Here is my College Football Preview
Andrew Ferris | @FerrisAndrew_E (Twitter)
Wednesday, August 26, 2015 (PART II: August 30 – PART III: September 2) | BataviasBest.org
PART I
Charlie Ward
I have been watching college football since 1993, when I was seven years old and fell in love with the Florida State Seminoles. Charlie Ward was slinging it all over Tallahassee to guys like Kez McCorvey, Matt Frier, and Tamarick Vanover at that time. Since then, I have become a more knowledgable football fan; and while I may have some bias; I will try and tone it down in the interests of journalistic integrity.
Who am I kidding?
I am a blogger. So before the season starts let’s get a few things out of the way.
You know why SEC defenses are so damn good? Because the media convinces you that a JAG like Dak Prescott is superman when in all reality he is just a guy. The SEC is by far the most talented conference in the nation, but their quarterback play sucks which could contribute to the defense prowess within the conference, as well as why they were 1-4 in New Year’s bowl games last year.
You know what else? Christian Hackenberg is the most overrated quarterback since Todd McShay convinced Jevan Snead he wasn’t a bum. Poor guy listened to a couple Sportscenters and left Ole Miss early so he could be a flag man on a road crew in Mississippi.
Notre Dame fan, ahhh Notre Dame fan, I will save my rant for you ’til later in the season. You know, that week after you finally start to believe you are contenders again. Only to lose in a hugely disappointing fashion after Brian Kelly completely abandons the run following a quarter and a half of gouging the opposing defense on the ground.
Urban Meyer
I also hate Urban Meyer for using his Psychology degree to mind^$&@ kids during recruiting. I have to say, though, that over the years I have grown to respect his hustle. There is no arguing that he is one of the top coaches in all of football.
On to the real column.
Before I do any kind of prediction for the season I thought that it might introduce you guys to some of the best players in college football.
The $EC
Man, what a loaded conference at the offensive skill positions. Running backs with legs like tree trunks and massive wide receivers with 4.4 speed are everywhere in this storied conference; and not a single quarterback worth a damn.
The Georgia Bulldogs have three legitimate studs at the running back position in Nick Chubb, Keith Marshall, and Sony Michel. LSU has a man child in Booga Fournette. However, none of these studs are better than my SEC offensive player of the year….
The best offensive player in the SEC is Laquan Treadwell. The WR from Ole Miss had his season cut short by a heartbreaking leg injury last year but was able to show out leading up to the injury. He was borderline unstoppable. So good that some people mistook Dr. Bo for a quarterback.
One would think that the best defender in the SEC would be on Alabama, but in the words of the Sunshine Scooter, “not so fast my friend.”
Texas A&M Band
Myles Garrett came on strong in his senior year of high school and after an impressive showing in his H.S. All-Star game he was moved to #1 in the H.S. Rankings. Garrett followed that up with 11.5 sacks for Texas A&M as a freshman last season. Myles Garrett has a true ability to change the game from the defensive side which is something the Aggies have lacked since Dat Nguyen was tackling e’rybody.
The PAC-12
The PAC-12 is an underrated conference. They have an array of styles that include smash mouth pro-style running (Stanford), the original Air Raid (Wazzu), and true spread teams like Oregon and Arizona.
The only problem with the PAC-12 is that they play very little defense, although that could be attributed to the pace of opposing offenses; who typically run more plays against said defenses. Another factor could be offenses taking less time off the clock in between plays, which may result in fatigue for said defenses. Nevertheless, the PAC-12 is interesting if you can stay up ’til 5 a.m. to watch my offensive player of the year sling it around the yard.
That offensive player is Jared Goff.
Jared Goff under duress.
Goff has everything you could want in a quarterback, except any semblance of talent around him. I know Cody Kessler was efficient last year but Jared Goff is probably top-two most talented quarterbacks in college behind a certain ACC quarterback.
The best defensive player in the PAC-12 is a smaller guy for his position that makes up for lack of size with athleticism and skill. I am not talking about All-American Linebacker Scooby Wright from Arizona. I am talking about USC cornerback Adoree Jackson. This true sophomore does nothing but make plays on defense, special teams, and coming this year: offense. That is right. He’s so damn athletic USC is getting him on the field every chance they get.
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PART II
We left off last week with some random musings pertaining to the upcoming college football season and previews for the SEC; as well as; the Pac-12. I will continue to go in order of how I rank each conference. The first conference in this edition of my College Football Preview – is the Big 12.
The Big-12
The Big 12 is another conference that plays very little defense. This simple fact made choosing an offensive player of the year very difficult.
Treyvon Boykin leads an impressive TCU attack with his arm and his legs; he is also a Heisman front runner. KD Cannon is the next Baylor playmaker. The combination of his decent size, speed, offensive attack, and incredible name made me consider choosing the Baylor WR. I mean, when you name your kid KD Cannon you know he’s going to be a stud football player.
All that being said, I originally picked Samaje Perine to be my offensive player of the year in the Big 12. He has elite size for the position and racked up monstrous numbers as a freshman. Perine would have been a fine pick – had I stuck with it.
