ACC
Team to Watch: Florida State Things are a bit different in Tallahassee now, what with Bobby Bowden being forced into retirement and Jimbo Fisher in place behind the clipboard. But the last few years have been bad for the usually dominant Seminoles. They haven't reached the ten-win plateau since 2003, had wins in '06 and '07 vacated due to a cheating scandal, and haven't been to a BCS game since '06. For a team with two national titles and 15 conference championships, going to the Emerald Bowl, Music City Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, and Gator Bowl in four consecutive years doesn't fly. Coming off a 7-6 year, the Seminoles have two very difficult road games, as they travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma on Sept. 11 and face Miami (FL) on Oct. 9. The good news is that they return quarterback Christian Ponder, leading rusher Jermaine Thomas, and 2nd-leading receiver Bert Reed. The pressure to win is enormous.
Player to Watch: Jacory Harris (Miami) Simply put, the kid has a cannon. He threw for 3352 yards and 24 touchdowns a year ago, but also had 17 interceptions. On any given day he could be great (20-for-25, 270 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs against Georgia Tech), or he could be terrible (3 INTs versus Clemson and 4 versus North Carolina). If his decision making can improve this year, he very well could lead Randy Shannon's most talented team yet to an ACC title and help bring the 'Canes back to glory.
Prediction: Miami's two toughest games are both non-conference as they travel to Ohio State and Pitt on back-to-back weeks. However those games do not factor into the conference rankings, and I think Miami lucked out. They have to travel to Clemson to open the conference season, which is always a tough place to play, but they get Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech at SunLife Stadium. The talent is certainly there, and the conference schedule is somewhat favorable as well. In the ACC title game they beat Florida State for the 2nd time and go to the Orange Bowl, finishing the year 11-3.
Big East
Team to Watch: Connecticut The Huskies' five losses were by a combined 15 points in 2009, three of which were heartbreakers that came after the death of cornerback Jasper Howard in October.
They ended the year on a four game winning streak, highlighted by a program-defining overtime win over Notre Dame and a PapaJohns.com Bowl win over South Carolina. This year's squad sees 16 starters return, including senior quarterback Zach Fraser, who showed good composure down the stretch. The offensive line and linebacking corps are always solid. The big question is in the secondary, which is very young and susceptible to giving up big plays. There has never been so much hype coming out of Storrs, and expectations are high. The Huskies are no longer coming out of nowhere. Can they live up to the hype?
Player to Watch: Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh) Talk about talent. As a true freshman Lewis finished with 1799 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is already 4th on the all-time rushing list at Pitt, and is considered by many as a pre-season Heisman contender. At 5'8" he is small, however incredibly fast and surprisingly strong, with the ability to break as many tackles as he does ankles. However, last year he carried the ball 325 times and had 350 touches. Against Rutgers and Cincinnati he had 31 and a ridiculous 47 carries, respectively. To put it into perspective, Lewis had more carries in 13 games than every running back in the NFL except Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, and Steven Jackson had in 16 games. And with the losses of Dorin Dickerson, Oderick Turner, and Nate Byham, QB Tino Sunseri has fewer options to go to. That means expect to see just as much of Lewis this year. My pick for Offensive Player of the Year.
Prediction: Pre-season favorite and "sexy" pick Pittsburgh would be the easy way to go. However I don't think they have enough weapons on offense and will rely too much on Lewis and star receiver Jonathan Baldwin. West Virginia has it's third starting QB in as many years in sophomore Geno Smith, but he has limited experience and missed a good portion of off-season workouts with a broken foot. He certainly has the weapons around him, but I think the off-the-field issues surrounding the program will become a distraction. UConn has too many problems in the secondary and has no proven go-to receiver. That's why I'm picking Cincinnati to win its 3rd consecutive Big East title. Quarterback Zach Collaros has the job all to himself now, and he is the real deal. In 10 games he threw for 1434 yards and 10 touchdowns, but mind you in six of those games he didn't start. He is a dual threat as he can fly out of the pocket at any moment. Plus he has Armon Binns, DJ Woods, Isiah Pead (who's slated to have a breakout year), and Ben Guidugli to work with. The defense has issues to address, but nothing that has plagued them the last few years. The Bearcats will go to another BCS game.
