Premier League Teams as College Football Teams

Is it possible to compare college football teams to those in the Premier League? Yes. It was an extremely difficult endeavor at first, though.

After thinking hard about what exactly the criteria should be for certain teams to be placed together, I finally found what I think is a good solution.

The college teams are ranked by a variety of polls, with the main two being the BCS and AP rankings. I will use the AP ranking to link teams up with their Premier League counterparts.

To do this, I will look mainly at the team’s current standing in the AP rankings, but also how they were ranked or not ranked in the preseason top 25. I basically just used the Top 20 teams in the AP rankings.

Hopefully that isn’t too confusing.  For the most part, the team’s overall record and standing in their  table—for college it is AP, and obviously for Premier League teams it is the Barclays table—is what leads to them being matched up.

Some teams may also have similar statistical output, but that is not a major factor. All of the criteria is based on this season alone, as the landscape in college football is such that teams can have infinitely different records in consecutive seasons or even over a few years.

While the college season is basically about 75 percent finished, the current standings will still be used as the major point of comparison.

With all that out of the way, here is a list of Premier League teams as college football teams.

Manchester City: LSU Tigers

This one was pretty simple.

Both teams are currently No. 1 and show no signs of slowing down. LSU was ranked fourth in the preseason, which is similar to the ranking that Manchester City could have gotten in anyone’s Premier League predictions.

Both teams are undefeated and have similar defensive records. LSU has so far beaten the two previous BCS champions, and their 45-10 win over last year’s national champion—and SEC West rival Auburn—is  akin to Manchester City’s 6-1 win over rivals Manchester United.

Manchester United: Alabama Crimson Tide

This is where it gets tricky. I basically compared Manchester United to the Auburn Tigers, as they were both the most recent champions and the similarity in a certain result.

However, going into the season Alabama was ranked second whereas Auburn was ranked 23rd. Alabama also went into the season with a better chance of winning the title than its rival LSU, though experts figured it would be close. Sound familiar?

Alabama was the other previous BCS champion to lose to LSU, but the score was a much closer 9-6. In any event, Alabama is currently fourth in the college standings but may still have a shot at the BCS championship. Both teams also only have one loss to their respective records.

Newcastle United: Oklahoma State Cowboys

Both teams are undefeated and in a heady position currently.

In the preseason, the Cowboys were ranked ninth, which is probably about the position most people expect Newcastle to end up in, and it is still a very good possibility.

Oklahoma State is currently second in the AP rankings, while Newcastle is third in the Premier League. Both teams have to be wary about those below them, and it is likely that in the end each team will have a major slip-up that reduces their season from great to good.

Chelsea FC: Stanford Cardinal

Both teams are warily waiting in the wings for those above them to fall off. 

Stanford’s preseason position may have been a bit on the low side—seventh—to compare them to Chelsea, but they have more of a chance of getting to the title game than other teams. That is basically the same deal with Chelsea.

Stanford is currently third in the AP rankings, and Chelsea is fourth in the Premier League.  The Cardinal are playing in a weaker conference than the top two teams, and this Chelsea team seems a little weaker than usual.

Tottenham Hotspur: Boise State Broncos

These two teams are on the outside looking in when it comes to title contention. At the end of the season, they will be so close yet so far away. Boise State was ranked fifth in preseason, and that position is a likely possibility for Tottenham.

Right now, both teams are in the fifth spot in their respective rankings, but Tottenham has a chance to overtake Chelsea for fourth. Boise State could overtake Alabama, but it is unlikely.

Boise State may move into a conference that will enable them to challenge for the title more successfully, and that is similar to Tottenham moving closer to the traditional "Big Four" every year.

Liverpool: Oklahoma Sooners

The preseason ranking of Oklahoma—No. 1 in the AP Rankings—makes this one a little weird, but that’s the only difference. Both teams were expected to have some sort of resurgence this season.

The Sooners are currently 8-1 and seventh in the standings, and Liverpool are sixth. The likelihood of either team ending up on top this year is slim.

Arsenal: Oregon Ducks

A high-flying offense coupled with a propensity to give up a good number of points on defense just about sums up these two teams.

Both teams had a similarly horrendous start, with Oregon’s loss to LSU basically knocking them out of title contention and Arsenal’s myriad of calamitous results in the early weeks prompting a similar outcome.

Oregon was ranked third going into the season, but with the unpredictable nature of their game, landing anywhere in the top seven would be seen as highly feasible. Except for the odd—extremely hopeful—Gunner fan, not many people expect the usual top four finish from Arsenal. On their current form, they may end up pulling it off after all.

