It's not often the preseason favorites actually both make it to the BCSCG.

So who is really going to make it to the title game?

I'm going with Texas A&M vs Clemson for all the marbles

I'm not so sure about Clemson. They are similar to Ohio State due to the fact that they have a relatively weak conference schedule with only 8 games. However the major difference is that Clemson has a rivalry game with South Carolina and Ohio State doesn't.

I'm predicting Clemson beats USC

Ohio State has the easiest schedule of all the so-called favorites. In the end, that might keep them out of the game if there is at least one other 12-0. Could be a Pac12 v SEC matchup.

Just for fun, spur of the moment, I'll say A&M v Stanford. Oregon, UCLA, ND and Washington all at home.

RedLine..

If Ohio State goes 13-0, they're in. NOt so much if it's Iowa or Wisconsin.

Any SEC Team going 13-0..they're in.

Everybody else is in third place if those two things happen int he same year..including a 12-0 Texas

It would take a perfect storm for the there to be a Pac 12, Big 10, and SEC team all going 13-0 in the same year. Media might find a way to leave SEC out, but I doubt it.

A&M vs Louisville.

Whomever wins the Bama - A&M game should make it. I'm cautiously optimistic that the home field advantage will allow us to win. Louisville will go undefeated and (undeservingly) get into the game. Ohio won't go undefeated.

Sadly, Ohio State and Louisville have schedules where both could easily go undefeated. With all the anti SEC backlash from media outside of the SEC it could get ugly if both run the table.

B1G folks will demand the Buckeyes
ACC folks will demand the Cards as they are joining soon
PAC folks will support the B1G
Everybody else will talk about U of L beating a SEC team last bowl season

Ohio state vs sec champ

"Whomever wins the Bama - A&M game should make it"


So..whoever wins a game in the second week of September just waltzes through the rest of the schedule, and the SECCG, and plays Louisiville??

OK.


LOL..

Sam, one can easily see that the winner of A&M/Bama will be the favorite to claim the west and likely be the sec champ. even if one of them lose later, the head to head winner will still be in good shape.

sure lots of stuff can happen, but lately it's been rare that the top west team loses more than once per year

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So..whoever wins a game in the second week of September just waltzes through the rest of the schedule, and the SECCG, and plays Louisiville??

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It's not 100%. But they should. It's the only game against a fellow Top 10 team that either plays this year. Pretty weak schedules for both of us.

The winner of A&M/Bama may control their own destiny...but the folks down in Baton Rouge would like to have a word with you regarding "Top 10 Teams" by the end of the season.

No schedule in the SEC (let alone the SEC West) can be considered "easy". Don't forget the miracle of a 4th quarter we had to escape Oxford with a win. Due to the quirks of scheduling, we play in Oxford again in 2013.

No SEC road game can be considered easy or as a sure fire "win".

[This message has been edited by Predmid (edited 5/13/2013 3:43p).]

LSU wasn't a Top 10 team last year and surely isn't this year after all they lost

Rusty:

You are going to find LSU has plenty of people to replace those "lost". In fact, LSU may well be better on defense this year than last. A whole lot of freshmen played in College Station on Oct 20. A starting LB that was a freshman last year broke his foot at Florida and didn't play against A&M.

Keep thinking LSu is "certainly not a top 10 team". That's fine.

I'm ready to bet that Rusty knows more about LSU than Sam.

Replacing Mingo and Montgomery are going to be the hardest things for LSU to do, IMO.

Mingo is a very special player. LSu will do different things with DEs/OLBs this year to fill that void.

Montgomery will be replaced with another DE without a lot of falloff.

Sam, I will say I am a believer in Danielle Hunter

WEll...he can't crack the top two right now...and there's a couple of freshmen coming that are expected to play significant roles.

He better get it in gear.

He does run like a deer, though. Covered kickoffs last year. He'll end up playing a lot.



[This message has been edited by Sam the Sham 2 (edited 5/13/2013 4:58p).]

who replaces reid?

When we beat LsU,then I'll talk ****.

vanzandt...

that's no fun.

Right now, Alabama vs. Ohio State is the most reasonable choice. Both will be very strong.

