College Football: 2014's Championship Contenders

By Camden Joiner on September 3, 2014

At long last college football season is finally upon us.

The football new year technically began last Wednesday in Atlanta as Georgia State narrowly defeated Abilene Christian in dramatic fashion.

For most fans however, Saturday was the first time they could dust off their jerseys, fire up the grill, and watch their favorite school play football.

Last year’s veteran seniors are ancient history and the pressure on the untested freshmen seem to be growing by the season. New players, new coaches, and heavy expectations come with each new season and this year’s cream of the crop is an elite group.

But with the inception of the College Football Playoff system, this season’s champion will be much more difficult to predict. Here are the contenders:

Image via bleacherreport.com

Florida State: I would be remiss to not begin this list with the defending National Champion Seminoles. Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston will be returning under center for the Noles in Tallahassee.

Unfortunately for Winston, his tumultuous off-season made headlines for all the wrong reasons and questions about his character still remain. Jameis certainly showed in last year’s postseason that his game is unaffected by questions from the press, but the defending champs have much bigger problems than Winston’s off-field antics.

While last year Winston certainly received most of the media attention, the true backbone of the Noles was the talented defense.

But with the loss of defensive leaders like Lamarcus Joyner, Telvin Smith and Timmy Jernigan to the NFL, the Seminoles have serious holes in the defense that need filing.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher had to fill these holes quickly as their Week 1 opponent, Oklahoma State, was one of their biggest match-ups of the season. The Noles were unimpressive in their narrow 37-31 defeat over the unranked Cowboys.

Winston’s accuracy remains a question after throwing two picks and the defense has surely declined from last season. FSU has a lighter schedule than most playing their conference games in the ACC; however, key match-ups with Clemson, Notre Dame and Florida are still ahead for the Seminoles.

Image via bamahammer.com

Alabama: The Crimson Tide has been racking up National Titles in recent years so last season’s Sugar Bowl defeat at the hands of Oklahoma came as a shock to most.

Questions of Alabama’s motivation were prevalent after narrowly missing another chance at a national title but the 14-point Sugar Bowl loss left some Tide fans concerned. Much like Florida State, Alabama lost most of their defensive leaders this off -season but the always crafty Nick Saban has plenty of young talent lined up to take their spots.

The biggest question for the Tide is at quarterback where the Week 1 starter was Blake Sims. Sims had a mediocre debut against WVU and many Tide fans wish to see FSU transfer Jacob Coker take some reps under center.

Thankfully for the Crimson Tide, much of their offense beyond QB1 remains intact. Offensive weapons TJ Yeldon and Amari Cooper are both poised for monster seasons and Alabama continues to claim one of the best offensive lines in the nation.

The only thing standing in the Tide’s way of championship dreams is their harsh SEC schedule. Fortunately for Alabama, their toughest games against Texas A&M and Auburn are both in Tuscaloosa.

Image via zimbio.com

Oregon: Last season’s Ducks missed out on a BCS Bowl for the first time in recent memory and second year head coach Mark Helfrich has high expectations to fulfill.

Oregon is led by their returning starting quarterback Marus Mariota who many view as this year’s Heisman front runner. The 6-foot-4 QB has the size and the speed to do damage in the PAC-12 with one team standing in his way. Mariota has never beaten the Stanford Cardinal as a starter and this year is his chance to silence the critics.

The Ducks’ offense has remained consistently quick and fast-paced under Helfrich, but their biggest test will come this week against the Michigan State Spartans.

The Spartans maintained one of the best defenses in the nation last season and this year will be no different. A win over a tough Spartan team would be essential in landing a spot in the playoffs, but with a game at UCLA and home against Stanford, Oregon has plenty of obstacles to keep them busy.

As for the Ducks championship aspirations, all eyes will be on Mariota.

Image via foxnews.com

Oklahoma: The Sooners have momentum on their side as they begin this season fresh off a Sugar Bowl victory over the powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide.

Bob Stoops’ talented recruiting has kept the Sooners relevant throughout his tenure and this year will be no different. Stoops finally found his quarterback in Trevor Knight and after last season’s bowl victory the boys from Norman have their sights set on the real crown.

Oklahoma is favored by an easier schedule than most and should cruise through the first half of their season. Their toughest test will come against the Bryce Petty-led Baylor Bears on November 8, but by then they should be in perfect mid-season form.

Their conference, the Big 12, has no Conference Championship game like most other major conferences which makes Oklahoma’s road to the playoffs easier than the rest of the contenders. Whether they actually have the talent to do damage in the playoffs is a question that remains to be seen.

Image via oanow.com

Auburn: The Auburn Tigers came just a pass interference flag short of winning last year’s National Championship game.

Returning starting quarterback Nick Marshall leads the offense and while Heisman finalist Tre Mason is currently playing for the St. Louis Rams, capable back Cameron Artis-Payne has stepped up to take his place.

Offensive guru Gus Malzahn is back in his second year of head coaching the Tigers and hopes his sophomore campaign will be even more successful than his first.

Standing in the Tigers way is probably the toughest schedule in all of the NCAA with games vs LSU, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.

Auburn will surely have to defeat Alabama and Georgia again to reach this year’s playoffs, but after barely escaping them both last season with late game heroics, Malzahn and Marshall will need a whole deck of cards up their sleeves this time around if they hope to emerge victorious.

Image via atlallday.com

Georgia: If I had written this article last week, Georgia certainly wouldn’t have made the cut. After losing offensive leader and starting quarterback Aaron Murray to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dawgs’ championship aspirations seemed bleak.

However, after dismantling Clemson 45-21 in Week 1, the Bulldogs shot up the rankings to number 6. Star running back Todd Gurley rushed for nearly 200 yards and racked up four touchdowns against the Tigers in Week 1, making him an early Heisman front runner. (Here is the link to Gurley’s kick off return touchdown).

He’s joined by Keith Marshall, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb in probably the most talented backfield in college ball. This takes serious pressure off new starting quarterback Hutson Mason who was mediocre at best vs Clemson.

The Dawgs still have games ahead against South Carolina and Auburn, but their biggest obstacle to the playoffs will be the SEC Championship game. Georgia hasn’t won the SEC Championship since 2005 and have lost three out of their last four bowl games. Georgia will have to overcome their post season woes if they hope to wear the crown.

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