College Football Week 1 – Five-straight days of football!
Happy Days Are Here Again

Yes, college football fans, after seven months….

“The skies above are clear again,
Let us sing a song of cheer again,
Happy days are here again.”

Although five games were played Saturday, this is the week we have been waiting for. This week is the official start of the college football season. From the first kickoff on Thursday evening to the final game Monday night, this is the week we have been waiting for – five-straight days of football. It doesn’t get any better than this. Happy days are here again!

The skies above are clear again for the Stanford band. After being suspended last September, college football’s most controversial marching band was reinstated from suspension in January. The Stanford band is cleared to perform for the 2017 football season. The band, however, remains on probation.

The band was placed on indefinite suspension last year for continuing to be an embarrassment to the school’s image. The Stanford band was deemed to have a systemic cultural problem that carried over to the field with its halftime performances designed to poke fun at opposing schools.

Word is the university has been working to restructure the band with the intent of developing a more respected organization. So we may never again see the Stanford band as we once knew it. Darn it!

“Altogether shout it now,
There’s no one who can doubt it now,
So let’s tell the world about it now,
Happy days are here again.”

And just so there is no doubt about it now, let’s tell the world about the new rules that are in effect for the 2017 college football season. After all, if you are going to watch and follow the games, then you need t know the rules.

Overall, there are eight new rules this year, but only two that impact action on the field during a game. They are:

1. Players are now prohibited from jumping over offensive lineman to block a kick. The NFL also implemented this rule starting with the 2017 season.
2. The nameplate is now included in the horse-collar tackle 15-yard penalty. The horse-collar tackle penalty has been around for more than a decade now and it continues to expand. Grabbing a player by the nameplate on the back of his jersey will be considered a horse-collar tackle.

The other six new rules are coaching and recruiting regulations. They are:

1. Early signing day – Football recruits can now sign their letters of intent during a three-day period in December near Christmas. In 2017, the dates will be December 20-23. Players who do not sign early must wait until the second Wednesday in February to sign their letters.
2. No more two-a-days – Full contact practices held twice in the same day are now banned.
3. Official visits moved up – Coaches may now begin visiting a recruit as early as April 1 of the recruit’s junior year. The visiting period ends the Sunday before the last Wednesday in June of that year. Official visits cannot occur in conjunction with a recruit’s participation in a school’s summer camp or clinic.
4. The 10th assistant rule – College football teams can now have up to 10 assistant coaches instead of nine.
5. Making college football like college basketball – Schools are no longer allowed to hire people close to the recruit (i.e. parents, coaches, trainers, etc.) for coaching jobs in the two-year period before or after the recruit’s enrollment at a prospective college. This rule has been in effect in basketball for a few years now.
6. Camp reform – This requires camps and clinics conducted by the schools to hold educational sessions detailing initial eligibility standards, gambling rules and drug regulations. It also limits the time for FBS coaches to participate in camps and clinics to 10 days in June and July and requires that the camps take place on a school’s campus or in facilities regularly used by the school for practice and/or competition.

Now that you are up to date on the rules, you can sing a song of cheer again as you watch these games over the five days of opening weekend. Florida International at UCF kicks off the weekend at 6 pm ET, Thursday, on CBSSN. All you Nebraska fans out there can check out Scott Frost’s offense and see what kind of progress the former Husker quarterback has made in his second season coaching UCF.

At 7:30 pm ET, most may want to switch over to the Tulsa at Oklahoma State game on FS1. Oklahoma State is No. 10 in the country and has one of the best quarterbacks in the country – Mason Rudolph. But Tulsa counters with one of the best running backs in the country – D’Angelo Brewer.

Then at 8 pm ET, Thursday, some of you may want to watch the No. 2 team in the country – Ohio State. The Buckeyes, with quarterback J.T. Barrett, open on the road at Indiana. The game is on ESPN.

For your Friday viewing, we have Lane Kiffin, and the No. 8 and No. 9 teams in the country. At 8 pm ET, on ESPNU, you can catch Navy at Florida Atlantic. After stints coaching the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and USC, the often controversial Kiffin is back in the head coaching role again this season at Florida Atlantic.

Also at 8 pm ET, on FS1, No, 8 Washington plays at Rutgers. The Huskies are loaded with quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin. An hour later, 9 pm ET, you can catch No. 9 Wisconsin hosting Utah State. The game is on ESPN.

You have lots of options on Saturday, but here are some of the games we suggest. Start out at 12 noon ET with Maryland at Texas on FS1. This is Tom Herman’s debut, coaching the Longhorns.

Then at 3 pm ET switch over to ESPN to watch NC State vs. South Carolina from Charlotte. There are two potentially good quarterbacks in this encounter – the Wolfpacks Ryan Finley and the Gamecocks Jake Bentley. Is this the year NC State coach Dave Doeren turns the corner for the Wolfpack? Does South Carolina coach Will Muschamp keep his moniker – Will Mustake?

Thirty minutes later – 3:30 pm ET – the second-biggest game of the weekend commences on ABC. That would be Florida vs. Michigan from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Wolverines are the No. 11 team in the country, while the Gators come in at No. 17. Who will start at quarterback for Florida? Could an Eddy Pineiro field goal pull out the game for the Gators?

At the same time, 3:30 pm ET, a few of you might want to check on Temple at Notre Dame on NBC. Irish coach Brian Kelly is on the hot seat – big time. Temple is a feisty little team.

Then at 3:45 pm ET there is a curious game on ESPNU – Troy at Boise State. Both of these teams are two of the better Group of 5 teams in the country. The Broncos have a top-notch quarterback in Brett Rypien, while the Trojans have both an exciting quarterback and running back – Brandon Silvers and Jordan Chunn. But can Troy handle the Blue Carpet?

At 6:15 pm ET the Little Mountaineers attempt to knock off a biggie on ESPN – Appalachian State at Georgia. The Dawgs are No. 15 in the country. A few years back, Appalachian State opened the season with an upset over Michigan. Last year, the Little Mountaineers forced Tennessee into overtime before they fell to the Vols, 20-13. On the Georgia side you want to check out quarterback Jacob Eason and running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Appalachian State is no slouch with quarterback Taylor Lamb and running back Jalin Moore.

Drum roll, please…..The No. 1 game in the nation comes on at 8 pm ET, Saturday, on ABC, featuring the No. 1 team in the country against the No. 3 team – Alabama vs. Florida State from the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This contest matches the two sophomore quarterbacks who both started as freshman last year – Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Florida State’s Deondre Francois. Add to that Bama’s two running backs – Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris.

If the Alabama-Florida State game is a dud, then your backup is the BYU vs. LSU game from Houston. It’s a 9:30 pm ET start on ESPN. LSU enters the game at No. 13. Can BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum engineer an upset here? Note: This game most likely will be relocated to New Orleans or Baton Rouge due to the flooding in Houston.

There are two good games on the television on Sunday. But I’m partial to the one that starts at 7:30 pm ET on ABC from FedEx Stadium in Landover, Maryland. That would be the third-biggest game of the weekend – No. 21 Virginia Tech vs. No. 22 West Virginia. Former Florida quarterback Will Grier makes his debut for the Mountaineers.

Now if, by chance, West Virginia is performing poorly, you can switch over to the other game that starts at 7:30 pm ET. This contest features Texas A&M at UCLA, also known as the “Hot Seat” Bowl. Both coaches – A&M’s Kevin Sumlin and the Bruins Jim Mora – are big time hot seaters. The future won’t look promising for the losing coach. Check out UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen in this encounter. The game is on FOX.

The five day viewing all comes to an end on Monday – Labor Day night. From the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, it’s Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee. The game starts at 8 pm ET, on ESPN. Vols’ coach Butch Jones enters the season on shaky ground and really needs a win here.

That’s your recommended viewing over the five-day weekend. Enjoy!

“Your cares and troubles are gone,
There will be no more from now on,
Happy Days are here again.”

Now that you know the rules and you know what games to watch, let’s find out if your cares and troubles are gone. What do the forecasters have to say about your favorite team or teams? Let’s take a look at the 10 FBS conferences (five Power 5 conferences and five Group of 5 conferences) to see who the forecasters like and who they don’t like for 2017.

Starting in the ACC (Atlantic Division), the favorite: Florida State; the challengers: Clemson and Louisville; the dark horse/sleeper: NC State; the bottom feeders: Boston College, Syracuse and Wake Forest.

Over in the ACC (Coastal Division), the favorite: Miami; the challenger: Virginia Tech; the dark horse/sleepers: Georgia Tech and Pitt; the bottom feeders: Duke, North Carolina and Virginia.

The ACC champion: Florida State

In the Big 12 Conference, the favorite: Oklahoma; the challenger: Oklahoma State; the dark horse/sleepers: Kansas State, Texas, TCU and West Virginia; the bottom feeders: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech.

The Big 12 champion: Oklahoma

For the Big Ten (East Division), the favorite: Ohio State; the challengers: Michigan and Penn State; the dark horse/sleepers: Indiana and Michigan State; the bottom feeders: Maryland and Rutgers.

Then in the Big Ten (West Division), the favorite: Wisconsin; the challengers: Nebraska and Northwestern; the dark horse/sleepers: Iowa and Minnesota; the bottom feeders: Illinois and Purdue.

The Big Ten champion: Ohio State

Out in the Pac-12 (North Division), the favorite: Washington; the challenger: Stanford; the dark horse/sleepers: Oregon and Washington State; the bottom feeders: California and Oregon State.

Down in the Pac-12 (South Division), the favorite: USC; the challengers: UCLA and Utah; the dark horse/sleeper: Colorado; the bottom feeders: Arizona and Arizona State.

The Pac-12 champion: USC

Summing up the SEC (East Division), the favorite: Georgia; the challengers: Florida and Tennessee; the dark horse/sleepers: Kentucky and South Carolina; the bottom feeders: Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Then in the SEC (West Division), the favorite: Alabama; the challengers: Auburn and LSU; the dark horse/sleepers: Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas A&M; the bottom feeder: Ole Miss.

The SEC champion: Alabama

In the AAC (East Division), the favorite: South Florida; the challengers: Temple and UCF; the dark horse/sleeper: Cincinnati; the bottom feeders: Connecticut and East Carolina.

While in the AAC (West Division), the favorites: Houston, Memphis and Navy; the challenger: Tulsa; the dark horse/sleeper: None; the bottom feeders: SMU and Tulane.

The AAC champion: South Florida

Jumping to the C-USA (East Division), the favorite: Western Kentucky; the challengers: Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion; the dark horse/sleepers: Florida Atlantic and Marshall; the bottom feeders: Charlotte and Florida International.

Over in the C-USA (West Division), the favorite: Louisiana Tech; the challengers: Southern Miss and UT-San Antonio; the dark horse/sleeper: North Texas; the bottom feeders: Rice and UTEP.

The C-USA champion: Western Kentucky

In the MAC (East Division), the favorites: Miami and Ohio; the challenger: Bowling Green; the dark horse/sleeper: Akron; the bottom feeders: Buffalo and Kent State.

Moving to the MAC (West Division), the favorite: Toledo; the challenger: Western Michigan; the dark horse/sleeper: Northern Illinois; the bottom feeders: Ball State, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

The MAC champion: Toledo

Out in the MWC (Mountain Division), the favorite: Boise State; the challengers: Colorado State and Wyoming; the dark horse/sleepers: Air Force and New Mexico; the loser: Utah State.

Then in the MWC (West Division), the favorite: San Diego State; the challenger: Hawaii; the dark horse/sleepers: Nevada and UNLV; the bottom feeders: Fresno State and San Jose State.

The MWC champion: Boise State

And finally, in the Sun Belt Conference, the favorite: Appalachian State; the challengers: Arkansas State and Troy; the dark horse/sleepers: Georgia Southern, Idaho, South Alabama and UL-Lafayette; the bottom feeders: Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Texas State and UL-Monroe.

The Sun Belt is the only conference that doesn’t have a championship game.

“Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again,
Let us sing a song of cheer again,
Happy days are here again.”

Now some happy facts to complete everything you need to know about the 2017 season. Let us sing a song of cheer for first-year Western Kentucky coach Mike Sanford. At age 35 years-6 months, Sanford becomes this season’s youngest coach in FBS football.

The other baby coaches, those under 40, from youngest to oldest are Memphis’ Mike Norvell, 35 years-10 months; Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, 36 years-9 months; Georgia Southern’s Tyson Summers, 37 years-4 months; Troy’s Neal Brown, 37 years-5 months, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, 37 years-9 months, and Toledo’s Jason Candle, 37 years-9 months.

Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury, 38 years-0 months; Hawaii’s Nick Rolovich, 38 years-6 months; North Texas’ Seth Littrell, 39 years-2 months; East Carolina’s Scottie Montgomery, 39 years-3 months, and Maryland’s D.J. Durkin, 37 years-7 months. Come December will Kingsbury be the youngest coach to be fired this season? Stay tuned!

The number of FBS teams increased by two this season, while the number of bowl games decreased by one.

Coastal Carolina and UAB join the FBS ranks this season. Coastal Carolina – college baseball’s World Series Champions in 2016 – will be competing in the Sun Belt Conference as a full-fledged member. The Chanticleers were a transition team last year, moving up from FCS to FBS.

