Lots of different things and different teams to talk about. A couple of things. Last year ND was the subject of a Showtime series called a Season with Notre Dame Football. It was a terrific series esp if you were an Irish fan. Got to see a side of ND Football and the team you don't get to see and unlike the HBO series on NFL football where they look for controversy or gotcha moments, this one focused on the good side of things. This year they decided to continue with another team and they are going to feature Fla.State. Lots of jokes on how they will go about covering up all the things that the Criminoles do during the season, but maybe they will be on their best behavior. Fall camps will be open in a week or so, so football gets real for us fans. Season openers will be just a little more than a month. Pretty much everybody thinks it's Alabama and Clemson as the top teams. Michigan is getting a lot of love in the polls as well. LSU after debating whether or not to fire Les Miles is another team everybody thinks will very good. Heisman Race. Right now it's Deshaun Watson's to lose, but we've seen that before. He's the top returning QB and as we all saw last year in the Championship game, he's got game. Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey are the other guys who everybody thinks will be top 3. But with RB's injuries can be a problem, Gurley looked like a sure winner a few years ago until his career ended with a knee injury. I'm sure there will be somebody who will not only have a great year at QB but their team will have a great year. Baker Mayfield at OU, JT Barnett at Ohio State immediately come to mind.
A Texas player created a Hype Video for the Season... Pretty good job by the kid. You have to see it at the link, I can't embed it here. http://totalfratmove.com/video-texas-offensive-linemans-hype-video-for-ut-notre-dame-will-get-you-pumped-for-the-season/
Question for Don or Stu. What do you think happens at QB after this season? JT has another year left to play, and I don't think of him as a QB who will get drafted in the 1st 3 rounds, although he could have a great season and change that for sure. Do Ohio State fans think he will come back for a 5th year or that he will graduate and go ahead to the NFL even if he is projected to be a late round draft choice.
Interesting question Terry, I think a lot depends on what type of season the Buckeyes have and his own development. Most observers think he will opt for the draft, we are loaded at QB with top notch recruits. Personally, I do not see him staying but other factors may enter the picture and he stays.
Penn State coach implies that Ohio State, Michigan, Mich State and Notre Dame are negatively recruiting against the Nits. Says those teams use Penn State's past against them. He said it in his Big 10 Media Day appearance, when reporters asked Urban Meyer about it, he said it was the first he's heard about it and would like to talk to Coach Franklin about and clear it up. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/17146680/urban-meyer-mark-dantonio-deny-anti-penn-state-recruiting-tactics
Traditional Teams sell well on the road! http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ncaa-football-teams-earn-the-most-when-these-opponents-come-to-town-2016-07-26
Interesting that a Johnny come lately like Oregon is right in the middle of that pack. The legacy of Penn State will be changing over time, and sooner rather than later. There was a time when I was in school, had you polled the guys I played with, they all would have spoken glowingly, with admiration, about the program. To hear my son and his teammates talk about Penn State, there's an air of disgust. These are kids who have never known the Miami Crimicanes. They've never known Oklahoma to be an outlaw bandit that ignores the law at will. USC has always been in trouble with the NCAA and Penn State is a school that shouldn't even have a program. It's kinda interesting to hear the perspective of the younger kids. We take for granted the history that our experience drags into each situation. For these kids, who all seemingly believe in the wide-open, no holds barred approach of the SEC, that there is only one real villain in college sports... That is Penn State. I'm sure it's different in western PA, but in this area of Alabama that always held JoePa as a respected rival, it's an interesting turn.
I see that Treon Harris is receiving a lot of interest from schools interested in him transferring to their program. Not clear what position he will play at his next school. I'd suggest that if he wants to get to the NFL it not be QB though. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2654339-treon-harris-latest-news-rumors-speculation-surrounding-transfer
The BTN has announced a game day feature for this season involving all B!G TEN teams, similar to what ESPN has done for some time.
I was listening to the XM College Football show and they have been in Chicago for the B10 media days. A couple of things they said about the BTN were pretty amazing. There are more subscribers outside the footprint of the BTN than inside it. Reason is that B10 schools have by far the largest alumni bases of any conference in America. I don't know if it is still true but at one time I think the PSU Alumni Assoc was the largest in the country. I'm sure Ohio State and Michigan also have very large alumni groups.
I am curious what you guys think about the proposed removal of the kickoff from college football. I watched ESPN interview Mark Richt yesterday and ask him this question. His reply was I spent 15 years upstairs as an assistant coach and never really thought about it but spending the last 15 years on the sideline I learned the impact of players is real and very dangerous because every player is going wide open. He said it would not bother him one bit if they removed the kickoff from college football...
Ralph, I had posted this topic previously. Personally, I would hate to see the kickoff return play eliminated. It has always been an exciting play. However. I do realize the potential for injuries, so I can not argue too strongly if the powers that be, decide to eliminate the play.
Football is an inherently dangerous game. The only way to make it totally safe is to discontinue it. Special teams are a HUGE part of the game... getting rid of them will change it a LOT, and I don't think for the better. If the kickoff goes, how long until the punt? What do you do for changes of possession? I don't want kids hurt, but this is not good for the game.
Don I am in agreement with you on this, as I would miss the excitement it brings. But I also agree that the safety of the players is paramount and would go along with those who know better than I do. It will be interesting to see what happens..
I played football, my son played football, 3 grandsons played football, 1 grandson is playing football, and 2 grandsons likely will play football. The youngest grandson is destined to be a soccer player llike his dad. The kickoff is the only play in football where one side has a 40-50 yard head start to build up to full speed while aiming for an opponent to hit who is - at best - running at half-speed. The collision not only favors the defender; it runs the risk of destroying the blocker or ball carrier. If those who are entrusted with administering the college game decide to change or eliminate the kickoff to reduce the ever-present risk of serious injury due to violent collisions, I'm confident the game will adapt and remain as strong and popular is it is now. If they choose not to do anything, I'm OK with that, because I know they've investigated the issue thoroughly.
Yeah, like the others, I am torn. I understand the danger and the reasoning behind eliminating the kickoff, but there have been so many memorable kickoff returns, onside kicks and bad kicks that have played (and I'm sure will/would continue to play) such a big part in college football. It would change a big part of dynamics of college football. :?
Just brainstorming a bit... I assume they are just debating kickoffs...I haven't heard anything about doing away with or changing punting. That would imply to me that kickoffs are suspected or have been shown to be much more injury prone than punts. Could you change the kickoff into more of a punting deal? Figure out a yard line to punt from to the receiving team that would be reasonable. You could set a yardage that a fake punt would have to achieve to turn the ball over (instead of onside kicks)...10 yards? 15 yards?