If we could upset Bama again, we might get the privilege of playing Ohio State.

LSU will not be a TOP 10 team at the beginning of the season [will be in Top 20], but easily could become a TOP 10 team as the season progresses.

osu will lose somewhere

they gave up 50 pts to indiana

The SEC is going to get locked out of the title game this year. I don't see anyone going undefeated.

Louisville and Ohio State have ridiculously easy schedules. Michigan may give OSU a game but that's going to be it. It took a damn-near miracle for 'Bama to get in last year. If the Stanford guy doesn't make a miraculous catch Oregon is in the title game playing ND. If OSU isn't on probation I'm not sure they get left out.

Blame Florida. Louisville punched their ticket to the title game when they won the Sugar Bowl.

If UF takes care of business a 1 loss SEC champ goes over an undefeated UL

Don't think Louisville goes 12-0

Who would UL lose to during the regular season??

redline "who replaces reid?"

Craig Loston if he can stay healthy. LSU played several young safeties last year, including Corey Thomson, who I think will probably get the start against TCU.

The way I understand it, LSU plays a 2 safety system..not a Free & Strong safety scheme.

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Who would UL lose to during the regular season??

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Kentucky, Rutgers, Houston, South Florida, Cincinnati...

I don't know how good each of those teams will be, but it's hard to go undefeated. Last year one would have looked at UL's schedule and said no one would beat them too.

So I have a plausible question. What if we lose to Bama, beat LSU, and LSU beats Bama. Who goes to the title game? I remember seeing the rule, but have forgot what exactly it says.

Three or more-team procedure

1) (Once the tie has been reduced to two teams, go to the two-team tie-breaker format.)

2)Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams.

3)Record of the tied teams within the division.

4)Records against the team within the division with the best overall (divisional and non-divisional) Conference record and proceeding through the division. Multiple ties within the division will be broken from first to last.

5)Complete record vs. non-division teams.

6)Complete record vs. all common non-divisional teams.

7)Record vs. common non-divisional team with the best overall Conference (divisional and non-divisional) record and proceeding through other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within their division.

8)The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the last weekend of regular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or-fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship Game.

A&M-Oregon or 'bama-Oregon

I think Ohio St. slips up at least once. They have to play Northwestern on the road, that could be a trap game for them.

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redline248

Last year one would have looked at UL's schedule and said no one would beat them too.

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They only lost twice last year but 2 things happened since then

a) They beat a SEC team in the Sugar Bowl
b) They joined the ACC

I am willing to bet heavy they will get much ESPN love this fall and they will get the love of the Boise State type voters who push the non power conference school all season.

Here is the 2013 schedule based on the 2012 results

Ohio @ Louisville, KY - MAC team at HOME
Eastern Kentucky @ Louisville, KY - Sun Belt team at HOME
Kentucky in Lexington, KY - UK went 2-10 last season
Florida International @ Louisville, KY - CUSA team @ HOME
Temple in Philadelphia, PA- 4-7 Big East team
Rutgers @ Louisville, KY - 4 loss team last season but played at HOME
UCF @ Louisville, KY - 4 loss team but played at HOME
USF @ Tampa, FL - USF went 3-9 last season
Connecticut @ Hartford, CT - 5-7 Big East team
Houston @ Louisville, KY - 5-7 CUSA team last year
Memphis @ Louisville, KY - 4-8 CUSA team last year
Cincinnati @ Cincinnati, OH - 10-3 Big East team last year

Cards play 7 home games in 2013 and 2 games about an hour away in Cincinnati and Lexington. None of their distant road trips look like major obstacles and the only game I might put at 50 / 50 is the UC game but Butch Jones got hired by the Vols and the Bearcats will be run by a first year coach.

12-0 looks very possible for the Cards and 13-0 looks possible for the Buckeyes. I have a harder time thinking any SEC team will get through the 2013 season undefeated.

My point is that it takes a certain amount of luck to go undefeated, regardless of schedule. Just look at last year. Ohio st needed some things to break their way to get past Cal. No one expected KSU to fall to Baylor or Oregon to Washington.

Even if Louisville is undefeated, a 1 loss sec champ still will look like a better option.