[SBRforum Staff]

Who Will Be No.1
By: SBR Staff[/B]

8/7/2006 11:15:21 AM


Can it be? Is the college football season really just a few weeks away? Yes, it should be another new and wonderful season full of gridiron glory (and heartbreak, for sure) for players, fans and football bettors alike. But come January, and the first BCS championship game, the climax to this new season may look a bit like the end of last season.

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona last January. And as this new season approaches, Ohio State and Notre Dame top almost everyone’s list as the favorites to play in this season’s title game, slated for Jan. 8 in the Arizona desert.

At VIP.com, the Buckeyes and the Irish together top the betting board at 11/2 to win NCAA football’s national title this season. Ohio State is 50-13 under head coach Jim Tressel, and returns playmaking QB Troy Smith and gamebreaking WR Ted Ginn. Notre Dame features the quarterbacking of Heisman favorite Brady Quinn, but the defense is still a question mark, although the Irish will be able to simply outscore most of their opponents. The schedule, however, will be tough; if Notre Dame reaches the national championship game, they’ll have deserved it.



The Oklahoma Sooners are next on the list at VIP.com at 17/2 to win it all this season. OU hopes to have a healthy RB Adrian Peterson for the whole season, and they already have the best defense in the nation. However, watch those odds carefully in the days and weeks to come as Oklahoma tries to find a replacement for QB Rhett Bomar, who was kicked off the team last week for allegedly violating NCAA rules by taking "payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked." The Texas game, which will decide the Big 12 South’s berth in the conference title game, is slated for Oct. 7.

Winners of 34 of their last 35 games and two of the last three national titles, the USC Trojans are posted at 10/1 at VIP.com to win another championship this season. USC has a lot of holes to fill, especially on offense, but the talent is there if not the experience.

A handful of teams follow the Trojans on the national championship betting board at 14/1 at VIP.com. LSU features a great QB in JaMarcus Russell, but an absolutely brutal SEC road slate calls for the Tigers to visit Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas. Florida State still has Bobby Bowden, and QB Drew Weatherford has a solid freshman season under his belt. Defending national champion Texas will have to replace All-Universe QB Vince Young, but the Longhorns carry a 20-game winning streak into this season. West Virginia will again run the ball right down opponents’ throats, and stick ‘em on defense. And the Florida Gators look just about ready to return to national glory in head coach Urban Meyer’s second season at the helm.

The (supposedly) second-best college football team in the city of Los Angeles, the UCLA Bruins, are listed at 18/1 at VIP.com to win the national title game this season.

Following UCLA on the VIP.com national title betting board, all at 20/1, are the Michigan Wolverines, who are coming off a disappointing 7-5 season and must travel to Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State this year; the Miami Hurricanes, led by a Top 5 defense; the Auburn Tigers, coming off an ugly loss to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl last January; and Penn State’s Nittany Lions, who must replace QB Michael Robinson and must travel to both South Bend and Columbus, Ohio for road bouts.

In the longshot category, the California Bears, who play most of their seasons well beneath the national radar, are posted at 25/1 at VIP.com to win the national championship game this season. The Louisville Cardinals, with a great offense and kind schedule; the Iowa Hawkeyes, also coming off a disappointing 7-5 season; the Oregon Ducks, who must fly away for road games at USC and Cal; and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the favorites to win the Big 12 North, are all lumped together at 30/1 to win it all this season.

A couple of perennial SEC powers, the Georgia Bulldogs (four consecutive Top 10 season-ending rankings) and the Tennessee Volunteers, are paired at 40/1 to win the national title at VIP.com.

A threesome consisting of the Wisconsin Badgers, the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Arizona State Sun Devils are all listed at 50/1 to win it all at VIP.com.

And a true longshot, TCU’s Horned Frogs, who have a decent shot to go undefeated this regular season, are listed at 100/1 to win the national title at VIP.com.

[crackerjack]

And a true longshot, TCU’s Horned Frogs, who have a decent shot to go undefeated this regular season, are listed at 100/1 to win the national title at VIP.com.

While it is true they may go undefeated, an MWC team will never win a national championship. Think Utah in 2004. Even if TCU is 12-0, there will be teams with a loss that are still ranked higher.

[bigboydan]

So much for the Oklahoma Sooners this year. they might have the talent, but without bomar i just can't see it.

BTW, that was my national championship winner before the announcement of his suspention.