Week 1 of College football kicks off tonight with 3 or 4 pretty good games and then tomorrow night with some good matchups then Saturday will have some epics with the Bama-FSU headlining the weekend. What a first game on Saturday Night at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Hotlanta. Can’t wait. Auburn is amped up for their 2017 campaign and they should be with new signal caller Jarrett Stidham at the helm along with a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. The Tigers open with Georgia Southern on the Plains Saturday Night. Plenty of stellar SEC versus out of conference matchups in the hopper. Some other solid national games. Here’s a look at the action in week 1 of the 2017 college football season. Should be spectacular.

Last year’s record: 223-112, 67%

All games Saturday unless otherwise noted

No.1 Alabama vs. No.3 Florida State 

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA. 83,000

7 PM CT

ABC

Chris Fowler, Herbie, Tom Rinaldi Maria Taylor

Line: Bama by 7

What a blockbuster matching 2 Hall of Fame coaching minds, probably the best ever in Nick Saban, 2 stellar programs and one heckuva venue. Jalen Hurts is back for year 2 after being named SEC player of the year in 2016. I’m expecting huge things in year 2 from Jalen under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who comes to the Crimson Tide after serving as the tight ends coach for the New England Patriots. I really like this hire by S. Daboll is going to do some special things in Tuscaloosa. And Jalen has weapons galore around him. First, he’ll have a line anchored by center Bradley Bozeman, and potential All American left tackle Jonah Williams. Jonah is another super left tackle in the footsteps of Cam Robinson and others to don the Crimson jersey. Bo Scarbrough, my favorite running back in college football, is healthy, along with the underrated Damien Harris and super freshman Najee Harris. That’s seriously formidable rushing attack. Through the air, the great Calvin Ridley is back for his junior season. Super kid, hard worker and exceptional talent. I’m looking forward to seeing Robert Foster in his senior season. He’s got so much talent, but he’s just had some bad luck with injuries. He can be a standout as well. And awesome freshman Jerry Jeudy looks to be lightning in a bottle on the perimeter with take it to the house potential every time he gets his hands on the football. Really excited about Jeudy. Hunter Hentges will start at tight end. Hadn’t seen much of Hunter as O.J. Howard owned the position before becoming a first round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Bucs where he is excelling. Looking forward to seeing how Daboll uses Hunter. On defense, I know S was looking for leadership, and I see plenty of options. Shaun Dion Hamilton is back from a tough knee injury he suffered in the SEC title game, but he’s healthy, he’s an awesome player and is a leader at middle linebacker. Minkah Fitzpatrick is another leader on defense and a key cog at strong safety in a highly talented secondary along with Anthony Averett and Trevon Diggs at the corners and the headhunter Ronnie Harrison at free safety. The talented Tony Brown will play the fifth secondary spot at star. The d line may be without Raekwon Davis, the promising defensive tackle who was shot last week at a bar in Tuscaloosa after watching the Mayweather- McGregor fight. He’s day to day as it was not a severe injury, so we’ll see. Still like De’Shawn Hand, and Da’Ron Payne up front and there is depth though a little untested. 

The Noles have talent of their own. Deondre Francis is a stellar sophomore quarterback. He’s accurate and can move around pretty well. He got sacked a lot last season and kept getting up. He’s impressive. I like Jacques Patrick, who’s listed as the starter at running back. Awesome freshman Cam Akers will see plenty of playing time and should be stellar. The wide outs don’t have a ton of experience but Jimbo Fisher has recruited well and they coach’em up well in Tallahassee. The line is back with a lot of experience. They’ll need to handle the Crimson Tide pressure, which will be a test. On defense, safety Derwin James is a first team All American player. He’s superb. So this is a talented team as well.

Last call for… the outcome

I really like this FSU team. I’m highly bullish on them. They have a shot to be special. But I’m even more bullish on this Crimson Tide. They have an amazing assemblage of players and coaches, and the Tide is always impressive in week 1. Should be a classic, but I like the Tide to prevail in their march toward eliteness in 2017.

