College Football Preview, Part II

More on the ch-ch-ch-changes in our favorite sport this fall…

In Part I, we dealt with conference consolidation and playoff expansion. Another plot twist is the end of the Nick Saban era in coaching. Other than  wanting to see how successor Kalen DeBoer will fair in Tuscaloosa, it’ll be interesting to see who emerges as the next CFB sideline GOAT. It could be DeBoer, who’s been a winner everywhere else. But he could “win” and yet not win. A 9-3 or 10-2 season and early playoff exit won’t cut it.

A lot of impressive young coaches right now: Marcus Freeman, Dan Lanning, David Braun, Sean Lewis…all under 40.

Georgia and Kirby Smart could’ve been playing for a fourth title in a row but for a 3-point shortfall to Alabama. Still, everything is top-drawer in Athens: recruiting, NIL, facilities.

I find myself really liking the whole setup in Austin right now, Sark, the QB right now, the QB to be, the talent coming in and up. They built it for the SEC last year, so they should be competitive now that they’re actually there.

Ryan Day and Ohio State, it seems to me, are in a win right now-or-bust situation, but I’m not getting the vibe from Will Howard, Chip Kelly is the most interesting offensive coordinator hire in years.

Speaking of coordinators: Andy Kotelnicki going from Kansas to Penn State could quietly be a difference-maker. The Jayhawks were jaw-dropping. I’d hire him in a heartbeat.

More big shoes to fill: Sherrone Moore in Michigan. I rooted for him as he went 4-0 filling in for Harbaugh last season, and for him to get the permanent hire. But I also expect, and I hope Wolverine nation does too, that he will need time to reach his potential. Will this young coach get the patience Harbaugh got?

I miss the Pac-12, partly because I remember all the years when late Friday/late Saturday games were the only ones I had time to watch, and those were West Coast games, and hence, Pac-12 (and Mountain West, love those programs too). It’s not just that the conference broke up, it’s the way the teams kind of disappeared into the Big 10 and Big 12. Expect Oregon to contend, but will USC and UCLA show up? Lincoln Riley looks shaky in LA, but D’Anton Lynn was an inspired hire. UCLA and Washington have new skippers.

Speaking of coaching changes, who’s on the hottest hot seat? Most would answer Sam Pittman at Arkansas. And doesn’t that OC next to him look familiar?

Maybe Billy Napier at Florida? I don’t think I’d want to be Clark Lea at Vanderbilt, Dave Aranda at Baylor or Miami’s Mario Cristobal, either.

Saturdays are about to get great again.