We are now only about a week away from the start of the new college football season. It's the second season of the four-time playoff, which was a massive success last season. Just like you did last year, you cant count on SportsExaminer.blogspot.com to bring you all of your college football coverage. We'll have game recaps, Heisman rankings, and much more. In this article, we're going to preview Week 1, give our pre-season Heisman rankings, and give some post-season predictions.
Games to Watch:
The Week 1 slate is typically flat, but there are some interesting match-ups. Of course, fans are just excited for college football to be back, great games aren't really that important right off of the back. These five games could impress, however.
#2 TCU @ Minnesota- After just falling short of making the playoffs last year, TCU is expected to make it this year. They have a great team and definitely have the talent to go all the way. They will be tested right off the back however, by Minnesota. The Golden Gophers may be unranked, but they are a talented team who could possibly pull off of an upset.
Texas @ #11 Notre Dame- This is quite possibly the most anticipated match of the week. After Charlie Strong's disappointing first year in Arlington, the Longhorns are looking to bounce back and possibly contend for the Big 12 title. Before they challenge for the conference title though, they must take on Notre Dame, a team loaded with talent, like Sheldon Day and Jaylon Smith. The Fighting Irish will most likely pick up the win here, but don't expect Texas to go away quietly.
#20 Wisconsin vs. #3 Alabama- This is the only game this week that features two ranked teams, so this is obviously one of the biggest matches. Alabama
#1 Ohio State @ VA Tech- The defending champions are the clear favorites to win the championship this year, thanks to a talented squad full of players like Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliot. They had a great run last year that saw them beat some really talented teams, including Oregon and Alabama. Their only loss? Virginia Tech. Could the Hokies pull off another upset? It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility, as OSU is without a number of players for this game, including Bosa.
#6 Auburn vs. Louisville- Auburn is one of the dark-horse favorites to make the playoffs this year, and will be tested immediately by Louisville. The Cards may not be ranked, but they could make things difficult for the Tigers.
Heisman Watch:
It's a little ridiculous to have a Heisman watch before the season starts, but we need to star somewhere right? It's very rare that the pre-season favorite wins the Heisman, but it's happened in the past (see: Mariota, Marcus and Smith, Troy). There are a lot of contenders left off of this list, such as Connor Cook of MSU, RB Paul Perkins of UCLA, and Clemson slinger Deshaun Watson.
10. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State- At one point last year, Prescott was leading the Heisman race and his team was #1. Then, the Bulldogs started losing and Prescott became an afterthought. This year, it looks like Prescott has another tough hurdle to handle. His team is projected to struggle this year, and that will certainly hurt his Heisman candidacy.
9. Derrick Henry, Alabama- Henry has been largely ignored since the Heisman talk began, and it's a little puzzling. He has already established himself as a very good player and Nick Saban's system is perfect to show off backs (think back at guys like Mark Ingram and T.J. Yeldon). Also, Alabama tends to rely more heavily on the run game when they have a new QB.
8. James Conner, Pittsburgh- Conner is one of the best running backs in college football and is one of the early favorites to win the Doak Walker award. The only thing holding him back from being a Heisman front-runner is his team, which isn't expected to do that well this year.
7. Malik Zaire, Notre Dame- This may be jumping the gun a little bit, but Zaire can be a real Heisman contender. He had an impressive debut last year against LSU and has a talented offense around him that can really help him succeed.
6. Leonard Fournette, LSU- Though LSU lost to Notre Dame last year (see above), Fournette put on an incredible performance that got everyone in Death Valley excited. Fournette is a legitimate superstar who can have a great season.
5. Cody Kessler, USC- Kessler spent most of last season on the Heisman bubble, but it looks like he will finally break through this season. He has a very talented offense around him and USC looks like the favorites to win the Pac-12.
4. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State- It's not official, but it looks like Barrett has beaten out Cardale Jones for the starting job. Had he not gone down with a season-ending injury last season, Barrett could've been a Heisman finalist. Now, he could go all the way.
3. Nick Chubb, Georgia- The UGA back did a great job last season of filling in for the injured/suspended Todd Gurley last season. Now that he's the starter, look for him to put up great numbers while possibly leading Georgia to an SEC title.
2. Ezekiel Elliot, Ohio State- Elliot exploded onto the scene last season and was named CFP Offensive MVP. Many people have him pegged as the favorite, and it's not hard to see why. He's a tremendous talent on a loaded team.
1. Trevone Boykin, TCU- Boykin is the clear pre-season favorite to win the Heisman. Not only does he lead a very talented team, but he's the only one of the top 4 Heisman candidates from last year to be playing this season.
Draft Outlook:
This is a new feature we're adding this year. Each week, we will look at the draft status of notable players. It's a little early to really hone in on the draft, but when has timing ever stopped us? Some of the top prospects right now: Joey Bosa (DE) of OSU, Jaylon Smith (LB) of Notre Dame, and Scooby Wright III (LB) of Arizona. As you can see, it's a very defense-heavy draft. We'll talk more about it when the draft gets closer and closer.