Alabama 35, FSU 24

 

No. 12 Auburn vs. Georgia Southern

Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, 87,451

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic

Auburn by 34 1/2

I’m also very bullish on this 2017 Auburn football team. I believe in Jarrett Stidham. He’s going have a strong season. He is very accurate throwing the ball, can make explosive plays in the passing game, and he’s an underrated, excellent athlete who can make things happen with his wheels. Kam Pettway and Kerryon Johnson are back for big years at running back. Both need to stay healthy, and if they do, they should both have super years. Malik Miller looks like a pretty good No.3 option. I’m really looking forward to seeing Nate Craig-Myers at wide receiver. He’s a house call waiting to happen. He’s going to have a tremendous season. Kyle Davis, Eli Stove and Darrius Slayton are outstanding targets as well. Really like this offensive line. Right guard Braden Smith is as tough as a wrought iron fence, and as mean as Al Capone. Austin Golson is stellar at center. This is a really tough, physical group. On defense, the Tigers have their best linebacker corps since Gus Malzahn has been at Aubrun with Darrell Williams, Tre Williams and DeShaun Davis starters. Really like them. The secondary is excellent with strong safety Tray Matthews as their leader. Cornerback Carlton Davis is primed for a potentially spectacular junior season. Stephen Roberts is solid at free safety. Javaris Davis will play the other corner spot opposite Carlton Davis, so he’ll need to step up in his first year as a starter. The d line is anchored by big defensive end Marlon Davidson, but he’s questionable for tomorrow. Davidson is a little banged up, but he’s OK for the future. Gus may not play him tomorrow night. Derrick Brown is going to be a stud this season at tackle and Dontavius Russell is an exceptional nose guard. Also like Byron Cowart, a former 5 star like Davidson and Brown, to reach his potential this season. The awesome Daniel Carlson is back for kicking duties. Ian Shannon is the punter, in his first year. Punt returners are Stephen Roberts and Ryan Davis, and kickoff returners are Kerryon and Javaris Davis. There’s some explosiveness in the return game.

Georgia Southern runs the triple option which is always tough to defend, so the Tigers defense will have their hands full. Southern upset Florida a couple of years ago, so AU needs to be on alert.

Final Call

While Georgia Southern will give Auburn some early problems with their run game, I like the Tigers to take care of business and get ready for a colossal showdown @ Clemson.

Auburn 45, Ga. Southern 10

 

Appalachian State @ No. 15 Georgia

Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA., 92, 746

5:15 PM CT

ESPN

Mike Patrick, Tubby, Paul Carcaterra

I like Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to have big games, but App State is a pretty solid group. Still like the Dawgs to take care of business and get ready for a trip to South Bend in week 2. But this will be tougher than some think.

Dawgs 31, App State 28

 

No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 17 Florida

AT&T Stadium, Jerry country, Dallas, 100,000

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Tess, Todd, Holly

Coach Mac has suspended 10 players for this game including standout receiver Antonio Callaway and starting running back Jordan Scarlett, who were 2 of the players involved in a school credit card scandal in which they were selling free stuff for extra money. Really unintelligent move by these players. But I still like new starting quarterback Feleipe Franks. I’ve watched him, he’s a really good passer and he has good talent around him. Florida will have a good defense. Michigan is talented but young. Going with the Gators. Should be a classic though.

Florida 28, Michigan 27

 

LSU vs. BYU

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, N’awlins, 76,468

8:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams

The game was moved from Houston due to the tragic flooding in that city. Hoping that Houston can come back from this historic tragedy. I’m sure they will. Like the Bengal Tigers to do well here. Coach O notches a victory in the season opener. Derrius Guice is a little banged up but expected to play. He should have a big night. I’m not sure if Danny Etling can take this team to elite status this season, but if he has a good game tomorrow night, maybe he’ll have a solid season and that’s all he’ll need to do with the talent around him. They’ll need him to play well if they want to be an SEC and national contender. 

