Today is an exciting day for college football fans. If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of the preseason hype from ESPN and other outlets as professional analysts try to be prescient about the outcome of the season. I had to laugh recently when I watched Lou Holtz and others try to make a prediction on who would win the USC vs. LSU national championship game, as if the game between the two teams was already scheduled. Four months to go until the national championship. With a full football season ahead, anything can happen. The outcome of the college football season is a permutation that includes so many unmeasurable and unpredictable factors, such as a team’s motivation for a particular game, injuries, crucial decisions by coaches, calls by referees, and much more. . One of the most compelling aspects of college football is the realization that fans and participants alike are in for a ride that has more question marks than ready answers.
Here are some of my thoughts on some of the themes and highlights of the 2007 college football season.
Conferences – How Do They Compare?
It’s pretty well understood in the world of college football that the SEC puts out the best teams and players Saturday after Saturday. Florida proved last year that the best of the SEC was too much for the best of the Big 10. It would have been interesting to see USC compete for the national title with the Gators last year, but they lost to UCLA, which was later managed by Florida State, which didn’t even participate in the ACC last season.
In a recent MSN poll, 50% of respondents chose the SEC as the best conference, followed by the Big 10 (17%), Big 12 (11%), PAC-10 (9.2%), Big East (7.6%). , and finally the ACC (5.4%). As a Florida State fan, it’s hard for me to see our conference perceived so low. The inclusion of Virginia Tech, Boston College and Miami a few seasons ago in an already somewhat competitive conference was supposed to put the ACC on par with the SEC, but Miami and Florida State have been big disappointments recently, and neither have other ACC teams. they have performed well outside of the conference. I hope that changes this year, with Miami and Florida State regaining their spots in the Top 10, and the competitive level of the entire conference going up a few notches. By the way, how did the Mountain West Conference get left out of that poll?
Heisman career
As a former defensive player, it’s hard for me to admit that the Heisman Trophy is supposedly awarded to the “greatest” college football player, but scoring and offense make the standout movies more than just hard hitting and tough defense. True to tradition, the top contenders for the Heisman this year are running backs and quarterbacks. In the last twenty years, the Heisman has been awarded 11 times to a quarterback, 6 times to a running back, twice to a wide receiver. So, a quick trivia question: Who was the only defender to receive the award in the last twenty years? Answer: Charles Woodson won it at cornerback at Michigan in 1997. Good luck to the guys on the tougher side of the ball, but I predict a quarterback will win it this year, whether it’s John David Booty or Colt Brennan.
Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno
The battle continues this year between these two great-grandfathers. I guess there’s something to be said for their competitive nature, but on the other hand, their shows are suffering because Bowden and Paterno haven’t learned to find hobbies that are as satisfying as walking the sidelines during major college football games (And heck , Paterno can no longer even walk on the sidelines). Apparently, neither of these trainers intends to stop training until 1) the other retires, or 2) dies of old age. Personally, I think they could learn a lesson from LaVell Edwards. When he retired, there were Cougar fans who thought his time had passed, but the fatigue was nothing like what had been experienced at FSU and Penn State in the last five or six years. Bowden’s relationships with disaffected Florida State fans and, more importantly, financial backers have deteriorated as legitimate accusations of nepotism have been made. However, he does have a new support staff that seems much more likely to effectively use the talent that he has been hanging around the state of Florida in recent seasons. Paterno’s health is in obvious decline, and his team is not expected to win any victory over Bowden. The race to the finish for these two may come down to wins and losses (earnings essentially the same spread) this season, and it will be tough for Paterno to overcome the three-game handicap. I expect Paterno to announce his retirement this year and Bowden to do so soon after.
Find a good seat on the couch…
College football looks to be as exciting this year as it ever has been. Until April we have recovered the 14 plays that were stolen from each game last year. That will mean that we will be able to see more rallies at the end of the game and more football in general. The coverage of the games continues to expand, so that a fan almost has to discipline himself to avoid overdosing on the game during the week. College football fans everywhere now have a fresh 0-0 start for their favorite teams. It will be like a roller coaster between now and January.