Ranking College Football's Top 10 Stories to Watch During Season's Last Month
There will be many storylines to watch in college football over the next few weeks, but there were 10 of them that stood out to me.
The most important stories over the next month will be the race for the Heisman and the Iron Bowl Showdown.
Stories in college football need to have either importance or an emotional connection tied to them. The 10 stories I included on my list all have one of those things. The stories ranked highest on my list are ones that all college football fans will be keeping a close eye on as the season closes.
All stats in this slideshow came from ESPN.com.
Honorable Mentions
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Can Ohio State Wow the Voters?
Ohio State has a tough task in front of them wowing the voters and there’s nothing they can really do about it. Even with convincing wins against Indiana and Michigan, Baylor will still get more respect. Ohio State has to hope for losses in front of them at this point. This story did not make the list because at this point not many fans have respect for Ohio State’s schedule.
Oregon’s Rebound to the Rose Bowl
Oregon fans got a blessing with Stanford going down to USC. They now control their own destiny for a Rose Bowl appearance. If Oregon can pull away with victories against Arizona and Oregon State, they will be in the Pac-12 Championship Game. This story did not make the list because Oregon has made it before and there are others teams that are rising.
Wisconsin’s Push for a BCS Bowl
Wisconsin isn’t yet ruled out for a chance at the Big Ten title, but Ohio State would need to lose to Indiana and Michigan and Wisconsin would need to win their next two to have a shot.
Brad Edwards of ESPN projects Wisconsin to get an at-large BCS bid and has them projected to play Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
Wisconsin is having a good year (8-2) and looks to make a push for an at-large bid.
This story didn’t make the list because Wisconsin has been under the radar all year and have quietly had a successful year.
10.Can Michigan State Make the Rose Bowl?
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Run for the Rose Bowl
Michigan State has been underrated this season mainly because of the lack of respect for the Big Ten, but they are a very good football team.
They are fourth in the FBS in scoring defense and can present a challenge to offensive-minded teams like Ohio State. If Michigan State takes care of Northwestern and Minnesota in the next two weeks, they will have their shot at the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.
While this story is not as important to fans as teams making a push for the BCS title, the Spartans story will be very intriguing over the next few weeks. The Big Ten Championship Game will also be important to the bowl layout because of the possibilities with Ohio State.
9. Coaching Hot Seats
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Coaches with Seats on Fire
The main hot seats in college football are at Florida, Texas, West Virginia, Virginia and Nebraska.
Mack Brown (Texas) may be able to keep his job unless Nick Saban comes knocking on Texas' doors.
Mike London (Virginia) will probably keep his job in my opinion because of the great recruiting class he is bringing in this year.
Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia) and Bo Pelini (Nebraska) will be tough decisions.
And now we get to Will Muschamp.
Muschamp has had one of the toughest jobs in the country this year because of all the injuries Florida has faced. In Saturday’s game against South Carolina, Muschamp put together a great gameplan, almost coming away with the victory despite having his third-string quarterback start the game.
Muschamp should get at least one more year at Florida to prove himself, but nothing is for sure with the expectations put upon a head coach at Florida.
This should be a very interesting story to watch over the next few weeks to see how these coaches adjust. This story isn’t as important as the Heisman or the BCS title game, but it will effect college football next season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
8. BCS Busters
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BCS Busters
Central Florida and Fresno State both have hopes of breaking into BCS games. This story is very important because every fan deep down loves to pull for the underdog. There is emotion behind the rallying of these teams as they take on higher-ranked teams in the BCS bowls.
Central Florida is 8-1 with their only loss coming to South Carolina. Fresno State is 9-0 and led by quarterback Derek Carr.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN has Central Florida and Fresno State making a BCS Bowl. He projects Central Florida playing in the Sugar Bowl against Auburn, and Fresno State playing in the Fiesta Bowl against Baylor.
This story is ranked lower than the story of Duke’s football season because of Duke’s big win Saturday over Miami.
7. Duke to the Orange Bowl?
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Yes you read it right, Duke FOOTBALL.
Duke has been a feel-good story all year, but under the radar. Coming into Saturday’s game against Miami the Blue Devils were not ranked despite a 7-2 record.
This story has emotion tied to it, because you can’t help but pull for Duke to make it to the ACC Championship Game.
Wins over Miami and Virginia Tech have put Duke in the driver’s seat to play Florida State for the ACC title. They still need to take care of business on the road against Wake Forest and North Carolina, but it must feel nice for Duke to control their own destiny.
6. Missouri's Quest for the East
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Can Missouri Do It?