LSU 31, BYU 17

 

Sunday 

Texas A&M @ UCLA

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA. 92, 542

6:30 PM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft

This is a big year for Kevin Sumlin. He needs to have a good season to keep his job. I have alwaysreally liked Sumlin. He’s a good guy and  a good coach. But his teams have faded in late October and November and he needs to produce better results. Actually, Jim Mora at UCLA is in the same boat. I like the Aggies though. Christian Kirk is a spectacular playmaker. The starting quarterback situation is unclear, but I’ll just guess it’s senior Jake Hubenak. He’s serviceable and he has playmakers around him. The Aggie defense looks improved under John Chavis. They lost both defensive ends, top draft pick Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall, to the NFL, but they have talent and an excellent secondary led by super safety Armani Watts. Like the Aggies to pull off a mild upset in LA.

A&M 34, UCLA 31

 

Monday

No. 25 Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

7 PM CT

ESPN

Rece, Kirk, Maria

 

I believe in new Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady. He’s accurate and has a strong arm. Butch has recruited very well, and I like his talent to survive the pesky Georgia Tech triple option under coach Paul Johnson. This should be a really stellar game though.

Tennessee 35, Georgia Tech 31 

 

South Alabama @ Ole Miss

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, 64,038

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Amish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks, Roddy Jones

This should be a tough test for the Rebels after a tumultuous offseason with the Hugh Freeze disaster. Joey Jones does a terrific job at South and they’ll be ready for the Rebels. I’m going to pick an upset.

South Alabama 35, Ole Miss 34

 

North Carolina State vs South Carolina

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. 75,412

2 PM CT

ESPN 

Dave Pasch, Gregory McElroy, Lugues

I really like Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley. I believe in him. He’s going to have a really good sophomore season after an impressive freshman year. Going with another upset here. I like Will and his troops to survive a battle with the Wolfpack.

South Carolina 31, N.C. State 28

 

Kentucky @ Southern Miss

M.M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS. 36,000

3 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous, Melanie Collins

Mark Stoops has recruited well and I expect it to pay off with a solid season from the Wildcats. This is a tough matchup for them though, with a team that upset them last year in Lexington. So they better be ready. 

Kentucky 35, Southern Miss 31

 

Vandy @ Middle Tennessee

Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, TN. 30,788

7 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell

Derek Mason and his team have their hands full in this opener on the road versus a team that is hungry to knock’em off. Mason ends his 3 year opening game L streak squeaking it out over a hostile rival.

Vandy 34, Middle TN. 31

 

Charleston Southern @ Mississippi State 

Davis Wade Stadium Starkvegas, MS. 61,337

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Andre, Olivia Harlan

I like Nick Fitzgerald, State’s quarterback. He can really run, and his accuracy is usually pretty good though he threw 3 ints in the spring game. State’s defense looks much improved. State should be in good shape here as Dan Mullen needs a bounce back season after a 6-7 year in 2016. They did win their bowl game against Miami of Ohio, 17-16, in the St. Petersburg Bowl. They qualified with a 5-7 record but had a very good Academic Progress Report amongst their team which allowed them to go to a bowl game as there were too many bowls and not enough 6 win teams. But Mullen needs to do better this season.

State 48, Charleston Southern 7

 

Tonight

Florida A&M @ Arkansas

War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, AR. 54,120

7 PM CT

SEC Network 

Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole

Not a massive game, but it’s an SEC team, so it’ll be interesting. I like Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen. He’s a stud in my opinion. The SEC is back this season. After some mixed results last year, I see the conference as really good this year. Bama is the favorite, but there is a lot of talent, so we’ll see.

Hogs 45, Florida A&M  10

 

Missouri State @ Missouri

Memorial Stadium/ Faurot Field, Columbia, MO. 71,004

11 AM CT

SEC Network

David Neal, Matt Stichcomb, Dawn Davenport

Drew Lock is another stellar SEC quarterback in what looks like the year of the quarterback in this conference though there are many other talented players. Damarea Crockett is a returning 1,000 yard rusher for the Tigers. I like this team to do well this season and be a challenger in the East.

