It seems like it started yesterday, but the college football season is already at the end of the first quarter for many teams.
Since most teams have been tested at least once, it’s time to start looking at who’s a contender and who’s just pretending to make a run for the BCS Championship Game.
 
Oklahoma, Alabama and LSU
CONTENDER
The AP’s top-three teams are all on the right track. All have defeated ranked teams on the road and have done so in differing but impressive fashions.
The Sooners, Crimson Tide and Tigers all possess suffocating defenses that have stymied opponents at every turn this season.
Oklahoma appears to have an advantage over the other two offensively, thanks in large part to senior quarterback Landry Jones, who has completed 53 of 74 passes this season for 574 yards and two touchdowns.
The Sooners have the easiest road of the three to New Orleans, not having to deal with a rigorous Southeastern Conference schedule. But it would not be a shock to see one or two of these teams playing for the national title.
 
No. 4 Boise State
PRETENDER
The Broncos already passed their one test of the season — if you even want to call it that — when they manhandled Georgia, 35-21, in the Georgia Dome.
No. 20 TCU is the only team on the Broncos’ remaining schedule with a chance to give them any type of problems.
That will be Boise State’s downfall yet again. An embarrassing strength of schedule will keep it from having a chance to play with the big boys for a title, barring some type of catastrophic chaos in the football world.
 
No. 5 Stanford
CONTENDER
Had this column come out before Saturday’s game at Arizona, the Cardinals would have been right up there with the top three in the contender category.
But star junior linebacker Shayne Skov’s season-ending injury is going to be catastrophic to Stanford’s defense. Skov was the team’s leading tackler and will be impossible to replace. His absence will be most noted on Nov. 12 when Oregon comes calling.
 
No. 6 Wisconsin
CONTENDER
The Badgers’ never-back-down style of offense makes them a formidable opponent to anyone they come across.
Wisconsin has only two challenges on the road this season, and both come against teams that were brutally exposed for their weaknesses last weekend – Michigan State and Ohio State.
Nebraska comes to Madison, Wis., on Oct 1. If the Badgers walk away from that contest victorious, they have as good a shot as any to run the table.
 
No. 7 Oklahoma State
CONTENDER
The Cowboys have the most explosive offensive weapon in the country in junior wide receiver Justin Blackmon.
Blackmon can single-handedly wreck a defensive coordinator’s game plan by using his massive wingspan and athletic ability to beat any coverage he’s faced with.
The biggest challenge will come in the Bedlam game against Oklahoma. If the Cowboys can pull the upset, they could easily be staring at more than just Big 12 title hopes.
 
No. 8 Texas A&M
PRETENDER
The Aggies are good, but they simply do not have the firepower to go tit for tat with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Senior tailback Cyrus Gray is a true bruiser, with 533 yards and four touchdowns already this season. But his work won’t cut it with the rest of the nation’s elite.
And with the absence of a Big 12 Championship Game this season, the Aggies have no chance to pull a late-season miracle to take down one of the other two conference powers.
 
No. 9 Nebraska
CONTENDER
If the Cornhuskers can win at Wisconsin in a couple weeks, watch out. This team has all the makings of a national championship team.
Their only downfall has been consistency.
Sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez can be thrown in the same category as Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas when it comes to big play potential.
But he has looked like an inexperienced sophomore too many times.
In Nebraska’s three games, he has completed 50 percent of his passes just once — an 11-22 day against Chattanooga.
His ability to be consistent will make or break the Cornhuskers championship hopes.
 
No. 10 Oregon
PRETENDER
The Ducks were left scrambling after being crushed in the season opener against LSU.
Oregon has since cruised in wins against Nevada and Missouri State, winning 60-20 and 56-7, respectively.
But to even begin to sniff the title game again, the Ducks will need lots of help, something that may not happen. They also have to beat Stanford. Even though Skov will not be on the field, Stanford senior quarterback Andrew Luck can keep his team in any game he plays in.
 
Rob Landry is a 23-year old mass communication senior from Mandeville, La. Follow him on Twitter @RobLandry85.
 
—-
Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]