10 Things To Look Forward To This College Football Season

10) Who will be this year’s Auburn?

            Auburn bursted onto the season a year ago, with very little expectations but played with championship caliber efficency all year long. Auburn was able to conquer the giants of the SEC, in Alabama and LSU, not to mention a stout Texas A&M. While many predicted Auburn to finish no better than 4^th in the SEC West, Auburn upstaged all their southern foes. But the “Tip Play” against Georgia, and the “Field Goal Return” against Alabama propelled War Eagle to the championship game, where few gave them a chance to win. They nearly pulled off an epic upset over Florida State in the national championship game, but the clock ran out on these Cinderella boys.

            But who will get a chance to wear Cinderella slipper this season?

9) Notre Dame vs. Michigan

            On September 6^th, Notre Dame and Michigan will square off for the last time in the foreseeable future. The long time rivals who have been regular opponents since 2002, will play their last game against one another due to Notre Dame committing to more of an ACC schedule. Both sides have expressed interest in trying to find someway to keep each other on the schedule, but these legendary programs who have a history of legendary games, will need to find new rivals. The past couple of season has seen some dramatic wins from both teams, and this year should be no different. The early season, blockbuster matchup should provide one last classic, that we may not be able to see again for quite some time.

8) The Quarterback Class

            While the 2013 class lacked any star potential from the quarterback position, and the 2014 class offers a little more promise, but no guarantees, the 2015 class, should be considered the ‘year of the quarterback’. Marcus Mariota, Oregon’s rifle slinging, dual-threat, signal caller is the clear-cut favorite to be the first pick in the draft next year draft. Mariota possess the ideal size, speed, and mental make-up to be the most highly touted quarterback to come out of college since Andrew Luck and RG3 in 2012 (he reportedly added over 20 pounds of muscles in the offseason, the comparisons to Colin Kapernernick will start, week 1).

            Jameis Winston will certainly give Mariota a run for his money. Last year’s Heisman trophy winner has the same explosive ability as Mariota and there if very little to suggest that he won’t be a top 3 pick. Brett Hundley decided to return for his senior season, and many draft experts believed he would have been a first round pick had he decided to come out. If Hundley can continue to improve, he too will get top 5 consideration. There is a very strong argument that can be made that these three will be the top 3 picks in the draft, the would be the first time that has happened was 1999 (Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, and Akili Smith).

7) Who will resurrect first? Texas or USC?

            In 2006, Texas and USC played in one of the most epic national championships in the history of the sport. Both teams are coming off disappointing 2013 campaigns in which both programs lost their high profile coach, whether by retirement or fire—ment. And while Texas was in contention for the Big 12 title all the way up until the end of the season and USC after firing Lane Kiffin rattled off a 10 win season, neither Texas or USC was ale to regain any kind of national clout. Because of that both programs will start a new with new head coaches, and a new philosophy.

            The story here will be which one of these former giants will regain its epic status. Chances are that neither the Longhorns or Trojans will be able to regain it status this year, but it will be interesting who will make the biggest step. USC and Texas are the ideal recruiting palaces for any big time coach, but both Charlie Strong and Steve Sarkisian need to assemble a good first year. If USC and Texas endure another year of disappointment, 2006 will seem like a distant memory…if it doesn’t already.

6) Can Chris Petersen bring his “Blue Grass Magic” to Washington?

            For years in Boise, Idaho, Chris Petersen’s Broncos would flirt with the possibility of playing for the National Championship. But the largest roadblock for the Petersen would not be focused on the quality of play by his Broncos but rather, the lack of quality opponents Boise played. Even after Boise State joined the Mountain West in 2010, BYU and TCU, the conference’s prior powerhouses, would leave after that same season. Then Boise State flirted with joining the Big East, to only watch the conference fall to extinction. While it was apparent that Petersen accomplished all he could at Boise State, he still hung around and waited for his ideal job, a place where he could finally get to the National Championship.

            With an opening at USC this past season, Petersen appeared to be a logical choice, but instead he decided to go to another Pac-12 program in Washington. Now while the Huskies do not have same championship caliber as the Trojans do, Petersen might have found the perfect fit for his persona.  Washington will give Petersen a longer leash than USC would have, especially since he is not a “USC guy”. Time is what Petersen needs in order to find the right players for his highly entertaining, high-octane system. Washington does have the athletes already that Petersen can try and utilize, so year one should be interesting. While most of the talk for the next couple of season will be focused on the superpower rivalries (Oregon vs. Stanford, USC vs. UCLA) Petersen’s Huskies could soon find his way into not only Pac-12 talk, but National Championship consideration.

