College Football Week Zero – TT’s Consensus Top 40 is out

They call it a sesquicentennial

Yes, college football celebrates its sesquicentennial this season. For you fans out there, that’s a fancy way of saying college football celebrates its 150^th anniversary.

It’s hard to fathom the game has been played for 150 years. But it has. They say if you saw how that original game was played back in 1869, you wouldn’t recognize it as a football game. Rutgers beat Princeton, 6-4. Scoring was a lot different then.

From some accounts, the original game sounded like a bar room brawl – a mixture of rugby and soccer with a few fists thrown in. But like everything else in life, the game has evolved. Well, I guess a few fists are still thrown in.

The ball used in the very first game was round like a soccer ball. By 1874, a rugby-type ball that looked like a watermelon was used. The forward pass wasn’t legalized until 1906. For a while, the receiver could climb up on a teammate’s back, even his shoulders, to catch the ball. In 1912, the game ball was changed from a watermelon-shaped ball to an oversized version of today’s football. The ball took on its present size and shape in 1935.

Extra points and field goals were kicked using a drop-kick, not placekicking. The last successful extra point using a drop kick was by Jason Milligan of Hartwick College on December 11, 1998.

When a touchdown was scored, the team that scored the touchdown received the ball on the ensuing kickoff. In other words, if you didn’t score, you kept kicking off. I could go on-and-on with the oddities of the game in its earlier years.

If college football survives for another 150 years, I can only imagine what the game may look like in 2169. But rest assured, fists will still be involved.

In recognition of college football’s sesquicentennial, the sages at ESPN came up with the 50 best college football programs during college football’s first 150 years. Their criteria for coming up with the 50 best programs was dominance, national championships, rankings in polls and winning percentage.

The top six programs are all schools you would expect: 1. Alabama, 2. Notre Dame, 3. Ohio State, 4. Oklahoma, 5. USC and 6. Michigan.

The No. 7 program and, for that matter, the No. 11, No. 13, No. 26  and No. 37 schools are ones you, perhaps, wouldn’t expect: Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth respectively.

Until the early 1950s, the Ivy League schools were very dominant in football. They not only were some of the earliest schools playing the game, but also they were some of the best. As late as 1951, a player from Princeton won the Heisman Trophy – Dick Kazmaier, a halfback.

Now just think how bad Brown, Columbia and Cornell must feel, being the only three Ivy League schools that didn’t make the Top 50.

Some other schools in ESPN’s 50 best programs over the 150 years are 8. Nebraska, 9. Texas, 12. Penn State, 14, Tennessee, 15. L SU, 19. Florida State, 20. Auburn, 21. Florida, 22. Georgia, 24. Clemson and 47. West Virginia. Interestingly, West Virginia is the winningest college football program that has never won a national championship.

For bragging rights, there are eight schools from the SEC in ESPN’s Top 50. The Big Ten has seven schools, the ACC and Pac-12 have six, while the Big 12 has three schools. The Ivy League has five schools in the Top 50.

Keeping with the sesquicentennial hoopla, the gurus at Sports Illustrated came up with college football’s best traditions – the Top 10.

1.      Oklahoma (The “Sooner Schooner” Wagon)

2.      Clemson (Rubbing Howard’s Rock)

3.      Ohio State (Script Ohio: Dotting the “i”)

4.      Colorado (The Running of Ralphie the Buffalo)

5.      Auburn (Rolling Toomer’s Corner)

6.      Texas A&M (The 12^th Man)

7.      West Virginia (Cue “Country Roads”: The fans singing the John Denver song)

8.      Mississippi State (The Cowbells)

9.      Army-Navy (The Pregame March On)

10.  Miami (The Turnover Chain) 

I’d say Sports Illustrated did a pretty good job on nine of the 10. I don’t agree with Miami’s Turnover Chain being in the Top 10 of college football’s best traditions. First of all, I’m not even sure it qualifies as a tradition. It only began two seasons ago in 2017. The player that recovers a fumble or intercepts a pass gets to put the bling around his neck.

I know I’m prejudice, but I would put the Florida fans singing (and swaying back and forth with their arms locked) at the end of the third quarter “We Are the Boys from Old Florida” in my Top 10 list.

Now this has nothing to do with the sesquicentennial of college football, but keeping with lists and traditions, every year on the eve of the start of football season, Princeton Review comes out with its Top 20 Party School list.

I’ve always noted each year that just about every school in the Top 20 has a football team. You can’t party if you don’t play football. This year, 18 of the 20 schools in the Top 20 play football. The two that don’t (UC Santa Barbara and Sonoma State) are both California schools. I guess you can party in California without a football team.

Anyway, the Top Five party schools on this year’s elite list are 1. Syracuse, 2. Alabama, 3. Delaware, 4. West Virginia and 5. Tulane. West Virginia is always in the Top Five, frequently at No. 1.

Some of the other schools of interest making the Top 20 are 7. Colgate, 8. Wake Forest, 9. Bucknell, 13. Wisconsin, 16. Florida and 18. Florida State. Party on!

In addition to 2019 being college football’s sesquicentennial, this particular week has become known in the past few years as “Week Zero”. Back to tradition – traditionally – college football has for many years always begun on Labor Day weekend – generally the Thursday night before Labor Day weekend.

Well, for a few years now, a handful of teams have been jumping the gun and starting their seasons the weekend before Labor Day weekend. With 95% or more of the teams starting on Labor Day weekend, it remains “Week One” in college football. So this week has been dubbed “Week Zero.”

This year there are two games being played during Week Zero – Florida-Miami (Florida) and Arizona-Hawaii. The Florida-Miami game, until about five or six months ago, was originally scheduled to be played on August 31 (Labor Day weekend). But ESPN got involved (don’t they always), waved some dollar signs at the schools and lo and behold the game was moved to August 24. The venue, the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, was not changed.

Florida and Miami have met 55 times, with the Canes holding a 29-26 lead in the series. The two teams first met in 1938 and played every year to 1987, with one exception. Florid and Miami did not play in 1943. Since 1987, the teams have only met six times, all between 2001 and 2013. Miami has won seven of the last eight matches, including the last meeting, 21-16, in 2013. (My prediction is provided below.)

Just last week, Florida and Miami agreed to a two-game, home-and-home series. The Canes will play in Gainesville in 2024 and the Gators will play in Miami in 2025.

And speaking of Miami, there has been some quarterback news of interest in the past few days. After last season Ohio State quarterback Martell Tate, using the transfer portal and receiving a waiver, transferred to Miami. Tate did this after Georgia quarterback Justin Fields, using the transfer portal and receiving a waiver, transferred to Ohio State. Both Tate and Fields are sophomores this season.

All along, it had been assumed that Tate would be the starting quarterback at Miami this season. Well, just last week, Miami coach Manny Diaz named redshirt freshman Jarren Williams the starting quarterback for the Canes. Tate was so mad he skipped practice and starting talking about transferring again. But apparently the situation has since smoothed out. It appears that Tate may play wide receiver for Miami this season. Stay tuned!

As mentioned the other game in Week Zero is Arizona at Hawaii. This game was always scheduled for August 24. There will be pressure on second-year Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin in this game. Sumlin got off to a bad start last year when Arizona lost its first two games to Group of Five teams in his inaugural season. Hawaii won’t be easy in Honolulu.

I’m sure, by now, you must have read or heard last week where Ohio State is seeking to trademark the word “The” when used with items being marketed for sale. The filing seeks to protect the schools formal name – The Ohio State University. That prompted someone to report that Michigan will be seeking to trademark the word “Of.” Seeking to protect the school’s name – University OF Michigan.

The Urban Meyer to USC rumor got a little stronger last week. Both the Los Angeles Times and Yahoo Sports reported that USC would definitely come after Meyer if Clay Helton is fired. The Los Angeles Times reported that USC will be talking the kind of money that Meyer likes.

