College Football: Will the Tide Return to Glory?
by: John Hobart ‘10After six weeks of the 2009 college football season, four teams have separated themselves from the rest: Florida, Alabama, Texas, and Virginia Tech. Within these top four, there is the top tier of Florida and Alabama, followed closely by Texas and Virginia Tech. One question remains… who will take home the National Championship? It may not even be one of these four, but it probably will be.
Let’s start with the two SEC teams that sit at the top of the latest Top 25 rankings. Florida entered the season as the perennial favorites to win the National Title behind Tim Tebow and an explosive, experienced defense. After a 5-0 start, things look pretty good for the Gators. They held off #4 LSU on the road this past weekend with Tebow probably not at 100% after suffering a concussion two weeks earlier. They do not have too much to worry about with their remaining schedule. Their date with the Dawgs in Jacksonville should not be much of a challenge as Hampden-Sydney’s defense would have a better chance against Tebow than the pathetic defense of Georgia. The only other potential hiccup could be at South Carolina on November 14th. There is always the added storyline of Spurrier vs. his old team when the Gamecocks play the Gators, but South Carolina is just 1-3 against the Gators under Spurrier with that one win being their only victory over Florida since 1939. So Florida is the favorite, right? Wrong. Just wait for their SEC Championship matchup with the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
If you watched Alabama play at #21 Ole Miss this past weekend, you probably know why they are my favorites to win the National Championship. We all know the old saying “Defense wins championships.” Well, Alabama’s defense is good. Really good. Ole Miss did not have a first down the entire first half. No, I don’t mean touchdown, first down. The Tide also picked off Jevan Snead, a very capable quarterback, four times. Alabama has a little tougher road ahead of them than Florida, but they should be able to handle it. The next three weeks they face three tough SEC opponents in South Carolina, Tennessee, and LSU. The good thing is that all three games are at home. They end the season in Auburn for the annual Iron Bowl, but Auburn proved last week that they are not as good as their record shows.
Should Alabama or Florida not be the ones hoisting the National Championship trophy on January 7th, there’s a good shot it will be either Texas or Virginia Tech. The Hokies lost to Alabama at the Georgia Dome in Week 1, but have looked very good ever since. Their defense is not slouch either, limiting Boston College to just three yards in the first half last week. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor continues to improve, but the real story is true freshman running back Ryan Williams. After Darren Evans’ breakout season in 2008, the Hokies had found their running back of the future. But Evans went down with a season ending injury before the first game, and running back was a big question mark for Coach Beamer. Williams has answered the question and put himself in the Heisman Race while doing so.
Texas is another undefeated team that has a shot at the title. The only thing about Texas is they really haven’t played anybody. They struggled against an abysmal Colorado team at home before pulling away in the second half, and are heading into a matchup against
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