Journey to the Championship: The Top 10 Teams' Best Path to the Title Game

The first week of college football is behind us, with the top teams in the country making their first case for the journey to the national title game. Each team that earned a win at the top of the polls has a shot at the title game. What they have to do to get there will be unique to each squad. 

Some had good showings in Week 1 and Week 2, while others left a lot of questions on the field. The AP Top 10 teams that have fallen are Michigan and Arkansas, likely solidifying the end of national title hopes for both teams.

Here is how each of the Top 10 teams in the country can work their way into the national title game by season’s end.

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama had the best performance in college football to open the season when they throttled Michigan in Dallas. 

The Crimson Tide played a very complete game on both sides of the ball and showed a lot of promise on the defensive side of the ball despite losing a number of players to the NFL after the 2011 season.

Alabama showed proficiency along the offensive line, and true freshman running back T.J. Yeldon had a great start to his career, rushing 11 times for 111 yards and scoring one touchdown.

One area in which the Tide must improve is third-down efficiency. Alabama only converted 3-of-10 third-down opportunities against a suspect Michigan defense. That will not win ballgames against the elite talent found in the SEC.

Alabama also has to limit the big passing plays that were given up by the secondary. On more than one occasion, Denard Robinson was able to rainbow the football downfield and gain completions—one of which went for a touchdown.

The Alabama schedule is one that is set up for success with the majority of the tough contests landing at home. At least two games will challenge this Alabama squad. 

A road trip in Week 3 to No. 10 Arkansas will be a tough contest that will test the secondary for the Tide, and the first week of November, Alabama will travel to No. 3 LSU. Back-to-back road trips to Missouri and Tennessee in October will also test the Alabama secondary, but the Tide should be effective at getting pressure into the backfield, forcing errant throws and helping the young secondary hit title-winning form by midseason. 

No. 2 USC Trojans

The Trojans had a great start to the season with a big win over the Hawaii Warriors. Matt Barkley finished the game 23-of-38 for 372 yards and four touchdowns, solidifying his stance as one of the elite signal-callers in the college game.

USC had a good performance on defense as well, holding the usually explosive Hawaii to only 10 points in the game, all of which came in the third quarter. 

One area of concern for the Trojans offense was the lack of production in the running game. Keep in mind the Trojans did only attempt 23 total rushes in the game, but 81 total yards and a 3.5 yard average leaves something to be desired.

Penn State transfer Silas Redd was the leading rusher for the Trojans with nine carries for 56 yards, 6.2 yards per carry and a touchdown. 

The Trojans have a schedule that sets up nicely, with the toughest contest coming against No. 5 Oregon to start the month of November. 

If the Trojans can continue to rely on the passing of Matt Barkley and develop the run throughout the season, they have a great shot at finishing the season in the national title game. 

No. 3 LSU Tigers

LSU had a dominating performance in their Week 1 win over the North Texas Mean Green. Zach Mettenberger was knocked out of the game early after getting his bell rung in the first quarter on a cornerback blitz, but was able to return later in the second quarter.

Mettenberger finished the game 19-of-26 for 192 yards and one touchdown, but a red-zone interception was something that was a bit concerning. 

The LSU offense was led by the running backs, with Kenny Hilliard and Alfred Blue both earning over 100 yards in the game on the ground. 

The LSU defensive front was very good in the game, consistently playing in the Mean Green’s backfield. The secondary also played well overall, but a few big pass plays were given up from the safety position—something that has to be fixed heading into the heart of the season. 

LSU has a loaded schedule this season with contests against No. 2 Alabama, No. 9 South Carolina, No. 10 Arkansas and No. 23 Florida all coming in the final two months. South Carolina and Arkansas will challenge the young secondary for the Tigers. Eric Reid must step into a stronger leadership role for the Tigers defense. 

The Alabama game does come at home, but it will be a tough contest for the Tigers. LSU must improve its consistency in the passing game to survive the gauntlet that will come throughout the season.

