- It makes me very sad that Notre Dame and Michigan will be playing for the last time (for a while) on September 6th. I grew up loving this game, and never knowing who to root for. Coming from an Irish Catholic family outside of the state of Ohio or the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I actually like Notre Dame football. However, I was also a big X-Men fan as a kid, so when I heard there was a team called the Wolverines, I decided they would be my favorites. Anyway, it has been a great rivalry that has provided some insanely fun games. Hopefully the 6th won't be any different.
- Losing Braxton Miller is a massive blow to the hopes of Ohio State to win the National Title. Yes, they can still win the Big 10 (14...) without him, and Urban Meyer is a great coach, but he needs to work a minor miracle without his starting QB. Miller was going to be in the hunt for the Heisman. Losing that kind of talent is never easy.
- This will be another one of those "Year of the Quarterbacks". Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty, Kevin Hogan, Connor Cook, etc. The list goes on. All of these players will be in the Heisman conversation at some point, as well as being scouted for the next level. I could list 7 teams that could draft a QB in the 1st round next year. If these talented signal-callers can lead their team to the Final Four, they would certainly be looked at in a better light. I, of course, will be rooting for Kevin Hogan because he is a proud graduate of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. Hail!
- How will the SEC do this year? Yes, it is the best conference in college football. However, the teams have a tendency to beat themselves up more than they should. A team like Florida State can cruise through a relatively easy ACC schedule (maybe Syracuse upsets them.... No, we won't...) and be fairly rested before the playoffs. But with so much talent in the SEC, can a team make it through to the Final Four unscathed? Can more than one team make it? I could see a top 4 of Florida State, Oregon, Alabama and a team like Wisconsin going undefeated and making it. The BCS-era arguments of a 1-loss SEC team vs an undefeated Big 10/12/ACC team are still around. Just called something different now. Personally, I feel that if you are undefeated in a power conference, you should probably be in the Top 4 of the polls.
- My Syracuse Orange, fresh off a Texas Bowl title, start their season Friday vs Villanova. This used to be a great Big East basketball game. We'll see how it goes for football. Florida State is the only true guaranteed loss on our schedule, but I still expect something like 7-5. I hope for more. Right now there is no true #3 team in the ACC. Louisville lost their QB and their coach. The presumptive #2 Clemson lost Taj Boyd and Sammy Watkins. If everything goes well (and I mean EVERYTHING), the Orange could be looking at a New Years Day bowl game for the first time in years. I'll be giddy if that happens. Also, look at our fancy new uniforms!
- So who wins it all? Who will take the first College Football Playoff oddly-shaped, rather suggestive trophy? Honestly, have you looked at the top of it? I can't be the only one that thinks they made a major design flaw. But I digress. If history has taught us anything, it is that the SEC is great, and that Nick Saban hates losing much more than he enjoys winning. Alabama may have to overcome the loss of AJ McCarron to the pros, but I think that they will be able to win it all given the depth of their talent. Of course, I could be wrong.
Abilene Christian vs. Georgia State starts of the madness tomorrow on ESPNU. I know I'll be watching.
Enjoy the season!
