College Football Exercise

I was listening to ESPN Radio's Russillo and Kanell a week or so ago when they had Ian Fitzsimmons in for Danny Kannell and they were talking about some weird college football patterns that occur.  Ian mentioned that there have been nine straight seasons of college football in which at least three of the teams in the A.P. Preseason Top 10 have finished with four or more losses.  He and Ryen went through the teams and they made their predictions as to who they thought could finish the season with four or more losses, and therefore out of the final top ten poll.  When I heard them do this I thought it would be a fun exercise to do as well and that's what this post is about.

• The A.P. Preseason Top 10 looks like this:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. LSU
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan
8. Stanford
9. Tennessee
10. Notre Dame
• These are their schedules:

1 Bama

USC

Western Kentucky

Ole Miss

Kent State

Kentucky

@Ark

@Tenn

Texas A&M

@LSU

Miss State

Chatt

Auburn

2 Clem

@Aub

Troy

SC State

@GA Tech

L’Ville

@BC

NC State

@ FSU

‘CUSE

Pitt

@WF

So. Caro

3 OK

@ Hou

La-Monroe

Ohio State

@ TCU

@ Texas

K-State

@ TT

Kans.

@ Iowa St.

Baylor

@ WVU

OK State

4 FSU

Ole Miss

Charleston South.

@ L’ville

@ So. Florida

UNC

@ Miami

WF

Clem

@ NC State

BC

@ ‘Cuse

Florida

5 LSU

@ WIS

J’Ville State

Miss State

@ Aub

Mizzu

@ Fla

So. Miss

Ole Miss

Bama

@ Ark

So. Bama

@ Tex A&M

6 OSU

BG

Tulsa

@ OK

Rut

Indiana

@ Wis

@ PSU

NW

Neb

@MD

@ Mich State

Mich

7 Mich

Haw

UCF

Colo

PSU

Wis

@ Rut

Illinois

@ Mich State

MD

@ Iowa

Ind

@OSU

8 Stanford

K State

USC

@ UCLA

@ Wash

WA State

@ ND

Colo

@ AZ

Ore State

@ Ore

@ CAL

Rice

9 Tenn

App State

VA Tech

Ohio

Florida

@ GA

@ Tex A&M

Bama

@ So. Caro

Tenn Tech

Kentucky

Mizzu

@ Vandy

10 ND

@ Texas

Nevada

Mich State

Duke

@ ‘Cuse

@ NC State

Stanford

Miami

Navy

Army

VA Tech

@USC

• Teams that I could see losing at least four games
• Ohio State - at Oklahoma, at Wisconsin,, at Penn State, at Michigan State, Michigan
• Stanford - USC, at UCLA, at Washington, at Notre Dame, at CAL
• Notre Dame - at Texas, Michigan State, Stanford, at USC