Missouri 38, MO. State 6

 

Other games

UAB 45, Alabama A&M 3

Like the Blazers to have a potential bowl season. There is a lot of talent on the Southside that Coach Bill Clark has amassed. I’m impressed. I see the Blazers doing well in C-USA.

2:30 PM, Legion Field, Channel WABM Channel 68. Channel 702 on Charter

 

Sunday @ 6:30 PM CT on ABC

Steve Levy, Brian Griese, McShay

No. 21 Virginia Tech 34, No. 22 West Virginia 28

Friday, 7 PM CT PAC 12 Network

Colorado 31, Colorado State 30

Saturday, 4:15 PM CT, PAC 12 Network

No. 4 USC 38, Western Michigan 14

Tonight, 7 PM CT ESPN

No.2 Ohio State 45, Indiana 14

Dave Flemming, Herbie, Laura Rutledge

Saturday, 11 AM CT, ESPN

Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

No.5 Clemson 42, Kent State 6

Saturday, 11 AM CT, ABC

Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich 

No.6 Penn State 42, Akron 28

Tonight 6:30 PM CT, Fox Sports 1

Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Bruce Feldman

No. 10 Oklahoma State 45, Tulsa 38

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The AP football rankings came out today, and like the Amway Coaches poll, it ranked Ohio State No.2 behind Alabama. I can see why after watching their spring game and studying their team. 

Urban Meyer said the strongest group on this team is the defensive line, and he’s right. There’s a lot to like about that group. Junior defensive end Sam Hubbard, 6’5″, 265, leads the way on the front. He’s the leader of the defense. Tyquan Lewis, a redshirt senior, 6’4″, 265, is the other bookend. Both players should be dominant this year. Sophomore defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones, 6’3″, 295, and senior Tracy Sprinkle, 6’3″, 293, make up the interior of the Buckeyes’ 4 man front. They aren’t massive guys in the middle, but they’re very effective disruptors. And there is plenty of depth. Nick Bosa is the younger brother of former All American Joey Bosa , who had a stellar career in Colimbus and was the 3rd overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the then San Diego and now Los Angeles Chargers, where he has already made his mark as a dominant player in the NFL. Nick looks like he can be just as dominant as his older brother. Bosa is a  6’4″, 270 defensive end. He was a highly ranked 5 star out of high school in 2016.

Linebacker is solid led by stud senior middle linebacker Chris Worley, 6’2″, 230. The secondary is a bit of a question mark as the unit lost 2 first round draft picks in cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who was the 11th overall pick in the draft by the New Orleans Saints, and safety Malik Hooker, who was the 15th overall pick by the Indianapolis  Colts. Hooker took three ints back to the house last year, and finished with 7 interceptions, while Lattimore posted 4 interceptions and took 1 of them back to the crib. They’ll have some young, in experience, guys to fill the holes, but they were highly recruited players, so defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and his staff will be tasked to have them ready for week 1 at Indiana on Thursday, Aug. 31st at 7 PM CT on ESPN.

The offense is explosive with J.T. Barrett back at quarterback. Barrett completed 233-of-379 passes, 61.5%, for 2,555 yards, 24 TDs and 7 ints. He’s good, but I thought he had some accuracy issues last year and Clemson made him and his whole team look laughable in a 31-0 blasting in the semifinal playoff game last year. So Barrett has a lot to prove. The backups are very capable. Joe Burrow and Dwayne Haskins both look like good passers and Haskins can run well. Both are still battling for the backup job. Haskins looked as good as Barrett in the spring game and Burrow was good, too. Mike Weber is back at running back. The 5’10”, 214 pound sophomore ran for 1,096 yards and 9 TDs last season. Demario McCall is a capable backup. The Buckeyes also have some dynamic players at wide receiver. Benjamin Victor, 6’4″, 195, Johnnie Dixon, 5’11”, 195, Terry McLaurin, 6’1″, 204, and K. J. HIll, 6’0″, 198 are big play, take it to the house guys. The offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters who have each played over 900 snaps. Center Billy Price, 6’5″, 310, right tackle Isaiah Prince, 6’7″, 310, left guard Michael Jordan, 6’7″, 310, and left tackle Jamarco Jones, 6’5″, 310, are a talented foursome. They have candidates for the right guard spot, and are working towards solidifying that position. Depth is talented but unproven. Tight end is a very strong position. A.J. Alexander looked exceptional in the spring game. He’s 6’6″, 250. Marcus Baugh, 6’5″, 250, and Jake Hausman, 6’4″, 252, are outstanding also.

