by Jordan Beckley
We are 24 days away from when Nebraska travels to Minnesota to kickoff Big Ten College football. Just three more Saturdays until CFB is back.
That day can’t come soon enough.
While we wait impatiently, I wanted to write about my 5 most interesting teams (one from each power 5 conference) for the upcoming season.
I tried not to only pick the blue bloods, but blue blood schools tend to be more interesting. High profile coaches and big name players surpassing or not reaching the lofty expectations of the fans is a major part of the fun with College Football!
In no particular order let’s start with…
South Carolina
The Gamecocks are my wildcard pick of this article. I am not sure many people have South Carolina on their radar this year, but I’m a sucker for the Spencer Rattler story.
Rattler was the number one ranked QB in the 2019 class and the 9th overall recruit. He committed to Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma and was set to be the next man up after the stretch of Heisman candidates/winners in Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. AKA he was the next golden boy for the QB whisperer.
Now fast forward to 2023 and Rattler has had an embattled career and is starting at University of South Carolina, and Riley is the Head Coach at University of Southern California with a new golden boy QB.
Rattler will enter his senior season with an opportunity. He will face off against the presumed number 2 prospect in the next NFL draft in Drake Maye and North Carolina in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Rattler ended the year on a Hot Streak throwing for 1,044 yards and 10 TDs in the last three games against Tennessee, Clemson and Notre Dame. If Rattler can harness his potential, he will have plenty of showcase games (UNC, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Clemson) this season and could vault himself back up draft boards.
It all starts week 1 with Maye. If he outperforms Maye, the Spencer Rattler comeback could officially launch. If he doesn’t and continues to be an average QB then this pick will seem silly.
USC
From one USC to another USC! Rattler’s former coach Riley is always one of the most interesting people in College Football, but this season Riley’s starting QB eclipses him in intrigue.
Caleb Williams is already getting Mahomes comparisons and he hasn’t even been drafted. That is just how talented of a prospect Williams is. His play is electric and his stats are ludicrous. He threw for 4200 yards and 42 touchdowns last year. There is no reason to think he can’t do more this season.
Amid the destabilizing Pac-12, USC will be entering its final season in the conference before joining the Big 10. This final season is one of tremendous opportunity for Riley, Williams and the Trojans.
Georgia just lost another draft class of defensive players and starting QB Stetson Bennett. Ohio State still doesn’t know who their starting QB is. Alabama has questions at QB too. Notre Dame, Clemson and other CFP regulars aren’t supposed to be forces either.
Enter Riley, a generational QB in Williams, and a weak PAC-12 conference. This has to be the year for Riley to win his first National Championship. None of the other CFP powers are at full strength, Riley has the best QB he’s ever had and is a 2-1 or better favorite to win his conference.
The Trojans have a fairly easy schedule but the game in South Bend on October 14th looms as their largest game. A loss that late in the season could end their Playoff hopes. No matter what, watching USC, Riley and Williams will be entertaining as hell, if you can stay up late enough to watch the West Coast games.
Florida State
Part of me wants to say Drake Maye and UNC but I did the QB angle already. Part of me wants to talk about Tyler Van Dyke and a year two redemption for Mario Cristobal in Miami. No one wants to talk about Clemson anymore. The true story in the ACC is Florida State.
Beyond the recent JP Morgan jokes, Florida State entered the off-season trending up. The Seminoles stumbled in one of the harder three week stretches last season losing to a ranked Wake Forest, NC State, and Clemson. After that brutal stretch FSU won 6 straight including wins over Miami, Florida and Oklahoma.
Starting QB Jordan Travis found himself a little bit throwing for 13 TDs, running for 5 more and only throwing 2 pics in those 6 wins. Travis enters the year as the third best odds for Heisman at +1200 on FanDuel.
FSU has had recruiting classes in the top 20 range in Mike Norvell’s 3 seasons. That has trended up with the 2024 class currently ranked 5th after a hot streak the past month on the recruiting trail. He had all of FSU pushing in the right direction at the end of last year. Can he keep it going? Can he make the leap as a coach and win the ACC? Clemson is +150 to win the ACC on FanDuel but the Seminoles are right there at +175. Could Jordan Travis put it all together in his Senior season?
Jimbo Fisher and FSU won 8 of their last 9 in 2012 before going undefeated in 2013 and winning the last BCS championship. Could history repeat itself one decade later in 2023? It’s not impossible!
Ohio State
I am trying not to pick the Blue Bloods but Ohio State truly is the most interesting team in the Big Ten this year. Wisconsin and Nebraska having new head coaches in Luke Fickell and Matt Rhule is exciting, but unlikely to be the storyline in the Big Ten this year.
What is going to be the storyline, will be whether this is the last year for Ryan Day at OSU.
Two straight years of losing to Michigan in The Game has improbably placed the Buckeyes coach with a winning % of 88 and three CFP appearances in 5 seasons on the Hot Seat.
Ryan Day also has his work cut out for him this season. Unlike the past 5 seasons, Day doesn’t know who his starting QB is yet. In past seasons, Day might have entered the Spring Game not knowing who the starter would be but certainly not fall camp. Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and CJ Stroud had all won the job or been deeply expected to win the job by this point.
Day will have to pick between inexperienced options in Kyle McCord and Devin Brown in a season that could define and potentially end his tenure in Columbus. It doesn’t help that Ohio State has one of the most difficult schedules in College Football this year. Ohio State has true road games against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and most importantly Michigan.
The Buckeyes are loaded outside of QB this year and making the wrong decision could be the difference between winning a National Championship and ending with 3 losses.
Ohio State fans can remember back to the 2015 season where Urban Meyer’s indecision between Cardale Jones and JT Barrett wasted one of the best CFB teams ever. Ryan Day hopes to not make the same mistake.
Texas
I wanted to pick somebody else but unfortunately Texas is the most interesting team in the Big12.
Texas is a program that has defined what people think of when you say “Big 12 football” no matter how good the Longhorns have been.
The Longhorns were the last Big 12 team to win a National Title in 2005. Before then it was Oklahoma in 2000 who is also leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.
Beyond the farewell tour for Texas, there is major hype entering the season. Can you believe it? People being excited about Texas in the preseason?!
As predictable as the excitement is, it is also easily vindicated. Texas has brought in back to back Top 5 recruiting classes under Steve Sarkisian. The 2023 class includes one of the most hyped QB prospects ever in 5-Star No.1 overall recruit Arch Manning. However, Manning will have to win the job over another biggest QB recruit ever guy in Quinn Ewers.
Ewers got his first shot last season beating out now-Purdue QB Hudson Card. Ewers showed promise but battled injuries in year one. The QB battle in Austin will be well publicized and fascinating. Ewers will start with the job, but get ready for shots of Manning on the sideline in every game no matter how well Ewers is playing.
If Texas really does put it all together, the Steve Sarkisian redemption arc will come to the National spotlight. Nothing would propel that story more than if Sarkisian can beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa in Week 2. Another assistant beating Nick Saban could launch the “Saban Washed?” topic on debate shows too. How fun would that be?
Even if Texas falls apart like normal, they will still be captivating to follow.
For now, those are the most interesting teams in College Football entering the season. However, you can try to predict what teams will succeed in College Football all you want and you will be wrong every time.
Give it a few weeks and we will be talking about KJ Jefferson and Arkansas or Year 2 of Brent Venables in Norman or Dan Lanning and the Ducks.
Until then we are just three Saturdays away from being done with farmer’s markets and being back on the couch. See you there.