfield to go along with all five starters on the line. Yes, Georgia does lose a lot of star power on defense, but the Bulldogs do get South Carolina and LSU at home. There is no such thing as an easy SEC schedule, but Georgia has enough offensive firepower to make another run at dethroning the Crimson Tide and playing for a title of their own.
Odds to win the 2014 BCS National Championship
1801 Alabama +300
1802 Arkansas +17500
1803 Auburn +20000
1804 Arizona +15000
1805 Boise State +6600
1806 Boston College +75000
1807 BYU +15000
1808 California +35000
1809 Cincinnati +15000
1810 Clemson +2500
1811 Florida +2500
1812 Florida State +2000
1813 Georgia +2000
1814 Georgia Tech +20000
1815 Iowa +20000
1816 Kansas State +15000
1817 Louisville +2000
1818 LSU +1500
1819 Miami +2500
1820 Michigan +4000
1821 Mississippi +12500
1822 Mississippi State +12500
1823 Missouri +25000
1824 Nebraska +5000
1825 North Carolina +8000
1826 Notre Dame +5500
1827 Ohio State +800
1828 Oklahoma +4000
1829 Oklahoma State +3000
1830 Oregon +650
1831 Oregon State +10000
1832 Pittsburgh +15000
1833 Rutgers +10000
1834 South Carolina +2000
1835 South Florida +25000
1836 Stanford +1500
1837 TCU +8000
1838 Tennessee +10000
1839 Texas +3000
1840 Texas A&M +1200
1841 UCLA +5000
1842 USC +6600
1843 Virginia Tech +12500
1844 Washington +10000
1845 West Virginia +25000
1846 Wisconsin +5000
1847 Field +2000
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