Some of the choices are obvious, others not so much for a number of reasons: who’s most likely to run the table among 2019’s top college football teams?
Going undefeated is a difficult feat at the FBS level of college football. There are often lucky bounces of the ball, unlikely heroes from the bench that save the day, the unpredictable ups and downs of young men strapping on shoulder pads and the elusive healthy lineup that influence a team’s performance.
Consider this: only 17 FBS teams have finished a season undefeated in the past two decades. There’s a good chance that the national champion will finish the season with at least one blemish, just like the previous four title winners before Clemson last year.
Keep in mind, too, that undefeated teams like 1998 Tulane, 2004 Auburn and 2009 Boise State might finish a season undefeated without the chance to compete for a national championship.
As today’s college football season lengthens, the odds increase that the No. 1 team in the land will fall at least once. Last season, Clemson bucked the recent trend by winning all 15 of its games (which included two College Football Playoff games, a conference championship game and a 12-game regular season).
Twenty years ago, for example, the 1999 Florida State squad only needed to finish 12-0 after beating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, 80 percent of a team’s schedule length today. Those Bobby Bowden-coached Seminoles played 11 regular season games and qualified directly for the BCS title game.
In the past five seasons, only one other college football team besides 2018 Clemson has finished the season undefeated — the notorious Central Florida Knights of 2017, who did not have the chance to compete for a national title but crowned themselves champions anyway.
Looking for the teams with the best chance of going undefeated this season? Consider not only the most talented teams, but the ones with the most ideal circumstances — an experienced coach, a manageable schedule and perhaps even the most ideal conference and postseason path.
Here the five teams most likely to run the table in 2019.