Seven unbeatens remain as season’s end nears

Joe DeNicholas

There are seven remaining unbeaten teams in college football. The only thing we know for sure is that there will not be that many at the end of the season. Alabama and Florida will play each other in the SEC Championship game, eliminating one team’s chances to play in the BCS Championship. But other than that, a team’s likelihood of going undefeated remains a guessing game. Leaving mid-majors TCU and Boise State aside, here is a look at of some of these undefeated teams:

Florida

Tim Tebow and company handed the Georgia Bulldogs a 41-17 defeat in Jacksonville, Fla. Coming off a couple of less-than-stellar performances, the Gators dominated on a neutral site without the good fortune of some questionable officiating. Florida looks to have gotten on track offensively as Tebow threw four touchdowns in the rout. Of course, Georgia’s poor defense was part of the loss, but in past weeks, Florida has failed to take advantage of the poor defenses of Arkansas and Mississippi State. Even though Georgia is probably one of the worst teams in the SEC, Florida took care of business and remains a favorite to be selected for the BCS Championship game. Having already clinched a spot in the SEC title game by clincing the division title, the Gators must continue fine-tuning their offense.

Texas

If all goes as projected, the most likely matchup in the BCS Championship game is a Longhorn versus Gator battle. The Longhorns have had one of, if not the best, scoring offenses in the country for the entire season. In addition, the past couple of games the Longhorn defense has started to flex their muscles, as well.

It played lights out against Oklahoma State, blowing them off their own field 41-14. The Longhorns’ recipe for success has been pretty simple; they are scoring the most points per game and are allowing the second fewest yards per game in the nation. With the victory over Oklahoma State, the Longhorns remain unscathed and are all but a lock for the BCS Championship game.

Alabama

Among the undefeated teams is the Alabama Crimson Tide who, like many, control their own fate. They are incredibly tenacious on the defensive end, but they have yet to tap into their offensive potential. They had a bye week this past weekend, but fresh in everyone’s mind is the near loss to Tennessee by two points.

They have a chance to impress the pollsters next week when they face off against the LSU Tigers and when they battle Auburn in their final regular season game, both of which are very winnable games. If Alabama goes through the regular season undefeated and proceeds to beat No. 1 Florida in the conference championship game, then it will have an undeniable résumé.

Iowa

The Hawkeyes haven’t overwhelmed teams this season but they have found a way to win every game. They got past Michigan in overtime, beat Michigan State on a last second touchdown pass and just edged out Arkansas State.

A win is a win, however, and three of their four remaining games are at home versus Indiana, Northwestern and Minnesota, all of which are winnable games for the Hawkeyes. They don’t win pretty, but they have grit and know what it takes to come from behind to win. The largest obstacle remaining for the Hawkeyes is a meeting at Ohio State. If they defeat the Buckeyes and finish the Big Ten season undefeated, they will need a couple of losses by the teams ahead of them in order for them to be seriously considered in the BCS Championship game conversation.

Cincinnati

The Bearcats remain the only threat out of the Big East. They handily beat Syracuse this week by three touchdowns. Two marquee wins over Oregon State and South Florida should remove doubt as to their abilities. In order to win out, the Bearcats would have to do so without quarterback Tony Pike. A game against a dangerous Pittsburgh squad will be the toughest test. Given the relative strength of the Big East versus the Big Ten, an undefeated Cincinnati squad would likely move ahead of an undefeated Iowa club.

Moving past an 11-1 USC team would be unlikely though. The Bearcats are an experienced, well-coached team that will not go down without a fight.

In any case, the final stretch of this college football season should prove to be a race as team’s fight to earn a spot in the national title game.