College Football Focus 2018 Freshman All-America Team

OFFENSE

FIRST TEAM
QB Trevor Lawrence/Clemson
RB Jermar Jefferson/Oregon State
RB Pooka Williams/Kansas
WR Rondale Moore/Purdue
WR Justyn Ross/Clemson
WR Jaylen Waddle/Alabama
TE  Pat Freiermuth/Penn State
OL  Penei Sewell/Oregon
OL  Demetris Harris/USF
OL  Trey Hill/Georgia
OL  Chris Murray/UCLA
OL  Creed Humphrey/Oklahoma

SECOND TEAM
QB Brock Purdy/Iowa State
RB Tavion Thomas/Cincinnati
RB Kennedy Brooks/Oklahoma
WR Jayden Reed/Western Michigan
WR Amon-Ra St Brown/USC
WR Rashod Bateman/Minnesota
TE  Brevin Jordan/Miami Fla
OL  Jaxon Kirkland/Washington
OL  Jalen Momerelle/Texas State
OL  Brad Cecil/USF
OL  James Empey/Brigham Young
OL  Daniel Faalele/Minnesota


HONORABLE MENTION
QUARTERBACK
Alan Bowman/Texas Tech; Adrian Martinez/Nebraska; Sam Hartman/Wake Forest; Desmond Ridder/Cincinnati; Holton Ahlers/East Carolina
RUNNING BACK
Marcel Murray/Arkansas State; Johnny Ford/USF; Stevie Scott/Indiana; CJ Verdell/Oregon
WIDE RECEIVER
Victor Tucker/Charlotte; Tamorrion Terry/Florida State
OFFENSIVE LINE
Dylan Wonnum/South Carolina; Zuri Henry/UTEP; Donovan Jennings/USF; Donovan Laie/Arizona; Cole Schneider/UCF; Cade Mays/Georgia; Dylan Parham/Memphis; Sam Cosmi/Texas; Ryan Nelson/Virginia

DEFENSE

FIRST TEAM
DL Xavier Thomas/Clemson
DL Jamal Hines/Toledo
DL Dante Stills/West Virginia
DL Brenton Cox/Georgia
LB Merlin Robertson/Arizona State
LB Micah Parsons/Penn State
LB James Patterson/Buffalo
DB Patrick Surtain Jr/Alabama
DB Bryce Thompson/Tennessee
DB Andre Cisco/Syracuse
DB Caden Sterns/Texas

SECOND TEAM
DL Ronnie Perkins/Oklahoma
DL Will Choloh Jr/Troy
DL Matthew Tago/Oregon State
DL Jordan Davis/Georgia
LB Mike Rose/Iowa State
LB Jaiden Woodbey/Florida State
LB Micah Baskerville/LSU
DB Jamien Smallwood/Auburn
DB Devonni Reed/Central Michigan
DB Adrian Frye/Texas Tech
DB Jevon Holland/Oregon

HONORABLE MENTION
DEFENSIVE LINE
Blessman Ta'ala/Hawai'i; CJ Wright/Georgia Southern; Juwuan Jones/Western Kentucky
LINEBACKER
Rocky Jacques-Louis/FIU; Bumper Pool/Arkansas; Palaie Gaoteote/USC; Zaven Collins/Tulsa; Isaiah Moore/NC State; Dax Hollifield/Virginia Tech
DEFENSIVE BACK
Julius Brents/Iowa; Trey Morrison/North Carolina; Jaycee Horn/South Carolina; Keidron Smith/Ole Miss; Tyson Campbell/UCLA; Caleb Biggers/Bowling Green; Avery Young/Rutgers; Jarren Morris/Texas State

SPECIALISTS

FIRST TEAM
K Andre Szmyt/Syracuse
P Ryan Wright/Tulane 
RS Bentlee Sanders/USF

SECOND TEAM
K Evan McPherson/Florida
P  Clayton Howell/Appalachian State
RS Travell Harris/Washington State  
 

 
   

College Football Focus 2018 All-America Team

       OFFENSE
 

FIRST TEAM 
QB Kyler Murray/Oklahoma (Jr)                                         

RB Darrell Henderson/Memphis (Jr) 
RB Travis Etienne/Clemson (So) 
WR Andy Isabella/UMass (Sr) 
WR Marquise Brown/Oklahoma (Jr) 
WR Antoine Wesley/Texas Tech (Jr) 
TE  Jace Sternberger/Texas A&M (Jr)

OT Jonah Williams/Alabama (Jr)

OT Dalton Risner/Kansas State (Sr)

