Finally, the first College Football week is here! If last week Miami lost, but it was called Week 0, did they really lose? I'm going to just act as if that never happened and quietly move on! But we have games today! Not just a couple, but the first full Saturday slate of 2019! Now this isn't like some Week 1's of the past few years as there aren't many marquee games but there are still some games that caught my attention!
PICKS
OREGON VS AUBURN
Now this is easily the biggest game of the day! Primetime where a future NFL top pick Justin Herbert takes his Oregon team to battle Auburn, which will be led by true freshman Bo Nix. This game will be won primarily in the trenches where Oregon has a GREAT offensive line, and Auburn's defensive line is also expected to be one of the best in the country. Oregon has too many playmakers on offense and defense which leads me to think they will be too much for the Tigers to handle, especially in the secondary. This is a HUGE year for Gus Malzahn who really needs to get his team off to a good start, but unfortunately I don't think it happens here. Herbert will make more plays and Oregon's elite secondary will cause a few turnovers by the Nix.
OREGON 34
AUBURN 24
HOUSTON VS OKLAHOMA
Now this games comes on Sunday but it is probably the second biggest game of the weekend. Oklahoma looks to continue their wash, rinse and repeat method of grabbing transfer quarterbacks having them win the Heisman, and go to the playoff. Next in line is Alabama transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts may not be as talented as the quarterbacks before him, but he is experienced and knows how to win. Oklahoma will put skill players around him as well but we all know what matters for Oklahoma football. Defense, which has been non existent the last few years. That will have a major say in how their season goes.Now if you want a talented quarterback, look no further than D'Erick King of Houston. Extremely talented and alot of scouts compare him to Kyler Murray, and even list him as a dark horse Heisman candidate. If he wants to win, the stage gets no better than primetime Sunday. I think he will generate enough offense to make plays, just one less than Hurts.
OKLAHOMA 41
HOUSTON 40
GEORGIA VS VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt is looking to rebound from a rough year and avenge their loss to Georgia last year but that won't be easy even if they are at home. Georgia is picked by many to win the East, and I agree. Even though Vandy has added talent, Georgia may have the most talent of any team in the country, including 2 Heisman candidates in Jake Fromm, and DeAndre Swift. I expect Vandy to have difficulty scoring as well as stopping Georgia from making big plays. This is another conference opener, like Clemson VS Georgia Tech, that could get ugly.
GEORGIA 42
VANDERBILT 17
USC VS FRESNO STATE
USC has been really bad lately! Nothing like the USC of old, and they are looking to bounce back with anothert year under head coach Clay Helton who I have no faith in. This has been an extremely boring and sometimes uncompetitive team recently. Fresno State is coming off of their best year in program history but they lost alot of starters. They will be looking to continue to rise and a big win against USC would help that cause! USC has more talent but effort and coaching has been missing from this team. Does it show up today? I'm calling for the upset!
FRESNO STATE 24
USC 21
I could only find 4 games to pick so that tells you what I think about week 1! Hopefully we have some major weeks coming up that truly keep us glued to our television! But football is back so I won't complain!
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Monday, August 12, 2019
We Missed You College Football
Every year I say this and every year it's true! It feels like I haven't seen a college football game in years but finally it is back!! There is absolutely nothing I miss more than It feels like forever since I've seen a rivalry game, heard a fight song, or Tom Herman do something crazy on the sidelines. Technically, almost 8 months have passed since we we were all given the pleasure of watching Clemson completely destroy Alabama in every possible way in the Championship game winning 44-16, yet sore loser Nick Saban still can't give them credit. But if things go like I think they will, Clemson will get another chance to shut him up once and for all.
Speaking of, can anyone stop Clemson and Alabama from meeting again? They have met in 3 of the last 4 championship games, not counting the semifinal game 2 years ago. I'll say this. It will be extremely unlikely for Bama/Clemson part 5 to not happen. They return 2 of the top 3 quarterbacks in the country in Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama). Not to mention plenty of talent all over the field on each side which I will get to later, great coaching and big time freshman ready to make an impact! But if there is a team that can stop this from happening, who might they be? 2 names comes to my mind...
Lets start with the obvious...