Instead of joining, UAB actually rejoins the FBS ranks this season. UAB, you might remember, discontinued its football program a few years ago. Then, two years ago, the school reinstated the program. The Blazers are back for the 2017 season ready to compete in Conference USA. The addition of Coastal Carolina and UAB makes for 130 FBS football teams.

Meantime, there will be one less bowl game this season – 39 instead of 40. The Poinsettia Bowl, the first of two bowl games held annually in San Diego, is kaput. San Diego’s other bowl, the Holiday Bowl, remains active. However, the Holiday Bowl will move from Qualcomm Stadium to Petco Park. Qualcomm Stadium, former home of the San Diego Chargers, is being torn down. Petco Park is home to the San Diego Padres. By the way, BYU won last year’s final Poinsettia Bowl. The Cougars beat Wyoming, 24-21.

Although it doesn’t have two divisions, the Big 12 Conference will conduct a championship game this year at the end of the regular season. The regular season champion will play the second-place team for the conference championship. The game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The semifinal games of the college football playoff will be hosted this season by the Rose and Sugar Bowls on January 1. The national championship game will be played on January 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Saturday was a happy day for Colorado State, BYU, Hawaii, South Florida and Stanford. All five won.

Oregon State scored the first touchdown of the 2017 college football season, but Colorado State won the first game of the season. The Rams beat the Beavers, 58-27. Oregon State coach Gary Andersen is in trouble. His third season in Corvallis and Andersen loses to a Group of 5 school by 31 points. Not good.

Colorado State quarterback Nick Stevens was 26-39-1 for 334 yards passing, with three touchdowns. Leading Oregon State by only four points at the break – 24-20 – CSU outscored the Beavers 34-7 in the second half. Not long after the game, the rumors started. Will Colorado State coach Mike Bobo be coaching Tennessee or Ole Miss next year?

In the next game, BYU downed Portland State, 20-6. BYU had to be holding back for this week’s game against LSU. Either that or LSU is going to have a heyday against the Cougars.

In a shootout, Hawaii outscored Massachusetts, 38-35. Trailing 35-31, Hawaii scored the winning touchdown with 0:48 left in the game. Hawaii quarterback Dru Brown was 25-38-1 for 391 yards passing, with three touchdowns.

South Florida spotted San Jose State 16 points. Then USF proceeded to score 42 points. The Charlie Strong era has begun at South Florida, as the Bulls beat San Jose State 42-22.

They don’t have a mercy rule in college football, but they should have had for the Stanford-Rice game. Early in the fourth quarter, Stanford led 55-0. The Trees ended up winning the game, 62-7. Stanford running back Bryce Love rushed for 180 yards. The Trees only punted once in the game. Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst is the nephew of Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst.

This week we go from five football games to five days of football.

So Bootsie and Rockledge Gator threw one heck of a college football kickoff party Friday night. Most of the 16 attendees were Gators fans, but Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and West Virginia were represented as well. No fights broke out in spite of Bootsie talking some pretty good trash.

College football is back! How sweet it is! Cold pizza, chili dogs and beer for breakfast on Saturday….Happy days are here again.

Touchdown Tom
August 28, 2017
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

(Note: Next week’s CFW will be posted on Tuesday morning – September 5 – the day after Labor Day.)


Quotes of the Week

“I think they (Texas A&M) will make a run at Clemson’s Dabo Swinney if things go south with (Kevin) Sumlin. I’m not saying he would leave, but they will load up. After that, it might be the man with the pearly teeth, Chris Petersen out of Washington,” SportsDayDFW.com’s Matt Mosley.

“Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks and Malik Zaire will play this season, maybe even in next week’s season opener against Michigan. You’re going to see a bunch of them in there playing. The three guys have done a really good job. I think there’s some things that they all bring to the table that are really good,” Florida coach Jim McElwain.

“He’s brought Alabama to further heights, to further greatness, to further awareness than Bear Bryant ever could. And that’s blasphemous in the state of Alabama, and it might be blasphemous in the SEC, but guess what people….it’s reality,” college football analyst Matt Hayes, on Nick Saban.

“I shouldn’t talk too much trash, but I think we’re gonna beat Alabama pretty bad next week. I really do,” Florida State president John Thrasher.

“Quarterbacks today have the attitude, if I’m not starting, I’m departing,” CBS Sports Network commentator Rick Neuheisel.


Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
Opening Weekend’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Alabama vs. Florida State – (SEC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Everyone has been waiting for this game for seven months – ever since Alabama lost to Clemson in the national championship game last January. The only disappointment is that Florida State isn’t ranked No. 2. Everyone was wishing for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game. Well, No. 3 is pretty close. It’s safe to say if Florida State wins this game the Noles will be No. 1 next Monday. You gotta figure the quarterbacks are equal, but Bama has the upper hand in the running back category. The defenses seem to be pretty even. Bama’s may be down a little from last season. Nick Saban pulls a rabbit out of the hat – Alabama 20, Florida State 17.

RUNNER UP: 2. Florida vs. Michigan – (SEC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Florida owes Michigan a few paybacks. The Gators are 0-3 against the Wolverines. All three losses came in bowl games. The first two meetings were close. Florida lost by eight points or less. In the third meeting – Jim McElwain’s first season at Florida – the Wolverines beat the Gators, 41-7. So yes, I’d say Florida does owe Michigan a few paybacks. Oddly enough, this is the first time the teams have met during the regular season. And it may not happen again for a long time. Eddy Pineiro kicks a 50-yard field goal in the closing seconds – Florida 23, Michigan 20.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Sunday, ABC – At Bootsie and Rockledge Gator’s kickoff party Friday night, the Gator fans were telling me that West Virginia is their second favorite team this season. They hope WVU goes undefeated – all because of quarterback Will Grier. When Grier was suspended at Florida in 2015, the Gators were 6-0. Grier was undefeated. Let’s hope he keeps his unblemished record going. It sure is good to see Virginia Tech and West Virginia playing again. WVU coach Dana Holgorsen needs a big win. He didn’t get one last year. In spite of a 10-3 record, Holgorsen was 0-3 in the big games. This one may come down to the defenses. Dana’s cares and troubles are gone – West Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 21.

4. BYU (1-0) vs. LSU – (Ind. vs. SEC) – 9:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – After watching BYU beat Portland State, 20-6, LSU may come into this game overconfident. Maybe that’s what BYU wants. The Cougars may have been playing possum against Portland State. Then again, BYU might be overrated. This might be a romp for LSU. Generally, BYU is very competitive against the bigger teams. But Ed Orgeron is competitive too. Derrius Guice makes the difference – LSU 30, BYU 17.

5. Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee – (ACC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Monday, ESPN – The pressure is on Tennessee coach Butch Jones this season. This is his fifth season in Knoxville. There have been no SEC titles, much less no SEC East titles, under Jones. Georgia Tech is not a conference game, but this is an important game. Jones doesn’t want to start the season at 0-1 with Florida in Gainesville coming up in two weeks. Well, Tech made it easy for Jones. A few weeks ago, Dedrick Mills, the Yellow Jackets most important and best player, was dismissed from the team. Mills was Tech’s leading rusher last season and Tech is a running team. Butch sweats it out – Tennessee 27, Georgia Tech 17.

6. Texas A&M at UCLA – (SEC vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Sunday, FOX – Yeah, this contest is being dubbed the “hot seat” bowl. Both coaches have been disappointments at their respective schools. Neither can survive another disappointing season. A&M seems to be pretty well loaded at all the positions except quarterback. Ironically, quarterback may be the only position where UCLA is loaded. Both teams are expected to be good. The question is: how good? Both teams are a bit of a mystery. The Aggies won this game last year in College Station. The Bruins win this year in Pasadena – UCLA 30, Texas A&M 25.

7. Ohio State at Indiana – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Ohio State is the No. 2 team in the country. The Buckeyes are expected to roll through the Big Ten. Indiana will attempt to be the first obstacle for Ohio State. The Hoosiers have their act together on offense. But defense is a different story. There are no different stories for the Buckeyes – Ohio State 28, Indiana 16.

8. Tulsa at Oklahoma State – (AAC vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, FS1 – Oklahoma State could be a surprise team in 2017. The Cowboys are good. Some think they are better than good. Some think Okie State will make the playoff. Well, they better not pull a Central Michigan against Tulsa. That was an embarrassment last year. Most likely it won’t happen again, but Tulsa may not be a pushover. Then again they may – Oklahoma State 35, Tulsa 20.

9. Appalachian State at Georgia – (Sun Belt vs. SEC) – 6:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – You are always taking a chance when you open against Appalachian State. The Little Mountaineers like to be giant slayers. The problem is: Georgia has too many giants. And Appalachian State has no Jacks – Georgia 28, Appalachian State 15.

10. NC State vs. South Carolina – (ACC vs. SEC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – There are a lot of high expectations this year for both of these teams. That’s why it’s going to be a big disappointment for the fans of the losing team. And one of these teams has to lose. There can only be one winner. There are no more ties. Either Will Muschamp remains a Mustake. Or Dave Doeren’s seat gets a little warmer. It’s Fahrenheit 400 for Doeren – South Carolina 26, NC State 22.

11. Maryland at Texas – (Big Ten vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – A new era begins for Texas. Tom Herman hopes it’s a long era. The Longhorns have been through some frustrating times. But talk about frustrating, you can’t get any more frustrating than Maryland. The Terps should be better this year. But not much – Texas 30, Maryland 18.

12. Colorado vs. Colorado State (1-0) – (Pac-12 vs. MWC) – 8 pm ET, Friday, PAC12N – Colorado State got off to a great start Saturday. Mike Bobo is being hailed as the next coach at Tennessee or Ole Miss. But Colorado is no Oregon State – Colorado 29, Colorado State 26.


…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Temple at Notre Dame – (AAC vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – So Brian Kelly says he “f***ed up” last year. Wonder what he will do this year? One thing is for sure. It will be his last year if he “f***s up” again. Temple is capable of giving the Irish a little trouble. But “little” is the definitive word – Notre Dame 30, Temple 20.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Arkansas State at Nebraska – (Sun Belt vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Mike Riley begins his third year in Lincoln. It could be his last year. Quarterback Tanner Lee may hold the key. Riley starts off on the right foot – Nebraska 32, Arkansas State 16.

North Carolina Central at Duke – (MEAC vs. ACC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday – The Dookies will win this game, but I’m not sure what, if anything, it proves. I suppose it’s nice to have one more scrimmage before your real season starts. I hope the Dookies enjoy it while it lasts – Duke 31, North Carolina Central 14.

Louisville vs. Purdue – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, could have a field day in this game. Purdue’s defense is not likely to provide much of an obstacle for Jackson. He may run through them and run around them, and pass through them and pass over them. Jackson takes the steam out of the Boilers – Louisville 37, Purdue 16.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida International at UCF – (C-USA vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Thursday, CBSSN….
Jacksonville U. at Mercer – (Pioneer vs. Southern) – 7 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN3….
Florida A&M at Arkansas – (MEAC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Thursday, SECN….

Navy at Florida Atlantic – (AAC vs. C-USA) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPNU….

Bethune-Cookman at Miami – (MEAC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, FSN….
Stony Brook at South Florida – (Colonial vs. AAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Stetson at Sacred Heart – (Pioneer vs. Northeast) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Virginia-Lynchburg at Florida Tech – (Independent vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but as the Labor Day weekend approached and college football fans were stoked for the start of another great season, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1942 was “Jingle Jangle Jingle” by Kay Keyser and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1947 was “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” by Tex Williams

…65 years ago this week in 1952 was “Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart” by Vera Lynn

…60 years ago this week in 1957 was “Tammy” by Debbie Reynolds

…55 years ago this week in 1962 was “The Loco-Motion” by Little Eva

…50 years ago this week in 1967 was “Ode To Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry

…45 years ago this week in 1972 was “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass

…40 years ago this week in 1977 was “Best Of My Love” by The Emotions

…35 years ago this week in 1982 was “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor

…30 years ago this week in 1987 was “La Bamba” by Los Lobos

…25 years ago this week in 1992 was “End Of The Road” by Boyz II Men


Not exactly college football related, but there was one passing of note last week – Jay Thomas.

Jay Thomas, an actor and radio personality whose work on the television series “Murphy Brown” won him two Emmy Awards in the early 1990s, died last week in Santa Barbara, California. He was 69. In 1979, Thomas was cast in a recurring role on “Mork & Mindy.” He appeared on the show until it ended in 1982. Thomas also made an occasional movie appearance, most notably in “Mr. Holland’s Opus” in 1995. Between “Mork and Mindy” and “Murphy Brown” his most prominent role was a recurring spot on “Cheers” in the 1980s. Thomas was one of the main characters in “Love & War,” a CBS sitcom that ran for three seasons beginning in 1992. Jon Thomas Terrell was born in Kermit, Texas, on July 12, 1948, and grew up in New Orleans.

College Football Week – Preseason 2: TT’s Consensus Top 40
Still preseason, or is it Week 1?

Well, that’s a good question.