OG Chris Lindstrom/Boston College (Sr)

OG Beau Benzschawel/Wisconsin (Sr)

 C   James O’Hagan/Buffalo (Sr)

SECOND TEAM
QB Dwayne Haskins/Ohio State (So) 
RB Devin Singletary/Florida Atlantic (Jr) 
RB Jonathan Taylor/Wisconsin (So) 
WR AJ Brown/Ole Miss (Jr) 
WR Rondale Moore/Purdue (Fr) 
WR Jerry Jeudy/Alabama (So) 
TE  Caleb Wilson/UCLA (Jr)

OT Andre Dillard/Washington State (Sr)

OT Mitch Hyatt/Clemson (Sr)

OG Dustin Woodard/Memphis (Jr)

OG Terronne Prescod/NC State (Sr)

 C   Ross Pierschbacher/Alabama (Sr)

 

THIRD TEAM 
QB Tua Tagovailoa/Alabama (So) 
RB Trayveon Williams/Texas A&M (Jr) 
RB Myles Gaskin/Washington (Sr) 
WR Preston Williams/Colorado State (Jr) 
WR Tylan Wallace/Oklahoma State (So) 
WR Laviska Shenault/Colorado (So) 
TE  Albert Okwuegbunam/Missouri (So)

OT David Edwards/Wisconsin (Jr)

OT Ezra Cleveland/Boise State (So)

OG Parker Braun/Georgia Tech (Jr)

OG Ben Powers/Oklahoma (Sr)

 C   Bryce Holland/Army (Sr)

 

HONORABLE MENTION

QUARTERBACK

Will Grier/West Virginia (Sr); Jake Fromm/Georgia (So); McKenzie Milton/UCF (Jr); Sam Ehlinger/Texas (So); D'Eriq King/Houston (Jr); Trevor Lawrence/Clemson (Fr); Justice Hansen/Arkansas State (Sr); Gardner Minshew/Washington State (Sr); Drew Lock/Missouri (Sr); Ian Book/Notre Dame (Jr); Zac Thomas/Appalachian State (So); Ryan Finley/NC State (Sr); Tyree Jackson/Buffalo (Jr); Brett Rypien/Boise State (Sr); Jordan Love/Utah State (So); Justin Herbert/Oregon (Jr); Nathan Rourke/Ohio (Jr); Marcus McMaryion/Fresno State (Sr); Mason Fine/North Texas (Jr); Ross Comis/UMass (Sr); Eric Dungey/Syracuse (Sr); KJ Costello/Stanford (Jr); Brent Stockstill/Middle Tennessee (Sr); Bryce Perkins/Virginia (Jr); Jordan Ta'amu/Ole Miss (Sr); Shai Werts/Georgia Southern (So)

RUNNING BACK

David Montgomery/Iowa State (Sr); Eno Benjamin/Arizona State (So); Nico Collins/Wyoming (Sr); Benny Snell Jr/Kentucky (Jr); Anthony McFarland/Maryland (Fr); Jermar Jefferson/Oregon State (Fr); Spencer Brown/UAB (So); Alexander Mattison/Boise State (Jr); Michael Warren II/Cincinnati (So); AJ Dillon/Boston College (So); Joshua Kelley/UCLA (Jr); Pooka Williams/Kansas (Fr); Kennedy Brooks/Oklahoma (Fr); Darwin Thompson/Utah State (Jr); Ryquell Armstead/Temple (Sr); Dexter Williams/Notre Dame (Sr); D'Andre Swift/Georgia (So); Alex Barnes/Kansas State (Jr); JJ Taylor/Arizona (So); Lexington Thomas/UNLV (Sr); Devine Ozigbo/Nebraska (Sr); BJ Smith/Troy (Jr); Zack Moss/Utah; Benny LeMay/Charlotte (Jr); Qadree Ollison/Pittsburgh (Sr); Justice Hill/Oklahoma State (Jr); Jordan Cronkrite/USF (Jr); Miles Sanders/Penn State (Jr); Trey Ragas/Louisiana (So)