The Georgia Bulldogs are undoubtedly a legitimate contender. They have held double digit leads against Alabama each of the last 2 years and just failed to close those games. They return a true leader in quarterback Jake Fromm who this year isn't looking over his shoulder at Justin Fields who has since transferred to The Ohio State University. Fromm is a beast in that Georgia and has proven he can make big time plays in big time games. But he has also shown he can be confused by Bama's scheme. This is the year he needs to step up and get it done finally. Luckily he has studs in the backfield like D'Andre Swift and plenty of other offensive talent that should make his job easier. Georgia's defense also needs to take another step as a group, particularly in the secondary. Kirby Smart coached with Nick Saban for years and since he left and went to Georgia, he has turned them into a contender. Maybe this will be the year the student beats the teacher.
Now for my other darkhorse contender...
The Oregon Ducks
Lets just say this. Oregon may have the number 1 overall pick in next year's NFL draft at quarterback in Justin Herbert. He has been ELITE since he was a freshman. I think he could have been the number 1 overall draft pick this year if he had come out. He is special and can make every throw on the field. Oregon finally has stability at the coaching position as well in Mario Cristobal who has quickly brought Oregon back from the mess Mark Helfrich left them in. Oregon has elite speed and talent at all the skills positions and a dynamic defense that continues to get better. A week 1 match-up against the Auburn Tigers should give us more information on Oregon but I firmly believe they will be a playoff team this year.
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CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
ACC
This is a league that can't do much worse than it did last year. Sure the Champion came from the ACC, but outside of that there wasn't much success from the other teams. Big name schools like Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech fell way short of most expectations. Syracuse however did make a big leap and will be looking to build off of last season. The winner of the ACC however, will be easy to pick but the surprise team was definitely much tougher.
Winner - Clemson
This will likely be the easiest league to pick a winner in. Again, they have Trevor Lawrence, likely to be the top pick in the 2021 draft, an amazing trio of receivers in Justin Ross, Amari Rodgers, and Tee Higgins. Also dynamic running backs who can take it to the house anytime they touch the ball. Clemson is to the point where they don't rebuild, they reload. And that's exactly what this defense will do this year. They have a week 2 meeting with Texas A&M at home, but other than that they should breeze through the rest of the schedule.
Sleeper - Miami
Miami is already ahead of the game as they return several starters on last year's defense that finished top 10 in the country. Having a great defense is enough to keep you in games in the ACC. Miami's big problem last year was finishing games and scoring enough points to maintain the small leads they got. But gone are the days of Malik Rosier throwing interception after interception! The Canes now have 3 players in the running for the starting quarterback. Ohio State transfer Tate Martell, Returnee Jarren William, and returnee N'Kosi Perry who started a few games last year. As a fan, I hope Perry doesn't start. He was so bad that the coaching staff tried to GIVE him the job and he still played poorly enough where Rosier was on the field again. Martell is the big name, the QB1 tv show star and the undefeated high school quarterback, but William may actually have more talent. I don't care who starts, I just want to finally see Miami WIN.
UPDATE: As of completion of this post, Jarren Williams has been named Miami's starting quarterback!
BIG TEN
Urban Meyer is gone from Ohio State and I am sure noone is happier than Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh who was never quite able to unseat the Buckeyes as best team in the BIG 10. Even though Meyer is gone, we saw other teams step up last year so there's no guarantee that MIchigan does indeed take that step. But who actually wins this league this year?
Winner - Ohio State
I don't think they will go undefeated by any means but its undeniable that they have the most talent in the conference. They have a mobile quarterback in Georgia transfer Justin Fields and he has plenty of guys to get the ball too, not to mention their defense should be extremely elite easing new head coach Ryan Day's start to his head coaching career.
Sleeper - Northwestern
Can they do it again? Last year Northwestern won their division and came up with some wins that not many saw coming. Coach Pat Fitzgerald continues to make a mark as he tries to build this program up. They will start with a new quarterback as Clayton Thorson has moved on the NFL. Most of the fans are optimistic as the new quarterback appears to be Hunter Johnson who transferred from Clemson and could have been great if it wasn't for Trevor Lawrence being one of the best we have ever seen! Johnson was a 5 star QB with offers from everyone and now we will finally see if he can live up to that billing. Northwestern typically has a good defense and I don't expect anything different this year. Those 2 things alone make them a solid sleeper pick in my book.