No. 4 Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks absolutely waxed the Arkansas State Red Wolves in the Week 1 opener, winning the game 57-34. Don’t let the final score cloud the fact that the Ducks led the game 50-10 at halftime.

Oregon had seven different ball carriers gain positive yards on the ground, and 14 different players catch passes in the game against the Red Wolves. 

The Ducks were strong in third-down and fourth-down conversions, solidifying the knowledge that Oregon is very efficient on offense and dangerous no matter the down and distance. 

Oregon obviously let up in the second half of the game, allowing 24 points after halftime. It was a hodgepodge of second- and third-string defenders that took the field consistently, but there was still a lot of yardage that shouldn’t have gotten churned up by the Arkansas State offense.

There is not a lot of visible improvement that the Ducks need to make after the waxing they laid in the first week. The Ducks do have a tough finish to the season, having three of four final games on the road—one of which comes against the No. 1 USC Trojans. 

If Oregon can continue to progress offensively and solidify depth on defense, it will be a strong contender to finish the season in the national title game for the second time in three years. 

No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners took the path of a lot of teams entering the first week of the season, struggling to earn their Week 1 win against UTEP.

Oklahoma earned the win, 24-7, but the game should have been put away much earlier than the fourth quarter. Oklahoma did not score in the second quarter and didn’t take the lead in the game until a field goal gave it the 10-7 edge early in the third quarter. 

Oklahoma was not very good with its third-down conversions, finishing a little better than 30 percent on third down. 

The Oklahoma offense looked mediocre against mid-level talent on Saturday, but one bright spot was running back Damien Williams, who finished the game with nine carries, 104 rushing yards and a touchdown. 

There was a major breakdown for the Sooners on special teams, allowing for a blocked kick and blocked punt. That can’t be repeated in the coming weeks. 

The Sooners will face a big test in Week 3, hosting No. 22 Kansas State. That will be the first must win for the Sooners of the season. 

Another key on the schedule will be a November 17 matchup against No. 11 West Virginia. The Mountaineers, who had a huge opening week, will maul the Sooners if the Oklahoma team can’t get in the groove by the late-season contest. 

No. 5 Florida State Seminoles

Florida State opened the season against FCS team Murray State, winning the game big, 69-3. The Seminoles, as expected, dominated both sides of the ball without a hint of struggle from the Racers. 

The Seminoles were able to allow for both the second- and third-string quarterbacks to get some time in the game after E.J. Manuel led the Seminoles to an early lead. 

One point of emphasis that the Seminoles must focus on is the rushing game after Week 1. The Seminoles had 42 total rushing attempts and 285 yards, but it was very inconsistent a year ago, and the Seminoles have yet to prove they can produce against higher-level competition. 

Florida State has a schedule that is set for success, but a Week 4 contest against No. 14 Clemson will be an early test to the strength of the Seminoles defense.

If the Seminoles can make it past Clemson, the next big test will come the first week of November, when they travel to Blacksburg, Va. to take on No. 16 Virginia Tech. 

After Week 1, the Seminoles appear much improved over last season and could be a strong candidate for the national title game in January. 

No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia started the season with a win against Buffalo, but it took a lot of effort in the second half to put away the Bulls. Georgia struggled to stop Buffalo running back Branden Oliver consistently in the game, giving up 111 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown to the junior. 

Georgia struggled to find consistency in its own running game, relying on freshman Todd Gurley to produce the majority of the rushing yards in the game. The Bulldogs saw Gurley take eight carries for 100 yards and two rushing touchdowns. 

Aaron Murray had a decent day for the Bulldogs, finishing 15-of-26 for 258 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Bulldogs were expected to be one of the best defenses in the country this fall, but they had a lot of bad tendencies that showed through in this contest. They appeared ill-prepared and missed the impact playmaking in the secondary of suspended safety Bacarri Rambo and corner Sanders Commings. 