WIDE RECEIVER 

John Ursua/Hawai'i (Jr); David Sills IV/West Virginia (Sr); Deebo Samuel/South Carolina (Sr); James Proche/SMU (Jr); KeeSean Johnson/Fresno State (Sr); Greg Dortch/Wake Forest (So); Anthony Johnson/Buffao (Sr); CeeDee Lamb/Oklahoma (So); Olamide Zaccheaus/Virginia (Sr); Lil'Jordan Humphrey/Texas (Jr); Trevon Brown/East Carolina (Sr); N'Keal Harry/Arizona State (Jr); Parris Campbell/Ohio State (Sr); JJ Arcega-Whitside/Stanford (Sr); Gary Jennings Jr/West Virginia (Sr); Henry Ruggs Jr/Alabama (So); Rico Bussey Jr/North Texas (Jr); Kelvin Harmon/NC State (Jr); Jalen Reagor/TCU (So); Dillon Mitchell/Oregon (Jr); Tyre Brady/Marshall (Sr); Hakeem Butler/Iowa State (Jr); Cedric Byrd/Hawai'i (Jr); Tyler Johnson/Minnesota (Jr); Jonathan Duhart/Old Dominion (Jr); Scott Miller/Bowling Green (Sr); Kalija Lipscomb/Vanderbilt (Jr); Papi White/Ohio (Sr); Quartney Davis/Texas A&M (So); Jalen Hurd/Baylor (Sr); Collin Johnson/Texas; Tyler Vaughns/USC

TIGHT END

TJ Hockensen/Iowa (So); Keenen Brown/Texas State (Sr); Kaden Smith/Stanford (Jr); Josh Oliver/San Jose State (Sr); Dax Raymond/Utah State (Jr); Jared Rice/Fresno State (Jr); Mitchell Wilcox/USF (Jr); Mik'Quan Dean/Western Kentucky (Sr); Irv Smith Jr/Alabama (So); Noah Fant/Iowa (Sr); Matt Bushman/Brigham Young (So); Harrison Bryant/FAU (Jr); Brycen Hopkins/Purdue (Jr)

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

Greg Little/Ole Miss (Jr); Tyler Jones/NC State (Sr); Calvin Throckmorton/Oregon (Jr); Cody Ford/Oklahoma (Jr); Isaiah Wilson; Georgia (So); Max Scharping/Northern Illinois (Sr); Alaric Jackson/Iowa (So); Victor Johnson/Appalachian State (Jr); Tremayne Anchrum/Clemson (Jr); Koda Martin/Syracuse (Sr); Yodny Cajuste;West Virginia (Sr); Martez Ivey/Florida (Sr); Wyatt Miller/UCF (Sr); Stefano Millin/Pittsburgh (Sr); Kaleb McGary/Washington (Sr); Joe Lowery/Ohio (Sr); Lanard Bonner/Arkansas State (Sr); Liam Eichenberg/Notre Dame (So); Sean Taylor/Utah State (Sr); Walker Little/Stanford (So); Casey Tucker/Arizona State (Sr);

OFFENSIVE GUARD

Michael Deiter/Wisconsin (Sr); Keith Ismael/San Diego State (So); Ben Bredeson/Michigan (Jr); Phil Haynes/Wake Forest (Sr); Ross Reynolds/Iowa (Sr); Dru Samia/Oklahoma (Sr); Kirk Kelley/Troy (Jr); Bunchy Stallings/Kentucky (Sr); Christian Cronk/Fresno State (Sr); Luke Juriga/Western Michigan (Jr); Darryl Williams/Mississippi State (Jr); Nate Herbig/Stanford (Jr); Micah St. Andrew/Fresno State (Sr); Connor McGovern/Penn State (Jr); Jahmir Johnson/Tennessee (Jr); Tommy Doles/Northwestern (Sr); Dallas Warmack/Oregon (Jr); Michael Alves/UCLA (So); Zack Bailey/South Carolina (Sr); Jack Anderson/Texas Tech (So)

CENTER

Zach Shackelford/Texas (Jr); Tyler Biadasz/Wisconsin (So); Garrett Bradbury/NC State (Sr); Erik McCoy/Texas A&M (Jr); Jordan Johnson/UCF (Jr); Quin Ficklen/Utah State (Sr); Elgton Jenkins/Mississippi State (Sr); James Empey/Brigham Young (Fr); Justin Falcinelli/Clemson (Sr); Lloyd Cushenberry/LSU; Toa Lobendahn/USC (Sr); Michael Jordan/Ohio State (Jr); Levi Brown/Marshall (Jr); Drake Jackson/Kentucky (So); Curtis Rainey/Georgia Southern (Sr); Kirk Barron/Purdue (Sr); Sam Mustipher/Notre Dame (Sr)

   DEFENSE 

          FIRST TEAM 
DL Quinnen Williams/Alabama (So) 
DL Montez Sweat/Mississippi State (Sr) 
DL Nate Harvey/East Carolina (Sr)

DL Christian Wilkins/Clemson (Sr)

LB Josh Allen/Kentucky (Sr)

LB Devin White/LSU (Jr)