Meanwhile, the pressure on Helton just got stronger as USC athletic director Lynn Swann said last week, “The expectation is that we’re going to win the Pac-12 championship.”

I went to a memorial service last week. My barber died. You are probably wondering why am I mentioning this. Well, Richard Deratany had been my barber for 43 years. Dick first cut my hair in the autumn of 1976 and he last cut it on June 14, 2019. Over the years, I figure Dick cut my hair about 554 times.

He was 81 when he died on June 27. The memorial service was on August 13 – his birthday. Dick would have been 82. He was a reader and often lent me books to read. Dick introduced me to the author David McCullough, which I am forever thankful. He also lent me the book “The Emperor’s General” by James Webb, a terrific read. Rest in peace, Richard Deratany.

Rockledge Gator and Bootsie checked themselves into rehab for some much needed R&R. Bootsie also checked in for some much needed W&W – wine and wine. They had two non-stop, high-energy grandkids – ages eight and seven – visiting them last week. So Rockledge and Bootsie are on the disabled list for a while, as they recover. Hopefully they will be recuperated, refreshed and out of rehab in time for the Florida-Miami game.

Happy Sesquicentennial to all and enjoy your Week Zero!

Touchdown Tom
August 19, 2019
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

Quotes of the Week 

“No, I wouldn’t have thought I would still be here. But I do now. This is who I am. This is what I am. This is where I belong. This is me. There is no reason for me to go anywhere else,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, on staying at Oklahoma State as long as they will have him.

“The expectation is that we’re going to win the Pac-12 championship. We want to be in the picture and the conversation about the national championship, on the national scene. That’s where it starts. We’re not going to get there if we’re not winning our own conference. So we’re going to make that step and move it forward that way. Clay (Helton) knows that,” USC athletic director Lynn Swann.

The Teams – 2019 (Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40) 

Wow! I’ve been doing my Consensus Top 40 for many years and I have never had a year when two teams come out tied for the No. 1 spot. Well, that’s what happened this year. After I merged the contents of 14 legitimate preseason polls two teams ended up tied for the No. 1 position. Those two teams are (1) Alabama and (1) Clemson.

Alabama was No. 1in seven of the polls and Clemson was No. 1 in the other seven polls. Both teams ended up with 21 points in my Consensus Poll – one point for No. 1 and two points for No. 2.

Following (1) Alabama and (1) Clemson in the Top Five are (3) Georgia, (4) Oklahoma and (5) Ohio State. Georgia was pretty much a unanimous No. 3. The Dawgs were No. 3 in 11 of the 14 polls. The other three polls all had Georgia at No. 4.

Likewise for Oklahoma. The Sooners were pretty solid at No. 4. Nine of the 14 polls had Oklahoma at No. 4. Eight of the 14 polls had Ohio State at No. 5. None of the 14 polls had Oklahoma or Ohio State ranked lower than No. 7.

Rounding out the Top 10 in my Top 40 Consensus Poll are (6) LSU, (7) Michigan, (8) Florida, (9) Notre Dame and (10) Texas. That leaves us with four teams from the SEC in the Top 10 – and two each from the Big 12 and Big Ten.

Looking at the next five teams in the Consensus Poll we have (11) Oregon, (12) Texas A&M, (13) Washington, (14) Utah and (15) Auburn. Oregon’s highest ranking in any of the 14 polls was No. 9, while Auburn’s worst ranking was No. 20. Interesting, there are three Pac-12 teams between No. 11 and No. 14.

Finishing the Top 20 are (16) Penn State, (17) Michigan State, (18) UCF, (19) Iowa and (20) Wisconsin.  Interesting, there are four Big Ten teams between No. 16 and No. 20. In the Top 20, we have six teams from the SEC and six teams from the Big Ten. Only one team from the ACC.

