Aug 4, 2013; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban throws a football during practice at Bryant Denny Stadium. Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports
Only four unbeaten teams in the last 10 seasons have claimed an FBS national championship, and no team has gone unscathed in the last couple of years en route to a title.
Gene Chizik may be out of the job at Auburn but he can go to bed at night knowing he is the last coach to lead an unbeaten team to a national title. The Tigers and star quarterback Cam Newton finished 14-0 in 2010.
Nick Saban’s Alabama teams lost once in the regular season but rebounded to win the last two championships. Auburn, Alabama (2009), Texas (2005) and USC (2005) are the unbeaten champions in the last 10 years.
LSU won the title with two losses in 2007.
With parity making it more difficult for an eventual champion to go unbeaten, chances are this year’s top team will have one loss. Here’s a look at the top 10 programs heading into the 2013 season and their potential one defeat this season (if the champ only loses once):
1. Alabama: LSU on Nov. 9. Both teams have a bye week before this showdown in Tuscaloosa , and the Tigers have enough talent and coaching from Les Miles to pull off the upset. LSU is 4-1 at Alabama in the last 10 years. This will be another low-scoring affair where a field goal will be the difference.
2. Ohio State: Northwestern on Oct. 5. Yes, Northwestern. The Wildcats should be 4-0, ranked high and hyped for the nationally-televised game on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.Northwestern will have an extra week to prepare, and its Big Ten opener against the Buckeyes is also Homecoming.
3. Oregon: Washington on Oct. 12. What? No Stanford on Nov. 7 at The Farm? The Ducks will have revenge on their minds against the Cardinal. The Huskies will play at Stanford the week before this game, which will likely be a loss. They will be hungry against the rival Ducks, who are due for a loss at raucous Husky Stadium after winning their last three games there.
4. Stanford: USC on Nov. 16. The last time these teams played in the L.A. Coliseum, the Cardinal and quarterback Andrew Luck were upset by the Trojans. USC plays three of its previous four games on the road before this game, including games at Notre Dame and Oregon State. The Trojans might be down and out by then but also scrappy and hungry for a significant win.
5. Georgia: Vanderbilt on Oct. 19. If the Bulldogs survive their visit from LSU on Sept. 28, a game that looks like a potential loss is against the Commodores on the road. The last time Georgia lost at Vandy was in 1991. These Commodores, under James Franklin, are not like the Vandy teams of old.
6. Texas A&M: Alabama on Sept. 14. The Crimson Tide’s only loss last season will be avenged and quite convincingly, in my opinion. Not only is a cloud over the Aggies with Johnny Manziel’s off-the-field issues but Alabama has circled this game on its calendar since last season. Texas A&M, vulnerable at home against good competition, was 4-2 at College Station last year with the two losses against Florida and LSU.
7. South Carolina: Georgia on Sept. 7. If the Gamecocks get past this early-season game in Athens, they just might run the table. Alabama and LSU are not on the regular-season schedule and South Carolina plays its last four games at home, including its most difficult games against Florida and Clemson.
8. Clemson: South Carolina on Nov. 30. The Tigers will suffer their potential one loss at the wrong time, to conclude the regular season, derailing their title hopes. Other than its season-opener at home against Georgia, Clemson should be favored in each game until its finale at dangerous South Carolina.
9. Louisville: Kentucky on Sept. 14. Louisville and Heisman hopeful Teddy Bridgewater have clear sailing, but this could be a tricky game against in-state rival Kentucky, which should be immediately improved under new coach Mark Stoops. The only other possible slip-up could very well be at Cincinnati to conclude the regular season but by then Bridgewater will have the Cardinals believing.
10. Florida: LSU on Oct. 7. The Gators are more likely to lose two or three games instead of just one. They must play at Miami, LSU and South Carolina and host Georgia, Vandy and Florida State. If the Gators lose only once out of that grind, they deserve to play for the BCS championship.