LB Joe Dineen/Kansas Sr)

LB Ben Burr-Kirven/Washington (Sr)

DB Grant Delpit/LSU (So)

DB Juan Thornhill/Virginia (Sr)

DB Deandre Baker/Georgia (Sr)

DB Byron Murphy/Washington (So)

         

      SECOND TEAM

DL Brian Burns/Florida State (Jr)

DL Sutton Smith/Northern Illinois (Jr)

DL Ed Oliver/Houston (Jr)

DL Jaylon Ferguson/Louisiana Tech (Sr)

LB Dylan Moses/Alabama (So)

LB David Long Jr/West Virginia (Jr)

LB Khalil Hodge/Buffalo (Sr)

LB Te'Von Coney/Notre Dame (Sr)

DB Jaquan Johnson/Miami Fla (Sr)

DB Bryce Hall/Virginia (Jr)

DB Julian Love/Notre Dame (Jr)

DB Greedy Williams/LSU (So)

        THIRD TEAM

DL Gerald Willis III/Miami Fla (Jr)
DL Jeffery Simmons/Mississippi State (Jr)

DL Ronheen Bingham/Arkansas State (Sr)

DL Oshane Ximines/Old Dominion (Sr)

LB Shaq Quarterman/Miami Fla (So)

LB Chase Hansen/Utah (Sr)

LB EJ Ejiya/North Texas (Sr)

LB Deshaun Davis/Auburn (Sr)

DB Hamp Cheevers/Boston College (So)

DB David Long/Michigan (Jr)

DB Deonte Thompson/Alabama (Jr)

DB Anthoula Kelly/Fresno State (Sr)

