College Football Week – Preseason 2: Has the band taken the field yet?
Anticipation is keeping me waiting

Yeah, the anticipation is keeping us waiting. But the wait is almost over – only 10 days to go.

“We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway”

And do we ever. Not knowing what the season will be like, we think about it all the time. We think about it, full of anticipation.

For Florida fans, they don’t have to think about who the starting quarterback will be. Not anymore. Last week Gators coach Jim McElwain ended the anticipation when he named transfer, redshirt-sophomore Luke Del Rio the starter for the opening game against Massachusetts on September 3.

Del Rio, from Santa Rosa Beach, California, originally enrolled at Alabama as a walk-on in January 2013. That fall, he was listed on the roster as the No. 3 quarterback for the Tide. But he never played during the 2013 season and he remained a walk-on.

In January 2014, Del Rio transferred to and enrolled at Oregon State. Under the rules, he was able to transfer and play without sitting out a year since he was just a walk-on at Alabama. At Oregon State, Del Rio became the second string quarterback and played in three games for the Beavers during the 2014 season.

When Oregon State coach Mike Riley left to take Nebraska job after the 2014 season, Del Rio transferred to Florida. Since he was on scholarship at Oregon State, Del Rio had to sit out the 2015 season in Gainesville. He lost a year of eligibility when he played in those three games for the Beavers. That’s why he is listed as a redshirt-sophomore at Florida.

In high school Del Rio spent his junior year playing quarterback at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Florida. His senior year he was the quarterback at Valor Christian High School in Colorado. His father is Jack Del Rio a former USC and NFL linebacker and current head coach for the Oakland Raiders.

Actually, there was little, if any, doubt that Del Rio would be named the starter. A couple weeks ago, Steve Spurrier, who recently was named the Consultant To and Ambassador For the Florida Athletic Department, let the cat out of the bag. Upon accepting his new position in Gainesville, Spurrier informed everyone that Del Rio would be named the starting quarterback.

When McElwain finally made the announcement about Del Rio last week, everyone kind of went, “Well, duh.” Even Paul Finebaum, on his daily TV show, said we knew that because head coach Steve Spurrier already told us.

And speaking of Spurrier’s title – Consultant To and Ambassador For the Florida Athletic Department – does that mean in close games Spurrier will send plays down to McElwain from the press box? And does that mean he will occasionally reside in Embassies and Consulates located in Baton Rouge, Lexington, Knoxville, etc?

No more waiting about the starting quarterback at USC, either. Trojans head coach Clay Helton named redshirt-junior Max Browne over redshirt-freshman Sam Darnold. Darnold had been challenging Browne for the starting position. The Trojans open against Alabama on September 3.

However in South Bend, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly doesn’t plan to name a starting quarterback. He said he would play both DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire in the Irish’s opener against Texas on September 3. Regardless of which quarterback begins the first offensive series for Notre Dame, Kelly said neither Kizer nor Zaire would be considered the starter. Not yet, at least.

Back in Gainesville, Gators coach Jim McElwain has suspended cornerback Jalen Tabor and tight end Cyontai Lewis from the opening game against Massachusetts – not that any Gators player would be missed against UMass.

Tabor and Lewis were suspended for getting into a fight during practice. Apparently, it was a nasty fight. Obviously, McElwain’s announced suspension had little to no effect on Tabor. Afterwards, the cornerback tweeted, “Scuffles happen in football all the time. Didn’t know you could get suspended for it. LOL.” Wonder if McElwain was LOL.

“Anticipation, anticipation
Is making me late
Is keeping me waiting”

Anticipating the upcoming, big game against Alabama, the bookstore on the USC campus last week began selling t-shirts that said, “Roll, Tears, Roll.” Not to be outdone, Alabama responded with a t-shirt of its own that said, “Our O.J. Only Killed Clemson.”

“Our O.J.” is Alabama tight end O.J. Howard who had a superb performance last season in the national championship game against Clemson. No responses from USC, yet.

