Alabama will begin 2013 as No. 1, duh. Who’ll give chase?
Will we see these two teams go at it again this December? Maybe. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – On the morning after securing his fourth BCS championship ring, Nick Saban was asked what he does with his BCS championship rings. Does he wear them all at once? Rotate them by month, by week, by day?
Said Saban: “I just put ‘em on the coffee table for recruits to look at.”
This drew a huge laugh — such a kidder, that Nick! — but it does underscore the problem facing the rest of college football. Success on the field begets success in recruiting, which begets even bigger success on the field, which is how one team in a cutthroat conference has come to claim consecutive BCS titles and three of the past four.
And Alabama now has bigger fish to fry. Only three programs — Notre Dame in the late ’40s, Nebraska in the ’90s and Saban’s Alabama — have taken three (legitimate) national championships in four seasons. No school has ever won three in a row, or four in five seasons. But who’s apt to derail this Bama locomotive?
After his Crimson Tide crushed Notre Dame 42-14 on Monday night, Saban spoke of how difficult this latest journey had been. “We got here by five yards. Georgia was five yards away from scoring (in the SEC Championship game). So it’s a pretty tough league that we play in, and we’re going to have to continue to try to improve as a program to have an opportunity to win the SEC Championship or the national championship ever again because of the competition in our league.”
Then this: “Look, we’re really happy, we’re really pleased, we’re really proud of what we have to do here. We’re going to enjoy it for 24 hours.”
And then back to work. For Alabama, the next game will come Aug. 31 against Virginia Tech in the Georgia Dome. The Tide will enter the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game ranked No. 1, perhaps by unanimous vote. But what teams will be in closest — not to say truly close — pursuit? An early look at the 2013 Top 25.
1. Alabama. Duh.
2. Ohio State. Urban Meyer is the only active coach with even half as many BCS titles as Saban, and the Urbanator just went undefeated in Year 1 at his latest stop. It’s intriguing that Meyer has had two unbeaten seasons, neither at Florida. This tells us what we already knew: He can coach a little, too. And in Braxton Miller, Meyer may have his next Heisman winner. (His first was a guy named Tebow.)
3. Oregon. The most stunning development of the month wasn’t Florida losing the Sugar Bowl to Louisville but Chip Kelly apparently choosing to stay in Eugene. For months his departure to the NFL had been seen as a fait accompli, but he hasn’t gone anywhere yet. Assuming he doesn’t, the offensive onslaught will continue. (Provided the NCAA doesn’t intervene.) Think of sophomore-to-be quarterback Marcus Mariota as the Johnny Football of the Far West.
4. Texas A&M. No team — not even Alabama, which lost at home to the Aggies — was playing better at season’s end, but some remain skeptical. Is Johnny Manziel really that good? Will Johnny Football be the same without left tackle Luke Joeckel, who’s leaving for the NFL? Will the raging Aggies offense rage on without coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, gone to Texas Tech as head coach? Will flavor-of-the-month A&M be the same the second time around the SEC.
5. Georgia. The Bulldogs could play them themselves out of the Top 25 by the end of September — or they could stamp themselves as the biggest threat to Alabama. They open at Clemson, and then they play host to South Carolina and LSU in two of their next three games. The Bulldogs’ defense will be radically reconstituted, but with Aaron Murray’s decision to stay in school the offense should be even better.
6. Clemson. The road to ruin has been paved with rosy forecasts for the orange Tigers, but the Clemson that beat LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl really did seem more forceful. (Skill was never an issue.) The runner Andre Ellington departs, but quarterback Tajh Boyd and bookend receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins return. And Clemson is finally starting to play a little D.
7. Notre Dame. In the aftermath of Monday’s thrashing, SEC zealots were heard to wonder if Notre Dame would even finish in the top half of the only league that matters. Wrong question. The right question: Could any college team have held up against Alabama playing at its absolute zenith? (Answer: No.) Forget 42-14. Do not underestimate the capacity of a famous program that has, after many false starts, gotten it going again. Do not underestimate the recruiting pull of the Fighting Irish.