Kicker is being determined between veteran Sean Nuernberger and true freshman Blake Haubell. Demario McCall, another explosive player on the perimeter, is tops on the depth chart at punt returner. He’s explosive. Parris Campbell, a lightning fast player at H-back, and K.J. Hill, are slated as the starters as kick returners.

Schedule

As mentioned earlier, the Buckeyes open at Indiana on Aug. 31st, a Thursday, at 7 PM CT on ESPN. Interestingly, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was fired by Indiana last year from head coach, so he’ll be charged up for this game. His offense looks prepared to break out. Oklahoma comes to Columbus for week 2, Saturday, Sept. 9th. a 6:30 PM CT kickoff on ABC. Should be a blockbuster with young, unproven 33 year old LIncoln Riley now in charge of the Sooners taking over from Stoops, who got blasted by the Buckeyes in Norman last year, 45-24. This will be hard for Riley and his team, though they are expected to have a good team. Army is at home next at 3:30 PM CT on FOX on Saturday, Sept. 16th. Sept. 23rd, the Buckeyes host UNLV. That’s a wide open team offensively that plays no defense. Zero. So there should be a lot of points put up, mainly by Ohio State. The Buckeyes are @ Rutgers Sept. 30th, home vs Maryland Oct. 7th, @ Nebraska on Oct. 14th in what should be a key Big Ten game, though I’m not sure the Cornhuskers can hang with the Buckeyes. They’re off on Oct. 21st, then face the Nittany Lions of Penn State on Oct. 28th at home. Penn State upset the Buckeyes 24-21 last year and it was pretty controversial that Ohio State made the playoff and the NIttany LIons didn’t after beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten championship. I don’t know if Penn State would have had a better chance to beat Clemson, but probably so. They were  better than Ohio State by the end of the season. Urb got pretty lucky there, though he did get dominated embarrassingly in the playoff game.

Then at Iowa on Nov.4th, Michigan State at home on Nov. 11th, Illinois at home on Nov. 18th, and @ the Big House to face Jim and the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday Nov. 25th at 11 AM CT on FOX. That will be very interesting with Big Ten and national implications on the line. Harbaugh still hasn’t gotten over what I would also call some robbery calls they got against Ohio State on the road last season in an Ohio State 30-27 double overtime victory. I don’t blame Harbaugh. There were missed pass interference calls on Ohio State and a first down by Barrett which was very controversial on 4th and 1 in overtime. If Michigan had stopped them the game was over. Looked like they had. It was extremely close. There was no doubt about the multiple pass interferences that were not called. So that’ll be extremely compelling as well. The Big Ten Championship game will be Saturday, Dec. 2nd @ Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at 7 PM CT on FOX. Wisconsin has a good chance of coming out of the west, though Nebraska, Northwestern and Iowa will have a say in that, and Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan should be battling for the east title. 

The Buckeyes have talent galore on both sides of the ball. The questions for me are their offensive line, is there enough depth, and their secondary, can those players step up. They are good enough to win it all, but Penn State and Michigan will certainly be tough outs. If Urb can pull it off in the regular season and get by Wisconsin or whomever out of the west he faces, he’s got a shot in the playoff though he could very well face Alabama at some point and I don’t see the Buckeyes as physical a team as the Crimson Tide. But we’ll see. A lot of football to be played before that scenario could take place and a lot could happen that is surprising in both the Big Ten and the SEC.