But then Baker Mayfield became QB1 for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Baker Mayfield
There is just something about a guy who walks on at Texas Tech, wins the job, and then tells their pretty boy frat coach to shove it, that I like. The incredible moxy did not end there, however. After leaving Texas Tech he showed up at Oklahoma to try out and Bob Stoops didn’t even know who he was. Baker Mayfield promptly unseated Trevor Knight for the starting quarterback job. In summation, Baker Mayfield is the ultimate underdog with a giant amount of intestinal fortitude, and my offensive player of the year.
Now in terms of the defensive side of the ball, I am sure that you are all aware of Shawn Oakman.
Shawn Oakman
Remember the 6’9 280 pound alpha male that looks like he has never lifted legs in his entire life? He is not my Big 12 defensive player of the year. While he is far from a “look like Tarzan play like Jane” player, I do question how much of his success comes from sheer size and intimidation. Not all of the guys he lines up across from on Saturday are great LTs and it is possible that some of his success comes from overwhelming lesser talents. But my biggest gripe with Shawn Oakman is that he is not even the best defensive end in his league.
That honor goes to Oklahoma State’s Emmanuel Ogbah.
At 6’4 275, Ogbah still has good size for the position at the college level. Ogbah also defends the run well to go along with 11 sacks last year. He may not get the attention grabbing headlines that Shawn Oakman gets but look out for Emmanuel Ogbah, my defensive player of the year, should your favorite team have to play the Pokes.
The ACC
The next conference is the A.C.C.
As I stated in the first paragraph of Part One of the Preview, I am a Seminole fan. Through the good times (Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, all those defenses) and the bad (Wyatt Sexton tripping on shrooms, Korey Mangum being on scholarship, Bud Thacker weighing 260 but playing DT); I have remained a fan.Some have even called me a homer.
That said, the best offensive player in all of college football is in the A.C.C. and he does not call Tallahassee home.
Deshaun Watson
Clemson’s Deshaun Watson is an absolute stud at the QB position – and my offensive player of the year. He has everything you want in a quarterback: smarts, legs, arms, and a certain coolness under pressure. The only question for Deshaun Watson is his durability.
It is true that some people are more injury prone than others but attempting to guess whether or not a 19 year old kid will get injured in the coming year is not something I am going to do. Throwing passes to Mike Williams and Tay Scott is also a plus. Needless to say I have some bold predictions for Mr. Watson.
The best defensive player in the ACC is none other than Jalen Ramsey. The do everything defensive back from FSU is the best athlete on the field every time he steps on the gridiron. He couples that with an alpha male mentality and has dominated since he was the first true freshman to start at CB for FSU since Deion Sanders. Ramsey spent a year at the Star position but is back at boundary corner for the Noles. With a question mark on the field corner side of the Noles’ defense, it would not surprise me if teams completely avoided Ramsey’s side of the field.
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PART III
College football returns tonight! What a glorious day! With the return of the greatest sport in America comes the completion of my three part college football preview.
The B1G
In previewing the B1G, one thing is abundantly clear: Ohio State is head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. The top 2 quarterbacks in the league are battling for the Ohio State starting job, Zeke Elliot is the best running back, and Michael Thomas is the best WR. On defense, Ohio State boasts what could be the best defensive player in the nation in Joey Bosa, along with NFL caliber talent at all three levels of the defense. Rather preview one team I thought for the B1G it might be nice to uncover some sleeper talent.
One offensive player in the B1G that may not be a household name right now is Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld. At 6’5 240, Sudfeld possesses elite size for his position to go along with his plus arm strength. I fully expect Indiana to upset at least one team in the B1G and finish with a winning record.
On the defensive side of the ball Minnesota has two of the best CBs in college football. Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun has good size and ability at the corner position. It would not surprise me one bit if they are able to derail Treyvon Boykin’s Heisman hopes in week 1.
The Non-P5
As always the non P5 conferences boast many great players.
Kenneth Dixon from Louisiana Tech is a running back with good size and ability. At WR Rashard Higgins put up great numbers with Colorado State last year. He lost his coach (Gary Busey’s long lost brother) and his QB Garrett Grayson but his elite talent remains. Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith could challenge Joey Bosa for best defensive player in the nation and Max Redfield is an elite athlete at their FS position.
Prediction time!
SEC East Champ- Georgia
SEC West Champ- LSU
SEC Champ (Battle of Terrible Quarterbacking)- Georgia
Honestly, I am borderline sure that Mark Richt will find a way to choke away the title only to have Les Miles completely butcher some form of clock management and give Georgia a win.
ACC Atlantic Champ- Florida State. I feel like Louisville has a real chance to be a factor though.
ACC Coastal Champ- Pitt.
Whoever wins the Atlantic will crush whoever wins the Coastal. The winner won’t make the playoff because ACC.
Big 12 Champ- Oklahoma
Pac 12 North Champ- Stanford
Pac 12 South Champ- UCLA
Pac 12 Champ- Stanford.
Not much to say here, Pac 12 kind of sucks this year.
B1G East Champ- Ohio State
B1G West- Who cares they are a sacrificial lamb
B1G Champ- Ohio State by 10000 points.
Playoff Prediction
1.) Ohio State vs 4.) Alabama
2.) Georgia vs 3.) Oklahoma
National Title Game
Ohio State beats Oklahoma
Heisman Winner
Deshaun Watson
Bednarik/Nagurski Winner
Jaylon Smith
Thorpe Winner
Vernon Hargreaves
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Enjoy the action tonight!
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