College Football Week – Preseason 2: Still preseason, but…
SEC rules the college football playoff
And the Big 12 is the worst playoff conference.
It’s hard to believe this season will mark the fifth year
of the four-team college football playoff. Has it been that long? Again this
season, a 13-person committee will select the four teams for the post-season
competition. The playoff, which began in the 2014 season, has been generally
successful. It certainly provides additional excitement to the final weeks of
the season when the playoff poll is announced each week.
Perhaps the only disappointment in the four seasons of the
playoff has been the semifinal games. For the most part, they have lacked
excitement. Only two of the eight semifinal games have been close and exciting.
One was in 2014, the first season for the playoff, when Ohio State beat
Alabama, 42-35. The other one was last season when Georgia beat Oklahoma 54-48
(2OT). The other six semifinal games have been boring – blowouts.
But, to counter the disappointment of the semifinal games,
three of the four championship games have been close and exciting. The only one
that wasn’t was when Ohio State beat Oregon 42-20 in the first championship
game.
Looking at the records, the SEC has been the most
successful conference in the playoff, followed in order by the ACC, Big Ten,
Pac-12 and Big 12.
The SEC, with a 6-3 record in playoff games, has been in each
of the four playoffs (one with two of its teams), in three of the championship
games (also, one with two of its teams) and has won two of the three championship
games. The SEC has placed two teams in the playoffs – Alabama and Georgia.
Alabama, 5-2 record, 4 playoffs, 3 championship games, 2
championships
Georgia, 1-1 record, 1 playoff, 1 championship game, 0
championships
The ACC, with a 3-3 record in playoff games, has been in
each of the four playoffs, in two of the championship games and has won one
championship. The ACC has placed two teams in the playoffs – Clemson and
Florida State.
Clemson, 3-2 record, 3 playoffs, 2 championship games, 1
championship
Florida State, 0-1 record, 1 playoff, 0 championship
games, 0 championships
The Big Ten, with a 2-2 record in playoff games, has been
in three playoffs, in one championship game and has won one championship. The
Big Ten has placed two teams in the playoffs – Ohio State and Michigan State.
Ohio State, 2-1 record, 2 playoffs, 1 championship game,
1 championship
Michigan State, 0-1 record, 1 playoff, 0 championship
games, 0 championships
The Pac-12, with a 1-2 record in playoff games, has been
in two playoffs, in one championship game, but has not won any championships.
The Pac-12 has placed two teams in the playoffs – Oregon and Washington.
Oregon, 1-1 record, 1 playoff, 1 championship game, 0
championships
Washington, 0-1 record, 1 playoff, 0 championship games,
0 championships
The Big 12, with an 0-2 record in playoff games, has been
in two playoffs, but in no championship games and has not won any
championships. The Big 12 has placed only one team in the playoffs – Oklahoma
Oklahoma, 0-2 record, 2 playoffs, 0 championship games, 0
championships
In summary: The SEC is the only conference to place two
teams in the playoffs in the same season. The SEC is the only conference to
have two of its teams playing each other in the championship game. The Big 12 is the only
conference that has never won a playoff game and has never played in the
championship game. The Pac-12 and the Big 12 are the only two conferences that
have never won the championship. Nine teams have participated in the playoff.
The Big 12 is the only conference that has placed only one team in the playoff.
The SEC and ACC have made the playoffs every year. The
Big Ten has made the playoff in three of the four years, while the Pac-12 and
Big 12 have each made the playoff in two of the four years.
Commenting on the success of the SEC in the playoff, Fox
Sports college football commentator Joel
Klatt recently said the SEC has the easiest path to the playoff. Klatt
based his statement on the fact that the SEC only plays eight conference games
during the season. The same could also be said about the ACC, which only plays
eight conference games during the season. The other three Power Five
Conferences – Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 – each play nine conference games
during the season. It does appear to be an advantage not only to the SEC but
also to the ACC.
The only remaining question: How long will it be before
the playoff becomes an eight-team affair?
