When looking into the future to determine who will be the next college football national champion, several key factors must be considered. Talent of course is key, but when it comes right down to it, the difference in talent between football factories Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State, and Notre Dame is really very negligible. Game-breaking super studs like Vince Young and Reggie Bush help. Breaks and avoiding injury are key. Underrated in the mix might very well be schedule which plays a critical part in determining who will go to the National Title Game. #1 Auburn: If ever there was a schedule tailor made for a National Championship run, its the Auburn Tigers. The War Eagle returns just six starters on each side of the ball but the offense showcases Kenny Irons, a 1293 yard, 13 touchdown game breaker who should run wild against a non-conference menu of Washington State, Buffalo, Tulane, and Arkansas State. The Tigers gets SEC heavyweights LSU, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia at home. The SEC West is theirs to lose. #2 Oklahoma: The Sooners are loaded again, particularly on the defensive side of the ball where they return nine starters. On offense, Adrian Peterson appears to be healthy and will look to avoid the nagging injuries that plagued him throughout his sophomore season. Oklahomas non-conference schedule features September 16th trip at Oregon to take on the Quack Attack at Autzen Stadium. Oklahoma also benefits from bye week before Red River showdown with Texas. #3 USC: Gone are the Hollywood Marquee names of Palmer, Leinart, and Bush but the Trojans still return a solid core nucleus from a program that has gone 38-2 over the past three years. USC will be in capable hands with either Booty or Sanchez and all-world wide out Dale Jarrett has been cleared to play. The Trojans will be about defense in 2006 and should again be unbeaten after eight games before facing Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame, all on their home field. #4 Michigan: This could be the year that Wolverines upend Ohio State for the Big 10 Conference title. Michigan is loaded on offense with third year junior QB Chad Henne looking fulfill his hype. Mike Hart has all kinds of talent in the backfield but has not stayed healthy. Mario Manningham is dangerous playmaker with excellent hands. If Blue and Maize can win in South Bend and avoid other early upset ( a regular occurrence of late), it will be OSU/Michigan for the cash on November 18th at the Horseshoe. #5 Texas: The Longhorns start the post-Vince Young era with 13 returning starters and a very manageable schedule. Ohio State comes knocking in Week Two but then its a full month before meeting Oklahoma in Dallas. Texas will have its usual power ground attack but may go to the air more with its quality group of talented veteran receivers. A Friday home game vs. A&M in their conference finale could be a boobie-trap. #6 Miami Florida: Larry Cokers bunch could the under-theradar team in this years title chase. Coker spent a lot of the summer weeding out bad kids but whats left is still formidable. Highly touted junior QB Kyle Wright gets the Seminoles right off the bat and then play a revenge minded Louisville on the road. After that its cruise control before November home games with Virginia Tech and Boston College. #7 Ohio State: The Buckeyes are the wildcard and could just as easily be ranked first as seventh. The Buckeyes will be tested right away at Texas and are at Iowa, Michigan State, and nemesis Northwestern. OSU has two potential Heisman candidates in Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. but with only two starters returning on defense, its highly unlikely they can run the table. #8 Notre Dame: The Irish are loaded for Charlie Weis but open with Murderers Row schedule of at Georgia Tech. Penn St, Michigan, at Michigan State, and Purdue. If they emerge unscathed, they have Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, and the Services to pad Brady Quinns stats before traveling to the Coliseum for the Trojans. Nine returnees from last years underrated defense make the Domers a threat for the National title. #9 Louisville: The Cardinals will make their run to foul up the system by having every opportunity to go 12-0 and winning another very mediocre version of the Big East. Louisville starts with warm-ups against state rival Kentucky and Temple before taking on the Hurricanes at Papa John. They also get 10 days to prepare for only real conference test West Virginia who they also get at home. Cards are decked with pro prospects Michael Bush, Brian Brohm, and super-soph WR Mario Urrutia. Like Utah two years ago, this team could be the fly in the ointment. #10 California: Every year several pre-season publications seem to settle on one reach that pretty much serves as the media flavor of the year. In 2006, the Golden Bears apparently fit the bill. The hype centers around junior RB Marshawn Lynch who rushed for 1874 yards at 7.0 ypc and still grabbed 34 passes for eight yards per pop. If the Bears knock off the Vols on the road in their opener, they still must win at USC and at Arizona in November. California could be playing in the Vegas Bowl or on New Years Day. |