Speaking of superb performances, how ’bout Usain Bolt’s performances in the Olympics? And I’m thinking, what a sensational receiver that guy would have been in football. With his height (6’5”), his weight (207 lbs.) and his speed, no one could have defended him. Just thinkin’.

If Rockledge Gator ever recommends a movie, you might want to think twice about going. But I must say that last week my friend Rockledge was actually honest about a movie he watched. Or at least I think he was.

The movie is “The All American,” a 1953 film starring Mamie Van Doren and Tony Curtis. Curtis plays a college quarterback in the film. The other day, I got a text message from Rockledge that said:

“Watched the worst, baddest football movie I’ve EVER seen last night. It is soooo bad that you MUST watch it. It is so bad you cannot stop watching. It’s like whoever made it had no idea whatsoever about college football.”

Well, it sounds soooo bad that I don’t want to watch it. The idea and thought of Tony Curtis playing a quarterback is enough to make you question the movie. That alone should be a dead giveaway that it’s bad. I’ve seen most all the football movies. Don’t know how I missed this one. But it sounds like I should be glad I missed it.

It was good to hear from Tim Muth and Ken Burger last week. Tim is going to be a grandfather and Ken shared a great story about an Oregon-USC football game he once attended in Los Angeles.

I keep saying we only have 10 days to go, because that is the Thursday night going into Labor Day weekend when several teams begin their seasons. It’s the traditional opening of college football. But this year, there is an earlier game. This Saturday, Hawaii and California actually open the 2016 season in Sydney, Australia.

However, Saturday in Sydney, is actually Friday in the U.S. The game starts at 10 p.m. ET, Friday, August 26. ESPN is broadcasting the game.

G’day, mate!

“And tomorrow we might not be together
I’m no prophet; I don’t know nature’s way
So I’ll try to see into your eyes right now
And stay right here, ’cause these are the good old days”

Yes, these are the good old days!

Touchdown Tom
August 22, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Quotes of the Week

“It gives me peace of mind,” Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, upon signing a $5 million insurance policy against a career-ending injury.

“Scuffles happen in football all the time. Just didn’t know you could get suspended for it. LOL,” suspended Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor.

“Luke (Del Rio) is going to work as the starter the rest of the camp and start in the season opener barring any unforeseen development. Our other quarterbacks remain in the plans and are ready to move forward and help the Gators any way they can,” Florida coach Jim McElwain, naming his starting quarterback.


Quote from the Past

Son, you’ve got a good engine, but your hands aren’t on the steering wheel,” Florida State coach Bobby Bowden.


The Teams – 2016 (Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40)

When it comes to preseason rankings, the anticipation ended yesterday when the last of the preseason polls – the Associated Press Poll – was released. Like 9 of the 11 polls already out, Alabama was No. 1. And like 7 of the 11 polls already posted, Clemson was No. 2.

As is tradition every year, I take the results of all the legitimate preseason polls and combine them together to come up with Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40. This year, there were 12 polls in my calculations. Once the numbers of the 12 polls were crunched, Alabama came out as the clear No. 1 team. Clemson was a solid No. 2.

The rest of the Top 10 in my Consensus Top 40 included Florida State – 3; Oklahoma – 4, and LSU – 5. The Tigers were followed by Ohio State – 6; Michigan – 7; Tennessee – 8; Stanford – 9, and Notre Dame 10.

Yes, Alabama was No. 1 in 10 of the 12 polls. One poll ranked the Tide 2nd and another poll had Alabama 4th. Clemson was No. 2 in 8 of the 12 polls. None of the polls ranked the Tigers lower than 5th. Of the two polls that didn’t have Alabama ranked 1st, one had Florida State at the top and the other had LSU at No. 1.

Each of the Power 5 conferences is represented in the Top 10, led by the SEC with three teams – Alabama, LSU and Tennessee. The ACC and Big Ten each have two teams – Clemson and Florida State (ACC) and Ohio State and Michigan (Big Ten). The Big 12 and the Pac-12 each have one team – Oklahoma and Stanford respectively. There is one Independent in the Top 10 – Notre Dame.

Continuing down the Consensus Top 40, the second 10 consists of Washington – 11; Ole Miss – 12; Michigan State – 13, TCU – 14; Baylor – 15; Iowa – 16; UCLA – 17; USC – 18; Houston – 19, and Louisville 20.

Finishing out the Top 25 are Georgia – 21; Oklahoma State and Oregon (tie) – 22; North Carolina – 24, and Miami (Florida) – 25.

So the Top 25 is made up of five teams each from the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC; four teams each from the Big 12 and Big Ten, and one Independent. The Top 25 has one team from the AAC (Group of 5 conference) – Houston.

The rest of the Top 30 consists of Florida – 26; Boise State – 27; Texas and Utah (tie) – 28, and Wisconsin – 30.

The final 10 teams in the Consensus Top 40 are Auburn – 31; Texas A&M – 32; Arkansas and Nebraska (tie) – 33; San Diego State – 35; Washington State – 36; Pitt – 37; Northwestern – 38; Penn State 39, and Virginia Tech – 40.

Just missing the Top 40 was South Florida – 41. Trailing South Florida was West Virginia – 42.

The Consensus Top 40 consists of nine teams from the SEC (six from the SEC West); eight teams from the Big Ten; seven each from the ACC and Pac-12, and five teams from the Big 12. The Group of 5 conferences are represented by three teams – 2 from the MWC and one from the AAC. There is one Independent.

The highest ranked team from the other three Group of 5 conferences is Western Michigan – 54 – from the MAC, Western Kentucky – 55 – from C-USA and Appalachian State – 61 – from the Sun Belt.

Last year, the Top 5 teams in Touchdown Tom’s Preseason Consensus Top 40 were Ohio State – 1; TCU – 2; Alabama – 3; Baylor – 4, and Oregon – 5. At the end of the regular season, the Top 4 playoff teams were Clemson – 1; Alabama – 2; Michigan State – 3, and Oklahoma – 4.

Of those four, only Alabama was in the Top 5 at preseason. Clemson was 12th, Michigan State was 7th and Oklahoma was 21st. Alabama won the national championship, beating Clemson in the title game. In the finals polls, it was Alabama – 1; Clemson – 2; Stanford – 3; Ohio State – 4 and Oklahoma –5. Stanford was 17th in the consensus preseason poll.


The Running Backs – 2016

Four running backs are topping the charts at the beginning of the 2016 season. But two of the four are so hot, they are off the charts. They are Stanford junior Christian McCaffrey (6-0, 202) and LSU junior Leonard Fournette (6-1, 230).

Last year, McCaffrey did it all – everything that is but win the Heisman Trophy. And he should have won that. McCaffrey racked up 3,864 all-purpose yards – running, returning and receiving. He even threw passes. But when McCaffrey lined up at quarterback, they didn’t call it the wildcat quarterback at Stanford. They called it the wildcaff quarterback.

Purely as a running back, McCaffrey rushed for 2,019 yards in 2015. He averaged 144 yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry.

Fournette was no slouch either. The Tigers running back rushed for 1,953 yards last year. He averaged 163 yards per game, 6.5 yards per carry and scored 22 touchdowns.

The other two running backs high on the charts are Florida State junior Dalvin Cook (5-11, 206) and Oklahoma junior Samaje Perine (5-10, 234). Last season, Cook rushed for 1,691 yards, scoring 19 touchdowns. He averaged 141 yards per game and 7.4 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Perine, who shared some of his running time with Joe Mixon for the Sooners, still managed some flashy statistics. The OU back rushed for 1,349 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Perine averaged 104 yards per game and scored 16 touchdowns.

So, Christian McCaffrey, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook and Samaje Perine are the top four running backs heading into the 2016 season. But don’t think that you won’t hear about some other running backs before the season is over.

Along with Fournette, the SEC has three other marquee runners, two from the same school – Georgia. The two Dawgs are junior Nick Chubb (5-10, 200) and junior Sonny Michel (5-11, 212). Chubb suffered a knee injury in 2015 that cut short his season, but he still managed to rush for 747 yards. More impressively, he averaged 125 yards per game and 8.1 yards per carry.