And speaking of an affair, “Meyergate” continues to get
more and more interesting – thanks to Zach
Smith, the former Ohio State receivers coach who was fired by Urban Meyer back in July. In addition
to his other alleged issues, it now turns out Smith was arrested for drunken
driving in 2013. However, a judge, who is an Ohio State graduate and financial
booster to the football team, reduced Smith’s charges.
Does that remind you of something? Shades of the past
when the Leon County State’s Attorney in Tallahassee, who was a Florida State
graduate, used to reduce and/or eliminate charges against Jameis Winston.
Then we learn that in 2015, Smith ordered more than
$2,000 worth of sexual toys that were shipped to him at the Ohio State football
office. Around the same time, Smith had sex with an Ohio State staffer in the
coaches’ offices and took pictures of himself receiving oral sex. This
according to his former wife, Courtney.
Adding to the debauchery, Smith allegedly sent pictures
of his private parts taken in a bathroom at the White House with the seal of
the President of the United States in the background. This when the Ohio State
football team visited the White House, after winning the national championship.
Smith, of course, is no longer on the coaching staff at
Ohio State. We should learn soon the future status of Urban Meyer, who is
currently on paid administrative leave. A decision from the Ohio State committee
investigating “Meyergate” – what Urban knew about Zach Smith – is expected to
be announced today or tomorrow. Stay tuned!
The general feeling is that Meyer will keep his job but
will be suspended from the first two games of the season – Oregon State and
Rutgers.
Also, this week, if not today or tomorrow, we should
learn the outcome of “Terpgate,” the ongoing investigation into the conduct and
management of the Maryland football program. Strength and conditioning coach Rick Court already has been fired. Like
Urban Meyer, head Maryland coach D.J. Durkin is on paid administrative
leave. Maryland’s board of regents are expected to announce their
recommendation on Durkin’s status early this week.
The general feeling is that Durkin will be fired. The
parents of Jordan McNair certainly think
Durkin should be fired. McNair is the player who died from a heatstroke, after
a workout session, earlier this summer. Oddly enough, the only coach to come
out in support of Durkin is South Carolina coach Will Muschamp. What does that say about Muschamp?
“Terpgate” got weirder when it was revealed that coaches
would punish players by force feeding them candy bars, among other things. Current
players acknowledged last week that team members were verbally and physically
intimidated and humiliated during practice. I couldn’t believe it when I
learned that Maryland’s athletic director is Damon Evans – the same Damon Evans who lost his AD job at Georgia
for inappropriate behavior.
Late last night, news broke that the Maryland board of
regents believe a complete house cleaning is in order in College Park. The
regents are recommending that President Wallace
Loh, Athletic Director Damon Evans
and head coach D.J. Durkin all three
be relieved of their positions.
If this is true, it would be the second time in recent
years that Evans has been fired. Former Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams is expected to be named
the interim athletic director. Stay tuned!
So, after reviewing the top players for this week’s blog,
I’ve come to believe that no one will be able to stop the offenses of Oklahoma
and Wisconsin this year. The Sooners and the Badgers each have three of the Top
20 offensive linemen in the country.
Conversely, I don’t believe anyone is going to be able to
advance the ball against Clemson’s defense. The Tigers have four of the Top 15
defensive linemen in the country.
CBS has hired Danny
Kanell, Ross Tucker and Kevin Carter as in-studio college
football analysts for the 2018 season. Kanell, the former Florida State
quarterback, has to say good things about the SEC now. While at ESPN, Kanell
was known for dissing the SEC. Tucker played football for Princeton and Carter
is a former Florida Gator.
Yeah, it’s…..Still preseason, but….. As was the case last
year, there are a handful of teams who are jumping the gun again this year and
starting a little early. Four games involving FBS teams will be played Saturday
– August 25. The games are Duquesne at Massachusetts, Prairie View at Rice, Hawaii
at Colorado State and Wyoming at New Mexico State.
I can’t say there is much, if anything, in those contests
to stir your grits. So the real, and traditional, start, to the college
football season, as far as I am concerned, remains the Thursday before Labor
Day Weekend – August 30 this year. That’s when the excitement begins.
