2014 BCS Championship Odds: Are Stanford & Texas Good Long Shots?
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 10: Mike Davis #1 of the Texas Longhorns catches a 61 yard touchdown pass during the Big 12 Conference game against the Iowa State Cyclones on November 10, 2012 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Tags AlabamaGeorgiaLSUOhio StateOregonStanfordTexasTexas A & M
- Previous A look ahead to the 2013 Big 12 Quarterbacks
- Next Florida Football: Do the Gators lose too much on D to challenge in 2013?
11 thoughts on “2014 BCS Championship Odds: Are Stanford & Texas Good Long Shots?”
Leave a Reply
MAXIMIZE YOUR EDGE
Stanford? Yes, I think they would be a good longshot pick. Texas? I don’t like it.
I was a year ahead of schedule w/ Texas in 2012. Mack outs it all together for his swan song.
Pretty sure they still have Stacy Searles as their OL coach, right? So I’m thinking you over-hype them again this season.
I’m not crazy about Texas getting there. And even if they do, I don’t see them winning it with Ash. Despite his performance in the second half of their bowl game against Oregon State, I still remember the bad performaces he had against OU, TCU and the first half of that Kansas game until they pulled him for McCoy in the second half. He seems to get rattled pretty easy. We’ll see if experience and a better running game will change him.
I do think Texas has a good chance of winning the watered down Big 12. The conference loses a few good QB’s, which increses the Horns chances. The problem I have with Texas winning the BCS title is the overall strength of the Big 12. The national champions usually always come out of the best conference. There have been few exceptions since the establisment of the BCS. I feel that the Pac-12 could overtake the Big 12 as the second best conference next season. So Stanford could be a good longshot. Plus their Rivals recruiting line is trending upward. They were up to 5th nationally in recruiting this year. And have gone up steadily the last 3 years.
I would also be on the lookout for Clemson. They are another team that is around the top 10 in recruiting. Since finishing at #37 in 2009 this team has taken a big climb in the last 3 years since Dabo Swinney has adopted the Nick Saban method of recruiting. I don’t think much of Swinney as a gameday X’s and O’s coach, but he has surrounded himself with some excellent assistants. I don’t see this team going away anytime soon. I look for them to get stronger each season. And if they ever get out of the weak ACC and into the Big 12, I think they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
I was going to add Clemson, but their recruiting rankings were a little shy of Texas and Stanford … though this incoming class may be better.
Also tough to take the ACC seriously in football and their 2013 schedule starts out against UGA and ends at South Carolina. Tough.
Pez, your right. I just looked at Clemson’s schedule. It’s bad enough playing one SEC team in a season, but two? I think whoever has made their football schedule for the last 5 years needs to be taken out back and shot! This school really needs to see the writing on the wall and get out of the ACC. It’s a basketball conference that is dragging them down in football. Same with FSU.
I really thought that Clemson & FSU were headed to the Big 12 last year. That would have really separated the 4 Big conferences from the pack.
I just want to add that something weird is due to happen with the BCS Championship game with 2013 being it’s last year. I also think that despite having a huge decided advantage in recruiting the last couple of years, Bama has still been lucky to get in the NC game the last two years.
Think about it. Two years ago, Bama’s making it into the NC game was dependent on Okie State losing at the end of the season to Iowa State after blowing a two score lead, or else the longshot Pokes would have been there. Then if Oregon hadn’t missed that FG against Stanford in OT they would have been there instead of Bama. So it takes a little luck sometimes for even the best teams to get there. That’s why I’m not ruling anybody out in 2013. Bama will be good again, but have they used up all of their luck?
Definitely agree. I even had a reference in the article (before removing it) about Alabama despite being the best team in the country last year, still “backed” into the NC game.
They definitely needed some luck. Not only did Oregon hit the upright in OT and miss that FG, but Bama also needed a miracle fumble recovery by Stanford on the play before the Cardinals winning FG in OT. There were 4 or 5 Oregon players around that ball and it bounces into the hands of the only Stanford player in the area.
So yeah, it certainly takes a little luck to go along w/ all that talent to make it to the NC game.