Aston Villa: Virginia Tech Hokies

A solid upper mid-table finish is usually the norm for Aston Villa, and that is exactly where the Hokies are headed as well. Currently tenth in the rankings, the Hokies have presented a weaker team than usual thi,s season but again manage to surpass expectations.

Similarly, Aston Villa lost its top two players, and a drop in the standings was possible but the majority of this team has been together for some time, and it shows in the results.

Norwich City: Clemson Tigers

Clemson’s unranked status in preseason is similar to Norwich City coming up from the Championship. Right now, though, both teams are sitting pretty in ninth place.

Norwich probably shouldn't get used to that position. Clemson still has to face a ranked South Carolina team that will probably give them a second loss, and Norwich still has over 25 games to go.

Swansea City: Houston Cougars

This is yet another case of a promotion team and a team that was not ranked in preseason. The Houston Cougars are currently 11th in the AP rankings and unbeaten. Swansea may as well be unbeaten considering the team’s current position.

 A respectable finish inside the top 25 will be welcome for the Cougars, just as a finish outside the relegation zone would be a welcome sight for Swansea City.

Queens Park Rangers: Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State is the last presason unranked team to fit in with another Premier League newcomer. Both teams are close in their respective tables, may finish in a respectable position and are currently surrounded by controversy.

It is really uncertain which of the promoted teams would go back down at the end of the season, but you wouldn’t bet on QPR. They have shown an ability to hang tough with some of the big boys so far, and that will have to continue. The same can be said for the Nittany Lions, who will face two other top-ranked teams before the regular season ends.

Stoke City: Arkansas Razorbacks

To be honest, this one doesn’t really match up in terms of current standings—Arkansas is eighth and Stoke is 12th—but the preseason rankings make it.

Arkansas was ranked 15th in the preseason, and Stoke is a viable candidate to end up in that position. Arkansas can beat anyone on its day, and so can Stoke City

Wolverhampton: Michigan State Spartans

Wolves will have a tough time avoiding relegation in the long run, and right now Michigan State will play in one of the less important bowl games. Both teams are currently in 13th spot, and that is not surprising.

West Bromwich Albion: Georgia Bulldogs

Both teams had losing starts to the season but have righted the ship and will now look to a solid season.

The Bulldogs still have two ranked opponents on their schedule and will want to navigate those games as best as possible to ensure a productive season. West Bromwich has a long season ahead, and staying in the Premiership is all that matters.

Sunderland: South Carolina Gamecocks

It is safe to say that more is expected from both these teams. Sunderland was expected to build on last season's 10th-place finish but so far has showed no sign of doing that.

 The Gamecocks were ranked 12th in the preseason so they are not far off, but a failure to stand up to other ranked teams has cost them. Both teams need to finish strong to live up to expectations.

Fulham: Wisconsin Badgers

This is another set of teams that have failed to live up to expectations. With a 7-2 record, the Badgers are surely out of Big Ten contention and a major bowl, something they should have been able to achieve.

Fulham has been used to top-half finishes recently, and there is still a long way to go yet. The start to the season has not been promising considering some of the additions the teams has made.

Everton: USC Trojans

Everton is usually up there with the big boys, but a lack of transfer movement and losing a key player in Mikel Arteta has reduced the squad’s effectiveness so far.

USC has been dealt a somewhat similar blow with scholarship sanctions in the past year, so they have not been able to attract as much quality as usual.

Everton has a lot more time on its hands to fix things, but so far things have not looked good.

Bolton Wanderers: Nebraska Cornhuskers

For the third time we have a set of underachievers. Bolton played some good football last season, and while they did not finish in the top half of the table, it looked like a possibility for this season.

The Cornhuskers showed some good stuff last season as well and were ranked 10th in the preseason. Their current No. 19 ranking and a 7-2 record are not what was expected, especially with one of the losses coming against Northwestern.

Blackburn Rovers: Kansas State Wildcats

Sometimes it feels like these two teams are just there. It is more than likely that Blackburn will somehow finish outside the relegation zone, and it is likely the Wildcats will make a decent bowl game and probably win.

The Wildcats have lost two straight to ranked opponents, and a third is on the way in the form of Texas. A winning record is guaranteed, but it remains to be seen how good that record will be. Blackburn has endured a rough start, but a revival is always possible.

Wigan Athletic: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Both teams can provide some exciting moments but never seem to get anywhere in the end. Wigan was tipped as relegation candidates for the current season and are living up to that billing.

The Yellow Jackets never seem to get over the hump in the ACC, and it looks like that will happen again this year.