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
brad
January 8th, 2013
7:54 pm
ga’s defense wasn’t that stout this year numbers wise. they lose like 5 starters. i think the d will be a problem next year. i see a 0-2 start in the making.
Son of Sammy Davis Jr, Jr
January 8th, 2013
8:10 pm
South Carolina’s backup quaterback Dylan Thomas is better than Aaron Murray
Delbert D.
January 8th, 2013
8:12 pm
“South Carolina’s backup quaterback Dylan Thomas”
How poetic.
please
January 8th, 2013
8:21 pm
gators got nothing next year.
bamaguy
January 8th, 2013
8:29 pm
Let’s be honest here. The SEC is 1) Alabama 2) Almost everybody else 3) The schools from Mississippi, Kentucky and Missouri.
Gator Mike
January 8th, 2013
8:40 pm
UF is definately in trouble next season if the offense does not improve, and I agree with those who say the defense will take at least one step backwards. As a Gator, I do not like it, but the Sugar Bowl showed me that our coaching staff has huge flaws. As a side note, I would bet that the guys spent too much time on Bourbon St. regardless of WM’s story.
Flat Tire doesnt live in Delusionalville Ga.
January 8th, 2013
8:47 pm
UGA is in trouble on defense and its not just because the players leaving
daddo
January 8th, 2013
9:01 pm
Alabama will be hurting if they lose Lacey? hahahahahahahahaha….My lord, Alabama will have the best and the deepest set of running backs in the nation, coupled with the best receiver corp in the nation. 2013 will see Saban’s best offense since he’s been at Bama.
Some people don't understand irony
January 8th, 2013
9:10 pm
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.
—–
Interesting that an SEC SEC fan, who has been expounding all day how the SEC SEC is the greatest and that is why they have so many ranked teams, thinks that UF is highly ranked because of money and ESPN.
Birmingham Jacket
January 8th, 2013
9:23 pm
Bradley—
Your paper just listed being a newspaper reporter as one of “the most stressful jobs”.
Must be true. And clearly by ranking my Yellow Jackets a top 25 “threat” in 2013, the stress has gotten to you!
Time for a vacation, man.
Hardaht
January 8th, 2013
9:49 pm
The bigots from the south why all the hate against ND ? Is it because they finish with in the top 3 grad rates every year? Who’s fault is that? They don’t have kids flunking out or not getting in because they can’t even read their high school letter jackets.. Is it because they have TV money coming in?
Thanks to ST Vince of Athens for that (also a Catholic) and the original Satan aka Barry Switzer. They did that deal but after Walker left UGA fell back to earth and could not get the deal done because of the SEC. Sooners did not get it done either.Now Texas has a TV deal hate them. Look at the paying bowl buying IRISH fans they support the team. TV ratings are great when they play. Just about every game every year is on TV. When they go to a bowl there aren’t nearly the amount of empty seats as when these SEC teams or ACC teams played in this bowl season. Embarrassing to say the least. So the ND football team would not even play in the SEC championship game probably true but football fans here MONEY is driving the bus. In a perfect world it would not but we don’t live there yet. Learn the game off the field and stop whining. ….
.PS to the dopes who forgot ND beat Stanford who beat Oregon thats why the DUCKS were’t playing for the title The IRISH record and that win gives them respect just not the title. ..The Ducks/K State don’t go around the country playing teams that are usually winners ! MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, USC , and Stanford like ND does.So stop with the national media hype crap. UGA and the rest of the SEC quit play those Southern Conferences teams man up and play up ……….
Oh wait ya’ll do that for money reasons extra home games………. My Bad…..
DUCK NATION
January 8th, 2013
9:56 pm
Just think it could have been ND vs Ohio Two week teams that barely competed every week and won games in a week conference. Ducks could beat ND or Ohio st by 60 points I would much have seen Stanford , Texas A&M, any 2 loss team would played better than that pitiful showing last night. The playoffs will leave these to teams out can’t wait no more let downs in 2014 just power houses
DUCK NATION
January 8th, 2013
10:05 pm
That’s what they said when Oregon played Auburn but at least we showed up ND and Ohio state are biggest jokes and hype like blind date let down .can’t wait till 2014 won’t have to see these chumps in the big show .
DUCK NATION
January 8th, 2013
10:09 pm
Why want ND join Sec or Acc, PAC10,or hell fab5
Big Macon Dawg
January 8th, 2013
10:15 pm
@ Hardaht
You’re obviously a ND fan, and if like most FAN(attic)S, are probably blind to criticism of the team you love.
But, since you asked the question “…why all the hate towards ND?” I’ll bite:
Quite simply, most folks like to watch a football game that is at least competitive.
I had no “Dawg” in the fight last night (pun intended); but agree with most objective fans, the game was a complete bust.
Last night, Notre Dame showed it was not only unworthy of a #1 ranking, and had no business on the same field with Bama— but in all likelihood was not even worthy of a top 5 ranking.
Notre Dame because of it’s popularity and ability to create ca$h flow, has in recent history repeatedly played “up” to bowl games and teams and gained undeserved opportunities more qualified opponents are denied.
Fortunately, a new and hopefully expanding CFB playoff system will save you from future embarrassments like last night; and will make for a more enjoyable and competitive NC game.
Folks dislike ND quite simply for the reasons you stated. They represent $$$ and lots of fans, rather than an elite team.
The ACC will be a good fit for The Irish. And l expect ND to be a full member of the ACC by the end of the decade.
Big Macon Dawg
January 8th, 2013
10:23 pm
@ Hardaht
I and other fans with no dog in the fight, wanting only to see a decent football game last night, just had to endure what looked like The Atlanta Falcons playing a AAA Highschool football team….
And you’re asking “…WHY ALL THE HATE TO ND?”
HIlarious…
As if you guys have never gotten preferential treatment in the post-season before, only to embarrass yourselves when playing an opponent that is truely worthy of being in a quality bowl game.
You will fare better in the ACC, and will become a full member by the end of the decade.
Also, the college football playoff system should hopefully eliminate any future chances you have to embarrass yourselves against another Bama on a national stage.
zeke
January 8th, 2013
11:57 pm
How about Ole Miss in 59, 61 & 62 !
Alabama will start 2013 as No. 1, but who's apt to challenge? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) » Top Stories | Top Stories
January 9th, 2013
12:22 am
[...] Alabama will start 2013 as No. 1, but who's apt to challenge?Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Will we see these two teams go at it again this December? Maybe. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton). Fort Lauderdale – On the morning after securing his fourth BCS championship ring, Nick Saban was asked what he does with his BCS championship rings.Notre Dame's Brian Kelly looks forward, finds something positive after Alabama …Washington PostNick Saban adresses Michigan State football championship possibilities at …MLive.comNick Saban: Once again, he's happy where he is: Alabama (pictures) Jan. 8, 2013al.comHuffington Post -Detroit Free Press -NOLA.comall 9,826 news articles [...]
The Plain Truth
January 9th, 2013
6:22 am
“… but UGA has nothing to be ashamed of.”
What about the 53 arrests in the past four years?
What about the Fulmer Cup?
What about Isaiah Crowell?
What about Caleb King and Washaun Ealey?
What about AJ Green making one of the lowest Wunderlic scores ever recorded?
What about the Jan Kemp trial?
What about Jim Harrick?
What about the #1 Party School title for having the most drunks on campus?
What about Damon Evans?
What about all the dawgs who are busted for illegal drug use every time they have a surprise test?
What about the joke phony majors that Richt sticks most of his dummies in?
What about a team full of morons whose IQs barely exceed the intelligence of vegetables?
And on and on it goes, with no end to the embarrassment and shame that Mark Richt brings to UGA?
Johnny Vaught
January 9th, 2013
6:38 am
Won’t be Georgia — Homer — couldn’t stop teams with an NFL level defense, what are the Bullfrauds going to do with college players. Hint, not much.
Shug
January 9th, 2013
7:33 am
Ga. Tech at #23? Mr. Bradley, you are truly a homer.
Shug
January 9th, 2013
7:34 am
Any you didn’t even rank Texas?
Jim T 514
January 9th, 2013
8:03 am
I’m no LSU fan…roll Tide…but putting Vandy ahead of LSU…c’mon man
Kingdaddy
January 9th, 2013
8:33 am
All you bigot’s from the South don’t like Notre Dame, LOL. What a truely whiney baby . Bigot really? Your team embarrassed itself on national TV. We were looking for a legitimate contender to play a National Championship Game and we get a pretender. Your team isn’t close to matching up with half the SEC and the whole country knows it. You want to call us racist because live in the South? Who is the Bigot here? Was it because we stomped a mudhole in your Butts or is throwing the race-card all you have left to defend the pitiful attempt of playing Bigboy football? Grow up and don’t use racial issues as a reason to justify the Irish’s failure n a National Stage. Moron …
Dirty Harry Reid
January 9th, 2013
8:35 am
Coach Saban was classy showing Georgia some respect! Sad that most of the Bama fans are so classless!
