Story by
Greensburg Daily News, Ind.
Thoughts from the sports desk
- Story byGreensburg Daily News, Ind.
- Thoughts from the sports desk
Can any team win the NCAA football national championship? Well, after what we saw last year from the Cream and Crimson in Bloomington, the easy answer would be "Yes."
Coach Cignetti and his Hoosiers did the unthinkable last season. Indiana University won the national championship in FOOTBALL. Remember this is a program that held the record for most NCAA football losses in history before Coach Cignetti's arrival.
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Coach Cignetti has turned the mindset around with double-digit wins the last two season, the only two in school history.
But winning it all is never easy and things have to fall in the right spots for everything to work out and a championship be earned. Like the toe-touching touchdown reception by Omar Cooper from Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza to lift the Hoosiers to a win at Penn State.
If you look at the last seven NCAA football championship teams, they all come from the Big Ten or SEC. If you throw the ACC in the mix, the streak goes back to Texas (now in SEC) in 2005 out of the Big 12.
Looking back, Colorado in 1990 and Brigham Young in 1984 might be the last two "surprise" winners from non-powerhouse conferences.
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So who can win it this year?
I think you have to be a contender to win the conference title in the Big Ten, SEC or the ACC.
The top two or three teams in those conferences will likely be lifting the College Football Playoff trophy in 2027. After all, those three conferences have 51 of the top teams in the nation.
And the favorites?
I think you have to look at the Hurricanes of Miami as a contender. They lost their quarterback and some beef upfront, but Coach Mario Cristobal has reloaded and has one of the most talented teams on paper in the country.
Texas is usually in the hunt. Coming off a disappointing 2026, the Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning look for redemption and a title in 2027.
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Ohio State is probably the one team most experts will pick. The Buckeyes are atop the football poll year-after-year and the recruiting class this year is another banger. Reloading is what Coach Ryan Day does, so look for another big season in Columbus.
At this point, I'll throw in a pair of school from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers are the defending champs and have a top 10 class coming in through the portal. IU has to be in the conversation until someone knocks them off the podium.
The other team from our state is Notre Dame. The Irish are still sore from not making the playoff last season and Coach Freeman will use this to light a fire under the players as they head into 2027.
I can't wrap up this list without Georgia and Oregon. The Bulldogs and Ducks are primed to be two of the top teams in the nation again this year.
Finally, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC, Ole Miss and Michigan will have a say in which team reigns supreme in this year's NCAA football season.