All right, continuing up the Top 40, we have (21) Iowa State, (22) Nebraska, (23) Washington State, (24) Miami (Florida) and (25) Stanford. Two more teams from the Pac-12 join the list.

Rounding out the Top 30 are (26) Mississippi State, (27) Syracuse, (28) TCU, (29) Virginia Tech and (30) Missouri. So, in the Top 30 there are eight teams from the SEC, seven from the Big Ten, five from the Pac-12 and four each from the ACC and Big 12.

Looking at our final group of 10 in the Top 40 are (31) Boise State, (32) Cincinnati, (33) USC, (34) Army and (35) Florida State. The Power Five took a hit here, while three Group of Five teams entered the list. Army being a Group of Five Independent.

Closing out the Top 40 Consensus Poll are (36) Northwestern, (37) South Carolina, (38) Virginia, (39) Memphis and (40) Oklahoma State. Just missing the Top 40 were (41) Minnesota and (42) Baylor.

For bragging rights, the SEC finished with the most teams in the Top 40 – nine. The Big Ten had eight teams in the Poll and the ACC and the Pac-12 had six each. The Big 12 had five. Among the Group of Five conferences, the ACC was the best with three teams in the Poll. The MWC had one team. Two Independents were in the Top 40.

C-USA, the MAC and the Sun Belt had no teams in the Top 40. The highest-ranked team from each of those conferences is Appalachian State (Sun Belt) at 49, Marshall (C-USA) at 64 and Ohio (MAC) at 66. There are 130 teams in FBS (Division IA) football.

At the end of the season last year, the Top Four in the playoffs were (1) Alabama, (2) Clemson, (3) Notre Dame and (4) Oklahoma. Clemson (2) beat Alabama (1) for the championship. In the final AP and Coaches Polls last season, Clemson was 1, Alabama 2, Ohio State 3 and Oklahoma was 4.

My Consensus Top 40 at preseason last year had (1) Alabama, (2) Clemson (3) Georgia and (4) Ohio State in the Top 4. Oklahoma was 7 and Notre Dame was 14.



The Running Backs – 2019

Six running backs are out in front of the pack at preseason. However, of the six, two are outpacing the other four. Those two are Wisconsin junior Jonathan Taylor (5-11, 219) and Clemson junior Travis Etienne (5-10, 215).

Last year Taylor rushed for  2,194 yards, scoring 16 touchdowns for the Badgers. He averaged 158 yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry. Etienne rushed for 1,658 yards, scoring 24 touchdowns for the Tigers. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry.

Taylor and Etienne are, without  doubt, the two most acknowledged running backs at preseason. But following on their heels are four more backs who are definitely in the upper echelon. They are Boston College junior A.J. Dillon (6-0, 250), Georgia junior D’Andre Swift (5-9, 215), Arizona State junior Eno Benjamin (5-10, 201) and Alabama junior Najee Harris (6-2, 227).

In 2018, Dillon rushed for 1,108 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry for the Eagles, and Swift rushed for 1,049 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry for the Bulldogs. Last year, Benjamin rushed for 1,642 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry for the Sun Devils. He scored 16 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Harris averaged 6.7 yards per carry for the Crimson Tide.

Around the Power Five conferences, the Big Ten is loaded with five solid running backs, in addition to Jonathan Taylor, all of whom rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season. The best of the five may well be Ohio State junior J.K. Dobbins (5-10, 217). Last year Dobbins rushed for 1,053 yards. Indiana has an outstanding back in sophomore Stevie Scott (6-2, 233). Scott rushed for 1,137 yards in 2018.

Maryland is sitting pretty with sophomore Anthony McFarland (5-8, 193). Last season, McFarland rushed for 1,034 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. Illinois is thankful it has senior Reggie Corbin (5-10, 200). In 2018, Corbin rushed for 1,085 yards. And finally, Minnesota has sophomore Mohamed Ibrahim (5-10, 204). Ibrahim rushed for 1,160 yards in 2018. He averaged 116 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry.

The Pac-12 has several good running backs who will compete with Eno Benjamin. Two of those Pac-12 backs are Arizona junior J.J. Taylor (5-8, 184) and Oregon State sophomore Jermar Jefferson (5-10, 216). Last year, Taylor rushed for 1,434 yards, while Jefferson rushed for 1,380 yards. 

UCLA is looking good in the backfield with senior Joshua Kelley (5-11, 204). Last season, Kelley rushed for 1,2453 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Utah has strength in senior Zack Moss (5-10, 215). Moss scampered for 1,096 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry in 2018. Finally, Oregon is set with sophomore C.H. Verdell (5-9, 209). Verdell was good for 1,018 yards last season.

In the SEC, three more running backs join the ranks of D’Andre Swift and Najee Harris. The best of the three is Vanderbilt senior Ke’Shawn Vaughn (5-10, 215). Last year Vaughn rushed for 1,244 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. Behind Vaughn are Missouri junior Larry Rountree (5-10, 210) and Florida senior Lamical Perine (5-11, 227). In 2018, Rountree rushed for 1,216 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Perine averaged 6.2 yards per carry.

Along with Travis Etienne and A.J. Dillon, the ACC has three more good running backs. At the top of the three is Florida State junior Cam Akers (5-11, 212). Joining Akers in the trio is Wake Forest senior Cade Carney (5-11, 215) and Syracuse senior Moe Neal (5-11, 197). Last season Carney rushed for 1,005 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Neal averaged 5.6 yards per carry.

The best running back in the Big 12 at preseason is Oklahoma sophomore Kennedy Brooks (5-11, 205). Brooks accounted for 1,056 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns in 2018. Behind Brooks is Kansas sophomore Pooka Williams (5-10, 170). Williams ran for 1,125 yards last season.

West Virginia is loaded in the backfield with senior Kennedy McKoy (6-0, 208), senior Martell Pettaway (5-9, 208) and sophomore Leddie Brown (6-0, 214).

Among the Group of Five conferences, the AAC has the most talented group of running backs. Two of the best are at UCF – senior Adrian Killins (5-8, 184) and junior Greg McCrae. McCrae rushed for 1,182 yards last year.

Cincinnati is in good shape with junior Michael Warren (5-11, 218). In 2018, Warren rushed for 1,329 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. Tulane is sitting pretty with senior Darius Bradwell (6-1, 230). Last season, Bradwell rushed for 1,134 yards.

Likewise, Memphis has a solid running back in senior Patrick Taylor (6-3, 223). Taylor rushed for 1,122 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in 2018.

Lastly, two more quality running backs in the AAC are South Florida senior Jordan Cronkrite (5-11, 207) and Connecticut junior Kevin Mensah (5-9, 197). Last season, Cronkite rushed for 1,121 yards and Mensah accounted for 1,045 yards rushing.

The MWC has three good running backs, starting with Sand Diego State senior Juwan Washington (5-7, 190). Washington ran for 999 yards last year. The other two are Air Force senior Cole Fagan (6-1, 230) and Nevada sophomore Toa Taua (5-8, 220). Fagan rushed for 997 yards in 2018, while Taua ran for 872 yards.

The Sun Belt Conference has one of the best running backs in the country in Appalachian State junior Darrynton Evans (5-11, 191). Last year, Evans rushed for 1,787 yards. Two other good backs from the Sun Belt are Troy senior B.J. Smith (5-9, 203) and Louisiana junior Trey Ragas (5-11, 227). Smith rushed for 1,186 yards in 2018, while Ragas tallied 1,181 yards.

C-USA has two notable running backs. They are Charlotte senior Benny LeMay (5-9, 218) and UAB junior Spencer Brown (6-0, 220). LeMay chalked up 1,243 yards last season, while Brown had 1,227 yards rushing, scoring 16 touchdowns.

