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College Football Preview

Jul 30, 2019
17 min read

We’ve hit the dog days of summer and I’m not sure about anyone else, but I feel like I’m going a bit stir crazy without any sports to watch. Sure, we’ve got NBA Summer League and Major League Baseball, but who are we kidding? We all know sports fans are counting down the days until August when College Football returns.

College Football, in my opinion, is my favorite sport (yes, even more than the NBA). Why? Because there’s no such thing as super teams. In college football, you don’t have Lebron James and Anthony Davis teaming up. And you never know who may win the National Championship. In short, College Football is a wide-open race. Yes, you have the Alabamas and Clemsons of the world, who are perennial powerhouses and could be CFB’s equivalent to Golden State in the NBA. But there’s one major difference. In College Football, winning the National Championship is not the end-all-be-all for teams. It’s unlike the NBA, where if you don’t win the championship you come away empty-handed and the season is considered a failure. In CFB you have 40 bowl games, conference championships and rivalry games. A win in any of those categories and a team’s season would be considered a success. Even just getting to a bowl game can be a victory for some programs.

So it’s time to look ahead to the 2019 CFB season and what it may bring. So here are the official Beehive Sports College Football predictions with some help from some of the top contributors around!

Players to Watch

AJ Dillon, Boston College

If you don’t know who AJ Dillon is, you will soon enough. The running back from Boston College is one of the top rushers in the nation and the top contributor for the Eagles. Dillon, a 1,000+ yard rusher for the past two seasons, is coming off of a sophomore season in which he rushed for over 100 yards on five occasions. If you looked solely at his stats, you would never think that Dillon spent much of, if not all, of 2018 battling injuries. Yet even when playing hurt, Dillon rushed for 1108 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Injuries, however, are a thing of the past for Dillon according to his head coach, Steve Addazio. According to Addazio, “[Dillon] wasn’t even 50% healthy” last season. “This year … he’s going to carry the ball and he’s going to be a featured guy.” If Addazio is, in fact, correct, opposing defenses should cower at the thought of a healthy AJ Dillon, and fans should tune in to Boston College games just to watch Dillon run the ball. If his flashy highlights and gaudy numbers are reason enough to tune in, former Florida State and Buffalo Bills QB likened Dillon to LeVeon Bell, one of the top running backs in the NFL.

Justin Fields, Ohio State

Thabo Wright (Beehive Sports, @ThaBiz_2)

It has not been an easy road for Fields thus far in his college career. Fields, who sat behind Jake Fromm at Georgia, has now been given the keys to the offense at Ohio State following the departure of Dwayne Haskins to the NFL. Fields has big shoes to fill for Haskins who put up impressive numbers and won some highly notable games. OSU is a team that is very capable of making the CFP and bringing home the hardware.

Ohio State has the talent, the coaching and most importantly the experience to do it. They know how to exploit the weaknesses of opponents and execute during big moments. Winning is a tradition at Ohio State and they expect great things from their quarterbacks, including Fields, and I believe that Fields is ready for the challenge. Ohio State fans, and people around the country should be very excited about Ohio State’s new signal-caller.

Teams to Watch

Kansas

Look, we all know Kansas won't be playing for a title this year but what we must be looking for with this program is the culture change. The Jayhawk offense will bring back some depth at the RB position along with a JUCO Product QB which was one of Les Miles' original recruits back in 2016. The leadership and foundation of this program is what we should be looking at this season. It's not going to be a smooth one but this Kansas team will be fun to watch as they try and rebuild this broken organization which went 6-42 under David Beaty.

This 2019 season will be the year for culture to build the foundation for the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kansas at the 5/6 win mark this season as they make that turnaround. Despite the record in previous years, the Jayhawks return some solid players at different positions. The offensive line is deep and could help them control the ball, something they will need with a new defensive scheme coming in and some youngsters on that defensive front.

Not exactly something to compete for championships with, but it's something to keep an eye on for the future! Kansas will be a good storyline this upcoming season.

Utah

Devin Pendleton (Beehive Sports, @DevinPendleton5)

My team to watch is The Utah Utes, which hurts me to say being an avid BYU fan. But the Utes are coming back loaded and with the mentality to make it to the Rose Bowl. With Tyler Huntly returning from a broken collar bone the offense is prepped and ready, led by veteran experience, not to mention the return of Zack Moss.