BIG 12
It is really just change quarterback, win conference, go to a playoff, repeat for Oklahoma? Will Texas ever be back? Texas Tech just lost their coach and maybe a playing that they have played forever, and will Iowa State continue to build off of last year's unexpected success?
Winner - Oklahoma
Maybe Lincoln Riley has something with this plug and play system. 2 straight years of starting different quarterbacks. 2 straight years of each winning the Heisman. Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts hopes this trend continues and what a story it would be. Famously losing his job in the national championship game against Georgia, he is looking to bounce back and where do you go to do that? Oklahoma seems to be the answer. They provide great coaching, great history, oh and Ceedee Lamb, Jadon Haselwood and a ton of other fantastic athletes to get the ball. And if he can't do it, starter in waiting Spencer Rattler will definitely be up to the task. One thing neither of them can solve is a defense that can't stop an elementary team. Good thing they just decide to outscore everyone.
Sleeper - TCU
I almost went with Iowa State here but counting out Gary Patterson is something I was not prepared to do. They will be breaking in a new quarterback this year but should be able to really run the ball and play defense. Coach Patterson did mention they should also be able to throw the deep ball well which is a must in the BIG 12.
PAC 12
Winner - Oregon
This was an easy pick to me. They have the most talent in the league and maybe the number 1 overall pick in the draft. The coaching is what really makes me like this pick. Mario Cristobal has been great from the time he took the job and has made all the right staff changes. I spoke on Oregon alot earlier in this post so I won't spend too much time on them but trust me, they will win this league.
Sleeper - Arizona State
Talk about doing everything as soon as they got on campus. Former NFL head coach took this job and not many people knew what to expect but Herm showed he could be a real leader of men and instantly changed the program. They competed every game and will win more this year. They will likely start a true freshman at quarterback so its risky making that pick of them being a sleeper but I feel confident that he will bring even more life to this team. They also have plenty of talent at the skills positions and play good enough defense to be in every game.
SEC
The SEC was down for a few years but last year made a jump and this year may make another jump to solidify themselves as again the best conference in football. The West will be tough as always and I expect a 3rd team to finally be in that East race with Georgia and Florida. Of course you will still have your bad teams such as Vanderbilt, Arkansas, etc.
Winner - Alabama
Alabama may be better this year than they were last year. They just got completely dominated in the national championship game and will be looking to prove something. With Tua and elite speed at the skill positions, Bama may have a top 5 offense in the country this year, but they are always built on defense and I expect that to be great as well. A young secondary that took steps last year is bound to take another one as the Tide should repeat as SEC champs.
Sleeper - Missouri
Mizzou already started looking really good last year and bring in a battle tested quarterback who transferred from Clemson in Kelly Bryant. He also has a 1,000 yard back in the backfield and a receiving group that is more than capable of getting the job done. Bringing back several starters on defense should also help this team be a true contender in the East.
HEISMAN CONTENDERS
1) Trevor Lawrence (CLEMSON) - Best quarterback in the country with the most talent. He will be the number one pick in 2021, no question about it.
2) Tua Tagovailoa (ALABAMA) - Elite talent, as he can throw it accurately as well as pick up yards with his legs. Just needs to stay healthy. He was a finalist last season and will likely be a finalist again this year.
3) Justin Herbert OREGON) - Likely to be the number one pick in this years draft, and should have a real chance to make a run to the playoff this year.
4) D'Andre Swift (GEORGIA)- Probably the best running back in the country. Elite speed, if he gets in front of you, you are not catching him. If Georgia finally beats Alabama, he has to be the biggest reason why.
5) Adrian Martinez (NEBRASKA)- After showing flashes of talent as a true freshman last year, I expect him to build on that this season. He was the main reason Nebraska was in several games that they lost and this year look for him to turn those into wins.
Speaking of, can anyone stop Clemson and Alabama from meeting again? They have met in 3 of the last 4 championship games, not counting the semifinal game 2 years ago. I'll say this. It will be extremely unlikely for Bama/Clemson part 5 to not happen. They return 2 of the top 3 quarterbacks in the country in Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama). Not to mention plenty of talent all over the field on each side which I will get to later, great coaching and big time freshman ready to make an impact! But if there is a team that can stop this from happening, who might they be? 2 names comes to my mind...
