TheReff
Rod Griffin
- Joined
- May 15, 2011
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- 6,387
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Media days are coming up & summer practice is right around the corner. All the magazines are coming out so time to put a few observations down to get started for the 2015 college football season.
ACC--same cast of characters as our teams up top. Depth & strength in the rankings could plague us come playoff time. FSU needs a QB, only has 11 starters returning with 11 on defense. Great depth at skill positions from the last few years of Jimbo's recruiting keep them right up there battling Clemson who should be the favorite. Clemson may have the best QB in the country in Watson, but lost a ton when OC Morris went to SMU & Beasley went to the NFL. They return only 10 starters but have recruited well also so they can replace most easily. Louisville can also challenge in the Atlantic but lost a ton of DB's. Overall they will have to rely on their D. In the Coastal look for GT to rock because they have the best QB returning in Justin Thomas and 4 of the OL, which is the key in that offense. If their D shapes up they are tough. VT returns 16 starters & Beamer is on the hot seat so I expect to play much better. UNC has offense but a mistake-prone QB in Williams. They need Chizik to resurrect some semblance of a defense to have any chance. Miami has a top QB, but rough schedule & UVa only returns 10 starters and an even rougher schedule. I expect Golden & London to be gone after this season without miracles.
Big 10--title favorite OSU returns 3 great QB's and 14 starters. The overall league is still on par with the ACC as getting a title with OSU didn't make them strong, just like FSU having a title doesn't make the ACC strong, but getting Franklin at Penn St & Harbaugh at Michigan will get them back on the road to respectability over the next few years with better recruiting & teams that can go the distance along with Wisconsin & Michigan St.
Big 12--TCU & Baylor have supplanted OK as the juggernaut of the league which has Stoops on the hotseat. 2nd game of the year is a big one for him as OK goes to Knoxville & plays the Big Orange. Baylor may be the favorite? as they return 18 starters and now have Seth Russell at QB. TCU has a little chip on their shoulder with the committee and returns 15 starters. Don't leave out Ok St, who had a non-bowl year last year but are picked high & return 16 starters. Never sleep on Bill Snyder & K State.
SEC--all 7 teams in the West come in ranked after not faring well in their bowls but are loaded after another great recruiting year. SEC had 12 of the top 25 classes in recruiting, which is typical. Auburn is my choice to win the title and advance to the playoffs as Malzahn has a loaded offense & hired Muschamp to handle the D. Bama is loaded as usual but needs a QB to step up badly and seem to be falling behind stopping the fast paced offenses. Miss St, Ole Miss are loaded, Arkansas is coming off a great finish over Texas in their bowl game. UT is ready for a Top 25 season after a couple of great recruiting classes and UGa has several top RB's plus UVa transfer Lambert as a possible QB. Only Vandy & KY drag the SEC down right now. Mizzou is always forgotten about, been in the last 2 SEC title games and have a great QB in Mattie Mauk.
Pac-12--USC may be the favorite and is finally up close to full strength. They have a great QB in Cody Kessler and return 14 starters. Oregon will be tough as usual but have to replace Mariota. They got heralded 1AA transfer Vernon Adams from Eastern Wash. Also look for UCLA & Ariz St to be fighting for the title. Both because of their offenses. And don't forget about Stanford trying to make amends from an 8-5 season. They will pound it with 4 OL back, a returning QB in Kevin Hogan and 13 total starters.
Key early non-con games with national implications--9/5 Texas @ Notre Dame & Louisville vs Auburn, 9/7 Ohio St @ VT, 9/12 OK @ Tenn, 9/19 Miami @ Nebraska, GT @ Notre Dame
ACC--same cast of characters as our teams up top. Depth & strength in the rankings could plague us come playoff time. FSU needs a QB, only has 11 starters returning with 11 on defense. Great depth at skill positions from the last few years of Jimbo's recruiting keep them right up there battling Clemson who should be the favorite. Clemson may have the best QB in the country in Watson, but lost a ton when OC Morris went to SMU & Beasley went to the NFL. They return only 10 starters but have recruited well also so they can replace most easily. Louisville can also challenge in the Atlantic but lost a ton of DB's. Overall they will have to rely on their D. In the Coastal look for GT to rock because they have the best QB returning in Justin Thomas and 4 of the OL, which is the key in that offense. If their D shapes up they are tough. VT returns 16 starters & Beamer is on the hot seat so I expect to play much better. UNC has offense but a mistake-prone QB in Williams. They need Chizik to resurrect some semblance of a defense to have any chance. Miami has a top QB, but rough schedule & UVa only returns 10 starters and an even rougher schedule. I expect Golden & London to be gone after this season without miracles.
Big 10--title favorite OSU returns 3 great QB's and 14 starters. The overall league is still on par with the ACC as getting a title with OSU didn't make them strong, just like FSU having a title doesn't make the ACC strong, but getting Franklin at Penn St & Harbaugh at Michigan will get them back on the road to respectability over the next few years with better recruiting & teams that can go the distance along with Wisconsin & Michigan St.
Big 12--TCU & Baylor have supplanted OK as the juggernaut of the league which has Stoops on the hotseat. 2nd game of the year is a big one for him as OK goes to Knoxville & plays the Big Orange. Baylor may be the favorite? as they return 18 starters and now have Seth Russell at QB. TCU has a little chip on their shoulder with the committee and returns 15 starters. Don't leave out Ok St, who had a non-bowl year last year but are picked high & return 16 starters. Never sleep on Bill Snyder & K State.
SEC--all 7 teams in the West come in ranked after not faring well in their bowls but are loaded after another great recruiting year. SEC had 12 of the top 25 classes in recruiting, which is typical. Auburn is my choice to win the title and advance to the playoffs as Malzahn has a loaded offense & hired Muschamp to handle the D. Bama is loaded as usual but needs a QB to step up badly and seem to be falling behind stopping the fast paced offenses. Miss St, Ole Miss are loaded, Arkansas is coming off a great finish over Texas in their bowl game. UT is ready for a Top 25 season after a couple of great recruiting classes and UGa has several top RB's plus UVa transfer Lambert as a possible QB. Only Vandy & KY drag the SEC down right now. Mizzou is always forgotten about, been in the last 2 SEC title games and have a great QB in Mattie Mauk.
Pac-12--USC may be the favorite and is finally up close to full strength. They have a great QB in Cody Kessler and return 14 starters. Oregon will be tough as usual but have to replace Mariota. They got heralded 1AA transfer Vernon Adams from Eastern Wash. Also look for UCLA & Ariz St to be fighting for the title. Both because of their offenses. And don't forget about Stanford trying to make amends from an 8-5 season. They will pound it with 4 OL back, a returning QB in Kevin Hogan and 13 total starters.
Key early non-con games with national implications--9/5 Texas @ Notre Dame & Louisville vs Auburn, 9/7 Ohio St @ VT, 9/12 OK @ Tenn, 9/19 Miami @ Nebraska, GT @ Notre Dame