I don’t even have to mention the defense as we all know the Utes always have a stout, nationally ranked defense. This year the defensive line for the Utes is one of the best in the country, led by NFL prospects Bradlee Anae and Leki Fotu. The Utes should be outright Pac-12 champions come season’s end, thanks in part to an easier conference schedule with Oregon being replaced with the lowly Oregon State and a matchup with Cal, rather than Stanford. The Utes will have their best season since 2008.

Iowa State

Everyone, especially opposing teams in the Big 12 should keep a close eye on the Iowa State Cyclones. The Cyclones have cracked the top 25 preseason poll for the first time in a very long time coming in at 24 after having a very successful season last year, finishing 8-5 and barley losing to the 13th ranked Washington State Cougars in the Valero Alamo Bowl 28-26. The Cyclones will be led by their quick and elusive running back Kene Nwangwu who finished second-team all-Big 12 last season. Johnnie Lang, whose high school career took place at our very own East high school and brought the team their first state championship since 1996, will also be a key contributor out of the backfield for the Cyclones. Iowa State will have a very tough schedule, especially with road games against Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kansas State, but Iowa State has the talent to make some noise this season.

Conference Champions

Pac-12: Utah

This year in the Pac-12 there are two heavy favorites to come out on top, which are the Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes. During the Pac-12 media day the Utes were placed as the favorite to take the crown, which I completely agree with. The Ducks do have a strong and high-powered offense led by Quarterback Justin Herbert, who ended the 2018 season with a passer rating of 144.7 and a completion percentage of 59.4%. However, the Ducks will need to pick up most of the slack on the defensive side of the ball after losing half of their starters from a season ago. The Utes on the other hand, return close to 90% percent of their starters from 2018 and will be getting Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss back from season-ending injuries last year.

Moss was well on his way to a multiple award-winning season until injuring his knee in an off the field incident caused him to miss the final few games. Moss had 1,096 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, also averaging 6.1 yds per carry in nine games. QB Tyler Huntley injured his collarbone in a tough loss to Arizona State in week nine, causing him to miss the rest of the 2018 season as well. Huntley has looked better than ever this offseason and will play a key role in the Utes success this upcoming season. The return of Huntley and Moss, paired with perhaps the best defensive line in the country should be enough for the Utes to win the Pac-12 Championship and a potential dark horse run at the College Football Playoffs.

Big Ten: Ohio State

The Buckeyes face perhaps their most difficult route to a Big Ten Championship in recent memory. Ohio State, who has won the Big Ten West since Urban Meyer took over in 2012, must now try to take home a division championship, and conference championship, without the winningest head coach in program history (percentage-wise).

The good news? The Buckeyes were 3-0 last season under new head coach Ryan Day, who took over for Meyer after he was placed on administrative leave for the first three games of 2018.

The Buckeyes will have to replace more than just their head coach, however, as the defending Big Ten champs lost nine players to the NFL this offseason, including their Heisman Trophy Candidate QB, Dwayne Haskins. But as it is with their head coaching vacancy, the Buckeyes didn’t rebuild this offseason, they reloaded, replacing Haskins with five-star QB Justin Fields, who was the highest-rated dual-threat QB coming out of high school in 2018. Originally committed to the Georgia Bulldogs, Fields transferred to Ohio State in Spring.

The Buckeyes do return a handful of key contributors from last season, including running back J.K. Dobbins, the Buckeyes’ leading rusher a season ago, along with wideout K.J. Hill and linebacker Chase Young - who had an impressive 9.5 sacks in 2018.

The biggest problem facing the Buckeyes may be the same one that has plagued them the past couple of seasons, that pesky late October/early November road game. Last year it was a 49-20 loss at Purdue. In 2017 it was a 55-24 drubbing at the hands of Iowa. And in 2016 it was 24-21 upset courtesy of Penn State. This year the Buckeyes travel to Northwestern on October 18 with the chance to put all of that behind them. Their matchup with the Wildcats could be the difference between a birth in the Playoff or just another New Years Six Bowl.

However, an abundance of young talent on the field and on the sidelines, coupled with returning star power, should be enough to take Ohio State to the top of the Big Ten for a second consecutive season and perhaps even further.