The Bulldogs jump into the fire this week as they travel to Missouri and will likely be shorthanded again on defense. The Georgia coaching staff has to get it in gear this week and make sure that Georgia is prepared for a tough game against an explosive Tigers offense. 

If Georgia can make it through Missouri, its next big test will not come until the first week of October against No. 9 South Carolina. 

The Georgia coaching staff has to get on board if they want this season to finish with a title run. Mark Richt is synonymous with letdowns; this season could go down the tubes quickly without a new focus for Week 2.  

No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina struggled in the first week against a moderately talented Vanderbilt squad in Nashville. An injury to starting quarterback Connor Shaw helped keep the game close throughout the contest, but South Carolina’s offense looked anemic for the majority of the game.

The Gamecocks were only 3-of-12 on third downs in the game despite the return of Marcus Lattimore to the lineup to start the season.

Connor Shaw was 7-of-11 passing, but only earned 67 yards through the air—mainly due to the shoulder injury sustained to his throwing arm. Shaw did produce an additional 92 yards on the ground.

The South Carolina defense played well throughout the contest, something the Gamecocks can build on as they head into an easy couple of weeks. 

Carolina has to get better on offense if it wants to stick around this season in the title conversation. A tough stretch in October will see the Gamecocks take on No. 6 Georgia, No. 3 LSU and No. 23 Florida consecutively. 

If the Gamecocks can get Shaw healthy, they will stand a chance in that tough stretch, but they must pick up the offensive efficiency quickly. 

No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia put together one of the most impressive offensive performances of the first weekend with its 69-34 victory over Marshall. 

West Virginia was able to march into halftime with a 34-10 lead, with quarterback Geno Smith leading the offensive charge. Smith finished the game 32-of-36 for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Smith had the best showing of any quarterback in Week 1. 

The Mountaineers defense had a very good showing in the game as well despite giving up 34 points to Marshall. The Thundering Herd did put up 413 yards through the air, however, placing a big question mark on the Mountaineers secondary. To the credit of the defense, most of that production came in the second half. 

West Virginia had a really strong showing and will head into the heart of the schedule in a few weeks with a lot of confidence. 

The Mountaineers face their first test in Week 4 when they host Baylor. They also travel to No. 15 Texas the following week—another big test—but the toughest stretch of the schedule starts on the third Saturday in October. 

West Virginia will face off against No. 22 Kansas State, No. 20 TCU, No. 19 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. 

Despite those challenges, the Mountaineers have one of the most potent offenses in the country. If the defense can improve in the secondary, this Mountaineers team could finish as strong title contenders and the best team in the Big 12. 

No. 10 Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans had quite a battle with Boise State to start Week 1 competition. The Spartans hosted the Broncos and needed every inch of field and tick of the clock to beat the Broncos. The nation was not impressed. 

The Spartans have continued the winning charge however, defeating Central Michigan 41-7 this past week on the road. 

This week will bring another big test for the Spartans and threaten their national title hopes as they host No. 20 Notre Dame in Spartan Stadium.

Michigan State has climbed the polls with the early loss of Michigan and the shocking loss of Arkansas, but the team believes they belong. Although they are a long shot to make a run at the title, their schedule sets up nicely for a run. 

After this week’s contest against No. 20 Notre Dame, the Spartans host No. 12 Ohio State to finish September and then travel to the Big House to take on No. 17 Michigan. 

There are a few games scattered in-between that could cause issues, but if the Spartans can make it out of September undefeated, they will be a strong contender. The Wolverines of Michigan are not looking very strong defensively this season, so that game may not be as daunting as previously thought. 

Despite the seemingly moderate road to an undefeated and possible championship season, the Spartans have to keep their heads on straight. Recent comments about Denard Robinson by players on the team show a lack of discipline that Mark Dantonio was smart to jump on. 

If the Spartans can keep the tread on the tires with discipline and hard work, they could earn their way to a national title this season. After all, they are carrying the banner for the Big Ten in 2012. 

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