NCAA Football National Championship Preferences

It's now getting to the point in the college football season when the hopes and aspirations of the teams I'm rooting for give way to often dismal reality, and I begin to side with schools that I usually wouldn't pull for as a first choice.  Two cases in point are Auburn and South Carolina.  These are the two "runner-up" teams in each Southeastern Conference division, behind Alabama and Missouri respectively.  I like Auburn because I dislike Alabama's coach Nick Saban, while I like South Carolina (who could win the conference title but not the national championship) because I like their coach Steve Spurrier and resent newcomer Missouri being able to pick up a divisional title in only their second year in the league. Outside the SEC, I'm still pulling for Michigan State to beat Ohio State...but if Urban Meyer's Buckeyes prevail, I would root for them in a national championship game against Alabama.  I'd like most of all for Florida State to win the national championship, but there are two obstacles to this. One, they'll have to get by Florida at Gainesville in their final regular season contest and two, their star quarterback Jameis Winston is, I'm afraid, on the verge of having his college career (and perhaps ultimately his noncriminal status) ended with a sexual assault charge.  I'm still rooting for my Gators, who I think have a shot of winning, to get by the Seminoles...as for the sexual assault matter, I just want for truth and justice to prevail regarding the victim and whoever gets accused.

Here is my list of teams with national championship possibilities, according to my preferences:

1 Florida State
2 Auburn
3 Oregon
4 Michigan State
5 Ohio State
6 Baylor
7 Stanford
8 Missouri
9 Alabama

So far, Alabama and FSU are the consensus favorites for the national championship game, with Ohio State and Baylor waiting in the wings hoping that one or both of them lose in the waning regular season or in their conference title games.  Meanwhile, teams like Auburn and Oregon are hoping that Ohio State and Baylor lose one of their final games as well...which I believe is a distinct possibility.  If Ohio States wins out and still misses the title game, it will have been coach Meyer's third team in his career that has gone undefeated without getting a shot at the championship!