Speaking of excitement, Rockledge Gator is still excited about Will Grier’s wife.
Touchdown Tom
August 20, 2018
Quotes of the Week
“Some of our policies and protocols do not conform to
best practices,” University of Maryland president Wallace Loh, on the Terrapin football team.
“They don’t care about right or wrong or integrity. All
they want to do is attack the media,” ESPN college football commentator Paul Finebaum, on Ohio State fans.
“I believe we’re gonna go beat ’em,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, predicting the outcome
of his team’s game against Alabama on September 1.
The Teams – 2018 (Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40)
Here I go again, compiling the Top 40 teams for the 2018
season. Every year I get my hands on all the legitimate preseason polls I can
find. Then I combine the results of those polls to come up with my Consensus
Top 40. This year I provide the combined results of 12 polls – Coaches, CBS,
Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith, Athlon, Lindys, etc.,
etc. The only one missing is the Associated Press Poll, which will be released
at 12 noon ET today.
Drum roll, please. Here I go. The No. 1 team in this
year’s Consensus Top 40 is who else, but, Alabama.
The Crimson Tide are the No. 1 team again this year. The remaining Top Five
teams are (2) Clemson, (3) Georgia, (4) Ohio State and (5)
Washington.
Alabama was No. 1 in nine of the 12 polls. Three of the
polls (Lindys, College Football News and Sports Illustrated) had the Tide at
No. 2. Those three polls had Clemson at No. 1. The remaining polls had the
Tigers at No. 2, except for one poll, which placed Clemson at No. 4.
Completing the Top 10 in my Consensus Poll are (6) Wisconsin, (7) Oklahoma, (8) Penn State,
(9) Auburn and (10) Miami (Florida). The Top 10 contains three teams from the SEC
and Big Ten, two teams from the ACC and one each from the Big 12 and Pac-12.
The second 10 consists of (11) Michigan State, (12)
Michigan, (13) Stanford, (14) Notre Dame, (15) USC, (16) Florida State,
(17) West Virginia, (18) TCU, (19) Mississippi State, and (20) Texas.
Filling out the Top 25 are (21) Boise State, (22)
Virginia Tech, (23) UCF, (24) Florida and (25)
South Carolina. Boise State (MWC) at
21 and UCF (AAC) at 23 are the highest ranked Group of Five teams. The remaining
Top 30 teams are (26) LSU, (27) Oregon, (28) Texas A&M, (29)
Utah and (30) Oklahoma State.
The final 10 teams in the Top 40 are (31) Iowa, (32) Kansas State,
(33) Arizona, (34) Florida Atlantic, (35)
Missouri, (36) Boston College, (37) Louisville, (38) Northwestern, (39) NC
State and (40) Memphis. Florida
Atlantic (C-USA) at 34 and Memphis (AAC) at 40 are the third and fourth teams
from the Group of Five in the Top 40. But the Power Five rules the Top 40 with
36 teams – nine from the SEC, seven each from the ACC and Big Ten and six each
from the Big 12 and Pac-12. There is one Power Five Independent – Notre Dame.
Just missing the Top 40 were (41) Iowa State, (42) Duke
and (43) Georgia Tech.
Eight of the 10 FBS Conferences (five Power Five and
three Group of Five) are represented in the Top 40. The two Group of Five
Conferences that failed to place a team in the Top 40 are the MAC and the Sun
Belt. The highest-ranked Sun Belt team is Arkansas
State at 56 and the
highest-ranked MAC team is Ohio at 63. There are 130 FBS teams.
So, if my Consensus Top 40 is any indication, then the
four teams in this season’s playoff will be Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio
State.
Last year, the Top Four teams in my Consensus Top 40 were
Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and USC. Of those four teams, only Alabama
made the playoff. The Crimson Tide not only made the playoff, but they won the
national championship. Ohio State just missed the playoff, finishing the season
at No. 5. USC finished at No. 12 and Florida State wasn’t even ranked in the
final season poll.