Filling in for Chubb, Michel rushed for 1,161 yards. But during the off-season, Michel suffered a broken left forearm in an accident on an ATV. Chubb and Michel are expected to be ready at the start of the season. But will both, only one or neither be a full strength?

The other running back of note in the SEC is Tennessee junior Jalen Hurd (6-4, 240). Tall for a running back, Hurd rushed for 1,288 yards in 2015, averaging 99 yards per game. He scored 12 touchdowns.

In addition to Dalvin Cook, the ACC has two other outstanding running backs. They are Clemson junior Wayne Gallman (6-1, 215) and North Carolina junior Elijah Hood (6-0, 220). Both put up some pretty impressive stats in 2015.

The Tigers’ Gallman rushed for 1,527 yards, scoring 13 touchdowns. He averaged 109 yards per game. The Tar Heels’ Hood rushed for 1,463 yards last year, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He averaged 105 yards per game and scored 17 touchdowns.

The Big Ten has three top running backs at preseason. The best of the bunch may be Northwestern junior Justin Jackson (5-11, 190). Last season, Jackson tallied 1,418 yards, averaging 109 yards per game.

The other two gems in the Big Ten are Penn State sophomore Saquon Barkley (5-11, 222) and Wisconsin senior Corey Clement. Barkley rushed for 1,076 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per carry in 2015. He averaged 98 yards per game. The Badgers’ Clement has the potential for a great 2016. He suffered from injuries last season.

Three running backs will be competing with Samaje Perine for bragging rights in the Big 12 this season. Two of them – Baylor senior Shock Linwood (5-9, 200) and Iowa State sophomore Mike Warren (6-0, 200) were impressive in their own right last year. Linwood rushed for 1,329 yards. He averaged 111 yards per game and 6.8 yards per carry.

As a freshman, Warren racked up 1,339 yards, averaging 112 yards per game. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, West Virginia senior Rushel Shell (5-10, 220), who played in the shadow of Wendell Smallwood (1,519 yards rushing) last year, hopes to make a big impact in 2016. Shell managed a respectable 708 yards in 2015. And keep an eye on Perine’s teammate Oklahoma sophomore Joe Mixon (6-1, 226).

The Pac-12 has a slew of good running backs. Almost sharing the marquee with Christian McCaffrey is Oregon junior Royce Freeman (5-11, 230). Freeman rushed for 1,836 yards in 2015, averaging 141 yards per game. He scored 17 touchdowns, while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

Not far behind Freeman is Washington sophomore Myles Gaskin (5-10, 193). The Huskies’ back tallied 1,302 yards last year, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Gaskins scored 14 touchdowns and averaged 100 yards per game. The two Arizona schools – Arizona State and Arizona – each have a good running back. For the Sun Devils, it is junior Demario Richard (5-10, 220) and for the Wildcats it is junior Nick Wilson (5-10, 215).

USC has not one, but two good running backs. They are senior Justin Davis (6-1, 195) and sophomore Ronald Jones (6-0, 185). Both rushed for more than 900 yards last year. Jones averaged 6.5 yards per carry. And finally, Washington State is set at running back with junior Gerard Wicks (6-0, 226).

In the Group of 5 conferences, the AAC features two star backs at preseason. Leading the twosome is South Florida junior Marlon Mack (6-0, 210). Mack came on strong last year, rushing for 1,381 yards. He averaged 115 yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry. Temple has a mighty mite in senior Jahad Thomas (5-10, 188). Thomas rushed for 1,262 yards and scored 17 touchdowns last season.

In the MWC, San Diego State senior Donnel Pumphrey (5-9, 180) tops a list of four good running backs. In 2015, Pumphrey rushed for 1,653 yards. He averaged 118 yards per game and scored 17 touchdowns. Two of the other three key backs in the MWC are Boise State junior Jeremy McNichols (5-9, 205) and Nevada junior James Butler (5-9, 200).