HONORABLE MENTION

DEFENSIVE LINE
Jachai Polite/Florida (Jr); Joe Jackson/Miami Fla (Jr); Isaiah Buggs/Alabama (Sr); Alton Robinson/Syracuse (Jr); Clelin Ferrell/Clemson (Jr); Dre'Mont Jones/Ohio State (Sr); Jordan Brailford/Oklahoma State (Jr); AJ Epenesa/Iowa (So); Jerry Tillery/Notre Dame (Sr); Chase Winovich/Michigan (Sr); Carter Coughlin/Minnesota (Jr); Cortez Broughton/Cincinnati (Sr); Ben Banogu/TCU (Sr); Anthony Nelson/Iowa (Jr); Bradlee Anae/Utah (Jr); Curtis Weaver/Boise State (So); Patrick Johnson/Tulane (So); Dexter Lawrence/Clemson (Jr); Kenny Willikes/Michigan State (Jr); Chase Young/Ohio State (So); Michael Dogbe/Temple (Sr); Maxx Crosby/Eastern Michigan (Jr); Wyatt Ray/Boston College (Sr); Raekwon Davis/Alabama (Sr); Jonathan Garvin/Miami Fla (So); D'Andre Walker/Georgia (Sr); Nick Coe/Auburn (So); Mike Danna/Central Michigan (Jr); Reggie Walker/Kansas State (Jr); Landis Durham/Texas A&M; Kylan Wilborn/Arizona (So); Corbin Kaufusi/BYU (Sr); Yetur Gross-Matos/Penn State (So); Charles Omenihu/Texas (Sr); Rashan Gary/Michigan (Jr); Rashard Lawrence/LSU (Jr); Cedric Wilcots II/New Mexico State (Jr); Joe Gaziano/Northwestern (Jr); Jabari Zuniga/Florida (Jr); Bobby Roundtree/Illinois (So); Hunter Reese/Troy (Sr); Jaquan Bailey/Iowa State (Jr); Shareef Miller/Penn State (Jr); Titus Davis/UCF (Sr); Alex Highsmith/Charlotte (Jr); Chuck Harris/Buffalo (Sr); Greg Gaines/Washington (Sr); Anthony Johnson/FIU (Sr);  
LINEBACKER
David Woodward/Utah State (So); Colin Schooler/Arizona (So); Jeffrey Allison/Fresno State (Jr); Germaine Pratt/NC State; De'Jon Harris/Arkansas (Jr); TJ Edwards/Wisconsin (Sr); Kenneth Murray/Oklahoma (So); Malik Fountain/Central Michigan (Sr); Evan Weaver/California (Jr); Devin Bush/Michigan (Jr); Gary Johnson/Texas (Sr); Blake Cashman/Minnesota (Sr); Kyran Mitchell/SMU (Sr); Cameron Smith/USC (Sr); Justin Phillips/Oklahoma State (Sr); Errol Thompson/Mississippi State (So); Mack Wilson/Alabama (jr); Peyton Pelluer/Washington State (Sr); Curtis Bolton/Oklahoma (Sr); Nate Landman/Colorado (So); Markus Bailey/Purdue (Jr);  Javahn Fergurson/New Mexico State (Jr); Paddy Fisher/Northwestern (So); Troy Dye/Oregon (Jr); Sione Takitaki/BYU (Sr); Joe Giles-Harris/Duke (Jr); Bryton Barr/UMass (Sr); Justin Strnad/Wake Forest (Jr); Tony Fields/Arizona (So); Chase Hancock/Marshall (Sr); AJ Hotchins/UTEP (Sr); David Reese/Florida (Jr); Logan Wilson/Wyoming; Dakota Allen/Texas Tech (Sr); Tre Watson/Maryland (Sr); Terrill Hanks/New Mexico State (Sr); Nate Evans/UCF (Jr); Joe Bachie/Michigan State (Jr); Connor Strachan/Boston College (Sr); Cale Garrett/Missouri (Jr); TJ Brunson/South Carolina (Jr); Blake Gallagher/Northwestern (So); Kielan Whitner/Syracuse (Sr); Sage Lewis/FIU (Jr); Khalid McGee/USF (Sr); Chris Peace/Virginia (Sr); Bobby Okereke/Stanford (Sr); Dre Greenlaw/Arkansas (Sr); Ulysees Gilbert/Akron (Sr); Malik Gant/Marshall (Jr); Anthony Wheeler/Texas (Sr); Cole Holcomb/North Carolina (Sr); Bryan London/Texas State (Jr); Kyle Pugh/Northern Illinois (Sr)  
DEFENSIVE BACK
Brian Peavy/Iowa State (Sr); Jonathan Abram/Mississippi State (Sr); Richie Grant/UCF (So); Julian Blackmon/Utah (Jr); Kris Boyd/Texas (Sr); Amani Hooker/Iowa (Jr); Andre Cisco/Syracuse (Fr); Mike Edwards/Kentucky (Sr); DJ Williams/Utah State (Jr); Paulson Adebo/Stanford (So); Justin Layne/Michigan State; Nate Brooks/North Texas; Joejuan Williams/Vanderbilt (Jr); Adrian Frye/Texas Tech; Khari Willis/Michigan State (Sr); Kemon Hall/North Texas; Marvell Tell/USC (Sr); Ky'el Hemby/Southern Miss (Jr); Taylor Rapp/Washington (Jr); Chris Jackson/Marshall (Jr); Clifton Duck/Appalachian State (Jr); Andrew Wingard/Wyoming (Sr); Shyheim Carter/Alabama (So); Adarius Pickett/UCLA (Sr); McKinley Whitfield/Tulsa (Sr); CJ Henderson/Florida (Jr); Lavert Hill/Michigan (Jr); Essang Bassey/Wake Forest; Brontae Harris/UAB (So); Amani Oruwariye/Penn State; Juwan Foggie/Charlotte (Sr); Dakari Monroe/San Jose State (Sr); Donnie Lewis Jr/Tulane (Sr); Mark McLaurin/Mississippi State (Sr); Kindle Vildor/Georgia Southern (Jr); Justin Clifton/Arkansas State (Sr); Montre Hardage/Northwestern (Sr); Rock Ya-Sin/Temple (Sr); Dicaprio Bootle/Nebraska (So); Vince Calhoun/Eastern Michigan (Jr); Xavier McKinney/Alabama (So); Wesley Bush/Middle Tennessee (Sr); Isaiah Simmons/Clemson (So); Delvon Randall/Temple (Sr); Alvin Davis/Akron (Jr)

     

     SPECIALISTS

       FIRST TEAM

 K Domink Eberle/Utah State (Jr)

 P James Smith/Cincinnati (So)

PR Greg Dortch/Wake Forest (So)

KR Savon Scarver/Utah State (So)

     SECOND TEAM

  K Cole Tracy/LSU (Sr)

  P Drue Chrisman/Ohio State (So)

 PR Isaiah Wright/Temple (Jr)

 KR Jason Huntley/New Mexico State (Jr)

    THIRD TEAM

 K Clayton Hatfield/Texas Tech (Sr)

 P Zach Von Rosenberg/LSU (So)

PR Clifton Duck/Appalachian State (Jr)

KR Maurice Ffrench/Pittsburgh (Jr)