The other three teams in last year’s playoff were Georgia,
Oklahoma and Clemson. In the preseason Top 40, Georgia was No. 15, Oklahoma was
No. 6 and Clemson was No. 5.
The final AP Poll last season consisted of (1) Alabama,
(2) Georgia, (3) Oklahoma, (4) Clemson and (5) Ohio State.
The Running Backs – 2018
As I mentioned last week, this is the year of the
quarterback. However, if there is an individual who could make it the year of
the running back, then it is Stanford senior Bryce Love (5-10, 196). Love is the real deal both on the field and
in the classroom.
Last year Love rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns.
He averaged 162.9 yards per game and 8.1 yards per carry. Love comes into the
2018 season as the No. 1 running back in the country.
Right up there, almost, with Love, is Wisconsin sophomore
Jonathan Taylor (5-11, 214). Last
season, Taylor rushed for 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 141.2
yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry.
Just behind Taylor in the running back category are
Washington senior Myles Gaskin
(5-10, 191) and Boston College sophomore A.J.
Dillon (6-0, 240). In 2017, Gaskin rushed for 1,380 yards and 231
touchdowns. He averaged 106.2 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry. Dillon
rushed for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns. He averaged 122.2 yards per game and
5.3 yards per carry.
Four other top-tier running backs at preseason are
Alabama’s Damien Harris, Florida
Atlantic’s Devin Singletary, Ohio
State’s J.K. Dobbins and Oklahoma’s Rodney Anderson. We’ll talk about them
later.
Scanning the country among the Power Five Conferences,
the ACC has two other good running backs to go with A.J. Dillon. They are Florida State sophomore Cam Akers (5-11. 213) and Clemson junior Travis Etienne (5-11, 220). Last year, Akers rushed for 1,024
yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
In the Big Ten, as mentioned, Jonathan Taylor is the cream of the crop. Competing right there
with Taylor is Ohio State sophomore J.K.
Dobbins (5-10, 208). Last season, Dobbins rushed for 1,403 yards, averaging
100.2 yards per game and 7.2 yards per carry.
Two other notable running backs in the Big Ten are Minnesota
senior Rodney Smith (5-11, 210), and
Ohio State junior Mike Weber (5-10,
214). The Buckeyes are loaded at the running back position. Michigan State has
a solid running back in senior L.J.
Scott (6-1, 226).
The best running back in the Big 12 appears to be
Oklahoma junior Rodney Anderson
(6-1, 219). Last season, Anderson rushed for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns. He
averaged 6.2 yards per carry. But right behind Anderson is Oklahoma State
junior Justice Hill (5-10, 190).
Hill had good credentials in 2017. He rushed for 1,467 yards, scoring 15
touchdowns. Hill averaged 112.8 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry.
Three other quality running backs in the Big 12 are Kansas
State junior Alex Barnes (6-1, 227),
Iowa State junior David Montgomery
(5-11, 219) and West Virginia junior Kennedy
McCoy (6-0, 205). Montgomery rushed for 1,146 yards last year.
In addition to Stanford’s Bryce Love and Washington’s Myles
Gaskin, there are two other excellent running backs in the Pac-12. They are
Utah junior Zack Moss (5-10, 217)
and California senior Patrick Laird
(6-0, 205). In 2017, Moss rushed for 1,173 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per
carry, while Laird rushed for 1,127 yards, averaging 102.5 yards per game and
5.9 yards per carry.
Leading the pack among the running backs in the SEC is
Alabama senior Damien Harris (5-11,
213). Last year, Harris rushed for 1,000 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
Two other SEC running backs are right behind Harris. They
are Georgia sophomore D’Andre Swift
(5-9, 215) and Kentucky junior Benny
Snell (5-11, 223). Last season, Snell rushed for 1,333 yards, scoring 19
touchdowns. He averaged 102.5 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry.
Another outstanding running back in the SEC is Texas
A&M junior Treyveon Williams
(5-9, 200). Meanwhile, in Gainesville, Florida hopes to get a lot of yardage on
the ground from junior Jordan Scarlett
(5-11, 206), junior Lamical Perine
(5-11, 221) and sophomore Malik Davis
(5-11, 195).