Big Ten
Team to Watch: Ohio State It's another year, more high hopes for THE Ohio State University. The pre-season #2 team in the land returns fourteen starters, and are led by quarterback Terrelle Pryor, now in his third year under center. After snapping their three-year BCS game losing streak in last year's Rose Bowl, it's time for the Buckeyes to take the next step and make it to (and perhaps compete for a change) in the national championship game. The games to watch are on Oct. 16 at Wisconsin and Nov. 20 at Iowa.
Player to Watch: Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State) Here's a kid whom every college came a-callin' to when he was in high school, and for much of the first two years he was a bit of a disappointment. The Rose Bowl was his coming out party, and Oregon's defense hosted it. He showed poise in the pocket, knew when and when not to scramble, and had flashes of brilliance right from the opening drive, finishing 23-for-37 with 266 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. If that player shows up every Saturday, he could very well win the Heisman and the Buckeyes could put it on cruise control for most of the season. If the Pryor who failed to surpass 125 passing yards six times shows up, it could very well be another good season, but one full of "What-ifs".
Prediction: There are three things that I love in a college football team: a big-ole offensive line, a beast of a running back, and experience. Wisconsin has all three. All of their offensive lineman are over 310 lbs, and four of them are returning starters. They have John Clay to block for, who ran for over 1500 yards and 18 scores last season, and at 6'1" 255 lbs is a monster. In all 16 starters return for the Badgers, who I think can finish the year with only one loss (they will split with Ohio State and Iowa, a brutal two weeks if you ask me), and have a legitimate chance to make it to their first BCS game since the 2000 Rose Bowl.
Big 12
Team to Watch: Oklahoma A year ago the Sooners were ranked third in the preseason polls. A Sam Bradford shoulder injury later, the team finished a disappointing 8-5. With Bradford gone to the semi-professional ranks by being drafted to St. Louis, full control of the team goes to sophomore Landry Jones. Jones had a very impressive freshman year, throwing for 3100 yards and 26 TDs. If he can cut down the turnovers (14 in '09), and DeMarco Murray can handle the pressures of being the full-time running back, the offense could be explosive enough to counter the fact that only five starters return on defense.
Player to Watch: Marquise Goodwin and Garrett Gilbert (Texas) Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley were the most prolific tandem in school history. No one connected for more catches (205), yards (2545), or touchdowns (24) in Longhorns history. That being said, both players are gone. 
That leaves Gilbert and Goodwin to take the reigns as smoothly as possible. Last year Gilbert saw the true powers of "one play away" for backups, as when Colt McCoy went down in the BCS Championship Game, Gilbert was thrown into the fire, completing just 15 of 40 passes while throwing two touchdowns and four picks. Now, it's a tad unfair that the country's first look of the kid was in the biggest game of the year as he came off the bench for the first meaningful time in his career, so he gets a pass. But now it's the real deal. He is the leader of the offense, and Goodwin is his best weapon. The two don't need to be as good as McCoy and Shipley right away, seeing as they return seven starters on a team that was 12th in points allowed in '09. But to repeat as Big 12 champs and make a run at a national title, they're going to have to give it their best effort.
Prediction: Texas is too young offensively with Gilbert at the helm. The Big 12 has not been known for its intimidating defenses in recent years, but Oklahoma's appears younger and less experienced than everyone else. Plus, they have to deal with each other, as well as a Baylor team that I believe can make some noise this year. That's why I'm picking the team that was one second away from a conference title last year in Nebraska. To get to the conference title game, the 8th-ranked Huskers have to have a better conference record than: Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Iowa State. That's not exactly the SEC East. For a team that was able to get to the title game with a mediocre offense last year, with eight returning starters on offense this year, it should be even easier. And if the offense improves enough, you just might see Nebraska playing for the national title come January.
Pac-10
Team to Watch: Washington The Huskies are an interesting team. Here is a team that was a middle-of-the-pack team in just about every statistical category in '09, but returns ten offensive and eight defensive starters. Among those are a 1000-yard rusher in Chris Polk, a receiver who averaged 106 yards per contest over the final four games of last year in Jermaine Kearse, and a Heisman candidate in Jake Locker, who is already being dubbed the inevitable #1 pick in next April's NFL Draft. The problem last year was that the defense gave up 27 points a game. If they can grow as a unit and take advantage of their overall experience, this is a team that could surprise people. We'll see how good they truly are after they take on #8 Nebraska and #14 USC in back-to-back weeks in early October.