8. Stanford. Remember when USC was supposed to reclaim the Pac-12 for Troy? That lasted only until the Trojans ran across Stanford, which has weathered the recent losses of coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Andrew Luck to remain robust. In David Shaw, the Cardinal has its new Harbaugh; in Kevin Hogan, it has its new Luck. Coming off its first Rose Bowl victory in 40 years, Stanford eyes even bigger prizes.
9. South Carolina. Jadeveon Clowney might or might not win the 2013 Heisman Trophy, but barring injury he’ll be the nation’s best player. Steve Spurrier has proved he can win without the great back Marcus Lattimore, gone from Columbia after a second knee injury, and the Gamecocks stunned Clemson in Death Valley without injured quarterback Connor Shaw. But in 2013 Carolina will play Georgia in Athens, and the Bulldogs are past due in that game.
10. Florida. The bloom came off a return-to-glory season in that Sugar Bowl — even Gators fan Chipper Jones Tweeted his displeasure — and now Florida faces tough questions. Can its pedestrian offense, ranked 103rd among 120 FBS teams, improve enough to play for championships? This is no trifling matter, given that the Gators’ defense is losing seven starters. And, in case you missed it, the Georgia alum Will Muschamp has yet to beat his alma mater.
And the rest: 11. Louisville. 12. Florida State. 13. Boise State. 14. Oklahoma. 15. TCU. 16. Vanderbilt. 17. LSU. 18. Northern Illinois. 19. Oregon State. 20. Kansas State. 21. Oklahoma State. 22. Miami. 23. Georgia Tech. 24. Nebraska. 25. UCLA.
By Mark Bradley
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264 comments Add your comment
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:18 pm
GTBOB – and just who did Tech play that was better than S.C., Bama and Florida. or even Ole Miss, Missou and Vandy? USC lost SIX games. How many games did tech lose – remind me.
Paul in NH
January 8th, 2013
4:18 pm
“I realize that reading in NH may be a lost cause,”
Nothing wrong with reading in NH – it’s the writing in GA where the problem lies
Paul in NH
January 8th, 2013
4:19 pm
GT played several teams better than Ole Miss, Mizzou and Vandy – FSU, Clemson, UNC and Miami -they lost to them
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:20 pm
TECH: High school offense meets high school defense.
JB
January 8th, 2013
4:21 pm
What does the Tech defense practice against everyday? Really ?
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:23 pm
Who did UNC and Miami beat – where are they ranked in the final poll? Refresh my memory. Fla State Beat Clemson. Above average – slightly but not top 10 material for sure. Miami and UNC? Not good.
Notre Dame Fans
January 8th, 2013
4:23 pm
We really should have won. We only lost because of the refs, the coaches, and our QB didn’t spike the ball.
(We are using these excuses because we heard that they work real good for certain fans down there in Georgia)
GTBob
January 8th, 2013
4:24 pm
With Kelly jumping ship at Tech. ( and yes, Johnson might have told him he ain’t the man)
Most Tech insiders knew Kelly was gone a while ago.
KJ
January 8th, 2013
4:26 pm
Bob, my post was about laughing at OSU fans (again), and had nothing to do with the economics of CFB. If you can’t keep up, it’s best to stay quiet.
The Hammer
January 8th, 2013
4:27 pm
No one answered my question: why is Florida #10, and Louisville not ranked at all? Or, did I just imagine the Sugar Bowl?
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:28 pm
Got to go see what Golic is going to use for an excuse on ESPN for his boys getting humiliated behind the wood shed. Doubt if he will even answer the question.
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:30 pm
Florida is ranked # 10 because they bring in the3 cash to college football and ESPN. Louisville doesn’t. Just telling you the truth.
GTBob
January 8th, 2013
4:31 pm
Bob, my post was about laughing at OSU fans (again), and had nothing to do with the economics of CFB. If you can’t keep up, it’s best to stay quiet.
