Prediction: No one finishes undefeated

[cubuffsman78]

Here's a column I wrote for my sports section today. Enjoy and comment if you want.

Two months into the college football season and one thing has become increasingly apparent to me with each week — no team will survive this season undefeated. Five teams enter the week undefeated — No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Boston College, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 9 Kansas and No. 17 Hawaii. There could be none by the end of the weekend’s games. Personally, I see three of the five falling this week, although, four of them will be heavily challenged. • Boston College at Virginia Tech — Last week, the No. 2 team in the country — South Florida’s Bulls — was dropped on a nationally televised game on Thursday night. That feat could be repeated this week. The second-ranked Eagles face the No. 8 Hokies Thursday to start another big weekend that could completely disfigure the BCS standings and national title race again. This match up could be a preview of the ACC Championship game to take place Dec. 1. Both teams are coming off a bye, giving them essentially two weeks to prepare for this game. It’s dangerous to give Hokies Head Coach Frank Beamer that long to prepare for a game. Beamer is one of the most creative coaches with his special teams and defensive schemes. His squads create a ton of turnovers that significantly change the complexion of a game. Meanwhile, BC continues to rely on quarterback Matt Ryan, who is getting increased mention as a Heisman trophy candidate. Ryan is 21-4 as a starter. The ultimate x-factor in this game is home field advantage for Virginia Tech. The Hokies got off to a very slow start, especially on the offensive side of the ball. However, they have rolled off two consecutive plus 40-points performances. They’re ripe to pull off the upset of the nation’s second-ranked team for the fourth consecutive week. South Florida (lost to Rutgers), Cal (lost to Oregon St.) and USC (lost to Stanford) all previously fell as the No. 2 team this season. • Kansas at Texas A&M — The Jayhawks are the most unlikely undefeated team left. However, that should change after this week. Sadly, playing the disappointing Aggies in College Station will be their most challenging game to date. The Jayhawks are ranked in the top 10 in both total offense and defense. They’re the only team in the nation that can claim that distinction. However, they haven’t played any quality opponents. They have an incredibly weak schedule that pads their stats. Kansas isn’t a bad football team, but they aren’t the ninth best team in the country either. They’ve faced two decent opponents in the inconsistent Kansas State Wildcats and the young Colorado Buffaloes. Both teams came within seconds of pulling out a win. Kansas will end this season with three losses, meaning it will lose three of their last five games. Look for A&M to hand the Jayhawks their first loss Saturday then Oklahoma State will send them spiraling out of the top 25 in two weeks. Finally, Missouri, who is the best team in the Big 12 North division, will put Kansas in their rightful place to end the season. • Cal at Arizona St. — Cal is coming off two consecutive let downs and frankly, that team is too good to have been as disappointing as they’ve been this season. Head Coach Jeff Tedford is one of the best game day coaches in the nation. He’s great at scheming so his dynamic duo at wide receiver — Heisman-contending Desean Jackson and the overlooked Lavelle Hawkins — have the ball in their hands early and often. The Sun Devils are very similar to Kansas. They’ve moved up the top 25 ranks by an act of attrition. Everyone else is losing so the pollsters simply move Arizona St. up past them. They’re another team with an unimpressive schedule thus far. However, with Cal, Oregon, UCLA and USC populating the list for the next four games, a losing streak might be starting Saturday. • Ohio St. at Penn St. — The Big Ten is weak. Finally, that point is being realized. I’m not impressed with the Buckeyes as the nation’s top team. However, neither am I impressed with the Nittany Lions. This will probably be the ugliest game on television this weekend. Neither team’s offense is very productive, so the final score could be something like 7-6. I give Ohio St. credit for their defensive prowess, though. Penn St. isn’t a bad defensive team, but I find them a bit overrated. Ohio St. might escape Happy Valley, but watch as Wisconsin, Illinois or Michigan will hand the Buckeyes their first loss within the next three weeks. Hawaii hosts New Mexico St. at midnight Sunday and the Rainbow Warriors are the one team that could kill my theory that no unbeaten teams will survive the season. They have a very weak schedule, populated by teams they should roll over. However, Hawaii doesn’t play defense so every team they play has a shot at beating them. New Mexico St. could do that with quarterback Chase Holbrook, who is one of the most productive signal callers in the nation. The game will be a shootout that Hawaii could be in danger of losing. The lack of teams capable of finishing their season undefeated is evidence of the parity that is sweeping college football. It’s also making it only more apparent that a playoff system needs to be put in place. Seriously, who is the best team in the country? Who can tell? A playoff system answers these questions and if the NCAA would just listen, I think it’d realize the amount of money that can be made with a postseason. It is a fiscal amount that could easily rival the bowl system. Now they just have to get rid of the oldheads within the association that want to block any sort of change.