College Football Predictions 2011: 25 BCS Title Game Clashes We’d Like To See
Whether we like it or not, the BCS system will remain in place in 2011. This means that two major conference teams will met up for the BCS Championship Game, and hopefully, they will be two undefeated teams to showcase its importance.
As for which teams will end up playing in the matchup, there's no real way to tell yet. Some people had Texas in the game this time last year, and look how far they fell. No one had Auburn winning the SEC, let alone getting to and winning the National Championship.
Despite that, it doesn't mean we can't hope for certain title games to happen. Here are 25 that college fans would love to see happen.
25. LSU-Ohio State
1 of 25
I'm not sure how good this matchup would be. Both teams rely primarily on defense, and that seems to be why they're projected as top teams for the upcoming season. The likelihood of this happening is pretty good, but with shaky offenses on both sides at times, I can't see this being a good game.
24. Alabama-Stanford
2 of 25
Alabama-Stanford is a matchup that sounds great on the surface, but I can't see it being all that good. Stanford is bringing their offense back but is losing their head coach, while Alabama has their defense returning but is losing nearly all their weapons. Players beyond Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson will have to become household names for this to be good.
23. Oregon-Ohio State
3 of 25
While I'd like to see his matchup, since I think Darron Thomas and Terrelle Pryor are roughly equal quarterbacks, it's low on the list because we've seen it before. In fact, last time these two teams faced, it wasn't all that good of a match to watch. Maybe it would be better this year, but who knows.
Dan Herron and LaMichael James would have to put up big games to make it enjoyable.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Oklahoma State-LSU
4 of 25
One of the nation's best passing attacks could face a defense that should still be very good. Since both play in tough conferences, I don't know if either could be undefeated, but seeing which side breaks first could make this worth watching.
Granted, when it's LSU's offense against Oklahoma State's defense, that would likely be bathroom break time.
21. Texas A&M-Stanford
5 of 25
Texas A&M could be the surprise team next year, since they're returning nearly all their starters. Stanford loses a lot of them, but they still have Andrew Luck. A matchup between these two teams would be very hard-nosed, and I could see it being similar to the Auburn-Oregon match.
Granted, whether that's a good or bad thing is dependent on taste.
20. Alabama-Michigan State
6 of 25
A Capital One Bowl rematch is more likely than you think, and with Alabama losing a few stars, the score would be a lot closer this time. The two teams will definitely give their all in this game. If nothing else, Alabama fans would love in since they would expect another blowout.
19. Stanford-Ohio State
7 of 25
Unlike the Oregon-Ohio State matchup, this one has the air of being more exciting. Stanford has the better quarterback, while Ohio State has the better coach. Can Andrew Luck outplay Terrelle Pryor? Certainly, but Pryor will have weapons he's more familiar with.
The problem here is both teams will have holes to fill on their defenses, so this one seems unlikely to happen.
18. Alabama-Oregon
8 of 25
Here's a matchup that would have been way better this past season rather than this season. With a hole at quarterback, Alabama may have some problems, but their defense can lead them to a title game. Oregon, meanwhile, will use their offense in hopes of reaching the title game. Offense vs. defense matchups aren't ideal, but this one could be good.
17. Oregon-Texas A&M
9 of 25
Here's one that, ironically, doesn't sound exciting at all, yet it could have the potential to be great. We all know of Oregon's flashy offense, yet Texas A&M's has the potential to be just as flashy this season, with Ryan Tannehill starting to prove his worth and Cyrus Gray being a possible Heisman dark horse.
16. Oklahoma State-Ohio State
10 of 25
Remember when Ohio State fought the high-powered offenses in the Big Ten last year? Neither do I. Luckily, if this happens, we'll get to see it, as Oklahoma State's offense looks again to be one of the best in the country. Can Terrelle Pryor and DeVier Posey outperform Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon?
15. Texas A&M-Ohio State
11 of 25
This one gets ranked slightly ahead of Oklahoma State since this matchup looks to be more even. Both teams have more balanced offenses, and even though Ohio State will have to rebuild some of its defense, it should be able to go toe-to-toe with whatever the Aggies bring to the table.
14. TCU-Oklahoma
12 of 25
The odds of TCU making it to the national title game are slim to none. This is not because they were a pretender, but because they're losing far too many players to run the table again this upcoming year.
On the off chance they were to do that, a match against Oklahoma would be an amazing one to watch, as much of the talent on both sides would likely be around another year. That, and we can see if the new TCU defense can handle Landry Jones and company.