I think you missed the point of my post. The longer the SEC continues blowout wins over undeserving opponents the more college football will continue to degrade economically. I was pointing out the irony that SEC fans are hoping for that.
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:31 pm
ESPN likes to go to Florida . fun in the sun. Louisville – not so much.
Tide Rising
January 8th, 2013
4:32 pm
Flo- Ri – Duh
January 8th, 2013
2:55 pm
Bleachers – YES I know Bama is three deep with talent…… if Fluker goes they will only have ONE returning starter on the OL.
No. If Fluker goes pro we still have 2 starters returning in tackle Cyrus Kuandijo and guard Anthony Steen. When we won it in 2009 we had to replace 3 starters on the O-line. We’ve got a highly touted JUCO tackle coming in and the O-line is loaded with several 3rd and 4th year redshirted guys who’ve been waiting their turn. We’re in real good shape there.
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:34 pm
GTBOB – I was for Louisville against Florida this time – but had to go with Bama (even I don’t care for their coach) as I know Notre Dame is a bunch of rich yankee snobs.
The Hammer
January 8th, 2013
4:35 pm
So, it comes down to money?
That’s why Notre Dame, with their large fan base, was in the game against an obviously superior Alabama, and not the Oregon Ducks, with their smaller fan base?
In the past, what, seven years(?), the only competitive BCS game we’ve had was a couple of years ago, Auburn – Oregon.
Last night proved, once again, that the only two conferences that can compete with one another are the SEC and Pac-12.
Moist Dawg
January 8th, 2013
4:36 pm
Some of you need to stop arguing like a bunch of 13 year old girls. Its sickening. As long as CMR and AMurraygency go out there and kick some tail, it doesn’t matter where the other losers are ranked.
Under The Bleachers
January 8th, 2013
4:39 pm
Paul in NH
January 8th, 2013
4:18 pm
“I realize that reading in NH may be a lost cause,”
Nothing wrong with reading in NH – it’s the writing in GA where the problem lies
_____________________________________________________
Apparently there is because you did not read it correctly or you did not understand it…which may be your issue….or is it jumping to conclusions, or comprehension….
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:39 pm
Tide Rising – My bad – forgot about Steen. The three you are losing are by far the best of the OL talent and losing 3 one year doesn’t just mean the same thing as losing these three this year.. since these guys are 1st round draft choices.
Tide Rising
January 8th, 2013
4:39 pm
I do hate starting out no. 1. All it does is put a big target on your back and you get everyone’s A game. Much better to be no. 4 or no. 5 starting out.
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
4:41 pm
Urban has the last word on dogs, remember?
TIME OUT
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
Still sticks in your jowls, doesn’t it dogs?
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:41 pm
Not saying Tide’s OL will be bad next year – to much talent for that – but they won’t be Warmack Barrett Jones and Fluker quality and experience will they?
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
4:43 pm
floriduh,
Was your Big East loss this year a “better loss” than the dogs in the Liberty Bowl?
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:44 pm
Urban Meyer knows how to QUIT. Urban Meyer knows how to retire and un – retire to hi benefit. It’s a big, cut throat and immoral business – leave it at that.
sflanagan21
January 8th, 2013
4:46 pm
Ya know I’ve never really gave a rat’s ass about rankings, being an athlete I know they don’t really mean much cause ya have to play the games. But after the beat down that ND took last night how in the freak can anyone have the nerve to put them in the top 5 and above A&M who beat Bama and above UGA who was one play and 5 yards away from beating BAMA! These voters either have short term memory loss problems or are just straight delusional.
