 |
| It won't be long until we see this beautiful sight (Getty Images) |
The 2017 college football season is just around the corner -- only a week away, despite others telling you that the REAL start is Labor Day weekend.
To that end, we present some questions that are on the minds of fans, and do our best to provide answers, at least as things stand right now. These aren't the trivial things, like the battles over the best tailgate fare or top stadium atmosphere. No, these are questions about the actual players and product.
1. Is this the year a defensive player is truly in contention for the Heisman Trophy?
If there is any justice, yes. It's no secret that the Heisman is nothing more than a reward for putting up ridiculous offensive numbers, which means anyone who doesn't play quarterback or running back need not bother. And that's a shame, because there are a handful of difference-making players on the defensive side of the ball who could make a legitimate claim for being the nation's best player.
Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver proved unblockable as a freshman, and with the promise of more versatility this season -- meaning he can rush the passer from an end spot -- Oliver could truly become a household name.
Florida State safety Derwin James missed most of last season with a knee injury, and the Seminoles defense suffered in his absence. James is back at full speed, which means the swarming, athletic, playmaking Seminoles should return in 2017. James is the catalyst, and someone offensive coordinators must account for.
Clemson's Dexter Lawrence is another lineman who creates all kinds of headaches for the opposition. He had seven sacks and six hurries as a freshman, and teamed inside with athletic freak Christian Wilkins, Lawrence could be even more productive this year.
Since his team isn't very good it's doubtful that Boston College defensive end Harold Landry enters the consciousness of voters, but his 16.5 sacks in 2016 says he should be on their radar.
Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is always around the football, and his game-breaking return abilities (186 yards and two scores on six picks) and the fact the Tide will be squarely in the national title hunt means he is firmly entrenched as one to watch.
2. Has the quarterback crop ever been this good and this deep?
If it has, it's been ages -- maybe the 1983 group, which included Dan Marino and John Elway and Jim Kelly, Hall of Famers all -- though even that group wasn't forecast to have the lasting impression on football that they have (OK, maybe Elway). But we are talking college here, not NFL stardom, and there a ton of guys in the game this year who can really spin it -- any of whom could be regarded as the best quarterback in the game.
Most are ceding top honors to USC's Sam Darnold, and that isn't without merit. The kid has poise, accuracy and star potential, and is a big reason the Trojans are picked to do big things this year. But is he really that much better than Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, or Louisville's Lamar Jackson, or crosstown rival Josh Rosen? See where this is going? Throw in Jake Browning from Washington, Mason Rudolph from Oklahoma State, Trace McSorley from Penn State, Ohio State's J.T. Barrett, South Florida's Quinton Flowers, Washington State's Luke Falk, Florida State's Deondre Francois, Alabama's Jalen Hurts and Wyoming's Josh Allen, and you have just a taste of the high quality quarterbacks in college football in 2017.
 |
| Kevin Sumlin (Associated Press) |
3. Which coach has the shortest rope, and who are the top hot seat candidates?
There are a number of candidates, but the top choice here is Texas A&M boss Kevin Sumlin. He teased early with an 11 win season, but hasn't gotten past the nine victory mark since, in spite of bringing in heralded recruiting classes. Quarterback issues have plagued the program for some time, and there's just a general feeling that the Aggies should be better than they are. Some feel A&M is a sleeping giant in the right hands, but aren't sure Sumlin's hands are the proper fit.
Another obvious choice is Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, where it's looking more and more as if the 2012 national championship game appearance was an outlier. Since that 12-win campaign, the Irish have won nine, eight, 10 and four games, and there has been turmoil, transfers and lack of development. New claims from Kelly that too much time spent fundraising caused the Irish to slip last year seem hollow, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him out after the season should the Irish once again struggle.
Other candidates include Tennessee's Butch Jones, Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury, UCLA's Jim Mora and Arizona's Rich Rodriguez.
4. Who are the difference-making transfers?
The one with the quickest opportunity to shine is Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham. He played a little at Baylor before going the JUCO route, and his ability to handle Gus Malzahn's spread will be instrumental in his -- and the Tigers -- fortunes. Stidham has a very good arm, showed poise in his limited time at Baylor, and runs well enough that teams won't be able to simply load up on the pass.
