As the last week of August has arrived so has the start of
the college football season. Here are
ten quick thoughts.
1.)
PLAYOFFS?!-
This is what everyone was waiting for.
But the question remains if the four-team playoff will quell the college
football postseason debates which the BCS always seemed to spark. Fans probably would like to see it expand to
eight but is it fair to teams to make the break in between conference
championship games and the start of the playoff shorter or extend the season
close to February? This year most FBS
conference championships will be played on December 6, with the playoff
semifinals on New Year’s Day, followed by the National title on January 12. It’s worth monitoring how this pans out as
there will surely still be postseason debates about teams left out of the
playoff which will prompt discussions about revisions.
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| Getty Images Jameis Winston could be in line for a second straight Heisman Trophy this year. |
2.)
Time’s yours, Jameis- Noted crab leg enthusiast,
reigning Heisman trophy winner, and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has
made the headlines a lot both on and off the field during and after his Heisman
season. With defending champion Florida
State at the top of polls as the season gets underway nothing short of a repeat
is expected and Winston will have to perform similarly to the way he did a year
ago.
3.)
Quack Quack- Oregon is once again in the top
five to start the year. The Ducks missed
out on a BCS bowl game last season but won the Fiesta Bowl two years ago and
the Rose Bowl in 2011. Quarterback
Marcus Mariota is receiving early Heisman trophy recognition. In an improved Pac 12 can the Ducks remain at
the top come December?
4.)
Boomer Sooner- I like this Oklahoma team. They had a very impressive 45-31 victory in
the Sugar Bowl against Alabama to close out 2013 in which quarterback Trevor
Knight looked crisp throwing for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns against a stout
Alabama defense. Can Knight have success
over the course of a full season? Oklahoma
will be tested on November 8 against Baylor but other than that could realistically
go undefeated this season en route to the Big 12 title game.
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| Getty Images Don't be surprised if Nick Saban and Alabama are one of four teams left on New Year's Day. |
5.)
Crimson Tide the top dogs in the SEC- There’s
some new faces in Tuscaloosa this year but Alabama still figures to be a
national powerhouse. Jacob Coker and
Blake Sims were both listed as starting quarterbacks on Alabama’s first depth
chart but Alabama remains strong defensively and has the playmakers in the
backfield and in the passing game to allow for a feeling out period for the
coaching staff and these two
quarterbacks.
6.)
Auburn…lucky last year?- How many times have the
chaos of last year’s iron bowl shown on Sportscenter? Or how about the Hail
Mary to win the game against Georgia?
Yes, Auburn was a late-game drive by Florida State away from hoisting
the Coaches Trophy but there are plenty of skeptics as to the legitimacy of
Auburn’s run to the National Championship last year. Auburn will have plenty of chances to prove
themselves this year with games against LSU, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas
A&M, Georgia, and Alabama in conference this year.
7.)
What’s going on in the Big Ten?- Things
certainly opened up when Ohio State lost Braxton Miller for the year. I think it’s Michigan State, Wisconsin, and
then everybody else but if a team can upset one of those two and get hot in
what looks to be a weak conference who knows?
8.)
Can the Pac 12 rival the SEC as the nation’s
best conference?- The SEC has eight teams in the AP top 25 and the Pac 12 has
six. Oregon and UCLA are in the top ten
for the Pac 12 while Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina are for the SEC. Perhaps two of these five teams could meet in
the playoff. It will be interesting to
see how strong the Pac 12 is from top to bottom compared to the SEC which has
obviously dominated college football in recent years.
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| Getty Images Expect to see a lot of this guy on your television screens on Saturday afternoons. |
9.)
Quarterback preview- A Jameis Winston-Marcus
Mariota showdown in the National Championship would be fun. But Bryce Petty of Baylor, Brett Hundley of
UCLA are two guys to keep an eye on as well as aforementioned Trevor Knight in
Oklahoma and don’t forget about Nick Marshall at Auburn who will have a more
important role in that offense with Tre Mason gone.
10.) Why
Melvin Gordon will win the Heisman- Save the best for last. I believe Melvin Gordon flashes the pose in
New York this year. He’ll be aided by
what looks like a weak Big 10. In
addition the Badgers are set to start junior quarterback Tanner McEvoy who is
relatively unproven so I expect a heavy dosage of runs in their offense and
with James White gone to the NFL that means a lot of Gordon. Gordon is an explosive playmaker who I think
can overcome the fact that defenses should be game planning around him. Sooner or later the running back Heisman
drought had to come to an end right?
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