Playoff Picture:
Again, it's a little early to talk about this, but it's always fun to make predictions. The overwhelming favorite right now is Ohio State, with its loaded talent. Alabama, TCU, and Oregon are amongthe other favorites, but it's way too early to tell.
Thanks for reading, and check back soon for more articles.
Games to Watch:
The Week 1 slate is typically flat, but there are some interesting match-ups. Of course, fans are just excited for college football to be back, great games aren't really that important right off of the back. These five games could impress, however.
#2 TCU @ Minnesota- After just falling short of making the playoffs last year, TCU is expected to make it this year. They have a great team and definitely have the talent to go all the way. They will be tested right off the back however, by Minnesota. The Golden Gophers may be unranked, but they are a talented team who could possibly pull off of an upset.
Texas @ #11 Notre Dame- This is quite possibly the most anticipated match of the week. After Charlie Strong's disappointing first year in Arlington, the Longhorns are looking to bounce back and possibly contend for the Big 12 title. Before they challenge for the conference title though, they must take on Notre Dame, a team loaded with talent, like Sheldon Day and Jaylon Smith. The Fighting Irish will most likely pick up the win here, but don't expect Texas to go away quietly.
#20 Wisconsin vs. #3 Alabama- This is the only game this week that features two ranked teams, so this is obviously one of the biggest matches. Alabama
#1 Ohio State @ VA Tech- The defending champions are the clear favorites to win the championship this year, thanks to a talented squad full of players like Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliot. They had a great run last year that saw them beat some really talented teams, including Oregon and Alabama. Their only loss? Virginia Tech. Could the Hokies pull off another upset? It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility, as OSU is without a number of players for this game, including Bosa.
#6 Auburn vs. Louisville- Auburn is one of the dark-horse favorites to make the playoffs this year, and will be tested immediately by Louisville. The Cards may not be ranked, but they could make things difficult for the Tigers.
Heisman Watch:
It's a little ridiculous to have a Heisman watch before the season starts, but we need to star somewhere right? It's very rare that the pre-season favorite wins the Heisman, but it's happened in the past (see: Mariota, Marcus and Smith, Troy). There are a lot of contenders left off of this list, such as Connor Cook of MSU, RB Paul Perkins of UCLA, and Clemson slinger Deshaun Watson.
10. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State- At one point last year, Prescott was leading the Heisman race and his team was #1. Then, the Bulldogs started losing and Prescott became an afterthought. This year, it looks like Prescott has another tough hurdle to handle. His team is projected to struggle this year, and that will certainly hurt his Heisman candidacy.
9. Derrick Henry, Alabama- Henry has been largely ignored since the Heisman talk began, and it's a little puzzling. He has already established himself as a very good player and Nick Saban's system is perfect to show off backs (think back at guys like Mark Ingram and T.J. Yeldon). Also, Alabama tends to rely more heavily on the run game when they have a new QB.
8. James Conner, Pittsburgh- Conner is one of the best running backs in college football and is one of the early favorites to win the Doak Walker award. The only thing holding him back from being a Heisman front-runner is his team, which isn't expected to do that well this year.
7. Malik Zaire, Notre Dame- This may be jumping the gun a little bit, but Zaire can be a real Heisman contender. He had an impressive debut last year against LSU and has a talented offense around him that can really help him succeed.
6. Leonard Fournette, LSU- Though LSU lost to Notre Dame last year (see above), Fournette put on an incredible performance that got everyone in Death Valley excited. Fournette is a legitimate superstar who can have a great season.
5. Cody Kessler, USC- Kessler spent most of last season on the Heisman bubble, but it looks like he will finally break through this season. He has a very talented offense around him and USC looks like the favorites to win the Pac-12.
4. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State- It's not official, but it looks like Barrett has beaten out Cardale Jones for the starting job. Had he not gone down with a season-ending injury last season, Barrett could've been a Heisman finalist. Now, he could go all the way.
3. Nick Chubb, Georgia- The UGA back did a great job last season of filling in for the injured/suspended Todd Gurley last season. Now that he's the starter, look for him to put up great numbers while possibly leading Georgia to an SEC title.
2. Ezekiel Elliot, Ohio State- Elliot exploded onto the scene last season and was named CFP Offensive MVP. Many people have him pegged as the favorite, and it's not hard to see why. He's a tremendous talent on a loaded team.
1. Trevone Boykin, TCU- Boykin is the clear pre-season favorite to win the Heisman. Not only does he lead a very talented team, but he's the only one of the top 4 Heisman candidates from last year to be playing this season.
Draft Outlook:
This is a new feature we're adding this year. Each week, we will look at the draft status of notable players. It's a little early to really hone in on the draft, but when has timing ever stopped us? Some of the top prospects right now: Joey Bosa (DE) of OSU, Jaylon Smith (LB) of Notre Dame, and Scooby Wright III (LB) of Arizona. As you can see, it's a very defense-heavy draft. We'll talk more about it when the draft gets closer and closer.
Playoff Picture:
Again, it's a little early to talk about this, but it's always fun to make predictions. The overwhelming favorite right now is Ohio State, with its loaded talent. Alabama, TCU, and Oregon are amongthe other favorites, but it's way too early to tell.
Thanks for reading, and check back soon for more articles.
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