13. Oregon-Wisconsin
13 of 25
Wisconsin's running game is strong enough and exciting enough to watch that if they were able to break through the Big Ten and make it to the championship game, what running attack could compete against it? How about LaMichael James and the crew at Oregon? That would make for a solid matchup.
12. Alabama-Wisconsin
14 of 25
If Oregon isn't your cup of tea and you want an SEC/Big Ten matchup, then how about Trent Richardson against James White? It would be a lot better than a rematch against Michigan State, if nothing else. Both teams have a hole at quarterback, though, so hopefully that wouldn't take away from the game.
11. LSU-Oregon
15 of 25
While this matchup may not be the flashiest, an Oregon-SEC matchup would keep the purists happy, and LSU has enough talent coming back that they could end up making it exciting. Not sure about this one, though they will both likely be ranked in the preseason top 5, so it could happen.
10. Oregon-Auburn
16 of 25
Re-matches usually sound like they would be great, and in this case, it would still be a very good showing. Yes, Cam Newton and Nick Fairley are gone, but pitting Michael Dyer against LaMichael James and seeing which one can outrun the other could make for a classic matchup.
It's too bad the odds of this happening are pretty much zero.
9. Boise State-Alabama
17 of 25
Let's say, hypothetically, Boise State not only runs the table, but the BCS system actually works and they manage to get into a title game. Who would be the best opponent? Someone from the SEC, but let's make it a matchup between a quarterback and a team that had talent everywhere else but quarterback.
That's how the Boise State-Alabama game would end up. It could be a classic, it could be ugly, who knows.
8. Notre Dame-Oklahoma
18 of 25
This is perhaps the best match of the ones that have almost no chance of happening. Historically, this has been a great rivalry, but we haven't seen much of anything between the two worth watching of late.
Notre Dame got to face Miami in their bowl game last year in a classic matchup that ended up being pretty good, and if Notre Dame were to face Oklahoma, it would be an exciting match, especially for college football purists.
7. Texas A&M-Alabama
19 of 25
Two teams that have most of their players returning, a matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama could be a lot better and more competitive than it may sound. Cyrus Gray vs. Trent Richardson would be a tough back-and-forth, and Ryan Tannehill could end up outplaying who Alabama brings in to be the starting quarterback.
6. Oklahoma State-Alabama
20 of 25
A matchup between Oklahoma State and Alabama might be the best offense vs. defense match looking ahead, since at least both teams have some talent on the other side of the football.
Besides that, there's also a great running vs. passing matchup, with Trent Richardson facing off against Justin Blackmon. This may translate into a great match as long as both teams improve over the course of the season.
5. Stanford-Oklahoma
21 of 25
A BCS National Championship Game between Stanford and Oklahoma would be a battle of two quarterbacks, Andrew Luck and Landry Jones. It may be too early to tell how the other positions unfold, but when you put those two guys on the field, you know it's going to be an excellent matchup.
4. LSU-Texas A&M
22 of 25
A Cotton Bowl rematch, while not exactly pitting the two teams that people would want to see in the championship, would personally be one of the most exciting matchups you could have should it work.
While LSU is losing a couple defensive playmakers, the offense will have a year of experience and some better talent, and Texas A&M will be returning virtually all of their players. It may take some work to convince people that this is a great matchup, but it sounds like it is, even though Ryan Tannehill and Jordan Jefferson aren't necessarily Heisman candidates.
3. Oregon-Oklahoma State
23 of 25
Putting two high-powered offenses in the national championship game didn't work all that well this past season, but if we were to try it again with Oklahoma State and Oregon, it could turn out very well. Both teams have very prolific offenses, and having Brandon Weeden and Darron Thomas face off would make for a very high-scoring matchup.
2. Alabama-Oklahoma
24 of 25
This is a matchup that fans of both schools would consider the ideal matchup, and there is a very high chance that these two teams start the season first and second in the polls. As a result, expectations will be building for this matchup early on.
I don't consider this the ideal matchup, primarily because Alabama will be grooming a new quarterback, and we don't know if he'll be good or not just yet. If he ends up being great, then both teams have more than enough weapons on both sides of the ball to make this a very competitive matchup.
1. Oklahoma-Oregon
25 of 25
To me, this is easily the best matchup heading into the 2011 season. Oregon is losing Casey Matthews and a couple other good defensive players, but the key pieces of the offense are returning. Oklahoma also has virtually every star returning, with the exception of DeMarco Murray.
Both sides have a lot of offense heading into the season, and both sides have enough playmakers on defense, led by Travis Lewis and Cliff Harris. Heading forward, as long as both teams continue to develop over the course of the season, this will be an ideal matchup.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
