By Chris Marler
Besides daylight savings time, April 15th, and that weird time in the Fall and Spring where it’s super cold in the morning and then a million degrees in the afternoon, there is nothing worse than the forever long talking season for college football. That Spring/Fall bipolar temperature thing is pretty close though. Just waiting for a middle school bus in a giant LL Bean jacket you got for Christmas because it’s 40 degrees. Then having to carry it around all day or tie it around your waist like an idiot. Just awful.
Anyway, the talking season is worse. Too many hot takes, too many overreactions from people that disagree with the content, and too many days on the calendar still left until football season. There are a ton of things I’m already tired of hearing about every day on social media. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Elon Musk, Iran, those weird singalong WeGovy commercials, CFB Playoff expansion, and of course Arch Manning.
Those things have been talked about to death. However, here’s a list of some things I don’t think we are talking about nearly enough.
LSU coming on strong
Fans across the country got their jabs in last December when Bryce Underwood flipped to Michigan. It sucks to lose a No. 1 overall recruit, but what that did was allow Brian Kelly and his staff to go on a spending spree in the portal. There isn’t a unit on this team that won’t be improved from last season.
There are elite, long athletes in the secondary. They return one of the best LB duos in America. And, there are weapons everywhere for Nussmeier. The roster was already very strong at RB and WR, but adding five star Harlem Berry at RB and Nic Anderson at WR feels almost unfair.
LSU is seemingly always loaded, but this year’s roster is arguably the most talented they’ve had since 2019. I’m not saying they are going to repeat what that team did, but I am saying if they can navigate the schedule and avoid early week one losses, they can make a run at a title.
Clemson’s rise from demise
It’s been so fun watching Clemson’s fall from the nation’s elite. Dabo refused to adapt, and the losses mounted. Well that ended quickly. Dabo has always been a good coach and oddly good recruiter. His hiring Matt Luke as the O-Line coach has brought the program back to what it looked like a decade ago.
Clemson returns one of the most talented groups of starters in the country. They have one of the best QBs in FBS, they have multiple first rounders on the defensive line, and the secondary and receivers are much closer to how they looked during their mini dynasty. They currently have four or five players projected in the first round of next year’s draft, and don’t forget they still get to play in the ACC.
Ryan Grubb returning to be Alabama’s OC
Ryan Grubb was the OC for Kalen Deboer for several years prior to his hiring at Alabama. Whether the offense was his brainchild or Deboer’s doesn’t matter because the two of them together have been a proven success. Year two under Deboer will look a lot different, and with the combo of Grubb, a much more talented offense than the last two years, and maybe most importantly a new quarterback that fits their system better, Bama could be really dangerous this year.
Coaching Hot Seats
There were zero coaches fired last season in the SEC and almost no talk about coaches being in the hot seat currently. I mean, we talked about Billy Napier getting fired in 2024 starting the Summer of 2023! What happened? We used to be a proper country.
All jokes aside, you never want to see anyone lose their job, but I highly doubt we go two years in a row without a coaching change. I’ll give you three that I think will be gone by next year but all for very different reasons.
- Sam Pittman – I think he leaves on his own accord because of his health. I also wish they would give him a lifetime contract because he’s the most likable coach in the country.
- Brent Venables – There’s no chance a program with the pedigree that Oklahoma has is going to settle for consecutive years of not only being average as a program, but also watching their hated rival continue to be a national power in Austin, Texas.
- Mark Stoops – Bold prediction. The romance is gone between Stoops and the fans, and the honeymoon phase ended several years ago.
UGA coming off a “down” year
I love any opportunity I can get to bet on a Kirby Smart and UGA team that has a chip on their shoulder and revenge on their mind. We don’t make excuses for Georgia anymore because they’ve been the new dominant program over the last five years. And just like Alabama during their run with Saban, the lens that people view them through doesn’t often see or acknowledge the actual reasons for the dramatic drop off last season all the way to 11-3 and another SEC title.
Kirby Smart won’t make excuses, so allow me to do it for him. UGA played six top 20 opponents in their first 13 games last season, and only one was at home. They beat Texas twice and played Bama, Texas, and Ole Miss on the road. Then they lost their starting QB at halftime of the SEC Championship and had to turn to a guy with zero experience. They still won.
Then they were lined up against Notre Dame in the CFB Playoff Quarterfinals. And while I won’t take anything away from Notre Dame, I will say that the reasons and takes about why UGA lost in NOLA rarely mentioned a backup QB in his first start, a terrorist attack the night before, and last but not least, Kirby Smart’s father being rushed to the hospital and dying during the actual game.
Georgia hasn’t gone anywhere. Trust me.
Indiana’s schedule
One of the biggest farces in the entire sport continues to be Big Ten teams shaming the SEC for an 8 game schedule and playing weak opponents in November. That’s mainly because they’re throwing rocks at a glass house with their own schedules. For the second straight year, Indiana opted out of a Power Four non-conference game and replaced it with an FCS school last year and a team that was an FCS program just two years ago.
Missouri not going away
Missouri did work in the transfer portal. They have a ton of offensive players to replace, but they brought in some very good players to do so. They also have one of the most favorable schedules in America. They don’t even leave their own stadium until after game six.
More SEC News