Normally at this point in the season – or preseason – we are still a week and a half away from the first game. Traditionally, for several years now, Labor Day weekend was the official start of the college football season, with the first games kicking off on the Thursday night before the weekend.

The first games on Thursday night were followed by more games on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and one final game of the opening weekend on Monday – Labor Day night.

Well, so much for tradition.

Things started to change a little bit last year. You might remember that California and Hawaii played a game the Saturday before Labor Day weekend. But we kind of accepted that. After all, the game was played in Sydney, Australia. Cal beat Hawaii 51-31.

That was just one game. This year we have, not one, but five games jumping the gun. Yes, five games will be played this weekend – the Saturday before Labor Day weekend. Four of the five games are on national television.

Now granted, none of the five games is bash your head in, Katie bar the door, slobber-knockers. They don’t call for cold pizza, chili dogs and beer for breakfast on Saturday morning. The world is not going to come to an end if you don’t see them – only if I don’t see them. One of the games isn’t on TV. Even I won’t see that one. And three of the games will be routs – maybe by the end of the first quarter.

The best game, or maybe I should say most interesting game, of the bunch is the first of the five – Oregon State at Colorado State. Both coaches – Gary Andersen at Oregon State and Mike Bobo at Colorado State are in their third season at their respective schools.

Andersen at 6-18 is on the hot seat. Bobo at 14-12 is faring a little better. After two seasons in Corvallis, Andersen is supposed to have his best season yet with the Beavers. But all he has to do is go 5-7 and it will be his best season yet. Oregon State is a bit of a mystery. The Beavers could be a surprise in 2017. Then again, they may not.

Colorado State could be an exciting team this year. Bobo, the former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator, has two potentially dynamic players – quarterback Nick Stevens and running back Dalyn Dawkins. Stevens and Dalyn could make for interesting times in Fort Collins this fall. The Rams have a tough opening slate, playing Oregon State, Colorado and Alabama in three of their first four games.

The next game is the first of the three routs – Portland State at BYU. The Cougars should have their cheerleaders in the game by the start of the second quarter.

The third game on Saturday – Hawaii at Massachusetts – is the only one that’s not televised – not nationally. It might be regionally televised and playing in some pub or two in Massachusetts or a tiki bar or two in Honolulu. Then again, it might not. In this encounter, you have Hawaii, a school thinking about dropping football, against Massachusetts, a school that was thrown out of the Mid-American Conference after the 2015 season.

Next up is South Florida at San Jose State – the second of three blowouts. South Florida is a hot team this season. The Bulls could finish the year as the highest-ranked Group of 5 team and could play in a New Year’s Six bowl. USF truly has an exciting quarterback in Quinton Flowers. The Bulls are loaded in most of the other positions too. Flowers should tear up the San Jose State defense.

Last year’s college football game in Sydney, Australia, (Cal-Hawaii) was such a success they decided to have another one there. The fifth and final game Saturday is from Sydney – Rice vs. Stanford. It’s the third and final blowout game. Stanford is ranked in everyone’s Top 20 – somewhere between 14th and 18th. The Trees should have little trouble from the Owls. It’s a tough opener for Rice coach David Bailiff, who is on the hot seat.

So that’s your lineup (Oregon State-Colorado State, Portland State-BYU, Hawaii-Massachusetts, South Florida-San Jose State and Rice-Stanford) for opening weekend….I mean….preseason weekend or whatever it is. I know you won’t lose any sleep waiting for these games to start, but one or two of them could be interesting.

Speaking of interesting, Steve Spurrier’s grandson, Gavin Spurrier, made his first start as a high school quarterback in Kentucky this past Friday. Gavin’s team, South Warren High School, beat Hopkinsville High, 35-14, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Gavin, a junior, was 14-for-30 passing for 263 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Gavin’s father, Steve Spurrier Jr. is the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky University.

And talking about Gators, Bootsie and Rockledge Gator are hosting a college football kickoff party this week. But I understand there will be some Alabama and Florida State fans at the party, among others. Swamp Mama and I are looking forward to it. We can’t wait. After all, Rockledge is planning to entertain us by singing a few songs by the Skillet Lickers. That is if his knickers aren’t still in a twist or if his onions aren’t in a bundle.

It was good hearing from Jan Fields, Tim Muth, Bob Willey, Larry Brewer and Susan Eaton last week.

Then again, I may not be able to resist some cold pizza, chili dogs and beer on Saturday morning. But you have a good week.

Touchdown Tom
August 21, 2017
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Quotes of the Week

“I think this is the most talented football team I’ve seen at Auburn, top to bottom,” former Auburn coach Pat Dye, on the 2017 Auburn football team.

“I fucked up last year’s team. I was the absent professor. I wasn’t paying attention to the details we needed,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, whose Irish went 4-8 last season.

“I’m going with the Washington Huskies to win the national championship. I look at that team with Jake Browning, a really good college quarterback. They’ve got the coach (Chris Petersen). They’ve got studs up front. They’ve got speed at linebacker,” NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. (Note: Kiper’s other three picks to make the playoffs are Auburn, Florida State and Ohio State.)

“The role (Art) Briles played in aiding and abetting the rotten culture at Baylor – and his lack of answers for how to fix it – should be disqualifying for him to ever work in college athletics again,” USA Today sports writer Dan Wolken, on hearing that schools have reached out to the former Baylor coach.


The Teams – 2017 (Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40)

Every year I get my hands on all the preseason polls out there – Coaches, ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, Street & Smith, Athlon, Lindy’s, etc, etc. Then I merge the results of these polls to come up with my Consensus Top 40.

This year I found 13 preseason polls. The only one missing is the AP Poll which isn’t out yet. The AP Poll will be released at 12 noon ET today.

Who are the top teams for 2017?

The Top Five teams in my Consensus Poll for 2017 are (1) Alabama; (2) Ohio State; (3) Florida State; (4) USC, and (5) Clemson. Alabama was the No. 1 team in 12 of the 13 polls I sourced. One poll – ESPN – has Alabama ranked No. 2.

Ohio State was either second or third in all the polls but one. The one poll – ESPN – has the Buckeyes ranked No. 1. Florida State was either second or third in 11 of the 13 polls. Two polls have the Seminoles ranked No. 4. USC was ranked as high as No. 2 and no lower than No. 5 in all the polls. Clemson was positioned anywhere from No. 4 to No. 8 in the 13 polls.

Rounding out the Top 10 in my Consensus Poll are (6) Oklahoma; (7) Penn State; (8) Washington; (9) Auburn, and (10) Oklahoma State. Looking at the Top 10, there are two teams each from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC. That’s good balance.

The second 10 consists of (11) Wisconsin; (12) LSU; (13) Michigan; (14) Louisville; (15) Georgia; (16) Florida; (17) Stanford; (18) Miami-Florida; (19) Kansas State, and (20) South Florida. South Florida from the AAC is the highest-ranked Group of 5 team.

Rounding out the Top 25 are (21) Texas; (22) Virginia Tech; (23) TCU; (24) Notre Dame, and (25) Washington State. Looking over the Top 25, there are five teams each from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, and four teams each from the Big Ten and Pac-12. That’s still good balance among the Power 5 conferences. Also in the Top 25 are one team from the AAC and one Independent.

The next five teams in the Consensus Top 40 are (26) Tennessee; (27) West Virginia; (28) NC State; (29) Northwestern, and (30) Oregon. The Power 5 conferences remain balanced through the Top 30 – six teams each from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, and five teams each from the Big Ten and Pac-12.

The final 10 teams in the Top 40 are (31) Boise State; (32) Texas A&M; (33) BYU; (34) Arkansas; (35) Nebraska; (36) UCLA; (37) Georgia Tech; (38) Pitt; (39) Colorado, and (40) Utah. The Big 12 slipped, while the Pac-12 gained, but the Power 5 conferences remain somewhat evenly balanced with eight teams each from the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC, and six teams each from the Big 12 and Big Ten. Two more Group of 5 teams entered the picture – Boise State from the MWC and BYU an Independent.

Just missing the Consensus Top 40 were (41) Mississippi State; (42) Iowa, and (43) Memphis.

Seven of the 10 FBS conferences (five Power 5 and two Group of 5), plus one Power 5 Independent and one Group of 5 Independent are represented in the Top 40. The three Group of 5 conferences with no representatives in the Top 40 are C-USA, the MAC and the Sun Belt. The highest ranked C-USA team is Western Kentucky at No. 55. The highest ranked team from the MAC is Toledo at No. 58, and the highest ranked team from the Sun Belt is Appalachian State at No. 54.

The Consensus Top 40 predicts that the four teams in the college football playoff at the end of the season will be Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and USC.

Last year, the top four teams in my Consensus Top 40 were Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and Oklahoma. Alabama and Clemson played for the national championship. Florida State and Oklahoma failed to make the four-team playoff. The other two teams in the playoff last season were Ohio State and Washington. Ohio State was No. 6 and Washington was No. 11 in last year’s preseason Consensus Top 40.

The final AP Poll last season consisted of (1) Clemson; (2) Alabama; (3) USC, and (4) Washington. Oklahoma was No. 5, Ohio State No. 6, and Florida State finished at No. 8.


The Running Backs – 2017

This could be the year of the running back. No less than seven of them are leading the pack at the start of the season. Of the seven, two are currently setting the pace. They are Penn State junior Saquon Barkley (5-11, 225) and LSU junior Derrius Guice (5-11, 212).

Last year, Barkley rushed for an impressive 1,496 yards. He averaged 107 yards per game and scored 18 touchdowns. Guice, meanwhile, rushed for 1,387 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. He averaged 116 yards per game and scored 15 touchdowns.

Two more running backs are on the heels of Barkley and Guice. The pair are Oregon senior Royce Freeman (5-11, 231) and Northwestern senior Justin Jackson (5-11, 193). Last season, Freeman, a bit disappointing, rushed for 945 yards. On the other hand, Jackson rushed for 1,542 yards, averaging 119 yards per game. He scored 15 touchdowns.

Rounding out the top echelon of running backs are USC junior Ronald Jones (6-1, 195), Washington junior Myles Gaskin (5-10, 191) and Auburn junior Kamryn Pettway (6-0, 235). Jones tallied 1,082 yards last season. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored 12 touchdowns.

Gaskin rushed for a hefty 1,373 yards. He averaged 98 yards per game. And last but not least, Pettway rushed for 1,224 last year. He averaged an impressive 122 yards per game.

Looking around the Power 5 conferences, the SEC features an array of good running backs, topped by Alabama and Georgia when it comes to running back duos. The Crimson Tide will hit opponents coming and going with the twosome of junior Damien Harris (5-11, 216) and junior Bo Scarbrough (6-2, 232). Last season, Harris rushed for 1,037 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Scarbrough came on particularly strong towards the end of the season for Alabama.

Over in Athens, Georgia still have senior Nick Chubb (5-10, 228) and senior Sony Michel (5-11, 222). It seems like these two have been around forever. Last year, Chubb rushed for 1,130 yards, while Michel added 840 yards rushing.

And speaking of backfield duos, don’t count out Auburn. Along with Kamryn Pettway, mentioned above, the Tigers have another threat in junior Kerryon Johnson (6-0, 204). Last year, Johnson accounted for 895 yards rushing.

Four more running backs to keep an eye on in the SEC are Texas A&M sophomore Trayveon Williams (5-9, 200), Vanderbilt senior Ralph Webb (5-10, 202), Florida junior Jordan Scarlett (5-10, 213) and Arkansas junior Rawleigh Williams (5-10, 226).

Last season, Williams rushed for 1,057 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Webb was no slouch, rushing for 1,283 yards and averaging 99 yards per game. The Gators’ Scarlett rushed for 889 yards. Arkansas’ Williams had an impressive freshman season last year, but was out for the season after an injury in the Razorbacks’ seventh game.

The Pac-12 is looking strong in running backs. We’ve already talked about three – Royce Freeman, Ronald Jones and Myles Gaskins. Five more should ground-out some big numbers in 2017, led by Colorado senior Phillip Lindsay (5-8, 190). Last year, Lindsay rushed for 1,252 yards. He averaged 96 yards per game and scored 16 touchdowns.

The other four outstanding backs are Washington State senior Gerard Wicks (6-0, 22), Arizona State senior Demario Richard (5-10, 219), Arizona senior Nick Wilson (5-10, 208) and California senior Tre Watson (5-11, 205).

The Big 12 returns a bevy of strong running backs this season. TCU is looking good with senior Kyle Hicks (5-10, 210). He rushed for 1,042 yards last year. West Virginia boasts three good running backs led by senior Justin Crawford (6-0, 202). Last season he rushed for 1,184, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Crawford is backed up by sophomore Kennedy McCoy (6-0, 201) and sophomore Mantel Pettaway (5-9, 208).

Texas has a pair of good backs in junior Chris Warren (6-3, 250) and sophomore Kyle Porter (5-11, 215). Warren averaged 5.9 yards per carry last year. And we can’t leave the Big 12 without mentioning Baylor junior Terrence Williams (6-1, 220) and Oklahoma State sophomore Justice Hill (5-10, 185). Last season, Williams rushed for 1,048 yards, while Hill tallied 1,142 yards.