Player to Watch: Rahim Moore (UCLA) A hard-hitting safety is becoming more and more of a lost art in the NFL merely because more and more pass coverages are being used. The days of Ronnie Lott or, much more recently, John Lynch destroying their opponents are long gone. Now Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed lead a group that are ball-hawking monsters. Rahim Moore fits this perfectly. Last year he led the NCAA in interceptions with ten, and piled up 45 tackles. He isn't the most talented player in the conference. He won't win Defensive Player of the Year. But he has a knack for always being around the ball and making a big play when the defense needs one.
Prediction: Oregon and Oregon State are the two favorites, however both have major quarterback issues. That being said, however, I don't like any of the other teams in the conference enough to go against either of these two teams (remember that USC will not be bowl eligible, and cannot accept a BCS bid should they win the conference). So basically the Dec. 4 showdown in Eugene will, like last year, be for a trip to the Rose Bowl. I said last year on my morning sportscast that the 113th Civil War made the first 112 pale in comparison. The 114th could be even bigger, as both teams have such high expectations. I like Oregon and loved their bad-ass white helmets from the Rose Bowl, but I'm picking the Beavers.
SEC
Team to Watch: Arkansas Michigan had something going for them when they recruited Ryan Mallett. Last year he threw for 3624 yards and 30 touchdowns to just 7 picks, and is a pre-season candidate to win the Heisman. The bad news for the Wolverines? Mallet transferred two seasons ago to Arkansas, and those stats were put up in Fayetteville. To complement him are each of his top five receivers from last year on a team that was 10th in the nation in passing yards per game and points scored. Plus, they have the luxury of getting top-ranked Alabama and #21 LSU at home. If they can survive and beat Georgia and Auburn, those two games could be their season.
Player to Watch: John Brantley (Florida) It's difficult backing up legends. Just ask Tony Banks, Mark Malone, and now Tavaris Jackson (although his situation is a tad different from others...). But to replace Tim Tebow, the Herculean figure of all Hurculean figures?! Talk about pressure. And that's just what Brantley will have coming into this season. He only appeared in six games last year, and by the time he entered they were laughingstocks of games anyways. Now he's thrown into the fire as the quarterback for the 4th-ranked team in the country.
Prediction: Alabama has only ten starters returning from last season's championship team. However, those ten are pretty darn good. Greg McElroy progressed as the year went on from a manage-the-game quarterback to one Nick Saban could go to if they need a big play. He also has Julio Jones to throw the ball towards. Jones, coming off a rocky year, should be the playmaker he was thought to be when he was recruited as the top high school receiver in the country three years ago. Then they have Mark Ingram, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. A workhorse, Ingram ran for 1658 yards last year. But he also has Trent Richardson to take some of the load off his shoulders. Richardson is lightning to Ingram's thunder. With his speed, it would be a travesty for Saban not to use him more often to mix up the ground game. They have too many weapons and are too good not to repeat at SEC champs, if not national champs.
Miscellaneous
Team to Watch: Boise State If the Broncos are going to make it to the BCS National Title Game -- the first time a non-BCS school would make it -- then this is the year to do it. At #3 to start the season, there won't be a better opportunity. But in playing the waiting game, hoping Alabama or Ohio State loses (and at the same time hoping the voters don't catapult another team ahead of them) they absolutely must have a perfect regular season. 
Their conference schedule is full of cupcakes. If recent history is any indication, then Kellen Moore will throw for 300 yards every game as the Broncos will enjoy their cakewalk to a conference title. But those games will not matter if they don't survive the Week 1 showdown against Virginia Tech. For Chris Petersen and crew, this is their Super Bowl. If they can go out on primetime, national television, and kick the Hokies in the teeth, it will prove they are the real deal. In past years they were hurt because they didn't have on their resumé any Top-25 wins. This one would be against a Top-10 team. Then two weeks later they host Oregon State. They could very well win this game and add to their argument, but they could just as easily let Jacquizz Rodgers run circles around them and lose. I don't think a perfect record will be enough to convince the voters of putting the team into the national title game. But there has never been a better opportunity to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment