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10 teams with college football title potential

WAY BACK when, I picked Alabama to beat Boise State in the national-title game. Because my editors insisted I put the whammy on two of the logical suspects before they suited up.

Is Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide the team to beat in college football? (Rick WIlson/AP)
Is Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide the team to beat in college football? (Rick WIlson/AP)Read more

WAY BACK when, I picked Alabama to beat Boise State in the national-title game. Because my editors insisted I put the whammy on two of the logical suspects before they suited up.

As the halfway point of the season beckons, I have no clue whether that'll actually happen. Knowing my history, the probability is slim. But at least the possibility exists, which is more than can likely be said about some projections.

And being realistic, how many teams still have a shot of being in New Orleans on Jan. 9? Texas? Michigan? Illinois? Georgia Tech? While I've learned the hard way to not say never, I don't think so. Arkansas, which lost big at Alabama, and whomever emerges in the SEC East look iffy at best. But it is the SEC. LSU got there in January of 2008 despite two overtime losses, including its regular-season home finale. Stuff does occur. Nonetheless, the candidate list is already down to 10. Some obviously have better chances than others. I didn't include Auburn because I don't believe it can beat LSU and Alabama. I've been misguided before.

That leaves Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Boise, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Oregon and Nebraska. I only count Nebraska because it could win out, beat Wisconsin in a Big Ten title-game rematch and get all kinds of help. And that still might not be enough.

Alabama hosts LSU, which also has Arkansas at home. And there's always that SEC final to deal with. Oklahoma closes at Oklahoma State. And even though there's no Big 12 final, potential upsets lurk.

Wisconsin goes to Michigan State and Illinois. And to Ohio State too. Oops, just wanted to see if you were paying attention. Stanford hosts Oregon, and there's a Pac-10 title game. Boise should finish and-0, but might need certain teams to lose twice. Clemson has to go to Georgia Tech and South Carolina, and maybe beat Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech again in an ACC final.

The thing that might make the most sense? LSU has won it all the last two times the last game was held in New Orleans.

It's hard not to like Alabama, even though LSU has grown on me. And doesn't Oklahoma usually find a way to mess up? The sleeper in this equation? How about Stanford, which flies under the radar because it usually plays too late for many to notice? Or maybe it's finally time for a non-BCSer to crash the ultimate stage, a year after TCU almost did.

Just in case, remember who tried to warn you first. If it turns out to be Wisconsin-Oklahoma State direct all complaints to Vegas Vic.

URBAN MEYER ALERT

In last week's home loss to Michigan State, 30 of Ohio State's 63 plays were for no gain or a loss.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT

Jarius Wright just broke a 40-year-old Arkansas record with 281 receiving yards in a game. Who still holds the SEC mark? Hint: He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. See Answer man.

OVERSIGHT

Yes, to all the emailers, Temple was supposed to be in the Fraud Five, 1 week after putting Maryland there. My bad. I simply forgot. That would have made it a Fraud Six. Of those half-dozen, I had five in my picks.

DID YOU NOTICE?

* Illinois is 5-0 for the first time in 60 years. That's pre-Dick Butkus. The 1951 Illini finished 9-0-1 (0-0 tie at Ohio State), beating Stanford by 33 in the Rose Bowl.

* Last season, Auburn won seven games by eight points or less, five by three or fewer. This year, the Tigers have won three by seven or less.

ANSWER MAN

LSU's Josh Reed, with 293 against Alabama in 2001.

SPOTLIGHT ON ... Coaching milestone

DANNY HALE says it's been a great ride. And on Saturday, it figures to become an historic one, when his unbeaten Bloomsburg club, ranked third in Division II, hosts 1-4 Cheyney. A victory would be No. 200 of his 24-year career, the first 5 of which were spent at West Chester, his alma mater (40-13 from 1984-88).

At 65, he says he's not looking to be Joe Paterno. But . . .

"I'm a one-day-at-a-timer," said Hale, who's gone 159-52-1 with the Huskies, including an appearance in the 2000 national-title game, after taking a 4-year hiatus from the profession to run a hotel with his wife in Hershey. "I don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. I've been living my life that way. I didn't think I'd be here this long, to be honest. It's a place I've grown to love. Hey, we got a Walmart. I just want to try and win the next game. You can look back on it at the [postseason] banquet. You just keep plugging away and see what happens.

"I've been blessed to work with quality people who've been extremely loyal. And I don't mean just X's and O's. I'm talking about good men. I've allowed them to do their jobs. They don't get enough credit. If you work together you all reap the rewards."

Ironically, he thinks that time with his wife away from the game might've helped get him this far. "She thought we'd be better off," Hale laughed. "But it didn't take long for her to realize she'd had enough. I'd promised her I was done. Then she was like, 'Why not get back in?' Who knew? Those memories aren't necessarily fond. It was work."

And he might not even have a Walmart.

SIDELINES

MAC ME UP: Miami, which went from 1-11 in 2009 to 10-4 last year, is at 0-4 the lone winless team for new coach Don Treadwell. Two losses were to Missouri and Cincinnati.

SMALLS STUFF: With 10 PATs last week, Widener's Matt Breslin broke the school's single-game record of eight set by John Ferko in 1977.

COUCH POTATO

TONIGHT

7:30 Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee, ESPNU

9 California at Oregon, ESPN

TOMORROW

9 Boise State at Fresno State, ESPN

SATURDAY

Noon Oklahoma vs. Texas, Channel 6

Noon Mississippi State at UAB, CSN, FSN

Noon Minnesota at Purdue, ESPN

Noon Louisville at North Carolina, ESPN2

Noon Maryland at Georgia Tech, ESPNU

Noon Kentucky at South Carolina, TCN

12:30 Florida State at Wake Forest, Phila. Nonstop

2:30 Illinois at Indiana, Big Ten

3:30 Florida at LSU, Channel 3

3:30 Iowa at Penn State, Channel 6

3:30 Air Force at Notre Dame, Channel 10

3:30 Miami at Virginia Tech, ESPN

3:30 Pittsburgh at Rutgers, ESPNU

3:30 Maine at James Madison, TCN

3:30 Arizona at Oregon State, Fox College Sports

3:30 Arizona State at Utah, FSN

3:30 Southern Mississippi at Navy, CBS College Sports

7 Auburn at Arkansas, ESPN

7 Georgia at Tennessee, ESPN2

7 Vanderbilt at Alabama, ESPNU

7 Iowa State at Baylor, TCN, FSN

7 Michigan at Northwestern, Big Ten

7 Texas A&M at Texas Tech, FX

7 East Carolina at Houston, CBS College Sports

7:30 Colorado at Stanford, Versus

8 Ohio State at Nebraska, Channel 6

10:15 San Jose State at BYU, ESPNU

10:30 Washington State at UCLA, TCN, FSN

10:30 TCU at San Diego State, CBS College Sports