Others to watch include Pittsburgh QB Max Browne (USC); West Virginia QB Will Grier (Florida); Houston QB Kyle Allen (Texas A&M); North Carolina athlete Stanton Truitt (Auburn); Oklahoma State CB Adrian Baker (Clemson); Northwestern WR Jalen Brown (Oregon); Virginia Tech WR James Clark (Ohio State); Miami (Fla.) CB Dee Delaney (The Citadel); Rutgers RB Gus Edwards (Miami, Fla.); Maryland QB Caleb Henderson (North Carolina); Wisconsin RB Chris James (Pittsburgh); Arizona QB Anu Solomon (Baylor); East Carolina QB Thomas Sirk (Duke); Oregon DL Scott Pagano (Clemson); Nebraska QB Tanner Lee (Tulane); Oklahoma State WR Tyron Johnson (LSU)
5. Now that it has a championship game, does the Big 12 finally become relevant, and more of a player in the College Football Playoff chase?
A resounding yes.
Not only has the league finally implemented a title game -- which many saw as its main obstacle toward inclusion in the College Football Playoff -- but it's doing it the right way, actually pitting the top two teams against each other rather than having division winners face off. Other conferences would do well to follow the lead of the Big 12, and might actually get better games if the actual two best teams played each other for all the marbles.
Most people know that Oklahoma will once again be imposing, but this could be the year Oklahoma State not only wins Bedlam, but represents in the league in the CFP. Mason Rudolph, James Washington, Justice Hill and a host of offensive weapons make the Cowboys a frightening team.
The Sooners and Cowboys appear to be the league's best shot at a CFP berth, but the league as a whole is trending upward and is quickly gaining relevance and prestige.
6. Which first year coach has the biggest impact on his team?
This one is too close to call, so we will declare a tie between two Sunshine State bosses -- South Florida's Charlie Strong and Florida Atlantic's Lane Kiffin.
Strong had a disastrous tenure as head coach at Texas, failing to guide the Longhorns above .500 in any of his three seasons. He inherits a team ready-made to win, and has one of the most electrifying players in college football in quarterback Quinton Flowers. He will put his stamp on a defense that allowed far too many points (31.6) a year ago, and the Bulls get most of their crucial games at home.
Kiffin has made some waves since his mid-December hiring, appearing all over Twitter, trolling Ole Miss in the wake of the Hugh Freeze fiasco, and opening his door to players other programs might be afraid of. One thing is certain -- Kiffin has remained in the spotlight, and his team should be pretty good after securing the top recruiting class in Conference USA. Watch for QB De'Andre Johnson, a former Florida State signee with a big-time arm and the ability to lead.
Just behind those two is new Texas top dog Tom Herman, who comes to Austin after two seasons reinvigorating the Houston program. Herman is an offensive genius, and he's already made inroads on the recruiting trail. He should be good for the development of Longhorns QB Shane Buechele, though his success could be hampered if Texas suffers a spate of injuries because there isn't enough depth -- yet.
Others with a chance to prove their hires were good ones include Willie Taggart (Oregon), Matt Rhule (Baylor), Ed Oregeron (LSU), P.J. Fleck (Minnesota) and Jeff Brohm (Purdue)
 |
| Jimbo Fisher (USAToday) |
7. Is the SEC still the best conference in the land?
The talking heads who have an investment in the league will tell you yes, but it's looking more and more -- to these (admittedly old) eyes, anyway -- like the ACC has nudged to the front of the line. The measure of a conference isn't the strength at the top, but the strength of the bottom and the middle.
The ACC not only has the defending national champ in Clemson, but also Florida State, which is a major contender for the crown this year. Add in Louisville and North Carolina State and you have an Atlantic Division full of potential. The Coastal has two definite frontrunners in Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.), but Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh are better than most people think, and North Carolina still has athletes, though inexperienced.
The SEC has Alabama and Auburn as true national title contenders, and Georgia and Florida in the mix if either of those two drop the ball. But LSU has a ton of question marks, Ole Miss is in free-fall, Mississippi State is very young, Kentucky is up and coming but unproven, Tennessee is likely to take a step back. It just appears that the bottom of the SEC isn't as good as the bottom of the ACC, which has only one truly bad team in Virginia.