Gary Pinkel has done a phenomenal job this season coaching Missouri and should be up for postseason coaching awards despite what happens over the next few weeks.
Even with quarterback James Franklin going down against Georgia, the Tigers have put themselves in a position to make the SEC title game.
They need to win both of their next two games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M. If they lose one of those, South Carolina will represent the East in the SEC Title game.
This story has both importance and emotion tied to it. It is important because it will affect who Alabama or Auburn has to play in the SEC Title game, but this is a feel-good story because Missouri wasn’t supposed to have this good of a year.
The Missouri storyline is more important than Duke’s because it is more important. Nobody really expects Duke to beat Florida State, but it would not be that surprising if we saw Missouri take down Alabama.
5. Can Ed Orgeron Win the USC Job?
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Does Ed Orgeron have the job?
Ed Orgeron took over on an interim basis after Lane Kiffin’s firing. USC is 5-1 under Orgeron and beat fourth ranked Stanford this past Saturday.
The hiring could be one of the biggest decisions USC Athletic Director Pat Haden ever has to make. Should he bring in a big-name coach or stick with Orgeron?
This story will be followed closely because of the importance of Southern Cal’s football program moving forward.
This storyline is more important than coaching hot seats because it is a tougher decision. Pat Haden has to decide if Ed Orgeron can get the job done, and America should be intrigued by this decision.
4. Baylor's Run at a National Title
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Baylor’s National Title Hopes
Baylor is in the middle of a very successful season. Art Briles will also be up for a coaching award because of the way Baylor has stormed the rankings this season. Baylor (9-0) is first in scoring offense in and seventh in scoring defense in the FBS.
The Week 13 AP Poll has Baylor ranked third, jumping Ohio State.
This story will be interesting to see if Baylor can make the title game, but they will probably need a loss in front of them for this to be possible.
This story is ranked lower than the Alabama/Auburn game because that game will influence Baylor’s chances. Baylor fans should become huge Auburn fans in two weeks and hope they get in ahead of one-loss SEC teams.
3. Jameis Winston's Sexual Assualt Case Ruling
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Can He Play?
According to an article by USA Today, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston reportedly may be involved in a past sexual assault case and could possibly face charges. This will be a huge storyline over the next few weeks because quite frankly college football fans don’t know what it means yet. We are unsure if he will be charged because it’s an ongoing investigation, as reported by USA Today.
Winston being on the field for Florida State is very important for them to have any chance against Alabama.
This story will probably be all over sports broadcasts over the next month. The reason this story is not ranked in the top two is because the complaint was filed December 7, 2012, according to the USA Today article. The fact that the complaint was filed almost a year ago makes you wonder why it is coming up now that Winston is a Heisman Trophy candidate.
This story is more important than others on the list ranked lower because Florida State is ranked second in the nation, and because Winston has been one of the best players in the country this season.
2. The Iron Bowl Showdown
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The Iron Bowl
The showdown between Alabama and Auburn will be one of the biggest games of the season. This game has an extreme amount of importance related to the BCS Title game.
This will be Alabama’s toughest test yet, and Auburn is probably very hungry for a victory over their rival. This game is two weeks away and is already the topic of many college football discussions.
With a victory they could keep their bitter rival Alabama out of the BCS Championship Game and also out of the SEC Championship Game. Auburn and Missouri probably weren't on many people's SEC Championship radar at the beginning of the year, but it is becoming more and more realistic.
This game is more important than other stories because of the implications of the outcome. This story, however is still not as important as one of the most prestigious awards in sports.
1. And the Heisman Trophy Goes To........
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Who Should Get It?
The race for the Heisman trophy is one of the biggest stories in sports every year, but this year is even better because it is still wide open. Last year Johnny Manziel winning wasn’t much of a surprise, but this year is a little different.
The race is essentially a two man race between Manziel and Jameis Winston. Others such as Marcus Mariota, Bryce Petty, and AJ McCarron are still in the race, but Winston and Manziel are the most talked about.
Manziel has a huge game against Missouri where he could make a nice campaign for the trophy, but Jameis Winston will look to continue his stellar season against Florida and in the ACC Championship Game.
This story is the most important over the next month because either way there will be a big impact on history. If Manziel wins, it will be his second overall. Only one other player (Archie Griffin) has won two Heisman trophies, and Manziel has a very realistic chance of bringing home the hardware.
If Winston wins he will be the second-ever freshman to win the award, joining Johnny Manziel from last year.
Discussion about this storyline will heat up tremendously over the next couple of weeks and come down to how the two candidates play over the next few weeks.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