Big-12: Oklahoma

Thabo Wright (Beehive Sports, @ThaBiz_2)

Can we all agree that this is their conference to lose? Although, Oklahoma is in this currently-awkward bubble with Georgia and Ohio State where they are consistently winning their conference yet fall short in the Playoffs time after time to the top dogs, Alabama and Clemson. If successful, the Oklahoma Sooners will have won the Big 12 Conference 5 years in a row, the longest such streak in conference history. Oklahoma’s unspoken game plan is to simply score more than the other team. Their defense hasn’t been very impressive in recent years and nothing makes me think that will be any different this year. With all eyes on transfer QB and former face of Alabama Jalen Hurts coming to town, fans should expect nothing less than their high scoring and quick-paced offense to continue to be the focal point this season despite the departure of Kyler Murray to the NFL.

ACC: Clemson

The defending National Champions lost a lot of talent this offseason, with six players selected in the NFL Draft. But the Tigers bring back perhaps their most important piece of last year’s championship team, QB Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence was phenomenal last season, taking over for Kelly Bryant after week four, and leading the Tigers to an undefeated season en route to winning numerous awards, including ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year and College Football Playoff National Championship Offensive MVP. But Lawrence can’t do it alone, which is why the return of wideouts Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross are crucial to Clemson’s success.

The ACC isn’t as strong as it once was, but it isn’t without it’s threats to Clemson’s throne. Miami, Florida State and yes, even Virginia, could pose a threat to the Tiger’s bid at a fifth straight ACC title. However, with Dabo Sweeney at the helm, you know the Tigers will be well-coached and well prepared for a run at not only an ACC title but their third national title in the last four seasons. While Clemson should find themselves in closer games than a year ago, the defending champs certainly have enough talent to succeed in the ACC.

SEC: Alabama

Devin Pendleton (Beehive Sports, @DevinPendleton5)

It's important to note that the winner of the SEC basically has an automatic bid to the college football playoff, so yeah, it’s kind of important who wins. At the end of the day I'm not sure how anyone could pick against Alabama as the ones who will be the ones crowned SEC champs come season's end. Alabama has one of, if not the best, quarterbacks in the country in Taulia Tagovila and have surrounded him with the top talent available. Alabama, as usual, has some big boys on the O-line to protect their star QB and there receiving core is loaded. Jerry Jeudy returns for his senior season and should have a strong connection with Tua.

The Crimson Tide did lose running back Josh Jacobs, although Najee Harris should take over the rushing load almost seamlessly. Defensively, Alabama should still be stout as always. But if there is a concern with this Alabama team, it's how young the defense is, as the Tide lost 7 defenders to the draft. But if there's one thing football fans can always count on, it's that Alabama always seems to reload rather than rebuild. Alabama will be seeing Dixie land delight all season long as they hoist the SEC championship trophy, and I believe, they will avenge their loss to Clemson last season and hoist the National Championship trophy.

Mountain West: Boise State

Boise State will be coming into this year with some question marks at the Quarterback position after Brett Rypien (Denver Broncos) graduated last season. Boise State has some depth at quarterback but no real front-runner to replace the 4-year starter (Rypien) quite yet. Anytime you replace a QB, there will be a "feel out" process which I believe Bronco fans will be a little impatient with (especially with the first game coming against Florida State out in Jacksonville at the end of August).

The other major question mark is the RB position after Alexander Mattison (Minnesota Vikings) left for the NFL last year. Mahone and Van Buren will most likely be a rotation set behind the experienced offensive line the Broncos will be bringing back.

Expect BSU to figure out everything at the QB and RB positions before conference play and expect the O-Line to hold them up until they get their bearings during that time. This O-Line for BSU will be returning everyone and Ezra Cleveland (left tackle) will be the anchor. In each of the previous 4 seasons, it took half the season for the offensive line to come together as a unit so this will be what we watch for Boise State's big men up front early on. If they can come together quickly, then this Boise State team should have no problem controlling the ball and putting up points.

On the defensive side of the ball, they will look to continue their strength, even without Andy Avalos (defensive coordinator who left this off-season for Oregon). The Broncos will have leadership all over the defensive side of the ball. Kekoa Nawahine will continue to bring his unbelievable field vision to the crew and they will look to continue where they left off allowing only 22 points a game last season.

