Undefeated...for Now

There are 120 teams in Division 1-A, and 103 of them lost at least once in the month of September. Only 17 teams made it through to October unscathed. But how much longer will these teams stay perfect on the season? It's time to rank them based on when their first loss is most likely to occur: 

10/3

14 (tie). Texas A&M - When your opponents are New Mexico, Utah State, and UAB, you better be unbeaten. This charade ends quickly...as in this Saturday vs. Arkansas. 

14 (tie). LSU - The Bayou Bengals have been blown out in their last three games against Georgia. The Dawgs make it four in a row on Saturday. 

14 (tie). Wisconsin - The Golden Gophers still need a marquee win for their new stadium. They'll get it this Saturday against the Badgers. 

14 (tie). Michigan - This week the Wolverines play at Michigan State, where the Spartans will be trying desperately to save their season. Sparty will pull out a close one to avoid starting 1-4. 

10/10

12 (tie). Houston - The Cougs are rolling after wins over both Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. But I think they played with fire like BYU and scheduled one major conference team too many. If Mississippi State works on their goal line offense the next couple of weeks then the Bulldogs will be able to pull off the upset. 

12 (tie). UCLA - The Bruins could easily lose to Stanford on October 3rd,  but if they get past the Cardinal they'll definitely lose to Oregon the following week. This one could get ugly. 

10/15

11. South Florida - The Bulls host the Bearcats in a marquee Thursday Night game that's reminiscent of the epic battles the Big East waged on Thursday nights in 2006.  Cincinnati has too much firepower to lose in Tampa. 

10/17

9 (tie). Iowa - If the Hawkeyes are going to lose before their showdown with Ohio State on November 14th, it'll be home against Michigan on October 10th or at Wisconsin on October 17th. I probably have this one reversed, but the Badgers will end the Hawkeyes' undefeated season if the Wolverines don't. 

9 (tie). Missouri - I don't have any faith in the Tigers, but the underdog almost always wins the Thursday night game so look for them to squeak by Nebraska on October 8th. There's no chance they escape Sillwater with a win however. 

10/24 

8. Kansas - The Jayhawks are a gritty team but they'll be facing a ticked off Sooners squad that's coming off a loss to Texas. The undefeated season was nice while it lasted. 

10/31

6 (tie). Florida - The Georgia Bulldogs have an offense (see the South Carolina and Arkansas games) and a defense (see Oklahoma State and Arizona State). They just haven't appeared in the same game yet. That all changes against Florida. The Dawgs have a bye week to prepare for the Gators like they did in 2007 when they won 42-30. Tebow or no Tebow, the Gators dream of an undefeated season dies in Jacksonville on Halloween night, along with their SEC title hopes.

6 (tie). Texas - Forget trick or treating, haunted houses, and scary movies. Make plans to spend Halloween night in front of SportsCenter and GameDay Final to watch the chaos that erupts when #1 and #2 both go down. Oklahoma State and Texas have a history of playing some real barnburners, and this one should be no different..except for the outcome. Cowboy Up! 

11/14

4 (tie). TCU - The Horned Frogs will be in the BCS discussion for much of the season, especially after they rout BYU on October 24th. But look for them to slip up at home against the other team from the Beehive State. 

4 (tie). Auburn - Auburn has struggled against Arkansas for most of this decade, and this year's Razorbacks squad is certainly capable of beating the Tigers on October 10th. But if Auburn is able to survive its trip to Fayetteville, they should remain undefeated all the way to November 14th when they'll face A.J. Green, Orson Charles, Branden Smith, Joe Cox, Aron White, Michael Moore, Rantavious Wooten, Brandon Boykin, Richard Samuel,  Caleb King, a much improved O-line, and a jacked up Sanford Stadium crowd. 

11/27 

3. Alabama - The Crimson Tide will be #1 for most of November once Halloween claims both Texas and Florida. But then on Thanksgiving weekend Gus Malzahn, Auburn's offensive coordinator, will show what a true genius he is. Saban loses the one game that he has to have. 

Fall 2010 

2. Cincinnati - The Bearcats are going undefeated this year. They'll win whatever BCS bowl the system condescends to put them in, whether it's the National Championship Game or not. They might win all their games this year but they're destined to lose their coach. 

Maybe never 

1.   Boise State - The Broncos are one of the youngest teams in the country. They show no signs of losing this year and they'll be even better next year. I doubt the voters will ever allow a Cincinnati vs. Boise State game to happen, so the Broncos will have to settle for a #2 final ranking and dreams of a National Championship in 2010. 

 -Drew