HONORABLE MENTION

KICKER

Andre Szymt/Syracuse (Fr); Rodrigo Blankenship/Georgia (Jr); Matt Gay/Utah (Sr); Jameson Vest/Toledo (Sr); Cole Hedlund/North Texas (Sr); Riley Patterson/Memphis (So); Luke Logan/Ole Miss (So); Austin Seibert/Oklahoma (Sr)

PUNTER

Mitch Wishnowsky/Utah (Sr); Braden Mann/Texas A&M (Jr); Clayton Howell/Appalachian State (Fr); Max Duffy/Kentucky (So); Corey Fatony/Missouri (Sr); Brandon Wright/Georgia State (Jr); Tommy Townsend/Florida (Jr)

PUNT RETURN

Marcus Hayes/New Mexico (Fr); Michael Walker/Boston College (Sr); Dazz Newsome/North Carolina (So); Sean Riley/Syracuse (Jr); Freddie Swain/Florida (Jr); DJ Mathews/Florida State (So); John Williams/Memphis (Jr)

KICKOFF RETURN

Joe Reed/Virginia (Jr); Kerrith Whyte/FAU (Jr); Travell Harris/Washington State (Fr); Ashtyn Davis/California (Jr); Ihmir Smith-Marsette/Iowa (So); Austin Walter/Rice (Sr); Kene Nwangwu/Iowa State (So); Rondale Moore/Purdue (Fr)

Why We Love College Football

College football is back.

Those are words as joyous to many as "it's Christmas!" are to a young child.

Notice the specificity -- COLLEGE FOOTBALL is back.

Not football. College football.

I know there are many out there who have entire weekends consumed by football, and that's fine. On Saturdays they roll with the college action while Sundays are set aside for NFL. That's understandable. The NFL, despite the heavy-handed mismanagement by commish Roger Goodell, is still king of the ratings -- not sure why, but it is.

The players are the best of the best, and seeing legends like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers play is certainly something to relish.

But what is the NFL really? It's 16 games a week, all look the same, all have basically the same formations and plays. It's really gambling and fantasy football that drive the NFL engine, with followers simultaneously watching Red Zone and looking at their phones for live updates on their "games." They can't be bothered with which NFL team actually won the game -- hell, they probably don't even care, as long as their dude runs for a buck fifty and scores twice.

College football has many elements the NFL is missing -- pageantry, marching bands, idyllic settings, fans going apeshit for their teams, rivalries. You name it, in just about every aspect the college game beats the NFL.

Much of this may depend on where you grow up. For people raised in Columbus or Tuscaloosa or Ann Arbor or South Bend, there is something about being automatically attached to the hometown team. You grow up in the area, maybe your parents went there. You gain familiarity with the programs and traditions and coaches, you feel a part of something. You like the fact that some of the players on the team are from your town, from your state. You feel connected, like they are taking a part of you with them onto the field.

There are the traditions -- Script Ohio, Howard's Rock, Toomer's Corner, Touchdown Jesus, Hotty Toddy, Roll Tide -- the list could go on forever. You don't find too many people driving for a day or more to get to an NFL stadium, but they'll do it five or six times a season to get to their favorite college venue. RVs and tailgates are regular fixtures on college campuses, and fans line the street near the stadium to see their heroes making that walk. Only Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City comes close to replicating a college atmosphere. The settings, as much as anything, make the experience. Fight songs matter, too -- "Fight On," "The Victors," "Anchors Aweigh" and "Rocky Top" just add to the atmosphere. Or, if you're the visitor, add to the frustation if your team is losing.

Even the stadiums have nicknames -- The Swamp, The Shoe, Death Valley (two of those!), Home of the 12th Man, The Big House, The Cock Pit. NFL stadiums are known by their antiseptic corporate sponsorship.

And the rivalries -- Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn, USC-Notre Dame, Texas-Oklahoma, Cal-Stanford, Clemson-South Carolina, Harvard-Yale, Lehigh-Lafayette ... every team has that one foe it cannot stand losing to, that one foe against whom victory soothes a lot of ills. Big time stakes, just once a season. It sends hearts racing.

Though Group of Five teams will dispute this, every game in college football has meaning. In the NFL, you lose once, no big deal. Lose twice, no big deal. You could lose seven, even eight times, and still have a shot at the postseason. Not so in college football. Every week is an elimination, as one loss puts you behind the eight ball and a second loss puts you out of the running altogether. Every game matters, every play matters. Think otherwise? Well, how many NFL regular season games do you know that have been named? In college there's "Wide Right" and "Kick Six" and "Catholics vs Convicts," and many more. Hell, a T-shirt was made of a frustrated Michigan fan after his Wolverines lost to Michigan State on a botched punt in the final seconds of the game a couple of years ago. Most of the memorable NFL moments have come in the playoffs.