Among the Group of Five Conferences, Conference USA is
loaded with outstanding running backs. It all begins in Boca Raton with Florida
Atlantic junior Devin Singletary
(5-9, 200). In 2017, Singletary rushed for 1,920 yards and 32 touchdowns,
leading the Owls to an 11-3 record. He averaged 137.1 yards per game and 6.4
yards per carry.
Behind Singletary in C-USA is UAB sophomore Spencer Brown. Last year, Brown rushed
for 1,329 yards, averaging 102.2 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry. Old
Dominion has a sturdy running back in senior Jeremy Cox (5-11, 217), as does North Texas with sophomore Nic Smith (5-10, 186).
Two other strong backs in C-USA are UTSA senior Jalen Rhodes (5-9, 200) and Marshall
sophomore Tyler King (5-11, 193).
The Sun Belt Conference has one of the country’s top
running backs in Appalachian State senior Jalin
Moore (5-11, 207). Last season, Moore rushed for 1,037 yards and averaged
5.7 yards per carry.
The AAC’s two best running backs at preseason are Memphis
junior Darrell Henderson (5-9, 200)
and UCF junior Adrian Killins (5-8,
168). In 2017, Henderson rushed for 1,154 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
The MAC has three exciting runners. They are Central
Michigan junior Jonathan Ward (6-0,
194), Ohio sophomore A.J. Ouellette
(5-9, 205) and Ball State sophomore Caleb
Huntley (5-10, 225). Last season, CMU’s Ward rushed for 1,019 yards,
averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
The most exciting running back in the MWC is UNLV senior Lexington Thomas (5-9, 170). In 2017,
Thomas rushed for 1,336 yards and 17 touchdowns. He averaged 111.3 yards per
game and 6.3 yards per carry.
Three other steady running backs in the MWC are New
Mexico senior Tyrone Owens (59.
187), Colorado State senior Izzy Mathews
(6-0, 220) and San Diego State junior Juwan
Washington (5-7, 190).
TT’s Top 10 Running Backs at Preseason:
1.
Bryce Love –
Stanford
2.
Jonathan Taylor
– Wisconsin
3.
Devin Singletary
– Florida Atlantic
4.
Myles Gaskin
– Washington
5.
A.J. Dillon
– Boston College
6.
J.K. Dobbins
– Ohio State
7.
Justice Hill
– Oklahoma State
8.
Damien Harris
– Alabama
9.
D’Andre Swift
– Georgia
10.
Rodney Anderson
– Oklahoma
And keep an eye on:
Cam Akers –
Florida State; Spencer Brown – UAB; Benny Snell – Kentucky and Jalin Moore – Appalachian State.
The Other Positions – 2018
Wide Receivers
A big reason for quarterback Will Grier’s potential success this year are his receivers. Grier
has two of the best in the country to throw to. They are West Virginia senior David Sills (6-4, 203) and senior Gary Jennings (6-1, 214).
The Pac-12 and the SEC each have a quality pair of
receivers. In the Pac-12 are Arizona State junior N’Keal Harry (6-4, 216) and USC sophomore Tyler Vaughns (6-2, 185). The SEC counters with Ole Miss junior A.J. Brown (6-1, 225) and South
Carolina senior Deebo Samuel (6-0,
210).
The best receiver in the Big Ten is Nebraska senior Stanley Morgan (6-1, 195). Three of the
country’s top receivers play for Group of Five teams. They are Buffalo senior Anthony Johnson (6-2, 207), Georgia
State junior Penny Hart (5-8, 180)
and Florida Atlantic junior Jovon
Durante (6-0, 165).
Tight Ends
The four best tight ends in the nation are Iowa junior Noah Faut (6-5, 232), Missouri
sophomore Albert Okwuegbunam (6-3,
260), Stanford junior Kaden Smith
(6-5, 253) and Utah State junior Dax
Raymond (6-5, 245).