This Boise State team brings back so much experience which is why I believe we should expect them to win the Mt. West. Unlike many programs, Boise State very rarely needs to "rebuild." Rather, they will "reload" and once they find their bearings on offense with the QB and RB positions, they will be a monster in the conference as they usually are. Not only should we expect them to win the Mt. West, if they can find a way to beat Florida State early on and gain momentum early into the season, we could see them playing in a NY6 Bowl without question.

Heisman Trophy Winner

Trevor Lawrence

It seems as if every year we have a ‘clear favorite’ to win the Heisman and it seems like every year it’s whatever QB is coming off of a National Championship victory. Last season it was Tua Tagavailoa who was the favorite to win college football’s highest honor until Kyler Murray set the football world on fire en route to a Heisman and number-one overall NFL Draft selection. This year is no different.

Ask anyone who they think will win the Heisman and you’re sure to get one or two names. Tua or Trevor. Sure, there may be some Travis Etiennes, an occasional Justin Herbert and even a Justin Fields once every so often. But as of now, it’s a two-horse race.

Here’s the problem is you are Tua, and the problem that possibly cost him the Heisman last season: he’ll only be playing three quarters for most games. Alabama is a wrecking ball tearing its way through college football. Arkansas and Ole Miss may try to stop it but it’s only a matter of time until they’re up 50-20 and the backups are coming in. The problem is that some of that scoring is coming from the defense and special teams. That may not be a problem for Alabama fans, but it is if you’re trying to win the Heisman. And sure, Tua may not be trying to win the Heisman but just as winning games is a byproduct of success, so is winning the Heisman.

Trevor Lawrence, on the other hand, will be playing in closer games. Clemson doesn’t just walk all over their opponents, they meticulously pick them apart for four quarters. I’m not saying which approach is better, but if you’re a QB trying to win the Heisman then you want to be on the field for four quarters week in and week out.

Both QB’s have an extremely high chance of taking home the award, but we’ve never seen co-Heisman winners. Which means that only one can win and I’m going to have to go with my gut and pick the Clemson signal-caller.

College Football Playoffs

Alabama

Devin Pendleton (Beehive Sports, @DevinPendleton5)

There isn't much more to be said about the Crimson Tide that college football fans don't already know. There's a reason Alabama is a top ranked team week in and week out, season after season. Nick Saban has built the Tide into the premier program nationally and they won't be slowing up anytime soon. Picking the Tide to miss the college football playoffs is like picking the Patriots to finish last in the AFC East, it just doesn't happen. In fact, it's never happened.

Alabama is the only school in the country to never miss the College Football Playoffs and for good reason. Simply put: they are one of the top four teams in the country every single year. This year should be no different as they return two of the top players in the nation on the offensive side of the ball. Tua should be a top Heisman candidate and wideout Jerry Jeudy should be a top pick in next years' NFL Draft. And if there has been one constant during Nick Saban's tenure with the Tide, it's that they always have a dominant defense. I know fans would like to see some new teams have a shot at the National Championship but they'll have to hope it happens in one of the other three spots because the Crimson Tide will be in the Playoff come December.

Oklahoma

The Sooners have a very good shot at winning the College Football playoffs, especially with their incredibly easy schedule. With the toughest team they will face being Texas in a neutral location, if Oklahoma doesn’t go undefeated I would consider the season a letdown. The Sooners will have a new leader at the quarterback position in Jalen Hurts. Hurts recently transferred from SEC powerhouse Alabama where he was the starter for the Crimson Tide until Tua Tagovailoa took over in the second half of the 2017 College Football Playoff Championship game and led them to a victory. Since then Tua has been the starter and Hurts took over the late-game garbage minutes.

Oklahoma is a great fit for Hurts and his expectations couldn’t be higher. In the last two seasons, Oklahoma has had a QB win the Heisman: Baker Mayfield in 2017 and Kyler Murray in 2018. Can Jaylen Hurts make history and be third straight QB from the same team to win the Heisman and finally get Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff Championship?

Clemson

Thabo Wright (Beehive Sports, @ThaBiz_2)

Contrary to what you might think, picking the defending champs to repeat is a pretty bold prediction. In fact, college football has only had one back-to-back national champion since 1996 - the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2011 and 2012. The Clemson Tigers could change that. They are one of the few teams that have the depth and talent at every position on the field. The name of the game for the Tigers is simple: keep Trevor Lawerance healthy. He has proven to be the best pure QB in the nation.