Last year, McNichols rushed for 1,337 yards, scoring 20 touchdowns. He averaged 111 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry. Butler countered with 1,342 yards rushing. He averaged 103 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry. The fourth running back to keep an eye on in the MWC is Wyoming junior Brian Hill (6-1, 219). Hill rushed for a respectable 1,631 yards. He averaged 136 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry.

Two of the best backs in the MAC are from the same school – Toledo. They are senior Kareem Hunt (6-0, 225) and junior Terry Swanson (5-10, 200). Last year, Hunt rushed for 973 yards and Swanson added another 923 yards. Hunt averaged 108 yards per game, while Swanson averaged 6.5 yards per carry. But keep your eye on Northern Illinois senior Joel Bouagnon (6-2, 228). In 2015, Bouagnon rushed for 1,285 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.

C-USA has a few good running backs to watch out for. Among the best in C-USA is UTEP senior Jarveon Williams (5-9, 200). In 2015, Williams tallied 1,042 yards, averaging 95 yards per game. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry.

Southern Miss has a top back in junior Ito Smith (5-9, 195). Last year, Smith racked up 1,128 yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Rice is hanging its hopes on senior Darik Dillard (5-10, 215).

The top two running backs in the Sun Belt Conference are New Mexico State junior Larry Rose (5-11, 184) and Georgia Southern senior Matt Breida. Rose rushed for 1,641 yards in 2015. He averaged 138 yards per game, 6.9 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns. Breida rushed for 1,608 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He averaged 124 yards per game and scored 17 touchdowns.

Appalachian State has a capable running back in senior Marcus Cox. Last year, Cox rushed for 1,423 yards. He averaged 119 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry. And finally, Louisiana-Lafayette is in good shape with senior Elijah McGuire (5-11, 208). McGuire rushed for 1,058 yards last season.

Among the Independents, BYU may have the best answer at running back with senior Jamal Williams (6-2, 220). In recent seasons, Williams has gotten off to a great start, only to get injured. If he can stay injury free in 2016, it could be a good season for the Cougar running back.

TT’s Top Ten Favorite Running Backs at Preseason:

1. Christian McCaffrey – Stanford
2. Leonard Fournette – LSU
3. Samaje Perine – Oklahoma
4. Dalvin Cook – Florida State
5. Royce Freeman – Oregon
6. Nick Chubb – Georgia
7. Elijah Hood – North Carolina
8. Matt Breida – Georgia Southern
9. Donnel Pumphrey – San Diego State
10. Corey Clement – Wisconsin

And keep an eye on:

Wayne Gallman – Clemson; Shock Linwood – Baylor; Jalen Hurd – Tennessee; Kareem Hunt – Toledo; Sonny Michel – Georgia; Justin Jackson – Northwestern; Joe Mixon – Oklahoma; Larry Rose – New Mexico State, and Jamal Williams – BYU.


The Other Positions – 2016

Wide Receivers

Among the 16 best wide receivers in college football this season, five hail from the SEC. They are Alabama sophomore Calvin Ridley (6-1, 188), Texas A&M sophomore Christian Kirk (5-11, 200) and Mississippi State senior Fred Ross (6-2, 207). And LSU has not one but two top receivers – senior Travin Dural (6-2 203) and junior Michael Dupre (6-3, 190).

The ACC comes up with three of the best receivers. They are Virginia Tech junior Isaiah Ford (6-2, 19), Florida State junior Travis Rudolph (6-1, 189) and Clemson senior Mike Williams (6-4, 220).

The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 each have two of the top receivers. In the Big Ten are Michigan senior Jehu Chesson (6-3, 200) and Nebraska senior Jordan Westerkamp (6-0, 200). The Big 12 counters with Baylor junior K.D. Cannon (6-0, 180) and Oklahoma State junior James Washington (6-0, 205). The Pac-12 has USC junior JuJu Smith-Schuster (6-2, 215) and Washington State senior Gabe Marks (6-0, 188).

The MAC has an outstanding receiver in Western Michigan senior Corey Davis (6-3, 213), as does C-USA with Middle Tennessee sophomore Richie James (5-9, 177).