Centers
The ACC and Pac-12 have four of the top six centers in
the country. From the ACC are Wake Forest senior Ryan Anderson (6-6, 305) and Clemson senior Justin Falcinelli (6-4, 305). The Pac-12 duo are USC senior Toa Loberdahn (6-3, 290) and Oregon
junior Jake Hanson (6-5, 298).
The remaining two top centers are Alabama senior Ross Pierschbacher (6-4, 301) and Notre
Dame senior Sam Mustipher (6-2,
305).
Offensive Linemen
(Guards and Tackles)
Eleven of the 20 top offensive lineman in the nation hail
from the Big 12 and SEC – six from the SEC and five from the Big 12. Three of
the five from the Big 12 play for Oklahoma – junior Bobby Evans (6-5, 399), senior Ben
Powers (6-4, 314) and senior Dru
Samia (6-5, 297). The other two from the Big 12 are Kansas State senior Dalton Risner (6-5, 300) and Oklahoma
State junior Marcus Keyes (6-3,
309).
The six from the SEC are Alabama junior Jonah Williams (6-5, 301), Ole Miss
junior Greg Little (6-6, 325) and
Tennessee sophomore Trey Smith (6-6,
320). The other three are Georgia sophomore Andrew Thomas (6-5, 320), Arkansas senior Hjalte Froholdt (6-5, 315) and Florida senior Martez Ivey (6-5, 315).
The Big Ten has four of the best offensive linemen and
three play for Wisconsin – junior Beau
Benzschawel (6-6, 317), junior David
Edwards (6-7, 315) and Michael
Dieter (6-6, 321). Also from the Big Ten is Ohio State junior Michael Jordan (6-7, 310).
The Pac-12 has three of the best offensive linemen and
two are from Stanford – junior Nate
Herbig (6-4, 339) and sophomore Walker
Little (6-7, 317). Also from the Pac-12 is Washington senior Trey Adams (6-8, 327).
The remaining two top lineman are Clemson senior Mitch Hyatt (6-5, 305) and Notre Dame
senior Alex Bars (6-6, 318).
Defensive Linemen
(Ends and Tackles)
Thirteen of the top 16 defensive linemen in the nation
are from the ACC (5), the Big Ten (4) and the SEC (4). And, believe it or not,
four of the five from the ACC play for Clemson. They are junior Clelin Ferrell (6-5, 260), senior Christian Wilkins (6-4, 300), junior Dexter Lawrence (6-4, 340) and senior Austin Bryant (6-5, 265). The lone
outcast from the ACC is Boston College senior Zach Allen (6-5, 285).
The four top offensive linemen from the Big Ten all play
for Ohio State (2) and Michigan (2). From the Buckeyes are junior Nick Bosa (6-4, 263) and junior Dre’Mont Jones (6-3, 290). From the
Wolverines are junior Rashan Gary
(6-5, 281) and senior Chase Winovich
(6-3, 253).
Of the four from the SEC, two play for Mississippi State
– junior Jeffrey Simmons (6-4, 300)
and senior Montez Sweat (6-6, 245).
The other two from the SEC are Alabama junior Raekwon Davis (6-7, 308) and Missouri senior Terry Beckner (6-4, 305).
The remaining three top lineman are Houston junior Ed Oliver (6-3, 290), Northern Illinois
junior Sutton Smith (6-1, 225) and
Notre Dame senior Jerry Tillery
(6-7, 299).
Linebackers
The Big Ten comes in with five of the best linebackers in
the country. Two play for Michigan – junior Devin Bush (5-11, 222) and junior Khaleke Hudson (6-0, 205). The other three from the Big Ten are
Wisconsin senior T.J. Edwards (6-1,
244), Michigan State junior Joe Bachie
(6-2, 230) and Northwestern sophomore Paddy
Fisher (6-4, 245).
Four of the top linebackers are from the SEC. They are
LSU junior Devin White (6-1, 255),
Kentucky senior Josh Allen (6-5,
230), Alabama junior Anfernee Jennings
(6-3, 262) and Florida junior David
Reese (6-1, 239).
