10 College Football Teams That Are Getting Hot At The Right Time
It's officially November, which means that the college football season, sadly, is more than half over. It also means that we're coming down the home stretch of the regular season and many BCS bowl invitations are on the line.
We thought we'd run through our list of ten teams that are getting hot at the right time. We've omitted a few obvious selections (Alabama, Oregon) because to be honest, they've been hot the entire season. Enjoy.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils, who are 5-2, started out October with a close loss to Notre Dame at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Since, Arizona State has gone 3-0 with convincing wins over Colorado, No. 20 Washington and Washington State – averaging 54 points a contest. On the year the Sun Devils are sixth in the nation averaging 46.6 points-per-game.
They are led by sensational junior quarterback Taylor Kelly who already has 23 touchdown passes on the year. Arizona State has a tough November schedule to close out the year but it appears up to the task of handing the challenge. Plus, there aren’t many teams luckier than the Sun Devils - remember the game against Wisconsin? Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Unfortunately for the other teams in the Pac -12 South, Arizona State seems to be getting pretty good, too.
South Carolina: It’s strange to put the Gamecocks on this list as they're just 1-1 in the last two weeks, but they saved their season with the massive win over Missouri. Missouri was undefeated and ranked No. 5 in the BCS, but South Carolina’s quarterback Connor Shaw had the best game of his season to lead this team to victory. If the Gamecocks can keep up the momentum, they should position themselves for a BCS bowl game - they are already within striking distance.
The only question is whether there will be another classic letdown by a Steve Spurrier-led team this next week against inferior Mississippi St. Imagine how good the Gamecocks will be if Jadeveon Clowney starts playing again soon, too… Oh, he has been playing?
Ball State: The Cardinals are getting hot - they are 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the MAC this season. Ball State is receiving votes in multiple polls and has won six straight games since losing to North Texas (currently 6-3) by one score in mid-September. Ball State must be confident with its sensational senior quarterback Keith Wenning, who has chucked 23 touchdowns on the year and ran for three more.
In October, the Cardinals demolished Virginia and easily defeated Akron and Western Michigan. Everyone loves an underdog, so stay hot Ball State - you’re giving hope to Cinderella’s everywhere.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have a record of 5-2, and they would like to thank the Pac-12 officials for one of those losses. Although, with the Badgers’ suspect kicking game, there is no guarantee they would have made the game-winning kick they weren’t allowed to attempt against Arizona State anyway. Wisconsin’s second loss was in Columbus to the Buckeyes, but the Badgers have since dominated Northwestern and Illinois. They allowed the Wildcats to score only six points and dropped 56 on the Illini.
They boast one of the nation’s top defenses, allowing only 15.9 points-per-game and possibly have the best running back in the nation in Melvin Gordon III. They must run the table for a chance at a BCS game, but the Badgers have mastered the formula to win in college football – run the ball and stop the run. The Badgers do that as well as any team in the country and they seem to be getting better at it each week. Not to mention their schedule isn’t exactly daunting.
Oklahoma: The Sooners may come as a surprise to some on this list but following their shocking loss to Texas on October 12th, but Oklahoma has seemingly regained focus. A dominating victory over Kansas followed by quality win over No. 10 Texas Tech has the Sooners’ arrow pointing in the right direction.
Unfortunately, the “hot” Sooners are on a collision course with another hot team, the Baylor Bears on November 7th for a rare Thursday game. The winner of that game will rise from hot to red hot in the eyes of the voters and in the BCS standings. Many thought Oklahoma’s season was derailed following the Red River Rivalry loss - not so much.
Northern Illinois: The Huskies haven’t played anyone of note this season besides the Iowa Hawkeyes, who they beat in the season opener. Northern Illinois is 8-0 and doesn’t have any other challenges left on its schedule - except for the aforementioned Ball State. But, the Huskies' defense is starting to heat up, allowing less than 21 points in three consecutive games.
Since the Huskies are already No. 17 in the BCS standings, they are in a prime spot to be the last ever BCS busting team before FBS switches to a four-team playoff next season. Don’t sleep on Ball State though, my sleeper pick to give the Huskies a scare.
Ohio State: After dropping 63 points on a Penn State squad that many expected to give the Buckeyes trouble, Ohio State is 6-2 and ranked No. 4 in the BCS. The Bucks are 20-0 under Urban Meyer since he took over. If their performance against Penn State is a sign of things to come, they will probably put up 70 on Purdue this Saturday. Braxton Miller appears to be a bit more poised and confident since returning from his injury and Ohio State’s depth and coaching continues to allow it to win.
The Buckeyes are certainly not a sexy pick for either a “hot team” or even a dark horse for an invite to the BCS National Championship Game but I think they are both. At the very least the Buckeyes will finish the season undefeated and not be invited to the BCS National Championship. If that’s the case, it will put Ohio State at 25-0 under Urban Meyer heading into its bowl game as officially the hottest team in college football history to not be invited to the national championship game.
Auburn: The Tigers' only loss this season was to the Tigers - LSU that is. Auburn has responded to that loss with a month of dominance, beating No. 24 Ole Miss and No. 7 Texas A&M along with blowing out two lesser opponents. The Tigers, who are 7-1, are peaking at the right time and face the hapless Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday. Do not be surprised if Auburn's impending matchup with Alabama on November 30th is billed as the game of the year between two top-10 teams.
If the Tigers keeps winning like they’ve been and stay this hot they may give Alabama a bigger challenge then most expect for the SEC West division title. Auburn’s junior running back Tre Mason, once thought to be too small to stay durable in the SEC, has been running with purpose and has gotten better as the year has continued on - just like Auburn.
Baylor: The Bears are 7-0 and No. 6 in the current BCS rankings. It is November and Baylor is still averaging 63.9 points-per-game. You read that correctly. But, the amount of heat that is radiating off of the Bears’ golden helmets will be matched by a schedule that heats up itself, and does so in a hurry. The Bears face three consecutive teams all ranked within the top-18 which shapes up to be one of the most difficult Novembers in the nation.
Quarterback Bryce Petty and running back Lache Seastrunk lead Baylor’s prolific offense. Well, that may be debatable, as Baylor also might boast the best wide receiver duo in the country in Antwan Goodley and Tevin Reese, who’ve combined for 16 receiving touchdowns and 1,718 receiving yards already. Baylor’s offense is the hottest in the country, but what people don’t realize is that their defense is tied with Wisconsin for sixth best in the nation allowing only 15.9 points-per-game.
Florida State: It is impossible to keep the Seminoles off of this list. Quite simply, no one is hotter that Famous Jameis. He also goes by Jameis Winston, Florida State’s superstar freshman quarterback. The Seminoles are 7-0 and have demolished No. 25 Maryland, NC State and No. 3 Clemson (In Death Valley) in consecutive games in October. Winston is a front-runner for the Heisman and his poise seems to be growing with each week.
Florida State is all but a lock to win the ACC Atlantic Division and I believe will find a way into the BCS National Championship Game. The Noles have a big test coming up in Miami, but if how they have been playing lately is any indication of how they’ll play against the Hurricanes, they’ll be just fine.