That leaves us with the Big Ten and the ACC. Along with Saquon Barkley and Justin Jackson, the other backs worth talking about in the Big Ten are Ohio State senior Mike Weber (5-10, 214), Minnesota junior Rodney Smith (5-11, 205) and Iowa senior Akrum Wadley (5-11, 195).

Last year, the Buckeyes’ Weber rushed for 1,096 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. The Gophers’ Smith rushed for 1,158 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, and the Hawkeyes’ Wadley rushed for 1,081 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

The lone premier running back in the ACC at preseason is Miami junior Mark Walton (5-9, 205). In 2016, Walton rushed for 1,117 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

Among the Group of 5 conferences, the MWC is looking healthy at the running back position. The two best in the MWC may be Nevada senior James Butler (5-9, 210) and Hawaii senior Diocemy Saint Juste (5-8, 200). Last season, Butler rushed for 1,336 yards, averaging 111 yards per game, while Saint Juste rushed for 1,006 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

Three other highly-respected running backs in the MWC are Air Force senior Tim McVey (5-9, 190), New Mexico junior Tyrone Owens (5-9, 187) and San Diego State senior Rashaad Penny (5-11, 220). And don’t count out Colorado State senior Dalyn Dawkins (5-9, 177). He could have a breakout season.

C-USA has a slew of potentially strong running backs. Two of the best in the conference are Southern Miss senior Ito Smith (5-9, 195) and Old Dominion senior Ray Lawry (5-10, 204). Last season Smith rushed for 1,459 yards. He averaged 112 yards per game and scored 17 touchdowns. Lawry rushed for 1,259 yards, averaging 105 yards a game. He also averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

Other good backs in C-USA are Louisiana Tech senior Jarred Craft (6-0, 213), Florida Atlantic sophomore Devin Singletary (5-9, 200), North Texas senior Jeffrey Wilson (6-0, 193) and Florida International senior Alex Gardner (5-10, 192). Last year Craft rushed for 1,075 yards, and Singletary rushed for 1,021 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Wilson and Gardner both rushed for more than 900 yards.

The best back in the AAC is Tulsa senior D’Angelo Brewer (5-9, 190). Last season, Brewer rushed for 1,425 yards, averaging 120 yards per game. Two other good running backs in the AAC are SMU junior Braeden West (5-10, 170) and Temple junior Ryquell Armstead (5-11, 205). In 2016, West rushed for 1,036 yards, while Armstead rushed for 919 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

In the MAC, Western Michigan is loaded in the backfield. The Broncos have senior Jarvion Franklin (6-0, 225) and junior Jamauri Bogan (5-7, 192). Last year, Franklin rushed for 1,353 yards, averaging 97 yards per game. Bogan posted 993 yards. The other good back in the Mac is Ball State junior James Gilbert (5-8, 190). Last season, Gilbert rushed for 1,332 yards and averaged 111 yards per game.


The two best backs in the Sun Belt are Appalachian State junior Jalin Moore (5-11, 205) and Troy senior Jordan Chunn (6-1, 240). In 2016, Moore rushed for 1,402 yards, averaging 108 yards per game. He also averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Chunn rushed for 1,288 yards and averaged 99 yards per game. He scored 16 touchdowns.

The third good back in the Sun Belt is New Mexico State senior Larry Rose (5-11, 190). Last year Rose rushed for 865 yards, averaging 96 yards per game.


TT’s Top 10 Favorite Running Backs at Preseason:

1. Saquon Barkley – Penn state
2. Derrius Guice – LSU
3. Myles Gaskin – Washington
4. Justin Jackson – Northwestern
5. Kamryn Pettway – Auburn
6. D’Angelo Brewer – Tulsa
7. Jordan Chunn – Troy
8. Ronald Jones – USC
9. Justin Crawford – West Virginia
10. Royce Freeman – Oregon

But keep an eye on:

Damien Harris – Alabama; Nick Chubb – Georgia; Phillip Lindsay – Colorado; Bo Scarbrough – Alabama; Jalin Moore – Appalachian State; Ito Smith – Southern Miss; Ray Lawry – Old Dominion; Mike Webber – Ohio State; Kerryon Johnson – Auburn; Kyle Hicks – TCU, and Sony Michel – Georgia.


The Other Positions – 2017

Wide Receivers

With the SEC leading the other conferences in top quarterbacks, it is only fitting that the SEC is at the top in wide receivers to help out those quarterbacks. Five of the top 14 receivers in the country hail from the SEC. They are Texas A&M junior Christian Kirk (5-11, 200), Alabama junior Calvin Ridley (6-1, 190), Florida junior Antonio Callaway (5-11, 197), Missouri senior J’Mon Moore (6-3, 205) and LSU senior D.J. Clark (6-2, 187). Callaway will get off to a late start as he has been suspended for Florida’s first game against Michigan.

The Big 12 sports two of the best wide receivers with Oklahoma State senior James Washington (6-0, 205) and Iowa State senior Allen Lazard (6-5, 223). Notre Dame has a dandy in junior Equanimeous St. Brown (6-5, 204), as does the Pac-12 with Washington senior Dante Pettis (6-1, 192). The Big Ten counters with Indiana junior Simmie Cobbs (6-3, 220), while the ACC offers N.C. State senior Jaylen Samuels (5-11, 223).

Among the Group of 5 conferences, the AAC has two outstanding wide receivers in SMU junior Courtland Sutton (6-4, 218) and Memphis senior Anthony Miller (5-10, 190). C-USA has a star receiver in Middle Tennessee junior Richie James (5-9, 180).


Tight Ends

The Big Ten is sitting on top of the other conferences with the best tight ends in the country. The Big Ten has three of the top eight tight ends. They are Wisconsin senior Troy Fumagalli (6-6, 249), Penn State senior Mike Gesicki (6-6, 252) and Ohio State senior Marcus Baugh (6-5, 255).

The Big 12 has an ace tight end in Oklahoma junior Mark Andrews (6-5, 250), as does the Pac-12 with USC sophomore Daniel Imatorbhebhe (6-4, 240). The SEC has top-notch tight end in South Carolina junior Hayden Hurst (6-5, 250).

Among the Group of 5, the AAC is looking good with South Florida sophomore Mitchell Wilcox (6-4, 248). Independent Massachusetts has a winner in senior Adam Breneman (6-4, 250).


Centers

The Big Ten is also set at the center position with four of the best eight centers in the country. They are Ohio State senior Billy Price (6-4, 312), Michigan senior Mason Cole (6-5, 305), Wisconsin junior Michael Delter (6-6, 329) and Michigan State senior Brian Allen (6-2m 305).

The other four top centers come from the SEC and the Pac-12 with two each. They are Arkansas senior Frank Ragnow (5-5, 31), Texas A&M sophomore Erik McCoy (6-4, 309), UCLA senior Scott Quessenberry (6-4, 315) and Oregon sophomore Jake Hanson (6-5, 307).


Offensive Linemen (Guards and Tackles)

The SEC is the most established conference for offensive linemen. Six of the 18 best offensive linemen in the country play for SEC schools. They are Florida junior Martez Ivey (6-5, 305), Auburn senior Braden Smith (6-6, 303), Alabama sophomore Jonah Williams (6-5, 301), Arkansas junior Hjalte Froholdt (6-4, 318), LSU junior William Clapp (6-5, 309), and Ole Miss sophomore Greg Little (6-6, 322).

The Big 12 is well represented with three of the best offensive linemen. They are Texas junior Connor Williams (6-6,320), Oklahoma junior Orlando Brown (6-8, 360) and West Virginia senior Kyle Bosch (6-5, 304). Notre Dame has two outstanding linemen in senior Quenton Nelson (6-5, 329) and senior Mike McGlinchey (6-8, 312).

The Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten each have two of the 18 beat offensive linemen. They are Washington State senior Cody O’Connell (6-8, 370), Washington junior Trey Adams (6-8, 320), Clemson junior Mitch Hyatt (6-5, 295), Pitt junior Brian O’Neill (6-6, 300), Iowa senior Sean Welsh (6-3, 295) and Wisconsin junior Beau Benzschawel (6-6, 316).

Last but not least among the 18 top offensive linemen, from the Group of 5, is UTEP senior Will Hernandez (6-3, 330).


Defensive Linemen (Ends and Tackles)

The SEC is always known for its defense, but the ACC leads the conferences with the most celebrated defensive linemen at preseason. Six of the 18 best defensive linemen are from the ACC. They are Clemson sophomore Dexter Lawrence (6-5, 340), Boston College senior Harold Landry (6-3, 250), Clemson junior Christian Wilkins (6-4, 310), Florida State senior Derrick Nnadi (6-1, 312), NC State senior Bradley Chubb (6-4, 275), and Florida State junior Josh Sweat (6-5, 250).

The Big Ten and the SEC each have four players among the 18 top defensive linemen. From the Big Ten are Michigan sophomore Rashan Gary (6-5, 287), Ohio State senior Tyquan Lewis (6-4, 265), Michigan senior Maurice Hurst (6-2, 282) and Ohio State junior Sam Hubbard (6-5, 265).

From the SEC are Alabama junior Da’Ron Payne (6-2, 308), Ole Miss senior Marquis Haynes (6-3, 225), Georgia junior Trent Thompson (6-4, 295) and Florida sophomore Jabari Zuniga (6-3, 245).

The Pac-12 and Big 12 are represented by Washington junior Vita Vea (6-5, 344) and Kansas junior Dorance Armstrong (6-4, 246). From the Group of 5, the AAC and C-USA each have one top defensive lineman. They are Houston sophomore Ed Oliver (6-2, 290) and Louisiana Tech junior Jaylon Ferguson (6-5, 255).


Linebackers

Of the 19 best linebackers in the country, the Big 12 leads the way with five. They are TCU senior Travin Howard (6-1, 213), Oklahoma senior Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (6-1, 242), Texas junior Malik Jefferson (6-3, 240), West Virginia sophomore David Long (5-11, 228) and West Virginia senior Al-Rasheed Benton (6-0, 237). Note: Long will miss the first four or five games due to an off-season injury.

Four of the best linebackers hail from the Big Ten. They are Iowa senior Josey Jewell (6-2, 236), Indiana senior Tegray Scales (6-0, 230), Ohio State junior Jerome Baker (6-1, 225) and Wisconsin senior Jack Clichy (6-2, 233).

The SEC and ACC have three each among the 19 best linebackers. From the SEC are LSU junior Arden Key (6-6, 238), Kentucky junior Jordan Jones (6-2, 221) and Alabama senior Rashan Evans (6-3, 234). From the ACC are Virginia senior Micah Kisen (6-2, 240), Virginia Tech junior Tremaine Edmunds (6-5, 236) and Miami sophomore Shaq Quarterman (6-1, 240).

Notre Dame has a top linebacker in senior Nyles Morgan (6-1, 238). The Group of 5 is represented on the list by UCF senior Shaquem Griffin (6-1, 213).


Defensive Backs (Cornerbacks and Safeties)

Among the 19 best defensive backs in the nation, 10 are from the SEC (5) and ACC (5). The five from the SEC are Alabama junior Minkah Fitzpatrick (6-1, 201), Alabama junior Ronnie Harrison (6-3, 214), Florida senior Duke Dawson (5-10, 208), Texas A&M senior Armani Watts (5-11, 205) and LSU junior Kevin Toliver (6-2, 193).

The five from the ACC are Florida State junior Tarvarus McFadden (6-2, 198), Florida State sophomore Darwin James (6-3, 211), Louisville junior Jaire Alexander (5-11, 192), Virginia senior Quin Blanding (6-2, 215) and Virginia Tech senior Greg Stroman (6-0, 180).

The Big 12 has four of the top defensive backs. They are Oklahoma senior Jordan Thomas (6-0, 186), Kansas State junior D.J. Reed (5-9, 188), West Virginia junior Dravon Askew-Henry (6-0, 195) and West Virginia senior Kyzir White (6-2, 218).

Three of the top 19 defensive backs are from the Big Ten. They are Ohio State junior Denzel Ward (5-10, 191), Northwestern senior Godwin Igwebuike (6-0, 205) and Penn State senior Marcus Allen (6-2, 202).

The Pac-12 has two on the list. They are Stanford junior Quenton Meeks (6-2, 204) and USC junior Iman Marshall (6-1, 200).


Kickers

Four of the eight best placekickers in the country are from the SEC. They are Auburn senior Daniel Carlson (6-4, 218), Florida sophomore Eddy Pineiro (6-0, 173), Ole Miss senior Gary Wunderlich (6-0, 193) and Georgia sophomore Rodrigo Blankenship (6-1, 191).

Two more are from the ACC. They are Virginia Tech senior Joey Slye (5-11, 210) and Miami senior Michael Badgley (5-10, 178). The Big Ten has Minnesota junior Emmit Carpenter (6-0, 199) and from the Big 12 is West Virginia senior Mike Molina (5-7, 179).