Every college game has its own flavor. Over here you have one game featuring an Air Raid vs. an option, another with a spread team facing a Pro-Style, a team that goes empty, defenses that utilize more speed than size, that have nickel as their base. You pretty much find 3-4 and 4-3 in the NFL, and the offenses deviate very little, if at all. Oh, maybe there are some RPO principles, but by and large they make the players adapt to the system rather than crafting a system that can fit your players. The diverse offenses and chess matches are a big part of why college football is so appealing.

Conference pride is big, too. Have you ever heard fans chanting "N-F-C" at the Super Bowl, or "A-F-C South" in a matchup between the Colts and Jets? Of course you haven't. Because every team is its own entity. In college, even if you're an Alabama fan you pay attention to Auburn and Georgia and LSU, and don't mind when they knock off a Big 10 or Pac-12 foe. There's something soothing about solidarity.

There are other factors that swing in favor of college football -- coaching personalities, recruiting, defensive players playing offense, singing the alma mater in the end zone after the game, renewing friendships during homecoming, actual mascots (UGA and Mike The Tiger among the best), the fact that the team won't hold the city hostage for a new stadium or threaten to move.

Maybe I am in the minority, but I am seldom wowed after walking into an NFL stadium. There's loud music (usually techno) blaring from the sound system, a stark contrast to the brass of the marching band getting fans fired up before game time. If you don't feel goosebumps upon walking into Notre Dame Stadium or The Horseshoe, don't get amped when hearing "Enter Sandman" at Lane Stadium, don't go wild for the fourth-quarter "Jump Around" in Madison, then you, friend, need some help.

Welcome back, old friend. I've missed you.

Where Does Ohio State Go From Here?

Well, that was odd.

One of the strangest days in recent Ohio State football history capped one of the strangest months in Ohio State football history, ending with a three-game suspension for Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer.

Depending on whom you talk to, it was either a slap on the wrist or completely undeserved.

As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Urban Meyer (WPLG)

By now everyone knows all of the sordid details of this saga, the back and forth social media journalism rivalries that uncovered nugget after nugget – most having nothing to do with anything, but lapped up just the same.

The investigative committee charged with sorting out this mess was about as thorough as could be expected, especially given the fact they worked under the confines of a self-imposed 14-day deadline. They talked to numerous people, including Meyer, athletic director Gene Smith, former receivers coach Zach Smith, his ex-wife Courtney Smith, as well as examined text messages and emails. Their conclusions were that Meyer did not violate any contractual policies but did mismanage his handling of Zach Smith, allowing him to stay on staff despite numerous red flags.

The result determined by Ohio State was a three-game suspension without pay, which means Meyer won’t be around the team at all until after Sept. 2^nd and won’t coach until after TCU and won’t receiver any money until Sept. 16^th. That nearly five weeks of salary, or roughly $580,000. I don’t care how much you make, that’s not pocket change. 

There were definitely some troubling things uncovered by the committee – the fact that Meyer’s phone appeared to be devoid of text messages older than a year, not coincidentally around the same time a staffer told him that the phone’s settings could be adjusted to get rid of messages older than one year. The committee could not PROVE that Meyer did anything shady in that aspect, but it does seem odd that it was talked about prior and then shown to have captured messages a year old or newer.

Also troubling was the committee’s determination that “We learned that coach Meyer sometimes had significant memory issues in other situations where he had prior extensive knowledge of events.” The issues were attributed to medication Meyer takes, which sometimes impairs his memory and focus. Even taking the committee at its word, this one seems a bit hard to swallow.

And then there’s Zach Smith.

Where to start? 

There were financial issues, an OVI (which he never informed Meyer about), an affair with a staffer, sex toys ordered and delivered to the offices at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. In short, a ton of reasons why Smith could have been fired and no one would have batted an eye. There were also the domestic claims, though only an incident in 2009 while an assistant at Florida under Meyer has been confirmed by all parties. Meyer repeatedly talked to Smith about his behavior, warning him that if it happened again he would be fired. But he never did, and that’s concerning. Did he keep him on because he was a top recruiter? Because the receivers seemed to play hard for him? Because he was Earle Bruce’s grandson, and Bruce was the man who helped Meyer break into the coaching profession?

Probably all of the above.

While loyalty is to be commended, at some point you have to take a step back and ask yourself if it’s worth it. Is the stain on your reputation and that of your university worth keeping such a troubled guy on staff? 