There are a lot of outstanding teams nationally, and the Big Ten will be challenging enough. But the Buckeyes certainly have a shot of going the distance with the talent Urb has assembled and developed in Columbus. 

 

 

Have an awesome weekend. Will hit you back with more football previews soon.

 

Mike McAllister of PGATour.com recapped Justin Thomas’ back 9 at Quail Hollow in the PGA Championship. It was a highly interesting read and reported the remarkable picture that JT painted on the back 9 at the 99th PGA Championship played at the extremely challenging Quail Hollow course.

On 10, as McAllister relayed, JT hit a drive on the 601 yard par 5 towards the trees on the right hand side of the hole. He started talking to the ball, “Get lucky, just spit it out for me, please.” He was one shot off Hideki Matsuyama’s lead and in dire need of this break. It happened. His ball bounced off the tree and rolled left into the fairway. Walking down the fairway, according to McAllister, Justin said to his caddie Jim Johnson, “That’s why you ask.”

But what happened after that was even more magnificent. Facing a birdie putt of 8 feet, 3 inches, Justin read it as a double breaker, rolling right and then left, so he opted to putt it straight as one would on a double breaking putt. The ball hung out on the left side. Heartbreak was about to set in. But here’s what happened with commentary from Jim, Sir Nick and Dottie of CBS Sports.

The 99th PGA Championship

Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina, 7,600 yards, Par 71

Defending champion: Jimmy Walker at Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield Township, New Jersey, -14

TV: Thursday-Friday, 12-6 PM CT, TNT; Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM-1 PM CT, TNT: 1-6 PM CBS.

Weather: Rainy at times, but the course is perfect, so it’ll work out well. Should be a classic Sunday regardless of the weather.

Key Holes:

The Green Mile, Numbers 16-18. The toughest 3 hole stretch in golf.

No. 16, 506 yards, par 4. It’s a demanding hole that requires accuracy on both the drive and the second shot. Dogleg right requires a cut off the tee with a lake covering the left side of the fairway and the lake guarding the left side of the green. Par here sounds good.

No.17, 223 yards, par 3. This is nearly an island green where bogeys can be more prominent than birdies. This is a survival stretch of 3 holes.

No. 18, 494 yards par 4. The toughest finishing hole on tour in 2016. There is a creek that runs along the entire left side of the hole, so any kind of draw and you better have your waders in the bag. Only one bunker on the right side of the fairway, but a player would rather be in that than the 2 1/4 inch high rough surrounding it. The approach has the creek on the left and a large, expansive green, like many are on this course, with problems on the right getting up and down if the competitor doesn’t hit the green on his approach. Should be a classic major finishing hole on Sunday.

Winner

Sir Nick Faldo said last week at the end of the Firestone, “Watch out for the relaxed, confident golfer.” That’s what this guy is right now. He was 1st in strokes gained tee to green, 1st in strokes gained total and tied for 1st in greens in regulation at the Firestone last week. A lot of people are picking Rory to win this and capture his fifth major, while others are picking Spieth to win it and become the youngest player to ever win the career Grand Slam. But this young guy finished tied for 11th at the Masters, tied for 2nd at the U.S. Open after putting on a masterful round Sunday which was only eclipsed by Brooks Koepka, and he finished tied for 14th at the Open Championship. I really like the way he’s trending. He finished last Sunday’s round with an eagle, 7 birdies and no bogeys on his way to shooting 61 and winning the WGC Bridgestone by 5 shots. I’m going with the 25 year old from Ehime, Japan. He’s the hottest player in the world. I definitely believe in him holding the Wanamaker Trophy Sunday evening in the Queen City.

Hideki Matsuyama

 

 

Darkhorse

Tony Finau

He’s a bomber and a super putter. Like the 27 year old from Salt Lake City to have a real shot here. 

 

 

 

As in the last several years, this looks like another talented LSU team with an average quarterback, a running back who is excellent against everybody except Alabama, when he flops against the best defense he’ll face in the SEC and in the entire country. It’s a team that can win double digit games and will be close in the west, but can’t get over the hump because of lack of talent at quarterback and a running back who can’t solve Alabama’s defense. 