Note to voters: When voting for the top 25 at the beginning of next season, remember what happened to ND before you jump on the Ohio State bandwagon. Yea they may win out and make it to the NC game but it will be another blowout by a real football team coming out of the SEC! Actually I see Cal upsetting Ohio St and if not Cal then Michigan will screw up their dreams! Haha just looked at Ohio St schedule next season, WOW what a joke of a schedule! They should run the table but I guarantee ya they choke against either Cal, Penn St or Michigan…
Bama reloads on their O line and both of their fate and A&M’s fate will be determined on Sept 14th. Oregon will be a monster on O and will more then likely run the table, but ya never know what may happen in the PAC 12 between Oregon, Stanford, Oregon St, USC and Cal, any given weekend any of those teams may beat the other but I doubt the Ducks lose a game next year. UGA will have the best O in the Nation and if we get past Clemson and SC then we could run the table, LSU is going to be good but I put NO faith in Ole Metz, I have NO idea what the Gators are up to and nor do I care.
For the most part the rest of teams out there are irrelevant…
GO DAWGS!
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:46 pm
Buck Teeth – decipher what you just said please……. thank you.
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 8th, 2013
4:48 pm
How did Ohio State do when they played SEC teams in recent history – Buck Teeth – refresh my memory.
GTBob
January 8th, 2013
4:49 pm
GTBOB – I was for Louisville against Florida this time
I give you much credit then. Most SEC fans are not capable of rooting for teams from other conferences.
Tide Rising
January 8th, 2013
4:53 pm
Flo- Ri – Duh,
Losing 3 great lineman is always difficult to replace. But I think our center Barrett Jones was probably the most overrated Outland Trophy winner I’ve ever seen. He routinely got beat and driven into the backfield. It even happened once or twice against ND last night. Losing Warmack is the biggest blow since he just dominated people. Same with Fluker who has not yet announced. Of the 2 left though Steen will be a 3 year starter and he is a projected 2nd round NFL pick. Kuandijo was the #2 recruit in the country coming out of high school and will be as dominating as Warmack or Fluker. There will be a drop off from losing Fluker and Warmack for sure but not a huge dropoff.
Tide Rising
January 8th, 2013
4:58 pm
Flo- Ri – Duh,
Warmack and Fluker will be missed if he goes. But Jones is the most overrated lineman I’ve ever seen. He constantly got driven into the backfield throughout the season including a couple of times last night. Great kid but overhyped.
Stinger 2
January 8th, 2013
5:02 pm
JB: No rumors about who the next GT DC will be from out my way.
GTBob probably can address your question.
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
5:12 pm
duh,
How has FL done against the Big East lately?
And the dogs vs. the B1G and Conf USA?
Buckeye
January 8th, 2013
5:12 pm
kj,
Can I call you Choi?
Doc Blanchard
January 8th, 2013
5:15 pm
I have Army at #10 or so next year. We gave those 1940 ND teams a run so no doubt we can do the same with Bama or ND in 2013.
Beat Navy! See you in the BCS next year!
Curt
January 8th, 2013
5:17 pm
I just do not think Oregon is in the class of the SEC and thus should not be ranked as high as they finished the year and for sure not into next year. Yes they play fast…for other conferences but not for the SEC. They just do not have the size on the lines and they do not play against the pro style defenses that most SEC teams employ.
Same goes for Notre Dame
Ohio State appears to be built in the SEC style and Urban Meyer is a decent coach so I think they could do very well.
I think South Carolina, Florida and LSU are ranked a little low
My thoughts:
1 Alabama
2 Ohio State
3 Texas A&M
4 Georgia
5 Clemson
6 Florida
7 Oregon
8 South Carolina
9 Stanford
10 LSU
11 Notre Dame
GTBob
January 8th, 2013
5:20 pm
JB: No rumors about who the next GT DC will be from out my way.
GTBob probably can address your question.
I honestly haven’t heard who it will be or who is even really in the running. I have seen a few names throw around but nothing concrete. All I knew before was that Kelly was not going to be the guy and that was known before the ACC championship was played.