Meyer apparently thought so, at least until Smith violated protection order. At that point he was fired. That was on July 23^rd. The next morning a story by Brett McMurphy ran alleging that Smith had been arrested for domestic violence (which was untrue), and Meyer was asked at the Big Ten Media Days, “the 2015 reported incident … are you saying you don’t know anything about that, or do you believe that didn’t happen?” Meyer said, “I can’t say it didn’t happen because I wasn’t there. I was never told about anything, never anything came to light, I’ve never had a conversation about it. So I know nothing about that.”

He then doubled down – a crucial mistake – and uttered the infamous “There’s nothing. I don’t know who creates a story like that.”

The committee said it accepted that Meyer was “deeply absorbed” in football season and wanted to focus on football on that day. They kind of gave him a pass, saying he misspoke, but that reasons were complex, and that in their view, Meyer did not deliberately lie. He definitely came off looking bad, and should have said something to the effect of “we have let Zach Smith go due to an accumulation of things.” If asked to expand upon that, about the domestic violence incident specifically, he could have said he was aware of it, did what he was obligated to do and didn’t want to talk any further about it as it was a personnel matter. But he didn’t.

Urban Meyer (NewsOK)

He had a second chance, a chance to make it right, at the end of the August 22^nd press conference. He was asked what he would say to Courtney Smith. His response was that he was “sorry we are in this situation.” It was obvious he did not believe her, and maybe he had reason not to. There were never charges, and the committee even hinted that no incident could be confirmed in 2015, referring to it throughout the report as “allegations.” The facts at hand can be debated, but his statement cannot be. In a situation like that one, even if you’re skeptical, be a bigger man and show some remorse for the victim. Don’t come off like a petulant kid, because that’s what you looked like.

All of those things can be examined up, down and sideways, and different people will have different feelings.

What cannot be disputed is that Meyer acted properly in reporting his concerns about Zach Smith to his superiors. The committee said as much, though added he should have done more and gone to Compliance. That seems odd, considering Compliance has no jurisdiction over these kinds of matters. Compliance deals with Title IX and NCAA violations, and this was neither.

The committee concluded the following:

“Although neither Urban Meyer nor Gene Smith condoned or covered up the alleged domestic abuse by Zach Smith, they failed to take sufficient management action relating to Zach Smith’s misconduct and retained an Assistant Coach who was not performing as an appropriate role model for OSU student-athletes. Permitting such misconduct to continue is not consistent with the values of the University and reflects poorly on Coach Meyer, Athletic Director Smith, and the University.”

So if Meyer did not violate his contract, he could not be fired – at least not with cause. OSU could have terminated him without cause, but would have owed him $38 million in the process. That’s a hefty price to pay someone to go away. The committee did chide him for his handling of Smith, of keeping him on staff despite repeated missteps, which is more than fair. Thus, the suspension.

If naysayers want to cast aspersions on the committee or on Ohio State, that’s a they problem, not an Urban Meyer problem. People don’t get to choose their version of reality, though they often do. Quick rushes to judgement, even if the facts prove otherwise. They will stick to their original ideas and blast the process, or ignore them altogether. If people want to throw shade at Meyer, that’s fine – as long as they have something to back their argument.

We’ve seen this recently – the misguided Tennessee fans who torpedoed Greg Schiano’s hire because they believed that he was tied to the Jerry Sandusky pedophile scandal at Penn State, even if no tangible evidence of that exists. They got vocal and UT backed away, ultimately hiring Jeremy Pruitt away from Alabama. 

The fact that this whole thing has devolved into a soap opera, a fencing match of dodge and parry statements, is sad. Prurient reports about things have nothing to do with the investigation are released just a reporter can stay relevant. That’s where journalism has gone. 

Even though Meyer was retained, there are no winners here, at least not in the short term. 

OSU will take a PR hit nationally, though that doesn’t bother me too much because local approval matters much more than anything the outsiders say. The only way it becomes an issue is if recruiting suffers, and at the moment that does not appear to be the case. 

Journalism hasn’t won because it has sunk to the lowest common denominator, with a few exceptions. 

Fans haven’t won because they’ve been painted with a broad brush.

The sport hasn’t won because too many people have been talking about off-field issues instead of battles for the starting quarterback job.

All of that said, at least the situation is no longer a distraction. The Buckeyes and Meyer know where they stand and can begin planning for the season.

It will be interesting to see not only how the Buckeyes play in week 4 vs Tulane, but how Meyer comports himself going forward. While the press conference was botched – twice, in fact – there is a real chance to shape a new legacy, to make people forget about this blip in time.

He’s remade himself once before. Can he do it again?

For the sake of his career, he will have to.