5) Ohio State’s Recovery

            Ohio State was supposed to win the Big 10. Ohio State was supposed to play and in the National Championship. Then the final two games took place, and neither one of those things happened. It is safe to say that Ohio State’s 2013 season was a disappointment by any measure. While they were able to put themselves in a position to compete for the national title, Ohio State was unable to Michigan State in the Big 10 title game, and then the Buckeyes lost to Clemson in the Orange Bowl. But after the Orange Bowl, there were a lot of questions about Ohio State that left many to ponder. How good was Ohio State? Ohio State scheduled a cream cake slate, which featured an out of conference entourage that consisted of Buffalo, San Diego State, California, and Florida A&M, and to make things worse, the Big 10 was no where near as strong as it once was. When Ohio State finally faced a quality opponent in Michigan State and then Clemson, Ohio State just couldn’t stack up.

            But lasting question is not how good Ohio State really was last year, but rather how good they will be this year? They have lost some key players on both sides of the ball (Ryan Shazier and Carlos Hyde) but Braxton Miller returns and Ohio State once again has a favorable schedule. But will Ohio State be able to finish the job or will they suffer the same fate as the ’13 Buckeyes.

4) Oregon vs. Stanford

            Even though it is the end of May, it is safe to say that the game of the year will happen on November 1^st, when Stanford visits Eugene to take on the Ducks of Oregon. Two straight years the dull, mundane, methodical, academic elites of Stanford have upset Oregon and possibly kept them from reaching the national title game. This was abundantly clear in 2012 when Stanford won in 2 OT, and even though Oregon lost the last year to Arizona, that game followed the loss to Stanford, and it was evident that Oregon did not recover from the second straight loss to their PAC-12 North rival. 

            Now more than ever, the limelight is on Oregon to not only get past Stanford, but be one of the final four teams to play for the national title game. But that hurdle must seem like a thousand feet high for Oregon because it seems as if Stanford has figured out the once uncontrollable offense. But on November 1^st, at Autzen Stadium, in front of the most electric crowds in the country, Oregon will get another shot to beat Stanford and possibly earn a trip to the Final Four. Will the third time be the charm?

3) The New Face of the SEC

            Johnny Manziel, A.J. McCarron, Jadevown Clowney, Zach Mettenberger, and Aaron Murray are all gone. While the SEC loses talent to the draft on a yearly basis, it is hard to remember the last time the SEC had lost so many “faces of the program” in one season. Because of that we may have one of the most unpredictable SEC seasons in years. While the traditional powers always reload (Alabama, LSU, Florida) it is hard to determine which one will be able to regain its supremacy.

            Many are looking at Auburn to repeat its magic from 2013, as they have the most returning “impact” starters in the conference.  Even though lead rusher Tre Mason is gone, Nick Marshall returns with plenty of weapons around him. Auburn also had a stellar recruiting class, signing 3 of the top defensive lineman in football. Missouri also brings back a lot of seniors from a season ago

2) Will Jamies Winston Repeat?

            Only a year ago when we believed Johnny Manziel would win a second straight Heisman trophy, and join only Archie Griffin to have two of the illustrious award. But of course that did not happen, because it was another freshman, quarterback Jameis Winston who would go on to win. Now the conservation will revolve around Winston and whether he can do what Johnny could not.

            The one thing Jameis will have to deal with that Manziel did not have to deal with, to the same degree, is the competition. Marcus Mariota will be the top challenger to Winston and there is always 1-2 other players who emerge from seemingly nowhere to challenge for the crown (Tre Mason, Bryce Petty from last year). But the talk this year will be centered around Jameis Winston can win the award in back to back year and elevating his game to new heights we have not seen.

1) The Playoffs

            But while Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota battle it out for the Heisman trophy, and who will be the top draft pick in next year’s NFL draft, there is one more thing that these two will most likely battle for and that is the National Championship. But while Oregon and Florida State may be the two favorites this year, in 2014 for the first time in history, two more teams will have a say in this conversation.

            This year will host the first ever 4-team playoff which will immediately dump the BCS system, thankfully, and usher in a new era of a true and engaging post-season. There is no denying that college football has the most intense, hotly contested, regular season games. But when it gets to the postseason, aside from the traditional bowl game here and there, only one game had actual playoff implications. This year that finally all changes, without doing anything to the regular season! Too many college football “purists” are questioning whether or not it will ruin what we already love. But having only four playoff teams will keep the regular season not just as eventful, but even more eventful. The championship games will have an even bigger impact, and the rivalry games will have more on the line.

            This has the makings of one of the best season in college football history. Incredible story lines, top NFL talent on display, and more teams with an opportunity to compete for the title. Too bad it is only June. Summer cannot go by fast enough!