Tight Ends

The four best tight ends hail from the SEC, ACC and the Big Ten. They are Alabama senior O.J. Howard (6-6, 242), Ole Miss senior Evan Engram (6-3, 227), Clemson senior Jordan Leggett (6-5, 255) and Michigan senior Jake Butt (6-6, 250).


Centers

The seven top centers this season are from the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. The Big Ten provides Ohio State senior Pat Elflein (6-3, 300), Wisconsin senior Dan Voltz (6-3, 301), Michigan State junior Brian Allen (6-2, 303) and Iowa junior Sean Welsh (6-3, 288).

From the Big 12 are Baylor senior Kyle Fuller (6-5, 310) and West Virginia senior Tyler Orlosky (6-4, 295). And the SEC rep is LSU senior Ethan Pocic (6-7, 309).


Offensive Guards

The six best guards are from the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and MWC. The two from the SEC are Auburn junior Braden Smith (6-6, 286) and Florida sophomore Martez Ivey (6-5, 312). The Big Ten has two as well – Indiana senior Dan Feeney (6-4, 31) and Ohio State junior Billy Price (6-4, 315).

The ACC has Pitt senior Dorian Johnson (6-5, 300) and the MWC provides San Diego State senior Nico Siragusa (6-5, 335).


Offensive Tackles

Of the 10 best tackles in the country, three each are from the SEC, ACC and Pac-12. One is from an Independent. In the SEC, they are Alabama junior Cam Robinson (6-6, 327), Arkansas senior Dan Skipper (6-10, 326) and Texas A&M senior Avery Gennesy (6-5, 310).

The ACC’s tackles on the list are Florida State junior Roderick Johnson (6-7, 307), Pitt senior Adam Bisnowaty (6-6, 300) and Clemson sophomore Mitch Hyatt (6-5, 295). Out of the Pac-12 are USC senior Zach Banner (6-9, 360), UCLA senior Conor McDermott (6-9, 310).

The Independent is Notre Dame junior Mike McGlinchey (6-7, 310).


Defensive Ends

Among the 13 best defensive ends, an amazing eight are from the SEC. They are Texas A&M junior Myles Garrett (6-5, 262), Alabama senior Jonathan Allen (6-3, 294), Tennessee junior Derek Barnett (6-3, 257) and Missouri junior Charles Harris (6-3, 255).

Still from the SEC are LSU sophomore Arden Key (6-6, 231), Auburn junior Carl Lawson (6-2, 257), Alabama senior Dalvin Tomlinson (6-3, 307) and Ole Miss junior Marquis Haynes (6-3, 220).

Two out of the Big Ten are Michigan senior Chris Wormley (6-5, 303) and Ohio State junior Tyquan Lewis (6-4, 260). The remaining three best defensive ends are from the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12. They are Florida State senior DeMarcus Walker (6-3, 273), Oklahoma junior Charles Walker (6-2, 299) and UCLA senior Eddie Vanderdoes (6-3, 305).


Defensive Tackles

The country’s five best defensive tackles represent two from the SEC and one each from the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12. The two from the SEC are Auburn senior Montavius Adams (6-4, 296) and LSU junior Davon Godchaux (6-4, 293).

The other three are Clemson senior Carlos Watkins (6-3, 300), Michigan State junior Malik McDowell (6-6, 280) and Utah junior Lowell Lutulelel (6-2, 310).


Linebackers

Out of the 14 best linebackers, five are from the SEC and five are from the Big Ten. The other four are from the ACC (2), Big 12 and Pac-12. From the SEC are Florida senior Jarrad Davis (6-2, 240), Vanderbilt junior Zach Cunningham (6-4, 230), Alabama senior Reuben Foster (6-1 240), LSU senior Kendell Beckwith (6-2, 252) and Tennessee senior Jaylon Reeves-Maybin (6-0, 225).

