10 College Football Thoughts Entering 2018

The majority of FBS programs across the country open play this weekend. There’s no better way to close the summer every year than a full slate of college football during Labor Day weekend. Here’s what I’m looking at with another season commencing.

1.     Hangover in Columbus?

It was the biggest story in sports last week. Everyone had an opinion on Ohio State coach Urban Meyer’s three-game suspension upon the conclusion of an investigation into his inaction regarding domestic violence involving one of his former assistant coaches, Zach Smith. The overwhelming consensus was  that Meyer got a slap on the wrist with just three games, two of which Ohio State is a heavy favorite in and no Big 10 games. It certainly didn’t dispel the idea that coaches at brand programs have job security for days provided they just win football games. During the entire season, the story is going to loom over the program. Interim head coach Ryan Day will have to win a tough non-conference game against TCU on September 15. Meyer’s second game back, and first conference game, is at Penn State. I’m not normally one to place too much value on intangibles, but who knows what’s been going through the heads of the Ohio State players during the last month? If the Buckeyes start fast, it’s only logical to assume blocking out the distractions will get easier. That’s why the first month of the season is pivotal.

2.     Taking the next step through the maize

                                         Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
Harbaugh has won lots of games at Michigan, but now
must take the Wolverines into the playoff.

Expectations are always going to be high for whoever is coaching at Michigan. It’s hard to quantify just how much those expectations were multiplied by when Jim Harbaugh was hired back in 2015. It was a feel-good story of a man returning to his alma mater looking to bring the program its first national championship in close to two decades. It’s now been more than two decades. With three seasons in the books at Michigan, Harbaugh is 28-11. It sounds good on the surface, but Michigan fans are probably fed up with 1-5 against Ohio State and Michigan State the last three seasons, despite getting screwed in Columbus in 2016. Michigan opens with another rival in Notre Dame on Saturday. Year four of Harbaugh’s tenure feels like a good time to jump forward.

3.     How do things end at Maryland?

This one could be settled before Saturday, but was unfortunately another one of the big stories from the offseason. DJ Durkin has been on administrative leave for almost three weeks now, but there is simply no way he can survive the death of Jordan McNair. This Big 10 program has nowhere to hide. There is no long track record of winning at Maryland. The entire culture that was created within the Maryland football program needs to be replaced.

4.      No end in sight for the Tide

Enough with the Big 10 and on to the defending champs. The legend of Nick Saban grew last season and now he’s got a rare quarterback decision to make. It would be nice if Alabama faced some serious adversity before the Iron Bowl with Auburn on November 24. Not sure that’s going to happen though. That also doesn’t make the Crimson Tide bad for college football. Winning a championship is very difficult in any sport. Saban’s staff is frequently raided and every college coach always has to replace players and recruit though not many turn things over as well as he does.

5.      Powerhouses looking up at Alabama

Dabo Swinney at Clemson and Kirby Smart at Georgia have built elite programs in every sense of the word. Smart has restored order with the Bulldogs very quickly following the Mark Richt era in Athens. Swinney managed to take down Saban in the National Championship game two seasons ago. A Georgia-Alabama SEC Championship feels too easy to call, as does Clemson and Alabama in the College Football Playoff for the fourth time. But can anyone complain with either matchup? Alabama, Clemson and Georgia are the top three programs respectively in the opening AP Poll. Alabama is the program everyone aspires to be, but the staying power of Clemson and Georgia is very impressive.

6.      Quarterback eaters

Last year’s college season was rife with top quarterback prospects which resulted in five going in the first round in this past spring’s NFL Draft.  This season is the year of the defensive lineman and Dabo Swinney’s got an entire line of Tigers on the defensive interior ready to destroy quarterbacks. It seems like Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa or Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver is the favorite to be the first name called next spring. But there’s a long way to go, and plenty of hungry defensive linemen.

7.     Brands in need of revival

As mentioned earlier, Kirby Smart did it pretty quickly at Georgia. Texas has long been in search of a return to the top and there’s reason to believe Tom Herman can provide that. We’ll see what comes of Herman’s involvement with Zach Smith at Ohio State earlier this decade, but he made great strides in just two seasons at Houston. After posting the first bowl win in five years at Texas last year, Herman’s Longhorns are in the preseason top 25 this year and trending up. Oregon is on its third coach in three years and went 20-18 from 2015-17. The Ducks could certainly use some juice as could Florida under new coach Dan Mullen as the Gators have posted just one double-digit win season in the last five years.

8.     Open Heisman race

All eyes were on Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield last year and both ended up in New York for the Heisman presentation which ultimately was awarded to Mayfield.  Stanford running back Bryce Love probably has the pole position entering week one, but if this is a year where an odd ball candidate winds up flashing the pose, that wouldn’t be a surprise.  Jonathan Taylor looks like the next Wisconsin running back to pop off, Trace McSorley gets a chance to burst out of Saquon Barkley’s shadow at Penn State and Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift should take big steps for the Georgia offense. But none of those names carry the profile Jackson or Mayfield did.