Punters

Among the eight best punters in the country, three hail from the SEC. They are Alabama senior J.K. Scott (6-6, 204), Florida junior Johnny Townsend (6-1, 211) and Tennessee senior Trevon Daniel (6-1, 248). Also on the list from the Pac-12 is Utah junior Mitch Wishnowsky (6-2, 220), and from the Big 12 is Texas junior Michael Dickson (6-3, 205).

Three Group of 5 punters made the top eight list – one from the MAC, AAC and the Mountain West. They are Bowling Green senior Joe Davidson (6-7, 228), Memphis senior Spencer Smith (6-1, 195) and San Jose State senior Michael Carrizosa (5-10, 219).

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but there were five passings of note last week – Joseph Bologna, Frank Broyles, Tommy Hawkins, Dick Gregory and Jerry Lewis.

Joseph Bologna, the quintessential tough guy who played sensitive male characters in films like “Lovers and Other Strangers” and “Made for Each Other,” died last week in Duarte, California, near Pasadena. He was 82. Bologna’s fame had its roots on the Broadway stage. His first movie, “Lovers and Other Strangers,” (1970) was a box-office hit, earning roughly three times its production cost in North America alone. The movie, originally a Broadway play which ran for only two months, was written by Bologna and his wife Renee Taylor. Their next creation “Made for Each Other” (1971) became their next film. He was cast as a mobster in the TV movie “Honor Thy Father” and as a police officer turned thief in “Cops and Robbers” (1973). His other movies included “Blame It on Rio” (1984), “Transylvania 6-5000” (1985), “Love Is All There Is” (1996) and “Big Daddy (1999). Joe Bologna was born on December 30, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in art history. Bologna’s final film performance was in “Tango Shalom,” and his final television appearance was in a 2010 episode of “C.S.I.”

Frank Broyles, a football coach and athletic director who lifted Arkansas into the top ranks of college sports, most memorably by coaching the Razorbacks to an undefeated season in 1964 and their only national championship, died last week. He was 92. The 1964 Arkansas team beat Nebraska, 10-7, in the Cotton Bowl to win the national championship. Broyles left the head coaching job at Missouri to take over at Arkansas in 1958. By the time he resigned in 1976, at 52, to become athletic director, his teams had compiled a 144-58-5 record and, in addition to the national championship, won six Southwest Conference titles and 10 bowl games. He also became a college football commentator for ABC sports. His 1965 team went undefeated in the regular season and was ranked No. 1, but lost to LSU in the Cotton Bowl. Thirty of Broyles assistant coaches became head coaches of college or professional teams. Among them are Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Johnny Majors and Joe Gibbs. The Frank Broyles Award, established in 1996, is given annually to an outstanding assistant coach. When he resigned from coaching at Arkansas, Broyles picked Lou Holtz to succeed him. The Atlanta Falcons offered Broyles the head coaching job but he turned them down to remain as athletic director at Arkansas. John Franklin Broyles was born on December 26, 1924, in Decatur, Georgia. He was a standout quarterback at Georgia Tech, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management. He led the Yellow Jackets to four bowl games. He was the Southeastern Conference player of the year in 1944. He held assistant coaching jobs at Baylor, Florida and Georgia Tech before becoming head coach at Missouri in 1957.

Tommy Hawkins, who was the first black basketball player to earn All-American honors at Notre Dame and who played for the Los Angeles Lakers during a 10-year NBA career, died last week. He was 80. Hawkins graduated from Notre Dame in 1959. A 6-foot-5 forward, Hawkins played six seasons for the Lakers and four seasons for the Cincinnati Royals. Thomas Jerome Hawkins was born on December 22, 1936, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He moved to Chicago with his mother and aunt as a child. In 1987, Hawkins was hired by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley to be vice president of communications for the team. He retired from the Dodgers organization in 2004. Before joining the Dodgers, Hawkins worked in radio and television in Southern California. His son Kevin Hawkins played basketball for Notre Dame, graduating in 1981.

Dick Gregory, the pioneering black satirist who transformed cool humor into a barbed force for civil rights in the 1960s, died Saturday. He was 84. Gregory left his craft and began a life of protesting and fasting in the name of assorted social causes, health regimens and conspiracy theories. Richard Claxton Gregory was born in St. Louis on October 12, 1932. He graduated from Sumner High School in St. Louis and attended Southern Illinois University. Gregory was a track star at both schools. He left college in 1954 and joined the Army, where he honed his comedy routines. Out of the Army in 1956, Gregory moved to Chicago, where he worked in small-time clubs at night while working odd jobs during the day. His first big break came in January 1961 when he was asked to fill in for the comedian Irwin Corey at the flagship Playboy Club in Chicago.

Jerry Lewis, the comedian and filmmaker who was a defining figure of American entertainment in the 20th century, died yesterday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 91. Lewis knew success in movies, on television, in nightclubs and on the Broadway stage. Barely out of his teens, he shot to fame shortly after World War II with a nightclub act paired with Dean Martin. After his break with Martin in 1956, Lewis went on to a successful solo career. Jerry Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey. His birth name was Joseph (or Jerome) Levitch. By his 16th birthday, Lewis dropped out of Irvington High School and began looking for work, performing in clubs. He married and he and his wife Patti had six sons. The oldest son, Gary, had a series of hit records in the 1960s with his band Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Jerry and his wife Patti divorced in 1980. The success of Martin and Lewis in the late 1940s and early 1950s was like nothing show business had ever seen before. After a performance at the Copacabana on July 25, 1956, 10 years to the day after they had first appeared together, Martin and Lewis went their separate ways. Lewis’ recording of “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody” became a Top 10 hit. Lewis made several movies, including “The Nutty Professor,” perhaps his most famous. Lewis’ charity work and Labor Day weekend telethons raised about $2 billion for Muscular Dystrophy, during a 40-plus-year span that began in 1966. During the 1976 telethon, Frank Sinatra arranged an on-air reunion between Lewis and Martin. But both men appeared to be uncomfortable. A more lasting reconciliation came in 1987 when Lewis attended the funeral of Martin’s oldest son. They continued to speak until Martin died in 1995.

College Football Week – Preseason 1: No more two-a-days
The future landscape of college football?

Is it college football season yet? I’d say we’re just about there. Can you say, “12 days?”

You know its college football season when Rockledge Gator gets a little hot under the collar. You see, Rockledge is normally one of those gentle-on-your-mind guys who maintains a calm and even temper. Did I just hear Bootsie say, “Bull crap?” Actually, something a little stronger than “bull crap.”

Well, the other day, Rockledge Gator was in a Wal-Mart in Birmingham, Alabama. He and Bootsie were visiting their son’s family. Rockledge bought a couple of Auburn car flags. You know, the ones you attach to the windows on each side of the car. Later this season he will be attending the Ole Miss-Auburn game with his sons and grandsons.

Anyway, as Rockledge was checking out of the Wal-Mart in Birmingham, the cashier smirked and said to him, “Are you buying those flags for a practical joke on someone?”

Rockledge Gator snapped back at the cashier, “No, I’m going to stick them up the behind of an Alabama fan!”

So, yes, I’d say it’s that time of the year. College football can’t be far off.

We certainly had our share of retirements, resignations and one firing during the offseason. Some of them came as a surprise. Some didn’t. At the first of the year, two sportscasters stepped down – Verne Lundquist and Brent Musburger.

Lundquist was not a surprise. Prior to the start of the 2016 season he announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season. For 17 years, Lundquist was the lead voice for “SEC on CBS,” covering SEC football games. Working alongside analyst Gary Danielson, the two made “SEC on CBS” the highest-rated college football package in America. Brad Nessler is set to take Lundquist’s spot this fall.

Meanwhile, we kind of knew that Musburger was going to retire. We just didn’t know exactly when. Well, he made it official on January 31, retiring from the ESPN and ABC television networks. Musburger previously, and for many years, worked for CBS. On ESPN and ABC, he called seven BCS National Championship games between 2000 and 2014. He called the 2007 Rose Bowl game, taking over for the retired Keith Jackson. From 2006 to 2013, Musberger called ABC Sports’ college football prime time games, along with analysts Bob Davie and Kirk Herbstreit. In 2014, he became a commentator for SEC games, working with Jesse Palmer.

Then the surprises came – the first two in February. On the 7th, Steve Sarkisian, who had just been named Alabama’s offensive coordinator in January, prior to the Tide’s national championship game against Clemson, announced he was leaving Alabama to become the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.

The next day, February 8, North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik announced he was stepping down. Chizik said he wanted to spend more time with his family. Chizik was a former head coach at Auburn where he coached the Tigers to a national championship in 2010, going 14-0. Two seasons later, Auburn was 3-9 (0-8 in SEC play) and Chizik was fired. Prior to his head coaching years at Auburn, he was the defensive coordinator at UCF, Auburn and Texas and the head coach at Iowa State. He was hired by North Carolina in 2015.

The biggest surprise of all came in early June. That’s when Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops announced he was retiring from football. Yes, at age 56, Stoops retired. He became the head coach at Oklahoma in 1999 and the very next year he coached the Sooners to the BCS National Championship, going 13-0. He never repeated that feat again, but in 18 years at OU, he never had a losing season and finished with a 190-48 record. Prior to Oklahoma, Stoops was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Florida.

The last surprise, maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t, came just a couple weeks ago. Ole Miss fired Hugh Freeze. With Ole Miss under investigation from the NCAA for no less than 21 violations, some very serious, Freeze was on the hot seat. In fact, many college football talk show hosts, analysts and commentators couldn’t figure out why Freeze wasn’t fired several months ago. He became the head coach at Ole Miss in 2012. Freeze’s best season was in 2015 when Ole Miss finished 10-3. Last year, he had his first losing season – 5-7. Prior to Ole Miss, Freeze was the head coach at Arkansas State.

Yes, the landscape of college football is changing. But the biggest changes, perhaps, are yet to come. During the offseason, I read more and more articles and heard more and more talk show hosts and commentators comment on the future of college football. A future consisting of four mega-conferences with 16 teams each – basically a 64-team league.

The four 16-team conferences will be the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and the SEC. The Big 12 will dissolve. Of course, none of this will happen until the conferences’ contracts controlling media rights expire. Currently, the conferences have contracts with their members, controlling the media rights. Until the contracts expire, a school can’t afford to leave and lose its media money.

But the contracts will expire around 2023 to 2025. So look for schools and conferences to start jockeying for membership and members around 2021 to 2022. Now, the current members of the ACC, Big Ten, PAC-12 and SEC should basically remain where they are. Well, mostly. The ACC could lose a member or two. The Big 12, as we said, will dissolve.

To get to 16 members, the Pac-12 will have to add four members, while the ACC, Big Ten and SEC will need to add two each. The speculation is the Pac-12 will add four teams from the Big 12, say Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

The ACC will make Notre Dame a fulltime member in football. Currently the Irish are members of the ACC in all sports but football. Then its speculated the ACC might add Connecticut.

The Big Ten could look west and grab two former Big 12 teams Kansas and Iowa State, or the conference could look east and rob two teams from the ACC – North Carolina and Virginia or North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Or the Big Ten could take one of the teams from the West and only one from the ACC.

The SEC appears to be interested in Oklahoma. Likewise, the Sooners appear to be interested in the SEC. But who would be the second team for the SEC? Some say Oklahoma State. But generally today, a conference doesn’t want two teams from the same state. The conferences want a more widespread television market. It brings in more money from the networks. If the SEC already has the Oklahoma television market, the conference will look for a school from another state. The other school could be West Virginia, or the SEC, like the Big Ten, could rob from the ACC and take a NC State or Virginia Tech.

Currently, there are 65 Power 5 teams – 64 Power 5 conference teams, plus Notre Dame, a Power 5 Independent. With the 64-team league (four mega-conferences of 16 teams each), at least one of the current Power 5 teams is going to lose out. Possibly two teams, if the ACC takes Connecticut. The Huskies are not in a Power 5 conference. Four teams from the Big 12 could be in jeopardy – Baylor, Iowa State, TCU and West Virginia.

If the Big Ten and/or the SEC should rob from the ACC, then the ACC would have to add more than Notre Dame and Connecticut to have 16 teams. The scenarios are unlimited.

Personally, I think there are 70 to 80 schools that are legitimate candidates for a super league. What will happen to schools like BYU, Boise State, UCF, South Florida, Cincinnati, etc. I think you could have five super conferences of 14 or 16 teams each.

It’s all driven by money and pressure from the networks. The future landscape of college football will change. Stay tuned.

Swamp Mama and I took a trip to Nashville the week before last. We had a good time there. How can you not have a good time in Nashville.

While I was driving home, Swamp Mama was busy on her phone. She must have been searching for things. Out of the blue, she asked me if I had ever heard of the Skillet Lickers. I said, The Skillet who?”

She said, “The Skillet Lickers. They were a country music group in the 1920s.”

“No, I said, but you have to text Rockledge Gator. He knows every singer and band from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s and the lyrics to all their songs.”

She did and would you believe Rockledge said he never heard of them. I couldn’t believe it. I was floored. And, of all places, the Skillet Lickers were from Georgia where Rockledge was born. Not that he was born in the 1920s. Although sometimes I wonder.

