It seems inevitable, at this point. Alabama and Oregon are absolutely steamrolling their way through the opposition, and if they aren't the teams facing off in the National Championship game on January 7th, we'll be absolutely shocked.
As unlikely as it seems, there's still time for that to change. Both squads still have tough games left on their schedule, with the Ducks facing #5 Stanford next Thursday and Alabama taking on #13 LSU, #11 Auburn, and (probably) #9 Mizzou in the SEC Championship game.
(Still) The Frontrunners:
Alabama (8-0) vs. Oregon (8-0)
Look, we're as disappointed as you are (unless you're from Alabama or Oregon) that no one's managed to bust up this little tea party since week two. The fact is, these are two absolute juggernauts. Alabama has played like absolute crap in two games (Virginia Tech and Colorado State), but still won those by a combined score of 66-16. That's what happens when your roster is so stacked with talent that you could put out your third-stringers all year and still have a winning record in the SEC.
Oregon might not be as deep as the Crimson Tide (to be fair, we can't think of any teams in recent NCAA history that were), but their first stringers can hang with any other team out there. As much as we'd love some wild card to come in and crash the party (coughcoughBAYLORcough), if these two win out, they'll be the ones facing off for the national championship.
On The Outside Looking In
Florida State (7-0)
Jameis Winston & co. are about as talented a team as you'll find outside of Eugene or Tuscaloosa, and they're without a doubt the next guys up if Oregon or 'Bama drops a game. With an explosive offense and some of the most imposing line play in college football, the Seminoles are going to have a legitimate gripe if they win out but don't end up in Pasadena on January 7th.
Ohio State (8-0)
Ohio State is a supremely talented squad, but they're still handicapped by the reeling Big 10, a conference with no other top-20 squads. With the incredibly talented recruiting classes Urban Meyer is assembling, the Buckeyes will need to beef up their 2014 and 2015 schedules if they want to realistically contend for a BCS title berth. They won't be playing an elite squad in either year (barring an unprecedented ascent by Virginia Tech), and that just won't be good enough with so many other conferences getting better while the Big 10 gets worse.
Baylor (7-0)
There's pretty much zero chance of this happening, but can you imagine a Baylor-Oregon BCS title game? It would look like a game of NCAA 14 with 15-minute quarters, and the final score would be something like 134-127 in 8 overtimes. Is there a petition somewhere we can sign to try and make this happen?
The Best of the Rest:
Stanford (7-1)
If Stanford beats Oregon next Thursday, suddenly this race gets a LOT more interesting. If they don't, their already slim chances of sneaking into the title game vanish.
Miami (7-0)
Miami is undefeated, but barely snuck by UNC and Wake Forest in their last two games. Beating Florida State would mean a return to credibility, but that's a tall order given how unconvincing they've looked recently.
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