9.     Group of Five powers

Central Florida and Boise State are in the preseason top 25. Central Florida’s perfect season in 2017 is well-documented by now. Western Michigan was undefeated until its loss in the New Year’s Six in 2016. Houston smacked Florida State on the same stage in 2015. The group of five has produced some very talented football teams in the College Football Playoff era. But it’s still waiting for a seat at the table and who knows when that’s coming?

10.  Playoff turns five

This marks the fifth season of the College Football Playoff. This was undoubtedly a good change for the sport, and it’s fascinating to see how certain teams are valued or devalued each season. This always opens up discussions on scheduling and non-conference opponents, the value of a conference championship and when the day might come that the playoff is expanded. Having five years to look at will add more fuel to these conversations.

Award Picks

Heisman: Jake Fromm (Georgia)

Doak Walker: JK Dobbins (Ohio State)

Fred Biletnikoff: Collin Johnson (Texas)

Chuck Bednarik: Devin Bush (Michigan)

Playoff

Alabama, Georgia, Stanford and Michigan

National Champion

Georgia Bulldogs

Photo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/04/22/ex-michigan-player-apologizes-for-tweets-threatening-jim-harbaugh/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1ecdc0da6246

Phillies return home needing to respond again

Prior to a six-game road trip out West, things were going pretty well for the Phillies. They had lost just one series since the All-Star break, took two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers and played right with the best team in baseball in its backyard in a two-game series split with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. A series of trades, including one in the middle of the west-coast swing to acquire Justin Bour, brought in some much-needed offensive help. The acquisition of left-handed reliever Aaron Loup from Toronto filled another hole.

                                               Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
For the first time since joining the Phillies following 2015,
Klentak was a buyer in July and August.

The moves were low-cost upgrades that provided veteran stability to what was baseball’s youngest roster. It was also a sign that president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak were serious about winning the NL East this year. For a team whose window of contention appears to just be opening, the Phillies could have made the unpopular decision to stand pat. But Klentak and MacPhail did a commendable job of fusing the present with the future and improving the major league roster while retaining the majority of the organization’s top prospects.

But the past week’s road trip saw the Phillies cede sole possession of first-place in the division and they trail Atlanta by one game in the loss column. Often reliable reliever Seranthony Dominguez blew a save in the ninth inning to start the road trip. The anemic offense was shut out in the series finale against Arizona and the series opener in San Diego. The road trip concluded with the Phillies on the wrong end of a 9-3 thumping against the lowly Padres. The trip was eerily similar to a previous road trip that included two other NL West teams. At the end of May, they let a game get away in the late innings at Dodger Stadium, got pounded 8-2 later on in that four-game series with the Dodgers, scored one run in San Francisco while getting swept by the Giants and lost two of three at Wrigley Field. It ended up being a 3-7 trip and the Phillies sat in third place in the NL East upon the conclusion of the trip with a record of 32-29 on June 8.

The Washington Nationals were in first place in the NL East after the road trip and led the Phillies by 3.5 games. The month following included seven games against the Nationals, five of which were won by the Phillies. Philadelphia won seven of its next nine series and went 17-10 in that 27-game stretch. By the end of play on July 8, the Phillies were tied with the Braves atop the division and both teams were five games clear of Washington.

The standings have remained largely the same since with the Braves and Phillies jockeying for the pole position while the Nationals have stayed within striking distance. The biggest reason the Phillies have overachieved in 2018 with 45 games remaining has been their damage control ability. The team’s longest losing streak this year is four games. Granted, they’ve lost four straight on three different occasions, but the closest thing to an extended period of losing for at least a week was that 3-7 road trip at the end of May and into June. Many pundits thought the Phillies would take a step forward this year, but not many had them in the playoffs. Yet, the division is there for the taking and it’s plausible at least one NL East team ends up in the wild card game.

   

After a woeful trip in Arizona and San Diego, the Phillies have a day off before two more games with Boston, this time at Citizens Bank Park. They still have nine games remaining against Washington. The Cubs are in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend. The surging Rockies welcome the Phillies to Coors Field late in September. The NL East may well be decided with the Phillies and Braves playing seven games during the final two weekends of the regular season. The Phillies have answered the bell just about every time so far this season and it’s one reason why Gabe Kapler is a candidate for NL Manager of the Year. They’ll have to keep doing it if they’re going to play into October.

Photo: https://www.thegoodphight.com/2017/6/15/15807358/phillies-news-links-matt-klentak-ruins-your-summer-scott-kingery