Lets start with the obvious...
The Georgia Bulldogs are undoubtedly a legitimate contender. They have held double digit leads against Alabama each of the last 2 years and just failed to close those games. They return a true leader in quarterback Jake Fromm who this year isn't looking over his shoulder at Justin Fields who has since transferred to The Ohio State University. Fromm is a beast in that Georgia and has proven he can make big time plays in big time games. But he has also shown he can be confused by Bama's scheme. This is the year he needs to step up and get it done finally. Luckily he has studs in the backfield like D'Andre Swift and plenty of other offensive talent that should make his job easier. Georgia's defense also needs to take another step as a group, particularly in the secondary. Kirby Smart coached with Nick Saban for years and since he left and went to Georgia, he has turned them into a contender. Maybe this will be the year the student beats the teacher.
Now for my other darkhorse contender...
The Oregon Ducks
Lets just say this. Oregon may have the number 1 overall pick in next year's NFL draft at quarterback in Justin Herbert. He has been ELITE since he was a freshman. I think he could have been the number 1 overall draft pick this year if he had come out. He is special and can make every throw on the field. Oregon finally has stability at the coaching position as well in Mario Cristobal who has quickly brought Oregon back from the mess Mark Helfrich left them in. Oregon has elite speed and talent at all the skills positions and a dynamic defense that continues to get better. A week 1 match-up against the Auburn Tigers should give us more information on Oregon but I firmly believe they will be a playoff team this year.
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CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
ACC
This is a league that can't do much worse than it did last year. Sure the Champion came from the ACC, but outside of that there wasn't much success from the other teams. Big name schools like Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech fell way short of most expectations. Syracuse however did make a big leap and will be looking to build off of last season. The winner of the ACC however, will be easy to pick but the surprise team was definitely much tougher.
Winner - Clemson
This will likely be the easiest league to pick a winner in. Again, they have Trevor Lawrence, likely to be the top pick in the 2021 draft, an amazing trio of receivers in Justin Ross, Amari Rodgers, and Tee Higgins. Also dynamic running backs who can take it to the house anytime they touch the ball. Clemson is to the point where they don't rebuild, they reload. And that's exactly what this defense will do this year. They have a week 2 meeting with Texas A&M at home, but other than that they should breeze through the rest of the schedule.
Sleeper - Miami
Miami is already ahead of the game as they return several starters on last year's defense that finished top 10 in the country. Having a great defense is enough to keep you in games in the ACC. Miami's big problem last year was finishing games and scoring enough points to maintain the small leads they got. But gone are the days of Malik Rosier throwing interception after interception! The Canes now have 3 players in the running for the starting quarterback. Ohio State transfer Tate Martell, Returnee Jarren William, and returnee N'Kosi Perry who started a few games last year. As a fan, I hope Perry doesn't start. He was so bad that the coaching staff tried to GIVE him the job and he still played poorly enough where Rosier was on the field again. Martell is the big name, the QB1 tv show star and the undefeated high school quarterback, but William may actually have more talent. I don't care who starts, I just want to finally see Miami WIN.
UPDATE: As of completion of this post, Jarren Williams has been named Miami's starting quarterback!
BIG TEN
Urban Meyer is gone from Ohio State and I am sure noone is happier than Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh who was never quite able to unseat the Buckeyes as best team in the BIG 10. Even though Meyer is gone, we saw other teams step up last year so there's no guarantee that MIchigan does indeed take that step. But who actually wins this league this year?
Winner - Ohio State
I don't think they will go undefeated by any means but its undeniable that they have the most talent in the conference. They have a mobile quarterback in Georgia transfer Justin Fields and he has plenty of guys to get the ball too, not to mention their defense should be extremely elite easing new head coach Ryan Day's start to his head coaching career.