And finally in the MAC, two running backs stand out at preseason. They are Western Michigan senior LeVante Bellamy (5-9, 185) and Buffalo sophomore Jaret Patterson (5-9, 195). In 2018, Bellamy rushed for 1,228 yards and Patterson ran for 1,013 yards.

Among the Independents, no running backs standout at preseason.



TT’s Top 10 Favorite Running Backs at Preseason:

1.       Jonathan Taylor – Wisconsin

2.       Travis Etienne – Clemson

3.       A.J. Dillon – Boston College

4.       D’Andre Swift – Georgia

5.       Eno Benjamin – Arizona State

6.       Ke’Shawn Vaughn – Vanderbilt

7.       Darrynton Evans – Appalachian State

8.       J.J. Taylor – Arizona

9.       J.K. Dobbins – Ohio State

10.   Jermar Jefferson – Oregon State 

But keep an eye on:

Najee Harris – Alabama; Zack Moss – Utah; Spencer Brown – UAB; Larry Rountree – Missouri; Toa Taua – Nevada; Cam Akers – Florida State,  and Benny LeMay – Charlotte.

The Other Positions – 2019 

Wide Receivers

Among the 11 best wide receivers in the country, four are from the Big 12 Conference and four more are from the SEC and the ACC – Alabama (2) and Clemson (2). Heading the four from the Big 12 is Oklahoma State junior Tylan Wallace (6-0, 185). Wallace is followed by Oklahoma junior CeeDee Lamb (6-2, 189), TCU junior Jalen Reagor (5-11, 195) and Texas senior Collin Johnson (6-6, 220).

The two from Alabama are junior Jerry Jeudy (6-1, 192) and junior Henry Ruggs (6-0, 180). Jeudy could well be the best wide receiver in the country. The two from Clemson are sophomore Justyn Ross (6-4, 205) and junior Tee Higgins (6-4, 205).

The three remaining top wide receivers are from the Big Ten (2) and the Pac-12. Representing the Big Ten are Purdue sophomore Rondale Moore (5-9, 180) and Ohio State senior K.J. Hill (6-0, 195). The Pac-12 makes the list with Colorado junior Laviska Shenault (6-2, 225).



Tight Ends

Five tight ends are considered to be the best in the country and four of the five are from the SEC (2) and Pac-12 (2). From the SEC are Vanderbilt senior Jared Pinkney (6-4, 255) and Missouri junior Albert Okwuegbunam (6-5, 255).

The two from the Pac-12 are Washington junior Hunter Bryant (6-2, 241) and Stanford junior Colby Parkinson (6-7, 240). The remaining top tight end is from the Big 12 – Oklahoma junior Grant Calcaterra (6-4, 221).



Centers

Four of the best seven centers in the country are from the Big 12 (2) and Pac-12 (2). Representing the Big 12 are Texas senior Zach Shackelford (6-4, 305) and Oklahoma sophomore Creed Humphrey (6-5, 325).

From the Pac-12 are Arizona State senior Cohl Cabral (6-5, 291) and Washington senior Nick Harris (6-1, 302).

The remaining three centers come from the Big Ten, SEC and AAC. They are Wisconsin junior Tyler Biadasz (6-3, 318), Mississippi State senior Daryl Williams (6-2, 310) and

UCF senior Jordan Johnson (6-2, 320).



Offensive Linemen (Guards and Tackles)

Nine of the top 16 offensive linemen in the country are from the SEC (5) and the Pac-12 (4). And two of the five from the SEC are from Alabama – junior Alex Leatherwood (6-6, 310) and junior Jedrick Wills (6-5, 316). Also from the SEC are Georgia junior Andrew Thomas (6-5, 320), Missouri senior Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms (6-5, 330) and Auburn senior Prince Tega Wanogho (6-7, 307).

Two of the four offensive linemen from the Pac-12 are from Oregon – senior Calvin Throckmorton (6-56, 318) and senior Shane Lemieux (6-4, 317). The other two from the Pac-12 are Stanford Junior Walker Little (6-7, 313) and Washington senior Trey Adams (6-8, 306).