The five from the Big Ten are Michigan junior Jabrill Peppers (6-1, 208), Ohio State junior Raekwon McMillan (6-4, 240), Northwestern junior Anthony Walker (6-1, 235), Wisconsin senior Vince Biegel (6-4, 242) and Michigan State senior Riley Bullough (6-2, 230).

From the ACC are Louisville senior Devonte Fields (6-4, 245) and Clemson senior Ben Boulware (5-11, 240). The Big 12 and the Pac-12 are represented by Texas sophomore Malik Jefferson (6-3, 238) and USC sophomore Cameron Smith (6-2, 245) respectively.


Cornerbacks

Of the 11 best cornerbacks in the country, four are from the SEC and two from the Big Ten. The SEC four are Florida junior Jalen Tabor (6-0, 199), Tennessee senior Cameron Sutton (5-11, 186), LSU senior Tre’Davious White (5-11, 191) and Alabama sophomore Marlon Humphrey (6-1, 198).

The Big Ten duo are Iowa senior Desmond King (5-11, 200) and Michigan senior Jordan Lewis (5-10, 175). The other five best cornerbacks are out of the ACC – Clemson senior Cordrea Tankersley (6-1, 195), out of the Pac-12 – USC junior Adoree Jackson (5-11, 185), out of the AAC – Connecticut junior Jamar Summers (6-0, 185), out of the MWC – San Diego State senior Damontae Kazee (5-11, 185) and out of the MAC – Northern Illinois junior Shawun Lurry (5-8, 180).


Safeties

The SEC and the ACC have six of the 8 best safeties. From the SEC are LSU junior Jamal Adams (6-1, 211), Alabama senior Eddie Jackson (6-0, 194), Florida senior Marcus Maye (6-0, 210) and Auburn senior Johnathan Ford (6-0, 203). The two ACC safeties are Florida State sophomore Derwin James and Virginia junior Quin Blanding (6-2, 205).

The other two safeties are from the Big 12 – Oklahoma senior Ahmad Thomas (6-0, 199) and from the Pac-12 – Washington junior Budda Baker (5-10, 184).


Kickers

The four top placekickers at preseason are Auburn (SEC) junior Daniel Carlson (6-4, 214), Utah (Pac-12) senior Andy Phillips (5-11, 209), Memphis (AAC) senior Jake Elliott (5-10, 165) and Florida (SEC) sophomore Eddie Pineiro (6-0, 183).


Punters

Four of the best punters in the nation are from the SEC and MWC. Out of the SEC are Alabama junior J.K. Scott (6-5, 198) and Florida junior Johnny Townsend (6-1, 210). From the MWC are Colorado State senior Hayden Hunt (6-0, 220) and San Jose State junior Michael Carrizosa (5-10, 226).

The other three best punters are from the Big Ten, C-USA and the Sun Belt. They are Ohio State senior Cameron Johnston (5-11, 195), Florida Atlantic senior Dalton Schomp (6-1, 220) and Idaho senior Austin Rehkow (6-3, 208).

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Arthur Hiller and Jack Riley.

Arthur Hiller, an Academy Award-nominated director whose long career flourished in the 1970s with crowd-pleasers like the successful “Love Story,” died last week in Los Angeles, He was 92. “Love Story” starred Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw. Hiller piloted nearly 70 feature films, television movies and episodes of TV series. Hiller’s personal favorite among his films was “The Americanization of Emily, which starred Julie Andrews and James Garner. Hiller was born on November 13, 1923, in Edmonton, Alberta. After high school, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and navigated bombers over enemy territory in Europe during World War II.

Jack Riley, who played the self-absorbed patient, Elliot Carlin, on the 1970s sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show,” died last week. He was 80. Riley also appeared in the Mel Brooks films “Silent Movie,” “High Anxiety,” “History of the World: Part I” and “Spaceballs.” He reprised the Carlin character on “ALF” and “St. Elsewhere,” and played a character very much like Carlin on “Newhart” in the 1980s. Riley also voiced commercials and made appearances on several TV shows, including “Different Strokes,” “Night Court” and “Seinfeld.” Jack Riley was born on December 30, 1935, in Cleveland, Ohio.