In a year (2018) where plans changed, particularly at the QB position, the goal remained the same; win a championship. Something Trevor Lawrence was able to accomplish. Their goal in 2019 is still to win a National Championship, and it’s something Lawrence could do again. It helps to have a great QB under center, but the Clemson Tigers are so well built, who knows maybe even I could be carried to a winning season under center, which goes to show just how deep they are. With players like Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins, expect to see Clemson playing not only in late December but on the big stage in early January. Go Tigers.

Ohio State

While we can obviously expect Clemson and Alabama to be in the mix with their experienced QBs and plethora of talent, there are definitely question marks as to who should be taking those next spots. We have so many great teams this upcoming season (I wouldn't be surprised if each of these teams has at least 1 loss this year) and one that is constantly overlooked is Ohio State.

With Urban Meyer leaving and Haskins leaving to the NFL, it appears as the Buckeyes have been written off as contenders (at least for this season). Not so fast though. Justin Fields (Georgia Transfer) is coming in and looks to be the front-runner to lead the team this year and we are going to see a lot of explosive plays out of this offense. Sure, Urban is gone, but let's not forget what Ryan Day did with the previous quarterbacks with that program. Now with Day leading the pack, we shouldn't expect anything less of him when it comes to the newcomer Fields.

Day has a knack for adjusting his offense around the strengths of the QB. He found a way to get that team to adjust to Haskins' style of play last season when previously it had been built around J.T. Barrett. I would expect to see more of this as we adjust to a true, dual-threat QB in Fields.

The Buckeyes will have some tests and as always, they have a target on their backs. The biggest thing for this team though is the fact they are not currently on the radar of most analysts in the game. This will allow them to make their necessary adjustments and play their game without any of the distractions from the media regarding their expectations. It's a blessing in disguise to not be on the radar for most analysts.

I currently don't see a team in the Big Ten who can match the Buckeyes athletically, so as long as they can put athleticism with execution (which I believe they can), this team will be very dangerous near the end of the year.

National Champion

Alabama

Thabo mentioned that we’ve only seen one back-to-back national champion since 1996 and this year should be no different. Clemson and Alabama have created quite the Celtics-Lakers rivalry of college football. They may be in different conferences and otherwise have no connection or reason to consider each other a rival of sorts, they have become increasingly familiar with one another after meeting in the College Football Playoffs every year since 2016.

This year should mark the fifth consecutive season these two teams meet. The other playoff teams are talented but both have apparent holes that could prevent them from reaching the National Championship. Ohio State is being led by a first-year coach and a QB that is new to the program. The ceiling for the Buckeyes is incredibly high but even getting to the Playoff would be an over achievement for the young Buckeye squad.

And Oklahoma has a team that is built for the Big 12, a high speed, high octane offense with a defense that will give up 30+ points per game. That kind of formula works in the Big 12 but when it comes to matching up teams from the ACC and SEC, Oklahoma finds itself at a disadvantage. Suddenly their offense struggles to score against a powerhouse defense, while the Sooners’ defense struggles to contain the opposing offense. It’s the reason why Oklahoma will continue to win the Big 12 and yet fall short in the Playoffs.

That leaves the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide for a fifth straight season. The Tigers and Tide have traded blows each year, with Clemson winning in 2017 and 2019, while the Tide were victorious in 2016 and 2018, and this year should be no different.

The Clemson Tigers are incredibly talented offensively with QB Trevor Lawrence and playmakers like Higgins, Ross and Etienne along the offensive side of the ball. But the Tide are not without playmakers too. With Tua behind center and Jerry Jeudy lining up at receiver, Alabama can put up points in a hurry.

This matchup could certainly be a coin flip, as it has been in each of the last four seasons, but The advantage ultimately goes to Alabama. As we’ve pointed out, only Alabama has won back-to-back championships in the last 20 years, and even the dominant Crimson Tide have only accomplished the feat once. Couple that with the fact that Nick Saban rarely, if ever, loses to the same team in consecutive years, and the Crimson Tide could be looking at their sixth National Championship since 2009.


 
 
 

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