The Big Ten has three of the best offensive linemen and two are from Michigan – senior Ben Bredeson (6-5, 320) and senior Jon Runyan (6-5, 310). Also from the Big Ten is Iowa junior Alaric Jackson (6-6, 320).

The ACC makes the list with Louisville junior Mekhi Becton (6-7, 355) and Clemson senior John Simpson (6-4, 330). The MWC has one of the best offensive linemen with Boise State junior Ezra Cleveland (6-6, 311). The Independents are represented with Notre Dame senior Tommy Kraemer (6-6, 319).



Defensive Linemen (Ends and Tackles)

The Big Ten dominates the best defensive linemen with six among the best 16 in the country. Two of the six from the Big Ten are from Michigan State. They are senior Kenny Willekes (6-4, 262) and senior Raequan Williams (6-4, 298). The other four from the Big Ten are Iowa junior A.J. Epenesa (6-6, 280), Ohio State junior Chase Young (6-5, 265), Penn State junior Yetur Gross-Matos (6-5, 265) and Minnesota senior Carter Coughlin (6-4, 245).

The SEC has four on the best defensive linemen list. They are Alabama senior Raekwon Davis (6-7, 309), Auburn senior Derrick Brown (6-5, 325), South Carolina senior Javon Kinlaw (6-6, 302) and LSU senior Rashard Lawrence (6-3, 317).

Three of the top 16 defensive linemen are from the ACC. They are Florida State junior Marvin Wilson (6-5, 314), Clemson sophomore Xavier Thomas (6-2, 260) and Miami (Florida) junior Jonathan Garvin (6-4, 250).

Utah from the Pac-12 has two of the best – senior Leki Fotu (6-5, 327) and senior Bradlee Anae (6-3, 263). And finally, the Independents are represented with Notre Dame senior Julian Okwara (6-5, 240).



Linebackers (Inside and Outside)

The Big Ten (4) and the SEC (4) have eight of the 16 best linebackers. The four from the Big Ten are Michigan State senior Joe Bachie (6-2, 238), Northwestern junior Paddy Fisher (6-4, 241), Purdue senior Markus Bailey (6-1, 240) and Penn State sophomore Micah Parsons (6-3, 243).

Two of the four from the SEC are from Alabama – junior Dylan Moses (6-3, 235) and senior Anfernee Jennings (6-3, 259). Also from the SEC are LSU junior Jacob Phillips (6-4, 229) and Tennessee senior Darrell Taylor (6-4, 255).

The Pac-12 has three of the best linebackers. They are Oregon senior Troy Dye (6-4, 224), California senior Evan Weaver (6-3, 245) and Arizona junior Colin Schooler (6-0, 236). The ACC also has three of the top linebackers and two are from Miami. They are senior Shaquille Quarterman (6-1, 235) and senior Michael Pinckney (6-1, 220). The other linebacker from the ACC is Clemson junior Isaiah Simmons (6-4, 225).

The final two on the linebacker list are from the Big 12 and the MWC – Oklahoma junior Kenneth Murray (6-3, 238) and Utah State junior David Woodward (6-2, 230).



Defensive Backs (Cornerbacks and Safeties)

The SEC dominates the best defensive backs. Of the 18 best cornerbacks and safeties in the country, seven are from the SEC. And four of the seven are from LSU (2) and Alabama (2). From LSU are junior Grant Delpit (6-3, 203) and senior Kristian Fulton (6-0, 192). Representing Alabama are junior Xavier McKinney (6-1, 196) and senior Trevon Diggs (6-2, 200).

The other three defensive backs from the SEC are Georgia senior J.R. Reed (6-1, 194), Florida junior C.J. Henderson (6-1, 191) and Mississippi State junior Cameron Dantzler (6-2, 185).