Sleeper - Northwestern
Can they do it again? Last year Northwestern won their division and came up with some wins that not many saw coming. Coach Pat Fitzgerald continues to make a mark as he tries to build this program up. They will start with a new quarterback as Clayton Thorson has moved on the NFL. Most of the fans are optimistic as the new quarterback appears to be Hunter Johnson who transferred from Clemson and could have been great if it wasn't for Trevor Lawrence being one of the best we have ever seen! Johnson was a 5 star QB with offers from everyone and now we will finally see if he can live up to that billing. Northwestern typically has a good defense and I don't expect anything different this year. Those 2 things alone make them a solid sleeper pick in my book.
BIG 12
It is really just change quarterback, win conference, go to a playoff, repeat for Oklahoma? Will Texas ever be back? Texas Tech just lost their coach and maybe a playing that they have played forever, and will Iowa State continue to build off of last year's unexpected success?
Winner - Oklahoma
Maybe Lincoln Riley has something with this plug and play system. 2 straight years of starting different quarterbacks. 2 straight years of each winning the Heisman. Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts hopes this trend continues and what a story it would be. Famously losing his job in the national championship game against Georgia, he is looking to bounce back and where do you go to do that? Oklahoma seems to be the answer. They provide great coaching, great history, oh and Ceedee Lamb, Jadon Haselwood and a ton of other fantastic athletes to get the ball. And if he can't do it, starter in waiting Spencer Rattler will definitely be up to the task. One thing neither of them can solve is a defense that can't stop an elementary team. Good thing they just decide to outscore everyone.
Sleeper - TCU
I almost went with Iowa State here but counting out Gary Patterson is something I was not prepared to do. They will be breaking in a new quarterback this year but should be able to really run the ball and play defense. Coach Patterson did mention they should also be able to throw the deep ball well which is a must in the BIG 12.
PAC 12
Winner - Oregon
This was an easy pick to me. They have the most talent in the league and maybe the number 1 overall pick in the draft. The coaching is what really makes me like this pick. Mario Cristobal has been great from the time he took the job and has made all the right staff changes. I spoke on Oregon alot earlier in this post so I won't spend too much time on them but trust me, they will win this league.
Sleeper - Arizona State
Talk about doing everything as soon as they got on campus. Former NFL head coach took this job and not many people knew what to expect but Herm showed he could be a real leader of men and instantly changed the program. They competed every game and will win more this year. They will likely start a true freshman at quarterback so its risky making that pick of them being a sleeper but I feel confident that he will bring even more life to this team. They also have plenty of talent at the skills positions and play good enough defense to be in every game.
SEC
The SEC was down for a few years but last year made a jump and this year may make another jump to solidify themselves as again the best conference in football. The West will be tough as always and I expect a 3rd team to finally be in that East race with Georgia and Florida. Of course you will still have your bad teams such as Vanderbilt, Arkansas, etc.
Winner - Alabama
Alabama may be better this year than they were last year. They just got completely dominated in the national championship game and will be looking to prove something. With Tua and elite speed at the skill positions, Bama may have a top 5 offense in the country this year, but they are always built on defense and I expect that to be great as well. A young secondary that took steps last year is bound to take another one as the Tide should repeat as SEC champs.
Sleeper - Missouri
Mizzou already started looking really good last year and bring in a battle tested quarterback who transferred from Clemson in Kelly Bryant. He also has a 1,000 yard back in the backfield and a receiving group that is more than capable of getting the job done. Bringing back several starters on defense should also help this team be a true contender in the East.
HEISMAN CONTENDERS
1) Trevor Lawrence (CLEMSON) - Best quarterback in the country with the most talent. He will be the number one pick in 2021, no question about it.
2) Tua Tagovailoa (ALABAMA) - Elite talent, as he can throw it accurately as well as pick up yards with his legs. Just needs to stay healthy. He was a finalist last season and will likely be a finalist again this year.
3) Justin Herbert OREGON) - Likely to be the number one pick in this years draft, and should have a real chance to make a run to the playoff this year.
4) D'Andre Swift (GEORGIA)- Probably the best running back in the country. Elite speed, if he gets in front of you, you are not catching him. If Georgia finally beats Alabama, he has to be the biggest reason why.
5) Adrian Martinez (NEBRASKA)- After showing flashes of talent as a true freshman last year, I expect him to build on that this season. He was the main reason Nebraska was in several games that they lost and this year look for him to turn those into wins.
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