The 2019 College Football season kicks off this weekend and we are excited for some amateur competition! Are you? GET EXCITED!
Can anyone challenge Clemson and Alabama?
No.
OK then…well what would be the reasons to watch any of the 150th season of College Football if we already know who will play for the National Title?
Can Michigan finally get over the hump, defeat Ohio State and compete for a bid into the playoff?
Jim Harbaugh is on thin ice (I think).
Michigan, led by quarterback Shea Patterson, returns eight starters on offense and is the preseason choice to win the Big Ten, yet until Harbaugh – who’s teams are 0-4 against Ohio State, 2-2 against Michigan State, and 0-1 against Notre Dame – can defeat these rivals this season, this season would be considered another disappointment in the end. This year however, all three of those games this year are in the Big House.
Who are some players that are under the radar that should become household names this fall?
Clemson (QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne) and Alabama ( QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Jerry Jeudy and DL Raekwon Davis) are loaded with future pros. Other top-level talent to look out for includes Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor, Oregon QB Justin Herbert, Georgia QB Jake Fromm along with two of my favorite receivers in the country in Purdue’s Rondale Moore and Laviska Shenault Jr. from Colorado.
Who will compete with Clemson in the ACC and Alabama in the SEC?
Nobody in the ACC is even close to Clemson’s talent so it’s a moot point. In the SEC, Georgia will be Alabama’s chief opposition towards the SEC title. LSU and Auburn will also try to make it as difficult as possible for the Crimson Tite to win its sixth title in eight seasons.
Texas and Nebraska are getting a lot of preseason hype, will it be warranted in the end?
Texas went 10-4 overall and went 7-3 in games decided by a touchdown or less but come into 2019 on a high after that impressive Sugar Bowl win against Georgia. QB Sam Ehlinger is getting a lot of dark horse Heisman pub but it will take more than a Herculean effort from him to put the Longhorns into title contention. The showdown with LSU on September 7 will say a lot about what this team is capable of accomplishing.
Nebraska on the other hand, went 4-8 last year in Scott Frost’s first season back home, the Huskers seem like the most obvious candidate for a huge turnaround. QB Adrian Martinez might end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and may be the most talented Husker QB SINCE Scott Frost. This team is poised to make one of the biggest team turnarounds in the Big 10 and maybe in the country if everything breaks right.
Who wins the Heisman Trophy?
While I believe that Trevor Lawrence is the best player in the land by a country mile, the trophy may end up in Norman, Oklahoma for the third straight season as Jalen Hurts takes over as the starting QB for the Sooners. Hurts brings big game experience from his tenure at Alabama as he has played in two SEC championship games and three national championship games. That experience along with coach Lincoln Riley’s QB-centric system will put Hurts in position to flourish just as it did for Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, who both won the Heisman as well.
This should be another exciting season that should answer some major questions. Can Clemson win big enough to be considered one of the greatest teams of all time? Can Alabama regroup after last years debacle? Who will truly compete with the two juggernauts?
It all starts this weekend!
