Football 2016 

Not counting the Cal vs Hawaii game down under last weekend, the college football season kicks off in a big way this Labor Day weekend. High School football has been going for a couple of weeks (depending on the state) and the NFL will start its regular season the week after college’s debut. Alabama is the kind of the hill, given their run over the last 5-6 years. Ohio State and Michigan are legit in a conference that really isn’t. The Big 12 has Oklahoma, but not much else (nationally). The Pac 12 has some good teams, but not one that is expected to stomp the rest. Notre Dame still gets preferential treatment and that stinks. The ACC may actually be the 2nd best conference this season and I have not been able to suggest that in an awful long time, if ever. With Clemson, FSU, Louisville, North Carolina and maybe Miami, the basketball conference has 4-5 teams that probably stack up really well with all the other conferences, except the SEC… Here is my take as the season gets ready to start (finally). ACC Clemson has Watson, who came oh so close to beating Alabama in the championship game last year. He is special. But they lost a bunch of quality players too. Dabo is proving he is the real deal, but if FSU’s QB is mediocre, I like the Noles in the big match up in Tally in October. Dalvin Cook is the best running back I have seen in Tallahassee in a long long time. Neither the Tigers or the Noles can afford to sleep on Louisville. They are dangerous. So are the Tarheels. IF UNC plays even a little bit of defense they should win their bracket of the ACC. Mark Richt and the Canes might be their toughest challenge, if that heralded QB throws to HIS team. Va Tech hired a bright young coach, but don’t expect him to be able to be too magical in year 1. Opening weekend we get UNC vs Georgia and FSU vs Ole Miss. SWEET!

SEC West: Alabama has a new QB and that does not bode well, but they have Saban and are 5 deep at every position. Every position. LSU is getting a bunch of hype, but I am not buying the Bengal Tigers. Les is on the hot seat and they do not have a proven QB. Fournette is amazing, but you still have to be able to complete a pass… I like Ole Miss and Auburn to give Bama the closest run for the SEC West. Alabama Ole Miss Auburn Arkansas LSU Texas A&M Miss State East: Tennessee is getting all the love as their opener with App State approaches on Thursday night. Georgia with Kirby Smart is getting some love and the Gators hope to be in the mix in the East. The Vols hype is legit. I think they are the deepest team in the league outside of Tuscaloosa. IF Dobbs is decent passing on 3rd down, I think Tennessee can win the East … and the SEC Championship. If Saban had Butch’s roster, he WOULD win the national championship. So, while Dobbs if my biggest question mark, Butch is the 2nd biggest. He really got tight in big games last year, and it cost the Vols, big time. Georgia has talent, as Richt did not leave the cupboard bare. Can the rookie head coach work magic? I’m a little skeptical, especially if they go with the true frosh QB.

Last year, UF surprised everyone by winning the East in Jim McElwain’s first year. They spanked Ole Miss and got lucky and upset Tennessee on a desperate 4th and 17…as the time was winding down. They the golden boy QB was disqualified for illegal substances. The Gators sucked after that, getting embarrassed by FSU, Alabama in Atlanta and then Michigan in the bowl game. A decent QB can make ALL the difference. BTW, the Gators have beaten Tennessee ELEVEN years in a row. ELEVEN. I only say that to remind the Big Orange to be careful. Neyland will be insane on September 24th! I don’t think Vandy, South Carolina or Mizzu will make much noise. I keep waiting for Kentucky to break through and close a season with a decent finish. Maybe this year. The SEC West continues to be much stronger than the East, primarily because the weakest teams in the conference are in the East. TENNESSEE Florida Georgia Kentucky Mizzu Vandy SC Tennessee will beat Alabama in the regular season, but then lose to them in the SEC Championship game. Coaching makes a big difference in college football, and there are none better than Nick. Big10 Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State are legit, although Dantonio lost a lot of his better Spartans. Nobody on the other side is that good, although Iowa will have a fantastic regular season record…because they play a weak schedule. It would be good if Nebraska became good again, but I have come to like the Gophers…

Big 12 Oklahoma has a chance to have a special season with Baker Mayfield slinging it around. Opening with Houston is not a layup and then the Buckeyes come to Norman. Kudo’s to Stoops for maybe the best nonconference schedule of all. TCU and Baylor will be decent, as will the Cowboys and Red Raiders. The question is what will the Longhorns do? Beat Notre Dame…please! Playoffs: Alabama vs Michigan FSU vs Tennessee Tennessee over Michigan…???? it could happen How about some High School football conversation? Opening weekend was fun, with a lot of interstate match ups. The all-star team in Vegas (GORMAN) is amazing. The rising allstar team in Bradenton “IMG Academy” is LOADED. They beat the #1 team in Georgia (Grayson) in a game billed as FL vs GA. Kind of bogus, as half of the IMG roster is from out of state. Mikee Jones played freshman and sophomore seasons at Friendship Christian here in Lebanon, but now is in boarding school down in Florida. I get it, but I don’t like it. I LOVE my town’s best against your town’s best. That is what I was raised and that is “pure”. Once we start letting kids go where ever they want, the innocence is lost. Oh well, the athletes are incredible, but we have lost something special with these all star institutions. The top teams in Tennessee have taken it on the chin against teams from Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia. Hey, Tennessee is a baseball state anyway. Just cheer for Goodlettesville little league!