Alabama is one of several BCS championship contenders in the upcoming college football season that has a difficult early-season test against a challenging opponent.

Playing a top team early in the season has its advantages because it's a good opportunity to boost your out-of-conference strength of schedule.

If you're going to play a superior team that has a good chance to defeat you, it's better to play them as early in the season as possible so there is plenty of time to recover in the weekly polls.

Let's look at three national championship contenders that have difficult early-season matchups.

 

Alabama

The defending BCS champion Crimson Tide will battle Big Ten powerhouse Michigan at Cowboys Stadium in Texas to kick off their title defense.

Alabama lost some key players on defense in the 2012 NFL draft but will return starting quarterback AJ McCarron and running back Eddie Lacy, who will replace All-American Trent Richardson.

They will lead the Crimson Tide offense against a Wolverines team that should be better than last season since head coach Brady Hoke is entering his second year in charge at Ann Arbor.

This could be one of the greatest games of the 2012 season and will be a fantastic Week 1 matchup.

 

Clemson

The Clemson Tigers are my pick to win the ACC this year, and they will kick off their season against the rival Auburn Tigers of the SEC in a matchup at the Georgia Dome in Week 1.

Auburn will be looking to improve on last season's disappointing 8-5 finish after they won the national championship with current NFL quarterback Cam Newton during the 2010 season.

Clemson's national title hopes would be destroyed if they lost to Auburn in the season opener, but the Tigers offense, led by quarterback Tajh Boyd and wide receiver Sammy Watkins, will be too much for Auburn to stop.

 

Arkansas

The Razorbacks' chance of earning a spot in the BCS national championship game could come down to the outcome of two specific matches again SEC rivals.

The first of those matchups is their Week 3 battle with Alabama at home. Arkansas lost 38-14 to the Crimson Tide last season at Bryant-Denny Stadium and will need a much better defensive effort this time around to earn an upset win.

We will learn a lot about the Razorbacks after their early-season SEC showdown with Alabama.

 

Nicholas Goss' Preseason Top 25
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. USC
4. Oregon
5. Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Michigan
8. Florida State
9. South Carolina
10. Arkansas
11. West Virginia
12. Kansas State
13. Michigan State
14. Clemson
15. Wisconsin
16. Texas
17. Ohio State
18. Virginia Tech
19. TCU
20. Oklahoma State
21. Stanford
22. Nebraska
23. Boise State
24. Florida
25. Notre Dame

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