I figured that cashier in the Wal-Mart in Birmingham still had Rockledge’s knickers in a twist. And speaking of knickers in a twist, the other day I heard a lady on TV say, “Don’t get your onions in a bundle.” I’ve never heard that expression before. I assume it’s like saying, don’t get your knickers in a twist, but I don’t know. Has anybody ever heard don’t get your onions in a bundle before? Does anybody know what it means?

We lost some good people last week. Glen Campbell and Don Baylor to mention a couple. Hearing about Don Baylor reminded me of a time a few years back when Rockledge Gator and I were in the Denver Post with our friend Gary Schwartzkopf. Near the sports department in the newsroom, there were life-size cardboard manikins of Don Baylor, then the manager of the Colorado Rockies, and Mike Shanahan, then the coach of the Denver Broncos.

Gary said if you didn’t know, looking at the manikins you would think that Baylor was the coach of the Broncos and Shanahan was the coach of the Rockies. Baylor was a big guy. Looking him up, I learned that he was a good football player in high school and had scholarship offers from Texas and other schools. He chose the baseball route instead.

I owe a big apology to my friend Chris Eaton. When I listed some of the early recipients and readers of my football newsletter in last week’s blog, I failed to include Chris among them. I apologize, Chris.

Chris reminded me that he is a graduate of Division III Norwich University in Vermont. But he says he became a big Georgia fan when Hershel Walker played for the Dawgs. Personally, I think Chris became a big Georgia fan when he married his lovely wife, Susan – a Georgia graduate.

And while I’m offering apologies, I need to apologize to Jo Allyson Cattaneo (Florida Gator) and Frank Grey (Florida State Seminole) too. They were both two of my earliest readers and fans as well. Here’s to you Jo and Frank.

It was good hearing from Jamie Fuller, Grace Shields, Stephanie Stein, Roger Shannon, Mark Moses, Scott Greenwood, Tim Muth and Monta Burt last week.

That’s right. No more two-a-days. They have been banned by the NCAA.

Looking ahead, do you realize that some teams are starting their seasons a little early this year? We’ll talk about that and other things next week.

In the meantime, don’t get your onions in a bundle. I’m clueless.

Touchdown Tom
August 14, 2017
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Quotes of the Offseason

“Tennessee doesn’t need Phillip Fulmer. That school needs a priest,” Mike from Carrolton, Kentucky, on the “Paul Finebaum Show.”

“Aaron Hernandez was the most evil person to ever play sports in this country,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Jim Harbaugh is the Kim Kardashian of college football,” ESPN commentator Peter Burns.

“What’s he making, $12 million now? That is the entire athletic budget at Louisiana Tech – the entire budget. That’s shameful. Shameful,” Terry Bradshaw, talking about Nick Saban.

“In your fifth year, you shouldn’t be talking about your first year. That’s ridiculous,” Paul Finebaum, dissing Butch Jones’ comments at the SEC Media Days.

“We’ve established ourselves as, I think, the premier conference in college football,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on the ACC.

“Personally, I think they just need to go in and just wipe out the entire administration. Get everything cleaned out and start over, because obviously people knew what was going on. They just need a new beginning,” Tommy Tuberville, on the Hugh Freeze mess at Ole Miss.

“How can you put Dabo in the same sentence as Nick Saban? Who died and made Dabo Swinney the greatest coach of all time? He’s got one national championship, okay. I don’t understand this. Since when did Clemson become the ‘it’ school in the universe? I’ve never heard a more intoxicated fan base in my life,” Paul Finebaum, reacting to a Clemson fan who equated Dabo Swinney to Nick Saban.

“First of all, if there is a hot seat, the guy at Tennessee – Butch Jones – should be the leader in the clubhouse at 2-to-1. Though UCLA’s Jim Mora is a 9-to-1 favorite to be fired first this year, Tennessee’s Jones should have something like 2-to-1 odds. They (Tennessee) play Georgia Tech and Florida in the first three weeks. He loses one he could be fired. Two? He’s done. He’ll be fired by week three,” Fox Sports talk show host Colin Cowherd.

“It’ll be strange. I don’t know how that’s going to go for me. I’m a little concerned about it. But I know I did the right thing for me and my family, and for the program. But it’ll be different. That’ll be the tough part,” former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, on how he will feel when the season starts.

“Alabama would not be as successful if they were to raise the SAT requirement,” UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen.

“To be successful as a coach, you gotta have good ballplayers. And you can have a bunch of good ballplayers and not win also. All you LSU fans know about that,” Steve Spurrier.


The Quarterbacks – 2017

A sophomore from the Pac-12, a junior from the ACC and a senior from the Big 12 are the three most talked about and hyped quarterbacks on the eve of the 2017 college football season.

The sophomore is USC’s Sam Darnold (6-4, 225). The junior, and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, is Louisville’s Lamar Jackson (6-3, 200). The senior is Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield (6-1, 218). Let’s take a closer look at the three.

Darnold, the darling of last season’s Rose Bowl, took over a 1-3 USC team last year. He replaced Max Browne after the fourth game of the 2016 season and led the Trojans on a nine-game winning streak. The final win of the streak was a 52-49 come-from-behind win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

Along the way, Darnold passed for 3,086 yards, throwing 31 touchdown passes. He averaged 237 yards per game, while completing 67% of his throws.

Jackson led Louisville to a 9-4 season in 2016. But after starting out 9-1, the Cardinals lost their last three games. Still, Jackson managed to win the Heisman Trophy, beating out Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Although Watson should have been the Heisman Trophy winner, Jackson did rack up some pretty impressive stats. During the season, he threw for 3,543 yards, throwing 30 touchdown passes. Jackson averaged 273 yards per game, but only completed 56% of his tosses.

Mayfield led Oklahoma to an 11-2 season in 2016. After a shaky 1-2 start, he took the Sooners on a 10-game winning streak, culminating with a 35-19 win over Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Through it all, Mayfield passed for 3,965 yards last season, throwing an impressive 40 touchdown passes. He averaged 305 yards per game, completing an impressive 71% of his throws.

Darnold, Jackson and Mayfield are the three marquee quarterbacks at preseason. No one else comes close. But, as we all know, interesting things happen in college football.

Yes, there are plenty of other good quarterbacks out there. And some of them will make a scene – a big scene. After all, hardly anyone had heard of Sam Darnold at the start of the 2016 season.

Looking around the country, you would have to say the SEC has the most promising group of quarterbacks of any conference. Twelve of the 14 SEC schools are sporting top-notch quarterbacks at the beginning of the season.

Perhaps the best place to start in the SEC is at Alabama with sophomore Jalen Hurts (6-2, 214). Hurts led the Tide to a 14-1 season in 2016 – the lone loss coming in the finale in the national championship game. Hurts passed for 2,780 yards, completing 63% of his throws. He threw 23 touchdown passes.

Auburn fans are giddy over sophomore and Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham (6-2, 210). As a freshman, Stidham led Baylor to a Russell Bowl win over North Carolina at the end of the 2015 season. He sat out last year. But if Stidham should falter, the Tigers still have last year’s starter junior Sean White (6-0, 190). White completed 64% of his passes in 2016.

Mississippi State fans are excited about junior Nick Fitzgerald (6-5, 230). Fitzgerald came on strong in the second half of the season last year. He is a big threat running with the ball. In 2016, Fitzgerald rushed for 1,375 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He scored 16 rushing touchdowns.

Ole Miss may be in a world of feces, but one bright spot for the Rebels is sophomore Shea Patterson (6-2, 203). Patterson has a lot of potential. After a season of experience, Vanderbilt hopes to see a lot of improvement from junior Kyle Shumur (6-4, 224). Shumur struggled early on last season, but finished strong down the stretch.

Arkansas could have the best quarterback in the SEC with senior Austin Allen 6-1, 209). Last year, Allen passed for 3,430 yards, averaging 264 yards per games. He threw 25 touchdown passes and completed 61% of his throws. One downside, Austin threw 15 interceptions in 2016.

Senior Danny Etling (6-1, 215) returns for a final season at LSU. But similar to Allen, Etling threw almost half as many interceptions as he did touchdown passes. Kentucky is hoping for big things from senior Stephen Johnson (6-2, 185). Likewise, South Carolina is pumped with sophomore Jake Bentley (6-4, 223). Bentley is an up-and-comer with a lot of potential. He completed 66% of his tosses last year.

The best thing about Missouri may be junior Drew Lock (6-4, 225). In 2016, Lock passed for 3,399 yards, averaging 283 yards per game. He threw 23 touchdown passes, but only completed 55% of his throws. Georgia is hanging its hat on sophomore Jacob Eason (6-5, 235). Eason started for the Dawgs as a freshman last year. But he needs to improve on his completion ratio. Like Lock, Eason only completed 55% of his passes in 2016.

Florida may or may not have the best quarterback in the SEC, but for sure the Gators have the most quarterbacks – six. The latest addition is Notre Dame graduate transfer Malik Zaire (6-0, 225). Just when it looked like redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks (6-6, 219) was going to be the starter for the Gators, Zaire entered the picture. And of course sitting behind Franks is last year’s starter at the beginning of the season junior Luke Del Rio (6-1, 211). Should anything go haywire with Zaire, Franks or Del Rio, Florida coach Jim McElwain still has redshirt freshman Kyle Trask (6-4, 238), freshman Jake Allen (6-3, 195) and freshman Nick Sproles (6-2, 203) to pull out of the hat. Allen is a pro-style passing quarterback, while Sproles provides the dual-threat capability.

The Big Ten begins the season with two outstanding quarterbacks – Ohio State senior J.T. Barrett (6-2, 220) and Penn State junior Trace McSorley (6-0, 205). Either one could wind up winning the Heisman Trophy.

Last season, Barrett passed for 2,555 yards leading the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record. He completed 62% of his passes and tossed for 24 touchdowns. Barrett also rushed for 845 yards. McSorley passed for 3,614 yards, leading the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship. He threw 29 touchdown passes.

Indiana and Michigan are solid at quarterback. The Hoosiers have senior Richard Lagow (6-6, 240). Last year, Lagow passed for 3,362 yards, averaging 259 yards per game. He completed 58% of his lobs, but also threw 17 interceptions. Meanwhile, the Wolverines return junior Wilton Speight (6-6, 243), who passed for 2,538 yards last season. He completed 62% of his throws.

The best part of Purdue might be its quarterback. The Boilers have experience with junior David Blough (6-1, 200). Last year, Blough threw for 3,352 yards, averaged 279 yards per game, while throwing 25 touchdown passes. Nebraska has high hopes for junior Tanner Lee (6-4, 235). Lee is a transfer from Tulane.

Year-in and year-out, the Pac-12 is usually loaded with hot quarterbacks. The conference may not be loaded this year, but the Pac-12 does have several good signal callers. We’ve already mentioned USC’s Sam Darnold. Right up there with Darnold is Washington junior Jake Browning (6-2, 205). Last year, Browning threw for 3,430 yards, averaging 245 yards per game. He completed 62% of his passes and threw an impressive 43 touchdown passes. Browning has Heisman Trophy potential.

Washington State is a threat with senior Luke Falk (6-4, 225). Falk passed for 4,468 yards last season, averaging 344 yards a game. He was on target, completing 70% of his throws and connected for 38 touchdown passes. UCLA is in good hands with junior Josh Rosen (6-4, 220). Rosen passed for 319 yards a game in 2016.

Colorado and Utah are looking good at the quarterback position. The Buffaloes have sophomore Steven Montez (6-5, 225), while Utah counters with senior Troy Williams (6-2, 208).

Along with Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, the Big 12 has another outstanding quarterback, only from the other school in Oklahoma – Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are riding high with senior Mason Rudolph (6-5, 230). Rudolph passed for 4,091 yards, averaging 315 yards per game in 2016. He completed 63% of his throws and tossed for 28 touchdown passes.

A lot of the quarterback hype in the Big 12 this season centers around West Virginia junior Will Grier (6-2, 204). Grier, the transfer from Florida, sat out the 2016 season. He was suspended for 12 months by the NCAA for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. The suspension occurred halfway through the 2015 season after Grier led Florida to a 6-0 start. He looked good in West Virginia’s spring game.

Three other good quarterbacks in the Big 12 are TCU senior Kenny Hill (6-1, 212), Texas sophomore Shane Buechele (6-1, 205) and Kansas State senior Jesse Ertz (6-3, 212). Hill, a former Texas A&M quarterback, led the Horned Frogs last season with 3,208 yards passing, averaging 247 yards a game. He completed 61% of his throws.

The Longhorns’ Buechele passed for 2,958 yards last year, averaging 247 yards per game. He completed 60% of his lobs and threw 21 touchdown passes. K-State’s Ertz rushed for 1,012 yards last season.

In the ACC, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson will be challenged for conference honors by Florida State sophomore Deondre Francois (6-2, 205). Last year, Francois tossed for 3,350 yards, averaging 258 yards per game. He completed 59 percent of his passes.

Another quarterback who could shake up things in the ACC is NC State junior Ryan Finley (6-4, 205). Last season, Finley passed for 3,059 yards, averaging 235 yards per game. He completed 605 of this throws. The QB scene will be interesting at North Carolina with LSU graduate transfer senior Brandon Harris (6-2, 180).