The Big Ten has Michigan senior Lavert Hill (5-11, 181) and Ohio State senior Jordan Fuller (6-2, 205). From the ACC are Virginia senior Bryce Hall (6-1, 200) and Syracuse sophomore Andre Cisco (6-0, 198).

Two of the top defensive backs are from the Pac-12. They are Stanford junior Paulson Adebo (6-1, 189) and Utah junior Jaylon Johnson (6-0, 190). The Big 12 has two on the list. They are Texas sophomore Caden Sterns (6-1, 210) and TCU senior Jeff Gladney (6-0, 183).

The remaining three defensive backs on the list are from the AAC, C-USA and the Independents. They are UCF junior Richie Grant (6-0, 194), Middle Tennessee junior Reed Blankenship (6-1, 195) and Notre Dame senior Alohi Gilman (5-11, 201).



Kickers

Interestingly, of the six best kickers in the country two are from the Mountain West Conference. They are Wyoming senior Cooper Rothe (5-11, 178) and Utah State senior Dominik Eberle (6-2, 195).

The other four kickers of the top six are from the ACC, Syracuse sophomore Andre Szmyt (6-1, 186), from the SEC, Georgia senior Rodrigo Blankenship (6-1, 191), from the Pac-12, Stanford senior Jet Toner (6-4, 201) and from the Big 12, West Virginia junior Evan Staley (6-1, 184).



Punters

Three of the four best punters in the country are from schools in Ohio, representing the Big Ten, the AAC and the MAC. They are Ohio State junior Drue Chrisman (6-3, 220), Cincinnati junior James Smith (6-5, 225) and Ohio senior Michael Farkas (6-4, 195). The other top punter is from the SEC – Texas A&M senior Braden Mann (5-11, 195).



Touchdown Tom’s Prediction for
Week Zero’s One Big and Most Intriguing Game.…and then none

Florida vs. Miami (Florida) – (SEC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Second-year Florida coach Dan Mullen goes up against first-year Miami coach Manny Diaz. Mullen is the master of offenses, while Diaz is the master of defenses. The two teams are even on defense – both strong. Florida has the better and stronger offense. Albert savors some jerked Ibis – Florida 27, Miami 17.

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com 

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but there were three passings of note last week – Peter Fonda, Jack Whitaker and Cedric Benson. 

Peter Fonda, son of Henry and brother of Jane, who became a star in the film “Easy Rider,” died last week in Los Angeles. He was 79. During his acting and film making career, Fonda earned two Oscar nominations almost three decades apart – original screenplay (1969) for “Easy Rider,” and best actor (1997) for “Ulee’s Gold,” Peter Henry Fonda was born on February 23, 1940, in New York City. He attended the University of Nebraska. His first movie was “Tammy and the Doctor” (1963) cast opposite Sandra Dee. The next year, he starred with Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg in “Lilith.” 

Jack Whitaker, an Emmy-winning sports broadcaster for more than three decades, first with CBS and later for ABC, died yesterday at his home in Devon, Pennsylvania. He was 95. Whitaker was a white-haired figure who covered just about every niche in the sports world – from the first Super Bowl to Secretariat’s victory in the Belmont Stakes, as well as baseball, golf and the Olympics. But he was perhaps best known for his essays about sports. Jack Whitaker was born on May 18, 1924, in Philadelphia. He was enthralled by college football as a teenager, attending the Penn games at Franklin Field. He graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia. 

Cedric Benson, a running back who was a dominant force for the University of Texas before an eight-year career in the National Football League, died Saturday in a motorcycle accident in Austin, Texas. He was 36. Benson was a four-year starter for the Texas Longhorns football team. As a senior in 2004, he was recognized as the nation’s top running back when he received the Doak Walker Award. He finished his career at Texas with 5,540 rushing yards. In 2005, the Chicago Bears selected Benson with the fourth overall pick in the draft. After three seasons with the Bears, Benson found more success with the Cincinnati Bengals in his four seasons with the team. He played one final season for the Green Bay Packers. Benson was from Midland, Texas.