100 Days Away From The First Saturday Of College Football

The 10 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Can Jadeveon Clowney become the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson?  The guy is an athletic freak.  Anyone who has watched a hint of college football or ESPN  knows this guy will be the first pick in next year's draft, and he probably would have been taken first this year if he had been draft eligible.  He finished last season with 13 sacks, setting the single season record at South Carolina in a campaign that saw him receive the AT&T All America Player of The Year award.  Offenses are going to do their best to limit Clowney via scheme and double teams, but odds are that he will still have a monster season.  The only question is whether he can unseat the guy that comes in at #2 on this last.      
2. What does Johnny Football do for an encore after becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy?
   
   Yes, the kid is cocky.  Yes, the kid posts some stuff on the internet that he should probably just keep to himself.  But facts are facts, and Manziel is a winner.  Johnny Football is a flat-out gamer, and as much as it pains me to say it, the Aggies will probably have another good season down in College Station.  That being said, the odds are against him becoming only the second player to win two Heisman trophies.  Remember, not even Tim Tebow could accomplish that with the ESPN hype machine behind him.  Manziel lost a key member of his offensive line to the draft in Luke Joeckel, and the A&M defense will have some problems in getting off the field this season.  He's also going to face stiff competition from Jadeveon Clowney, De'Anthony Thomas, and other great players around the country.  I just can't see a repeat happening this year, but if anyone can do it after Tebow missed out, it's Johnny Football.   
3. Alabama at Texas A&M, September 14, 2013 at 2:30 PM on CBS.
   
   Prepare yourselves, Aggies.  Nick Saban is coming for you.  You can bet every penny in your bank account that Nick Saban has this date circled in blood on his calendar.  The best ball coach in the land will be out for revenge on September 14th, and the people in College Station have every right to be terrified of what might happen on that afternoon in mid-September.  The last time Nick Saban coached a revenge game, LSU couldn't cross the fifty yard line when they played for the 2012 BCS National Championship.  Now he's got an experienced quarterback with two national titles under his belt going up against a very suspect defense.  This has "recipe for disaster" written all over it for the Aggies.  Alabama will probably open up as a 3.5 or 4 point favorite in this one, and I'd highly recommend you lay the points.  Sorry Aggies, but the Death Star is pointed right at you, and Luke Skywalker is nowhere in sight. 
4. What will Oregon look like without Chip Kelly at the helm?
   
   Chip did his best Pete Carroll impression and got the heck out of Eugene when the time was right, taking his craft to the NFL.  It's hard to see the Ducks regressing though because of the pieces still there.  They return eight starters on offense, including quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back De'Anthony Thomas, who just might be the fastest man in college football.  The Ducks will still keep the fast-paced offense in place, and should still produce a solid unit on a defense.  I don't know if playing for the national title is in the cards, but I could definitely see the Ducks taking a conference championship back to Eugene this season.
5. How will the LSU Defense perform after having eight players selected in the 2013 NFL Draft?
   
   The fact that LSU had eight defensive players drafted is a testament to the talent that the coaches in Baton Rouge develop and produce on a yearly basis.  Maybe the Cajun cooking has something to do with it, but whatever it is, The Mad Hatter and S&C Coach Tommy Moffitt churn out defensive talent no matter the circumstances.  Yet you have to think that losing so many players to the draft in one year is going to have an impact.  They'll still be a pretty good unit, but a there will be a lot of young players out there that are bound to make some errors and get exposed from time to time.  Bonus Nugget: LSU will once again have the best name in college football, this time with Ego Ferguson.
6. Can Mack Brown finally get back over the hump and beat Oklahoma?
   
   Mack is feeling the pressure, and it will only keep increasing until the Oklahoma game in October.  The recipe for success is incredibly simple.  Since 2000, Texas has gone to a BCS game every time it has beaten Oklahoma except for Colt McCoy's freshman season in 2006.  You beat Oklahoma, and everything else takes care of itself.  With Landry Jones gone, it's now or never for Mack Brown and company.  The Longhorns return tons of talent on both sides of the ball, including the most experienced quarterback in the Big XII in David Ash.  Win the Red River Rivalry game, and both the conference championship and BCS games are well within reach.  If Mack fails to get the best of Bob Stoops, he'll be cleaning out his office at the end of the season.
7. Will Lane Kiffin save his job at USC?  
   
   Probably the only coach feeling the same amount of pressure, if not more, is Lane Kiffin at USC.  The Trojans were nowhere near meeting expectations in Los Angeles last season, and the pressure is on for Kiffin to right the ship.  A favorable schedule should give Kiffin more time though, as the USC's only two tough road games are at Notre Dame and across town at UCLA.  The Trojans get Stanford at home, and don't have to face the Oregon Ducks in the regular season.  Although Matt Barkley is gone, Marqise Lee is still on campus to take some of the pressure off Max Wittek's shoulders or whoever else Kiffin puts under center.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Kiffin let go after this year, but I think he'll still be in Los Angeles for the 2014 season.  Bonus Nugget: Lane Kiffin may not be doing well on the field, but boy did he do well off the field.  Well done, Lane.
   
8. How much will Kansas State regress without Optimus Klein?  
   
   Colin Klein has left Manhattan, so you can expect the Wildcats to be down a bit this year.  Don't expect a disaster though, as Bill Snyder is one of the best in the business at getting the most out of his talent.  What that guy has done at Kansas State is remarkable.  I shudder to think what he could do if he had the talent that Texas and Oklahoma get every year.  It might be a an eight-win season for K-State this year, but don't be surprised if Snyder and the Wildcats pull off an upset at home against TCU or Oklahoma in November.  Lord knows they want give someone the treatment that Baylor gave them last season.  Side Note:  If you are on Twitter, you need to follow @kellyinvegas.  Beautiful gal that knows her stuff about college football and sports betting.  Be careful what you tweet though, as she will rip your throat out if you go in there talking like an idiot. She'll probably give me hell just because I projected eight wins for K-State.  Link: https://twitter.com/kellyinvegas
9. How will Kliff Kingsbury and Brett Bielema do in their first seasons at Texas Tech and Arkansas?  
   
   These were two my two favorite hires of the offseason by a mile, but for different reasons.  On one hand, you have Kingsbury returning home to Lubbock and reinstalling Mike Leach's offense.  Tech went with the exciting, flashy, young coach to replace Tommy T.  Though he is young, there is not a person out there who knows Leach's offense better than Kingsbury, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Tech will be producing an exciting brand of football this season.  For all of you doubters, just look at what Kingsbury did with Manziel last year at Texas A&M.  They may not come anywhere near winning the Big XII championship, but they will be a fun team to watch with Kliff running the show.  Over in Arkansas, the Razorbacks went with the safe play and hired Brett Bielema away from Wisconsin.  The man may not have won a national title up in cheesehead land, but he took Wisconsin to three consecutive Rose Bowl games with an offense that relied on running the ball relentlessly behind massive, talented offensive lineman.  Let's see here....running the ball and offensive line talent...sounds a bit like SEC football doesn't it?  If he can produce an SEC defense, Bielema might be giving Saban and Miles a run for the SEC West down the road.  Bonus Nugget:  While there is no need to discuss what Kliff Kingsbury will do for himself in Lubbock, Brett Bielema needs to be applauded for outkicking his coverage by a mile.  Seriously, he kicked it into the parking lot. 
   
10. In case you had forgotten who Jadeveon Clowney is...

    

Hope you enjoyed the piece, and let me know what has you most excited about the 2013 season.