Kingdaddy
January 9th, 2013
8:39 am
Hardath
Is everyone that beats the Irish a Bigot, or just the entire south???
Kingdaddy
January 9th, 2013
8:57 am
Hardath must be a GT/ND fan. You can’t win on the field, then come on the blog and run your tater-hole …
UGA man here, class of 71&73
January 9th, 2013
9:21 am
No guarantee that my Dawgs coulda/woulda scored vs Alabama, had Georgia been given one more down. We could have fumbled the snap or been sacked or a pic off.
Georgia ( my alma mater) had our shot for glory and we could not pull the string.
2012 was a fine year UGA and add in the excellent bowl win, it was a really great season that 98% of ALL ADs would covet.
Go Dogs
7IML
January 9th, 2013
9:35 am
The worst part of BAMA winning national championships is having to change my screen name. on other sites. I am now (and will be until next January) 7IML. That’s “7 (national championships) In My Lifetime.”
Jason Burger
January 9th, 2013
9:43 am
Bo Ryan new DL coach. Great pick-up CMR!!!
Ward Gailey
January 9th, 2013
9:51 am
You are crazy placing Clemson ahead of SC. We beat them badly in there own back yard last year and two times before that. SC continues to whip GA, and only lost the East to GA because GA plays a much wimpier schedule. I am so tired of not having access to any other college info via the AJC except GA, and a little of Tech. Jay Bookman might as well be doing sports!
dap01
January 9th, 2013
10:02 am
If Notre Dame wins 50% of it’s games, they will still be in the top 10.
Columbus Dawg
January 9th, 2013
10:07 am
Time to put up or shut up for Todd Grantham, highest paid asst. coach in UGA history. He wanted to piss and moan about getting some help from Bobo and the offense. Well guess what? He got it. His over hyped/under achieving defense was the final deciding factor on Georgia’s falling short of the goals set for this season. Murray and the offense as a whole did everything it could to make up for the HUGE shortcomings on Grantham’s defensive unit that allowed Bama back in the game after the offense had built a lead on the Bama defense. In my opinion, Bobo, McClendon, Tony Ball, and Will Friend are the coaches earning their keep at Georgia. It’s time for Grantham and his assistants to do the same.
Buckeye
January 9th, 2013
10:19 am
Rolando McClain out of Alabama jail…..
SEC! SEC!
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
January 9th, 2013
10:38 am
Rolando has a big case of the stupid. 38 million contract with 24 in the bank and he can’t play by the rules of society. Nick did the best he could with the guy but his background shows it is pretty much a lost cause.
Hardatit!!! sport you need to get over it and move on! Brian Kelly understands he was in a bar fight and all he had was a paper knife. Notre Dame players need to be in the weight room this morning…Whoa…Eddie Lacey just ran over Manti again and knocked the tattoo’s off this time.
If some of you Bama fans are still in Miami at the stadium then tell Eddie Lacey to stop running and call home.
Memo….Alabama will be a much better football team in 2013. AJ will have a banner year (if he can get ride of his GFriend..she is trouble). Bama has a H-back coming that will prevent all your DC from using the 8 men in the box…that is ovvvvvvvvvver.
The 2012 recruting class signed last Feb will go down as the best class Nick has ever brought to Alabama. Get ready for at leat 5 more years of Roll Tide. Bama will break in the QB for 2014 this year and that is a big Joe Biden. We will have some folks transfer after the spring drills. It is what it is. At least Nick allows the performance of the players to cull the roster instead of the Clarke county jail.
Well I guess we will go down to T-town for the NC celebration …again
We best get working since UGA is only 5 yards behind us…….1980 …now that is more than 5 yards
GTBob
January 9th, 2013
10:43 am
2012 was a fine year UGA and add in the excellent bowl win, it was a really great season that 98% of ALL ADs would covet.
You think 98% of all AD’s are sitting around hoping they can lose the conference championship game and play in the capital one bowl? Even Northern Illinois accomplished more this season than UGA.
Chris Thrasher
January 9th, 2013
10:49 am
Saban will be working on how to handle LITTLE JOHNNY and A&M in the spring and up to their game with them. I believe little Johnny will have a long day and will not be smiling that S—teating grin after the game
shankit
January 9th, 2013
10:59 am
Fox Sports has predicted Alabama, No. 1; Georgia, No. 2; Oregon, No. 3; Ohio State No. 4.
Notre Dame Athletic Director
January 9th, 2013
11:07 am
Please, all you SEC AD’s quit calling me trying to schedule us for your homecoming game.
DaltonBrave
January 9th, 2013
11:08 am
Notre Dame currently has the #1 recruiting class going into 2013. They had a very young secondary and will see some returns on offense and defense. Knock them around all you want but they will only continue to get better.
trueblueeagle
January 9th, 2013
11:48 am
Grantham was fired on January 11, 2008 after the 2007 season with the Brown’s defense ranking 25th against the pass, 27th against the run, and 30th in total-yards-against among 32 teams. Defense wins NC so UGA will be 7-5 in 2013.
This Just In........
January 9th, 2013
12:02 pm
Oregon, #2? Is this the same #2 that got handled by Stanford? That gave up 51 against a 6-6 USC team that got handled by a 6-7 GT team that shouldn’t have been in a bowl? Do I say more, or is that enough to make folks see the obvious, If Oregon is #2, Notre Dame should be 2A ! Now that we’ve dispelled that mythical lie, lets face facts, the SEC has about 37% of the league in the Final TOP 25 POLLS. People that’s over one third of a conference that is the best of the best, Notre Dame, USC, Texas( who declined the SEC’s invitation in) and the Oregons of the CFB World have there place, but on any given night in Sept, Oct, or Nov, do any “Top Tier” team wanna come into ALA, LSU, UGA, SC(East) FLA, now Vandy, and Tex A&M House when it counts? It’s a different animal, the kind that most can’t handle. It’s a reason a Mercedes is a Mercedes, a Rolex is considered the best, and Barbeque in the South triumphs all. The SEC IS COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael
January 9th, 2013
12:18 pm
I won’t take any top 25 poll with Georgia Tech in it seriously.
ROLL TIDE!
HAN
January 9th, 2013
12:31 pm
Tebow, did you really say Tebow? Didn’t you listen to ESPNY? Tebow has no talent, and doesn’t count…he prays to Jesus! Tebow is to be disregarded, so stop mentioning him.
DawginLex
January 9th, 2013
12:31 pm
Flat Tire doesnt live in Delusionalville Ga.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
King of The Society of the Miserable as appointed by our AD, Greg McGarity
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
January 9th, 2013
12:33 pm
We like the “no trash talk” policy from Bama.
DawginLex
January 9th, 2013
12:34 pm
Son of Sammy Davis Jr, Jr
January 8th, 2013
8:10 pm
South Carolina’s backup quaterback Dylan Thomas is better than Aaron Murray
*******************
It’s Dylan Thompson and no he is not better than Murray. He would be 3rd string at UGA behind Murray and Mason and barely ahead of Parker Welch the walk on
LSU fan
January 9th, 2013
1:10 pm
I afraid it won’t be LSU in 2013. Unless the offense makes some huge strides to make up for all of the defensive losses going to the NFL draft, I can see 4 or 5 losses for the Tigers.
blue
January 9th, 2013
1:28 pm
You people that say ND would be next to last if in either SEC conference are high. There are a BUNCH of SEC teams that would have lost to Alabama by 28 the way they played. And, oh by the way, the rest of the conference did VERY well, but note that LSU and FL both lost, and South Carolina got all it could handle from Michigan. The SEC is HANDS DOWN the best conference, but saying that if ND or another program would be next to last is idiotic. And I will qualify that with; MANY, MANY SEC homers, just last year, said the exact same thing about A&M; “they are not ready for the big boy football in SEC” and “they will be lucky to win 2 games” and “they will be last place in the conference”. NOW…SEC fans are all “yay…A&M, the SEC team, is a beast”. Even though they weren’t ready for the physical play of the SEC.
blue
January 9th, 2013
1:34 pm
Once again, any of you UGA homers complaining that ND is ranked above you; first, it doesn’t matter at the end of the year. Second…so you are saying that a 28 point loss to Alabama is worse than a 28 point loss to South Carolina AND a close game loss to Alabama? ND took care of their business all year…and weren’t nearly good enough to beat AL. But you don’t get to do the Wizard of Oz thing, “pay no attention to that…that…28 point loss to SC”. The polls, sucky as they are, encompass the body of work for the SEASON, not just because you gave Bama all they could handle. Not to mention your ridiculously soft schedule (even though I DID mention it now). We’ll see how good you are next year when you play a big-boy schedule early in the year. Can’t wait