The Big Ten has enough dregs -- Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue -- and enough average -- Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska -- to keep it from being in the discussion, and the Pac-12, flashy though it may be, has little going for outside of Stanford, Washington and USC. UCLA was bad last year, Oregon is an unknown, Washington State is good on offense but not a complete team, Colorado will take a step back and Utah is solid but nothing special. Cal, Arizona State and Arizona are all bad, and until they get better the Pac doesn't have much of an argument.
The Big 12 could be sneaky good, and might even rival the SEC top to bottom before the year is over. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are CFP contenders, Kansas State is a veteran team that has a chance to be very good, and Texas is energized with new coach Tom Herman. TCU should rebound because Gary Patterson squads aren't bad in consecutive years, West Virginia has potential with Will Grier at quarterback and Baylor should become a physical, defensive-minded team under the guidance of new coach Matt Rhule. Only Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas are truly bad, but Tech is only a year removed from a bowl game while the Cyclones and Jayhawks each showed improvement last year.
8. Are there any sneaky-good teams to keep an eye on?
If you paid attention to our preseason rankings, you know that we are high on a few teams that may not be getting the love nationally that they maybe deserve.
South Florida's schedule is tailor-made for success, and with Flowers running the offense and Strong putting his stamp on the defense, it would be a surprise if the Bulls aren't the Group of Five teams selected for a New Year's Six game.
North Carolina State could be in line for big things with a defense that has athletes galore, and a quarterback in Ryan Finley that is better than many know. Do-it-all Jaylen Samuels is a game-changer on offense, and Bradley Chubb and Kentavius Street form a great pass-rushing tandem.
Northwestern is flying under the radar, but shouldn't be, especially given the experience and talent of QB Clayton Thorsen. The senior has gotten better each year, he can move in the pocket, keeps his eyes upfield and delivers on-time throws. Justin Jackson is a hoss at running back and will keep defenses honest, and saftey Godwin Igwebuike is all over the field for the defense.
Memphis has standout Riley Ferguson at quarterback and a dynamic offensive attack, and if the defense gets it together -- and it could with six starters returning -- the Tigers could make a real move nationally.
Brigham Young went 9-4 last year and could be even better this year thanks to home games with Utah and Wisconsin. QB Tanner Mangum has experience, the defense returns seven starters and the recruiting class was a good one. The Cougars might be out of the spotlight at the moment, but a couple of early wins could get the train rolling.
9. Has anyone joined Nick Saban and Urban Meyer in college football coaching's top tier?
Not yet, though Clemson's Dabo Swinney is right on the doorstep after taking the Tigers to consecutive appearances in the national title game, and a breakthrough win over Alabama in last year's contest. Swinney is heading into his 10th season, and few would have suspected things to go as well as they have upon his hiring. Promoted to head coach halfway through the 2008 season, Swinney had some fits and starts before showing his prowess on the recruiting trail, netting top five classes in 2011 and 2012. That talent helped set the stage for Clemson's ascension into the upper strata of college football, to the point that it has now become a "program", where excellence is expected every year. That pressure isn't always easy to deal with, but Swinney looks like he has the wherewithal to handle it.
10. How much grousing will there be about the College Football Playoff selection committee and its choices?
A ton, though truth be told they have done well the first three years. There was some grousing the first year when Ohio State got in over TCU (never mind that the Big 12 didn't declare an official champion nor did it have a title game), and last year when the Buckeyes got in over Penn State (to whom they had lost, but did have a league title and one fewer loss in their column, and a better overall schedule). The committee often talks in circles and contradicts itself afterward, but in the end it gets the four best teams more often than not.
Results -- Clemson 31-0 over Ohio State last year and Alabama 38-0 over Michigan State a year earlier -- do not invalidate the selections, as body of work is the overriding factor. Fans who complain and say "my team would have done better" are barking up the wrong tree, because it's not about whether or not the game was close, it's about selecting the right teams with the criteria available. And if different committee members have different ideas about things, that's fine. That allows for some flexibility, for some out of the box thinking at times, and it makes for an event that, so far, has proven to be must watch television. If four blue bloods ever make it -- and this is the year it could happen, if the preseason polls are an indicator -- then it will be really special.
There will be the customary grousing about number five being left out, but you know what? That's life. Not everyone is included, not everyone can win. And since there is no real way of knowing whether No. 5 is actually better than No. 4, I am more than willing to go along with the selections of the committee.