TexUGAfan
January 8th, 2013
5:22 pm
Honestly, worrying about these rankings is pointless. I agree the SEC has dominated – but to say “clearly 6-8 SEC teams would DOMINATE ND” is overreacting. Look at FLA – they were supposed to destroy Louisville, they had the highest point spread out of all BCS games. You never know who will actually win when the game is played. Look at UGA – annihilated by USCe, but then takes Bama to the wire.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
January 8th, 2013
5:31 pm
Word is Bama’s RB coach Burton Burns has been contacted by FSU. Jimbo trying to take Nick’s staff and fix his mess. His problem is he will still be the HC even with Nick’s staff. In addition Bobby Williams will retire to and admin position.
Cannon Ball Butler
January 8th, 2013
5:38 pm
Teo was last seen wearing tire marks on his back.
VCGA
January 8th, 2013
5:40 pm
Thanks Mark for reminding those UGA fans who don’t remember their loss to SCarolina! Short term memory loss. I agree that A&M was the best team latter part of the season, unfortunately that doesn’t count. Would love to have playoffs like the NFL. Then we might see who really is in the top 10. Until there is competition between conferences it’s all what the media portrays and the what the readers buy into….
fatboyslim
January 8th, 2013
5:59 pm
The GT ranking was a joke , right?
GB's Hamburgers
January 8th, 2013
6:28 pm
I’m wondering a bit about the SEC outside of Bama, GA and A&M. Even in their bowl wins most SEC teams didn’t play good defense. Statistically, in most of the games the opponents moved the ball better than their SEC counterparts. Time of possession? Same deal. Check it out. I hope as a league we’re not going the way of the ACC on defense. If UGA couldn’t stop anyone with the athletes we had this year, will we ever have another good defense?
BgTimeTECHFan
January 8th, 2013
6:34 pm
Did you see what Tech did o USC, Tech should be in the top 10
Mike
January 8th, 2013
6:36 pm
I dont think Florida will be top 10 material losing all those defenders. Not unless their offense gets going. Unlike UGA, UF’s D was a huge reason they got as far as they did. UGA wont miss the lost defenders as much because they really didnt get that good of production this year.
Bama is going to be hurting next year if Lacy goes. Lets face it, that offensive line was the reason they beat UGA and won this title. They will lose most of it as well. They will be preseason #1, but dont be shocked if A&M wins the West. It could easily be UGA vs A&M for the SEC title and a trip to the NC. Of course, the SEC always has surprises in store. Arkansas, Auburn and UT might all improve under new coaches. Ole Miss and Vandy may continue their momentum.
BOY THAT DAWG IS UGLY
January 8th, 2013
6:45 pm
Finally, the Dawgs have a schedule. Win at Death Valley and take Gamecocks and LSU then you’ll be a real threat. Looks like Saban and Bama is in a league all their own sort of SEC Plus.
BOY THAT DAWG IS UGLY
January 8th, 2013
6:49 pm
So the Dawgies now have a schedule. Win at Death Valley and beat Spurrier and Miles then you’ll be a contender and not a pretender. Saban and Bama are in a league unto themselves. Sort of like SEC Plus….
dawgs25
January 8th, 2013
7:28 pm
for all you puppy haters who say Georgia will not have a dfense nex year…………just remember we were not supposed to have an offense this year……….rookie running backs, rookies on “o” line………how’d that turn out for us…………I think we will have kids that step up on the other side of the ball next year and may even give up less rushing yardage than the so called great dfense we had this year…….we had some great individuals on dfense, but we certainly did not have a great dfense..
Delbert D.
January 8th, 2013
7:41 pm
“LSU’s offense hasn’t been good in a while and now they are losing their DL and have a QB that I have little confidence in.”
That’s why Mark has them ranked in Northern Illinois’ spot.
“Saban is way overrated. Until he goes to a team/school/nfl franchise that has no history of winning, he hasn’t proven anything.”
He won a mythical NC at LSU. Their previous one was in 1958, a team that had Paul Dietzel as coach and Billy Cannon in the backfield.
The Very Plain Truth
January 8th, 2013
7:50 pm
At least five teams in the SEC will be superior to UGA:
Alabama
South Carolina
Florida
LSU
Texas A&M