Pete
Fiutak
Q:
The sleeper team to watch out for in the BCS race is …
A:
Florida at 10.
There's a lot of traffic ahead of the Gators, but it doesn't matter. The
one loss came to Ole Miss from the West, so Florida controls its own
destiny as long as it gets one big break with either Penn State or the
Big 12 champion needing to finish with one loss. A one-loss SEC champion
will get into the national title game if everything else is equal, and
if the Gators up beating Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina,
Florida, and then either LSU or Alabama in the SEC title game, they'll
be playing for a whole ball of wax.
Also watch out for Ohio State at nine. If it beats Penn State
convincingly this week, and if there's a groundswell of support for a
team who's two best players, QB Terrelle Pryor and RB Beanie Wells, far
different now than they were for the USC game, this could be
interesting. The voters will likely do everything possible to keep the
Buckeyes out, but it'll be close if they beat the Nittany Lions.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
The sleeper team to watch out for in the BCS race is …
A:
Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have gelled under first-year coach Paul
Johnson much faster than anyone could have guessed. And since the team
is still adjusting to a new offense and an entirely new staff, it’s safe
to assume that its best football will be played in the second half. Josh
Nesbitt has been a nice fit at quarterback in the option, and the
defensive front is dominating opponents, making life easier on the back
seven. In a wide-open ACC, 6-1 Tech has as good a chance as anyone to
win the league and represent it in a BCS bowl game. Doesn’t it feel like
a decade ago that Chan Gailey was perennially underachieving with this
program?
Also, don’t lose sight of Minnesota. Yup, as crazy as it sounds, the
Golden Gophers are 6-1 and just might be favored in each of their final
five games. If they can somehow win out and either Ohio State or Penn
State has two losses, you know that league commissioner Jim Delany will
do whatever is necessary to get two Big Ten teams into BCS bowl games.
Hey, Kansas and Wake Forest have played in January games in each of the
last two years, so anything is possible in this era of college football.
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
The sleeper team to watch out for in the BCS race is …
A: LSU (for the national title game).
Sitting at No. 13, it might seem that the Bayou Bengals have no
shot. However, it's only October. More losses are sure to come
for the big dogs.
Then realize that LSU gets Georgia and Alabama at home. If the
Tigers can prevail in each of those contests, their resume will
become immensely attractive.
The SEC has four teams that could legitimately make the national
title game. LSU might be sitting fourth in the pecking order,
but Les Miles's team is definitely in the mix.
Steve Silverman
Q:
The sleeper team to watch out for in the BCS race is …
A:
Let's give a little love to Boise
State.
Stop if you have heard this one before. The
Broncos are undefeated and are likely to stay
that way if they can get past San Jose State on
Friday night. They have a big game with Fresno
State at the end of the season but it's on the
beloved blue turf meaning Pat Hill's team will
struggle from start to finish.
This is a well-rounded team starting with the
defense (allowing 10.5 ppg) and do enough with
freshman quarterback Kellen Moore to give any of
the big boys reason to be concerned. I'm not
saying the Broncos should be lining up against
Texas for the national title, but the Broncos
are a big-time power who should get national
respect and a spot in one of the BCS Bowls.