THIS Saturday marks the kickoff for the most glorious time of the year aka COLLEGE FOOTBALL SZN BAYBEE. The fever has almost taken hold, so why not dive right into some of the stories to keep an eye out for this season?
Trevor Lawrence
After seeing him play live I have to lead this off by saying Trevor Lawrence may be a god. What he was able to do last season (3200+ yards with 30 touchdowns and only four interceptions) is mind blowing especially when you add in that he didn’t play the whole season and is a legit diaper dandy.
Barring some kind of voodoo, those numbers should go up in a big way as the majority of the offense is back from last year. Plus, there are so many breezy games on the schedule. Hell, his biggest competition for the Heisman may end up being his running back Travis Etienne who has a knack for breaking off big plays game in and out.
Revenge is a dish best served crimson for the Tide
We were all shocked by how the title game went last year but no one was more surprised than the Alabama players/coaching staff. There is plenty of talent back from a team that finished 14-1, but there was major turnover when it came to the staff.
Seven new coaches step in, which includes the heat magnet that is Steve Sarkisian. He’ll still have Tua Tagovailoa making plays left and right, but the real question mark on this team may be at the offensive line. Only two starters return up front, but there is plenty of talent ready to take over this season. This team is coming into the season with a bigger chip on their shoulder than normal (looking for revenge) and a schedule that is very workable.
Can UGA get over the Bama hump?
It felt like UGA just didn’t bounce back from the SEC title loss to Bama when it came time to play Texas in the Sugar Bowl. In his short tenure at Georgia, we’ve seen Kirby Smart beat just about every team he’s needed to except Bama. He’ll have to guide the Dawgs through a schedule full of land mines to have another (possible) crack at the Tide. The good news is this is a really good Dawg team loaded with talent. I do think we’ll get UGA/Bama one way or another, but I’m still on the fence about how that goes for Kirby and Co.
Transfer SZN
A lot of talk this offseason has been about Jalen Hurts transferring to Oklahoma and rightfully so. OU is basically “QB Transfer Heisman U” at this point and Hurts brings some serious play-making ability.
Once we get past this move, there are so many others to discuss. Justin Fields to Ohio St can’t be overlooked as he’s gonna bring some fire to an OSU team going through changes. Brandon Wimbush will take over for McKenzie Milton at UCF after ending his tenure in South Bend. Jacob Eason takes over for Washington which has the UW fanbase all kinds of fired up. The one I’m most interested in though is Kelly Bryant to Missouri.
Bryant takes over for the beloved Drew Lock, but will be bringing a different kind of swag to the Tigers. Bryant brings winning credentials to a team that could seriously be looking at double digit wins if the defense improves from last year.
What does Notre Dame look like?
The story that’s closest to my heart. Last season was a dream for the Irish until Trevor Lawrence and Clemson turned it into a nightmare. The Irish bring back a combined 14 starters from both sides of the ball, but none may be more important than quarterback Ian Book. Even with all the wins, it was an up and down year for Book last year where he finished with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. With HUGE road games this year at Georgia, USC and Stanford, the Irish faithful will need Book to take a big step forward if they want to return to the playoff.
Is Texas really back?
We said it when Charlie Strong was there and we were wrong, but this Tom Herman led Longhorn squad feels different. Coming off a ten win season that was finished off with a big boy win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl has Texas fans very hopeful coming into 2019. There is a lot of turnover across both sides of the bowl but quarterback/BDE leader Sam Ehlinger is back along with 6’6” playmaker Collin Johnson. Texas also has their two toughest games of the year (LSU and Oklahoma) in the first half of the season. We’ll know the answer to this question by mid-October y’all.
Can Jeremy Pruitt get UT back to a bowl?
In his first year at UT, coach Jeremy Pruitt very nearly accomplished this. They finished with five wins and if a play or two goes differently against South Carolina, it would have been bowl season in Knoxville. The Vols have talent all over the place and are hopeful quarterback Jarret Guarantano hits the ground running in his junior campaign. JG showed flashes last year, including an absolute beautiful touchdown pass in the Vols win over Auburn. The UT schedule doesn’t do them a ton of favors (and it never will with UGA, Bama, UF as mainstays), but I really think a six or seven win season is in their grasp.
What’s next for Michigan?
Since Jim Harbaugh stepped foot on Michigan’s field, the hope has been that he would lead the Wolverines back to the promised land aka title contention.
There was a ton of buzz around this team last season, but the season started out with a whiff against Notre Dame where the final score made the game look much closer than it was. After week 1 though, it was back on track with 10 straight wins heading into THE game with hated rival Ohio State. Michigan surrendered 62 points to the Buckeyes then another 41 to Florida in the Peach Bowl.
If how last season ended was any representation of what this year’s team will look like, then things may be feeling a little hot for Harbaugh amidst that cold Michigan air. There is a lot of turnover in talent, but the schedule isn’t that bad. The biggest/toughest games of the year will all be in The Big House including the matchup with OSU. All eyes will be on Harbaugh in that game especially with Urban Meyer out of the picture. The consensus seems to be ‘if not this year for Michigan, then when?’
Business as usual for Ohio State?
Speaking of the Buckeyes, there is a lot of hope that things won’t change much with Ryan Day taking over for Urban. Day went 3-0 as interim coach last season, so the idea that he brings a level of stability isn’t far fetched. The defense brings nine starters back, which will make up a steady secondary along with a feisty pass rush. The offense has plenty of play-makers including new quarterback Justin Fields who seems to be an absolutely perfect fit for their style of fast paced offense. Even with all the turnover on the offensive side, I don’t expect it will take long for this team to click, especially when you take into account the very workable schedule. Expect the machine to keep on keeping on.
ARMY
After an impressive 11-2 campaign last year that ended with the Black Knights hanging seventy (that’s 70) points on Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl, this Army team is ready to get back at it in 2019. They return seven on offense which finished second in the country in rushing and thirty fifth in scoring. The defense, which was low-key incredible last year, will have to fill some holes up front/in the linebacking platoon, but expect tough sledding in the passing game with the majority of the secondary back.
Army should be a lock to win the Commander-In-Chief trophy for the third consecutive year along with a very good possibility at cracking double digit wins again. After nearly knocking off Oklahoma on the road last year, be on the lookout Week 2 when the Black Knights head to Ann Arbor for a showdown with Michigan. If they can get a big upset in the Big House, this could be a very, very special year for a deserving squad.
John Mosley is the independent wrestling correspondent of the SoBros Network. He graduated from ETSU with a degree in Radio, TV and Film along with a minor in Film Studies. Since graduating he’s done pretty much nothing but watch, film, edit or commentate for local wrestling promotions and is the current color commentator for Resolute Wrestling. #Preds #Titans #DefendOrVacateConor Follow on Twitter: @SoBroMose.
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