Syracuse is looking comfortable with two experienced quarterbacks – junior Eric Dungey (6-3, 221) and senior Zack Mahoney (6-2, 222). Dungey passed for 2,679 yards last year, averaging 298 yards per game. He completed 65% of his tosses. Duke returns experience with sophomore Daniel Jones (6-5, 210). In 2016, Jones passed for 2,836 yards and averaged 236 yards a game. He completed 63% of his lobs.

The Group of 5 conferences have several outstanding quarterbacks, including Boise State’s Brett Rypien, Memphis’ Riley Ferguson, Toledo’s Logan Woodside and Western Kentucky’s Mike White to mention a few.

In the MWC, Boise State junior Brett Rypien (6-2, 201) definitely leads the pack. Last season, he threw for 3,646 yards and averaged 281 yards per game. Rypien completed 62% of his passes and threw for 24 touchdowns.

But Rypien will be challenged in the MWC by Wyoming junior Josh Allen (6-5, 222), Colorado State senior Nick Stevens (6-3, 200), New Mexico senior Lamar Jordan (5-10, 190) and Utah State senior Kent Myers (6-0, 200). In 2016, Allen passed for 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns, while Stevens completed 64% of his passes.

Like Rypien in the MWC, Memphis senior Riley Ferguson (6-4, 210) appears to be the top quarterback in the AAC. Last year, Ferguson passed for 3,698 yards, averaging 285 yards a game. He completed 63% of his throws.

If Ferguson isn’t the top quarterback in the AAC, then South Florida senior Quinton Flowers (6-0, 210) is. In 2016, Flowers threw for 2,807 yards, completing 63% of his passes. More impressive, Flowers rushed for 1,530 yards, averaging 118 yards per game.

Three other quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the AAC are Cincinnati junior Hayden Moore (6-3, 218), Houston junior Kyle Allen (6-3, 210) and East Carolina senior Thomas Sirk (6-4, 220). Moore averaged 249 yards per game, passing in 2016. You might recognize Allen’s and Sirk’s names. Allen is another one of those Texas A&M transfers, while Sirk is a graduate transfer from Duke where he lost his starting position.

The MAC has one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the country. He is Toledo senior Logan Woodside (6-2, 201). Last season, Woodside passed for 4,129 yards, averaging 318 yards per game. He completed 69% of his tosses and threw 45 touchdown passes.

Two other good quarterbacks in the Mac are Eastern Michigan senior Brogan Roback (6-3, 208) and Akron senior Thomas Woodson (6-1, 233). In 2016, Roback passed for 2,694 yards, averaging 269 yards a game, while Woodson averaged 260 yards a game passing.

Conference USA can also brag about having one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the country. He is Western Kentucky senior Mike White (6-4, 225). White was pretty impressive last year, throwing for 4,363 yards and averaging 312 yards per game. He completed 67% of his passes and threw for 37 touchdowns.

On White’s tail in C-USA is Middle Tennessee junior Brent Stockstill (6-0, 223). Last season Stockstill passed for 3,233 yards, averaging 323 yards a game. He completed 63% of his throws and threw 31 touchdown passes. Marshall has an up-and-comer in junior Chase Litton (6-6, 223). In 2016, Litton threw for 2,612 yards, averaging 261 yards per game. He completed 62% of his lobs and threw 24 touchdown passes.

Florida Atlantic has a good quarterback returning in junior Jason Driskel (6-2, 210). Last year, Driskel passed for 2,415 yards, completing 61% of his throws. However, Driskel is likely to lose his starting position to sophomore De’Andre Johnson (6-0, 177). Johnson is a former Florida State quarterback who was dismissed from the Seminoles for inappropriate behavior. He played last year for a junior college in Mississippi.

The Sun Belt Conference has its share of good quarterbacks. The marquee QBs at preseason are Troy senior Brandon Silvers (6-3, 214), Idaho senior Matt Linehan (6-3, 239), Appalachian State senior Taylor Lamb (6-2, 200) and Arkansas State senior Justice Hansen (6-4, 207).

Last season, Troy’s Silvers passed for 3,180 yards, averaging 245 yards per game. He completed 64% of his throws. Idaho’s Linehan threw for 3,184 yards and also averaged 245 yards a game, while completing 62% of his passes. Appalachian State’s Lamb passed for 2,281 yards and Arkansas State’s Hansen threw for 2,719 yards.

Among the Group of 5 Independents, BYU and Army have the two best quarterbacks. BYU has junior Tanner Mangum (6-3, 223) and Army has senior Ahmad Bradshaw (5-11, 198). Mangum made a name for himself as a freshman at BYU, while Bradshaw rushed for 824 yards last year.


TT’s Top 10 Favorite Quarterbacks at Preseason:

1. Sam Darnold – USC
2. Trace McSorley – Penn State
3. Jake Browning – Washington
4. Mason Rudolph – Oklahoma State
5. Logan Woodside – Toledo
6. Baker Mayfield – Oklahoma
7. Quinton Flowers – South Florida
8. Mike White – Western Kentucky
9. Lamar Jackson – Louisville
10. J.T. Barrett – Ohio State

But keep an eye on:

Deondre Francois – Florida State; Luke Falk – Washington State; Josh Rosen – UCLA; Brett Rypien – Boise State; Brandon Silvers – Troy; Will Grier – West Virginia; Nick Fitzgerald – Mississippi State; Jarrett Stidham – Auburn, and Riley Ferguson – Memphis.

Also, Brent Stockstill – Middle Tennessee; Taylor Lamb – Appalachian State; Matt Linehan – Idaho; Wilton Speight – Michigan; Jake Bentley – South Carolina; Josh Allen – Wyoming; Tanner Mangum – BYU; Nick Stevens – Colorado State, and Ahmad Rashad – Army.


The New Coaches – 2017

Until late in the offseason, 21 FBS colleges were slated to start the 2017 season with new head coaches. But two unexpected developments occurred over the summer that raised the number from 21 to 23.

First, in early June, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops shocked the college football world when he announced that he was retiring – effective immediately. Then in late July, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze was fired. Freeze was on shaky ground to begin with, but the time of his firing came as a surprise.

Of the now 23 colleges with new head coaches, 16 of the schools fired their previous head coach. Five colleges lost their head coaches when they left to take the same job at a more prestigious school. One coach (Stoops) retired and one school (Baylor) made a planned change in coaches. Baylor replaced its interim head coach (Jim Grobe) as scheduled.

Ten of the new coaches were existing or former head coaches. Four were defensive coordinators, while three were offensive coordinators. Two each of the new coaches were previously receivers coaches and offensive line coaches. One each was a defensive line coach and a quarterbacks coach.

Every conference but the ACC will have at least one new head coach in 2017. The AAC will have five. Perhaps the best known of the five is Charlie Strong, the new head coach at South Florida. Prior to USF, Strong, a native of Batesville, Arkansas, coached Texas for three seasons and Louisville for four. He left Louisville for the Texas job in 2014 and was fired by Texas at the end of last season. From 1999 to 2009, Strong was a defensive coordinator – four years at South Carolina and seven years at Florida.

The other four new coaches in the AAC are Randy Edsall (at Connecticut), Major Applewhite (at Houston), Luke Fickell (at Cincinnati) and Geoff Collins (at Temple). Edsall returns to Connecticut where he was the head coach for 12 seasons from 1999 to 2010. A native of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, Edsall left UConn for Maryland in 2011 where he was the head coach for four and a half seasons. Maryland fired him halfway through the 2015 season.

Applewhite steps up from the offensive coordinator position at Houston to become the head coach. He was the Cougars OC the past two seasons. Over the years, Applewhite, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been the quarterbacks coach at Syracuse and the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Rice, Alabama, Texas, as well as Houston.

Fickell, a native of Columbus, Ohio, joins Cincinnati from Ohio State where he was on the coaching staff for the past 15 years, most recently as co-defensive coordinator. He was the interim head coach of the Buckeyes during the 2011 season.

Collins, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, becomes the head coach at Temple after serving as a defensive coordinator for the past seven seasons at Florida International (2010), Mississippi State (2011-2014) and Florida (2015-2016). Collins is the second Florida coordinator in recent years to leave the Gators to become the head coach at Temple. The other was offensive coordinator Steve Addazio who left Florida in 2011 to coach the Owls.

The Big 12, Big Ten, MWC and C-USA will each have three new head coaches this season. In the Big 12, replacing Charlie Strong at Texas is Tom Herman. Herman, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been the head coach at Houston the past two years. In 2015, he coached the Cougars to a 38-24 Peach Bowl win over Florida State. Over the years, Herman has been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Texas State, Rice, Iowa State and Ohio State.

After a year under interim coach Jim Grobe, Baylor named Matt Rhule its new head coach. Rhule, a native of New York City, comes to Baylor from Temple where he was head coach the past four seasons.

After Bob Stoops made his announcement in June, Oklahoma quickly named the Sooners offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to replace Stoops. The past seven years, Riley, a native of Lubbock, Texas, has been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for East Carolina and Oklahoma.

In the Big Ten, Minnesota named P.J. Fleck its new head coach. Fleck, a native of Sugar Grove, Illinois, had been the head coach at Western Michigan the past three years, where he coached the Broncos to a 13-0 regular season and MAC championship in 2016. WMU lost its final game to Wisconsin – 24-16 – in the Cotton Bowl. At 36, Fleck is the second-youngest head coach in FBS college football.

Former Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm is the new head coach at Purdue. In three seasons at WKU, Brohm was 30-10, including 10-3 last season with a 51-31 Boca Raton Bowl win over Memphis. Brohm is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. Indiana elevated its defensive coordinator Tom Allen to be the Hoosiers new head coach. Allen, a native of New Castle, Indiana, was the DC at South Florida in 2015 and Indiana last year.

In the MWC, Jeff Tedford returns to head coaching, taking the reins at Fresno State. Tedford, a native of Lynwood, California, was a former head coach at California for 11 seasons from 2002-2012. He’s also a former offensive coordinator at Fresno State.

Two other MWC schools hired receivers coaches to be their head coach. Nevada hired Jay Norvell. Norvell, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, was the receivers coach at Arizona State last year. Prior to that, he was the receivers coach at Oklahoma (2008-2014) and Texas (2015). San Jose State named Brent Brennan its new coach. Brennan, a native of Redwood City, California, had been the receivers coach at Oregon State the past six years. Before that, he coached the receivers at San Jose State.

Of the three new head coaches in C-USA, two are well-known to college football fans – Butch Davis and Lane Kiffin. Davis, the former head coach at Miami of Florida (1995-2000) and North Carolina (2007-2010), is the new head coach at Florida International. He also is a former head coach of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns (2001-2004). Davis is a native of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Kiffin, also a former head coach of one NFL team and two colleges, was hired by Florida Atlantic. He was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the NFL (2007-2008), Tennessee (2009) and USC (2010-2013). Kiffin, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, was fired halfway through his second season at USC. Most recently, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Alabama for the past three years.

The third new coach in C-USA happens to be the youngest head coach in FBS college football. He is Mike Sanford the new head coach at Western Kentucky. Sanford is 35. He comes to WKU from Notre Dame where he was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Irish the past two seasons. Prior to Notre Dame, Sanford, a native of Los Altos, California, was the OC/quarterbacks coach at Boise State.

The SEC and Pac-12 each have two schools with new head coaches for the 2017 season. The two schools in the SEC are LSU and Ole Miss. The two new coaches are Ed Orgeron and Matt Luke respectively. Orgeron, a native of Larose, Louisiana, has the distinction of twice being an interim head coach at two different schools. He became the interim coach at USC in 2013 when Lane Kiffin was fired before the season was over. Then he became the interim coach at LSU last year when Les Miles was dismissed before the end of the season. It paid off at LSU where he has become the head coach. He had been the Tigers defensive line coach.

Luke, of course, was named the interim head coach at Ole Miss when Hugh Freeze was terminated a few weeks ago. Luke, a native of Gulfport, Mississippi, has been the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Ole Miss the past five seasons. Prior to Ole Miss, he was the OC/offensive line coach at Duke from 2008-2011.

In the Pac-12, Willie Taggart is the new head coach at Oregon. Taggart, a native of Bradenton, Florida, comes to Eugene from Tampa where he was the coach of South Florida the past four seasons. Prior to USF, he was the head coach of Western Kentucky from 2010-2012.

The other new head coach in the Pac-12 is Justin Wilcox at California. Prior to Cal, Wilcox, a native of Eugene, Oregon, was the defensive coordinator at Boise State (2006-2009), Tennessee (2010-2011), Washington (2012-2013), USC (2014-2015) and Wisconsin last year.

The one new head coach in the MAC is Tim Lester at Western Michigan. Lester, a native of Wheaton, Illinois, comes to WMU from Purdue where he was the Boilers quarterbacks coach last year. Prior to Purdue, he was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Syracuse for two seasons – 2014-2015.

And last, but not necessarily least, the one new coach in the Sun Belt Conference is Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott. Elliott, a native of Camden, South Carolina, was the offensive line coach at South Carolina last season. The year before – 2015 – he was the interim head coach for the Gamecocks after Steve Spurrier stepped down before the end of the season.


Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2017

Geographically speaking, the two areas of the country with the most hot seats are the SEC West and the Pac-12 South. In the SEC West, three of the seven coaches are on the hot seat. It was four of seven, but Ole Miss already took care of Hugh Freeze.

That leaves Arkansas’ Bret Bielema, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin, and, yes, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn. Of the three, Bielema is the only one with a losing record. After three seasons in Fayetteville, Bielema is 25-26. Even worse, he is 10-22 in SEC games.

Meanwhile, Sumlin and Malzahn may have winning records, but at some SEC schools, you need to have exceptional winning records. After five seasons, Sumlin is 44-21 with the Aggies, but he has yet to win the SEC, much less the SEC West. He set the bar high his first season in College Station, going 11-2, including a 29-24 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa – Bama’s only loss that season. But since then, A&M has been 9-4 and 8-5 the last three seasons.

Likewise, Auburn’s Malzahn set the bar high his first season with the Tigers, but has been going downhill ever since. Malzahn is 35-18 in four seasons with Auburn. He won the SEC championship his first year and Auburn played in the national championship game, losing to Florida State. The Tigers were 12-2 that season. Since then, they have been 8-5, 7-6 and 8-5.

Bielema, Sumlin and Malzahn need respectable records – very respectable records – in 2017 to hold onto their jobs.

Meanwhile, in the Pac-12 South, three of the six coaches are treading water – treading in very deep water. They are UCLA’s Jim Mora, Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez and Arizona State’s Todd Graham. Each are entering their sixth season at their respective schools.

Mora (41-24) looked good early on, going 9-5 his first season followed by two 10-3 seasons. But the last two years UCLA was 8-5 and 4-8. Rodriguez (36-29) coached Arizona to the Pac-12 South title in his third season with the Wildcats. But he has failed to have a winning conference record in each of the other four seasons – 18-26 overall. Last year, Arizona finished 3-9 – 1-8 in Pac-12 play.

Graham (39-26) had success his first three seasons with the Sun Devils. ASU won the Pac-12 South in Graham’s second year and finished second in the South the other two seasons. But the last two years have been losers for Graham. Mora, Rodriguez and Graham need strong seasons in 2017 to avoid the pink slips.

One other coach in the Pac-12 – the Pac-12 North – is on thin ice. After two seasons at Oregon State, Gary Andersen is sitting at 6-18. The folks in Corvallis are patient and Andersen is a likeable guy, but he needs to have a winning record in 2017.

And we can’t leave the SEC without mentioning two coaches in the SEC East who are sitting on hot seats. The hottest seat of the two is Butch Jones at Tennessee. Following four seasons in Knoxville, Jones is 30-21. But he is 14-18 in SEC play. On the upside, Tennessee is 3-0 in bowl games under Jones. But none of those bowls has been a “New Year’s Six” bowl and the Vols have not won the SEC East under Jones. 2017 will be an interesting season for Jones.

The other hot seat in the SEC East belongs to Kentucky’s Mark Stoops. After four seasons, Stoops is 19-30 – 8-24 in SEC play. His first three years in Lexington were tough ones, but Stoops may have turned the corner last year. In 2016, Kentucky had its first winning season – 7-6 – under Stoops and the Wildcats went to a bowl game. Stoops better hope that things continue to improve in 2017.

The ACC has three coaches who are wobbling. They are Boston College’s Steve Addazio, NC State’s Dave Doeren and Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson. Addazio (24-27) has not won more than seven games in any season after four years at BC. The last two years, he is 2-14 in ACC play.

Doeren (25-26) is 9-23 in ACC play after four seasons with the Wolfpack. NC State has never finished higher than 4th in the Atlantic Division under Doeren. There are high expectations for the Wolfpack in 2017. Doeren will be feeling the pressure if those expectations aren’t met.

Clawson (13-24) is 5-19 in ACC play after three years with the Demon Deacons. However, Wake had its first winning season – 7-6 – under Clawson last year. And the Deacons won their bowl game. Things could be looking up for Clawson. Addazio, Doeren and Clawson don’t need to set the world on fire in 2017, but they do need to have good seasons.

The hottest seat in the Big Ten definitely belongs to Nebraska’s Mike Riley, 15-11 after two seasons in Lincoln. On the positive side for Riley, the Huskers were a much improved team in 2016 (9-4) than they were in Riley’s first season (6-7). But 9-4 ain’t going to cut it in Lincoln – not for long.

The other coach who is entering the danger zone in the Big Ten is Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio. On paper, Dantonio looks good – 90-42 after ten seasons in East Lansing. And five of his last seven seasons have been particularly good – 11-2 (7-1) in 2010, 11-3 (7-1) in 2011, 13-1 (8-0) in 2013, 11-2 (7-1) in 2014 and 12-2 (7-1) in 2015. That’s darn impressive. But the Spartans were 3-9 (1-8) last year. Back-to-back losing seasons and it could be curtains for Dantonio. But with a winning season he is safe.

The Big 12 has two coaches who are in jeopardy. They are Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury (24-26 after four seasons) and Kansas’ David Beaty (2-22 after two seasons). Kingsbury, Texas Tech’s favorite son, may become Texas Tech’s disowned son. Under Kingsbury, the Red Raiders are only 13-23 in Big 12 play. And they have finished no higher than 5th place in the conference the past four seasons.

No one thought Beaty was going to create fireworks in just two seasons at Kansas, but still, 2-22 is a pretty dismal start. Another dismal season and Beaty could be job hunting in December.

Among the Group of 5 conferences, the MAC and C-USA have the most coaches in trouble. In the MAC, five coaches could be on the outside looking in by the end of the season. First and foremost among the hot seaters is Kent State’s Paul Haynes. Haynes is a weak 12-35 after four seasons at Kent.

Two other MAC coaches who aren’t getting the job done are Akron’s Terry Bowden (24-37 after five seasons) and Buffalo’s Lance Leipold (7-17) after two seasons. Bowden has only had one winning season at Akron. That’s one out of five. One out of six and he could be a gonner. Leipold is off to a slow start at Buffalo – a very slow start. Signs of improvement this season could give Leipold another year. No improvement and he will most likely be shuffling out of Buffalo.

Miami of Ohio’s Chuck Martin (11-26 after three seasons) and Eastern Michigan’s Chris Creighton (10-27 after three seasons) got off to slow starts at their schools, but both showed promise last season. After going 5-19 his first two seasons, Martin coached the RedHawks to a 6-7 finish last year – 6-2 in MAC play. Likewise, Creighton went from a 3-21 start his first two seasons at EMU to finishing 7-6 last year. Keep this up and both coaches are safe. But a turnaround to losing records again could cost both their jobs.

In C-USA, four coaches are on thin ice – very thin. Marshall’s Doc Holliday (53-37) begins his 8th season coaching the Herd. After a so-so start in his first three seasons (17-20), Holliday’s Herd reeled off three terrific seasons – 10-4, 13-1 and 10-3. But it all came crashing down last season when the Herd finished 3-9. Another losing season and Holliday will be taking a holiday – a permanent one.

David Bailiff (56-69) has been at Rice for a long time – 10 seasons. He’s had four winning seasons and six losing ones. The last two were losing. Another losing this year and he’s a krispie. UTEP’s Sean Kugler (18-31) and Charlotte’s Brad Lambert (16-30) have been at their schools for four seasons. Kugler has only had one winning season in El Paso. That was 7-6 in 2014. Lambert inaugurated Charlotte’s program in 2013 and he has been the 49er’s only coach. But he has never had a winning season. Another losing season and he will no longer be Charlotte’s only coach.

The Sun Belt has two coaches sitting on hot seats and both are at schools that will no longer be in the Sun Belt Conference after this season. Both coaches may no longer be at their schools after this season either. The coaches in jeopardy are New Mexico State’s Doug Martin (10-38 after four seasons) and Idaho’s Paul Petrino (15-33 after four seasons). Martin has not managed to win more than three games a season in his four years in Las Cruces. Petrino, on the other hand, may have turned the corner at Idaho. After a 6-29 start his first three seasons, he coached the Vandals to a 9-4 season last year, including a win over Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Petrino needs to avoid a losing season this year.

The AAC and the MWC each only have one coach with a warm bottom. In the AAC, it is SMU’s Chad Morris. Morris is only 7-17 after two seasons with the Mustangs. To his credit, SMU improved from 2-10 his first season to 5-7 last year. Now the Mustangs need to improve some more this year. Otherwise, it could be sayonara for Morris.

In the MWC, Matt Wells (28-25) took over a good program at Utah State. And for two seasons, Wells maintained a good program – 9-5 and 10-4. But things have gone downhill for Wells the last two seasons – 6-7 and 3-9. If they continue to go downhill this year, Wells will be in a rut.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but as the summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another exciting season, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1942 was “Jingle Jangle Jingle” by Kay Keyser and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1947 was “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” by Tex Williams

…65 years ago this week in 1952 was “Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart” by Vera Lynn

…60 years ago this week in 1957 was “Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear” and “Loving You” by Elvis Presley

…55 years ago this week in 1962 was “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” by Neil Sedaka

…50 years ago this week in 1967 was “Light My Fire” by The Doors

…45 years ago this week in 1972 was “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan

…40 years ago this week in 1977 was “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb

…35 years ago this week in 1982 was “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor

…30 years ago this week in 1987 was “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2

…25 years ago this week in 1992 was “This Used To Be My Playground” by Madonna


Not exactly college football related, but there were five passings of note last week – Don Baylor, Barbara Cook, Dick MacPherson, Glen Campbell and Bryan Murray.

Don Baylor, a respected outfielder and designated hitter who won the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1979, died last week in Austin, Texas. He was 68. Baylor played for six teams over 19 seasons, including the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins. His major league career began in 1970 with the Baltimore Orioles. Baylor’s mentor was Frank Robinson. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics before the start of the 1976 season. After one season with the A’s, Baylor singed as a free agent with the California Angels. After the Angels, Baylor played for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox traded him to the Twins. Baylor became the manager of the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs. With the Rockies, he was National League manager of the year in 1995. Don Edward Baylor was born in Austin, Texas, on June 28, 1949. He played basketball, football and baseball at Austin High School. He was recruited to play football at several colleges, including the University of Texas. But he chose baseball and was drafted by the Orioles in 1967.

Barbara Cook, a lyric soprano whose rousing songs and romantic ballads began in the golden age of Broadway musicals, died last week in Manhattan, New York. She was 89. Through the years, she dealt with alcoholism, depression and obesity only to forge a second life in cabarets and concert halls. In 2011, six decades after her Broadway debut, Cook received Kennedy Center Honors from President Barack Obama. She was the ideal leading lady in the musicals of the 1950s and 1960s. She won a Tony Award for “The Music Man.” She also appeared on Broadway in non-musicals and on television in dramatic roles on shows like “Armstrong Circle Theater” and “The United States Steel Hour.” Barbara Cook was born in Atlanta on October 25, 1927. She recorded dozens of albums, toured America and gave concerts all over the world. Cook sang at the White House for Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Dick MacPherson, who resurrected a declining football program at Syracuse University and returned it to national prominence, died last week at his home in Syracuse. He was 86. MacPherson had a disappointing stint as head coach of the New England Patriots. He arrived at Syracuse before the 1981 season. By the time he left in 1990, he had compiled a 66-46-4 record. In 1987, he led Syracuse to a No. 4 national ranking and an 11-0-1 mark, blemished only by a tie with Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Dick MacPherson was born in Ole Town, Maine, on November 4, 1930. He played football at Springfield College in Massachusetts before serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. Prior to Syracuse, he was a position coach with the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns and the head coach at the University of Massachusetts. His career college coaching record (Syracuse and Massachusetts) was 111-73-5.

Glen Campbell, the sweet-voiced, guitar-picking son of a sharecropper who became a recording, television and movie star in the 1960s and 1970s, and gave his last performances in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, died last week in Nashville. He was 81. Campbell’s last performance was in Napa, California, on November 30, 2012. He released his final studio album, “Adios,” in June. It includes guest appearances by Willie Nelson and Vince Gill. At the height of his career, Campbell was one of the biggest names in show business. From 1969 to 1972 he had his own weekly television show, “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.” He sold an estimated 45 million records and had numerous hits on both the pop and country charts. His biggest hits were “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston” (all written by Jimmy Webb) and “Southern Nights” (written by Allen Toussaint). Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936, about 80 miles southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas, between Billstown and Delight. At the age of 22 he moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Campbell became a recording studio session musician for a host of famous artists, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and groups like the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas. From late 1964 to early 1965, he was a touring member of the Beach Boys. His first hit came in 1967 – “Gentle on My Mind” written by John Hartford. “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” made its debut on CBS in January 1969. His most famous movie role was in “True Grit” with John Wayne in 1969.

Bryan Murray, the longtime NHL coach and executive who took the Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to surprising berths in the Stanley Cup finals as their general manager and coached the Ottawa Senators to the finals as well, died Saturday. He was 74. Bryan Clarence Murray was born on December 5, 1942, in Shawville, an English-speaking town in Quebec, across the Ottawa River from the city of Ottawa.