The Big 12 (3) and the Pac-12 (3) have six of the best
linebackers. The three from the Big 12 are Texas senior Gary Johnson (6-0, 225), West Virginia junior David Long (5-11, 221) and Texas Tech senior Dakota Allen (6-1, 235).
The three from the Pac-12 are USC senior Cameron Smith (6-2, 250), Oregon junior
Troy Dye (6-4, 221) and Stanford
senior Bobby Okerke (6-3, 232). The
remaining three top linebackers are Duke junior Joe Giles (6-2, 240), Miami (Florida) junior Shaq Quarterman (6-1, 240) and Notre Dame senior Te’von Coney (6-1, 240).
Defensive Backs
(Cornerbacks and Safeties)
The ACC leads the nation with five of the best defensive
backs in the nation. Four of the five play for Miami (2) and Boston College
(2). From Miami – senior Jaquan Johnson
(5-11, 190) and Michael Jackson
(6-1, 200). From Boston College – senior Lukas
Denis (5-11, 185) and senior Will Harris (6-2, 210). The fifth ACC defensive
back is Duke junior Mark Gilbert
(6-1, 175).
The Pac-12 (4) and the SEC (4) come in with eight of the
top DBs. Two of the four from the Pac-12 play for Washington. The Huskies are
sophomore Byron Murphy (5-11, 184)
and junior Taylor Rapp (6-0, 207).
The other two are USC senior Iman
Marshall (6-1, 200) and Stanford senior Alijah Holden (6-2, 184).
The four from the SEC are LSU sophomore Greedy Williams (6-2, 182), Georgia
senior Deandre Baker (5-11, 185),
Mississippi State senior Mark McLaurin
(6-2, 215) and Kentucky senior Mike
Edwards (6-0, 201).
Four of the best defensive backs come from the Big Ten
(2) and the Big 12 (2). The two from the Big Ten are Wisconsin senior D’Cota Dixon (5-10, 200) and Ohio State
junior Jordan Fuller (6-2, 204).
From the Big 12 are Iowa State senior Brian
Peavy (5-9, 190) and West Virginia senior Dravon Askew-Henry (6-0, 200).
The remaining four top DBs are Wyoming senior Andrew Wingard (6-0, 210), Notre Dame
junior Julian Love (5-11, 189),
Western Michigan senior Sam Beal
(6-1, 189) and Appalachian State junior Clifton
Duck (5-10, 175).
Kickers
The country’s best kickers are Utah senior Matt Gay (6-1, 220), Texas A&M
senior Daniel LaCamera (6-4, 220)
and Oklahoma senior Austin Seibert
(5-9, 208). Also, Utah State junior Dominik
Eberle (6-2, 190), Georgia junior Rodrigo
Blankenship (6-1, 191) and Toledo senior Jameson Vest (5-10, 190).
Punters
The nation’s best punters are Utah senior Mitch Wishnowsky (6-2, 220), Ohio State
junior Drue Chrisman (6-3, 202) and
Missouri senior Corey Fatony (5-11,
205). Also, Stanford senior Jake Bailey
(6-2, 188), South Alabama senior Corliss
Waitman (6-2, 205 and Cincinnati sophomore James Smith (6-5, 225).
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings
of note last week – Aretha Franklin and Kofi Annan.
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul and one of America’s
greatest singers, died last week at her home in Detroit. She was 76. Franklin
came on strong on the late 1960s with hits such as “Respect,” “(You Make Me
Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Chain of Fools.” She had 17 Top 10 pop singles
on the Billboard charts. She was the first woman voted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame, in 1987, its second year. Aretha
Louise Franklin was born in Memphis on March 25, 1942.
Kofi Annan, a soft-spoken and patrician diplomat from Ghana, who became the
seventh secretary general of the United Nations, died last week. He was 80.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, he was the first black African to head
the United Nations. He led the organization from 1997 to 2007. Kofi Atta Annan was born on April 8,
1938, in the city of Kumasi in what was then Gold Coast and which, in 1957,
became Ghana. After attending school in Ghana, he went on to higher education,
studying economics, at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and at the MIT
Sloan School of Management.
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