Coach Ed Orgeron enters his first full season after taking over from Les Miles last year midway through the season and guiding LSU to a 6-2 record and a 9-4 mark overall. O’s a real entertainer and he has talent at the skill positions, a good defense, a massive but not spectacular o line, but a challenge at the quarterback spot. O has good coordinators though. Dave Aranda is very good with the LSU defense. He held the Crimson Tide to 10 points last season and his troops looked ready for fall battles in the SEC and nationally by the looks of the spring game. Matt Canada takes over the offense that has had some malfunction problems mainly due to lack of quarterback play, but Canada is excellent having run stellar offenses at Wisconsin, N.C. State and Pitt, places where he coached some prolific backs in Montee Ball, James White and Melvin Gordon at Whisky, and James Conner at Pitt. Gordon now plays for the Los Angeles Chargers, White is an outstanding back for the New England  Patriots, who, along with Tom Brady of course, helped the Patriots come back from a 28-3 deficit to the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51 and scored the game winning touchdown in overtime for the Patriots in Super Bowl 51 as they captured their 5th Lombardi Trophy under Bill Belichick and Brady. They won 34-28. Ball set the FBS career rushing TD record in 2012 with 77. Navy’s Keenan Reynolds surpassed that mark in 2015 and finished with 88. Ball was a second round pick by the Denver Broncos and is currently a free agent. Connor ran for 1,092 yards and 16 TDs last year under Canada. He was a 3rd round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers this past April. Canada has that explosive back once again in Derrius Guice, who ran for 1,387 yards in 6 starts and 12 games played while taking Leonard Fournette’s place when Fournette was hurt. Guice led the SEC in rushing. Guice is 5’11”, 212. and O and Canada have an excellent back behind him in Darrel Williams, 6’1″, 233. Leonard Fournette’s little brother, Lanard, looks promising, and Nick Brossette, a 6’0″, 200 pound junior, looks very promising.  The receiver position has explosiveness. D.J. Chark, a 6’3″, 187 pound senior, is the leader and big play guy on the perimeter, and 6’3″, 217 pound Drake Davis is another take it to the house guy. There is plenty of other talented players out wide. 

The line will be led by senior left tackle K.J. Malone, a 6’4″, 303 pound senior. It’s a big and physical group like all LSU o lines are, so they’ll be pretty strong. In the spring game, they looked pretty good with the run, but not as proficient with pass blocking. But there is size, talent and depth.

 But the problem lies in the quarterback position. Danny Etling, who started 11 games last year and completed 160-of-269 passes, 60%, for 2,123 yards, 11 TDs and 5 ints, looked pretty average in the spring game. He was intercepted once and was 4 of 11 for 53 yards. He can be serviceable and with Guice and the weapons around him, could manage the game OK. But I don’t see him winning big games for his team. Maybe he won’t have to with Guice, the skilled players and the defense the Bengal Tigers will have, but he’s going to be called upon in the clutch at pivotal times in the season. He’ll have to deliver.

The defense looks very solid. Linebacker Arden Key is back. Key, 6’6″, 238, took a hiatus in the spring for personal reasons, but if he has it together again, he can be an All American. The d line is big and stout though they’re young. The Tigers lost 5 of the front 7 guys off last year’s team, but there is very good size and ability for Aranda to work with. Kevin Toliver II is an outstanding cornerback, he had the interception in the spring game against Etling, and Grant Delpit, an early enrollee in the spring, was outstanding in the spring game. O is high on the 4 star Delpit and 5 star freshman JaCoby Stevens. 

The talent is all over the field and around Etling. It’s a matter of can he get the job done for the Bengal Tigers in crunch time. Teams will stack the box on Guice, so Etling will have to make key plays in crucial situations for this team to have a highly successful season. There is elite talent on this team, but Etling will determine how elite this team can be.

Schedule

The Tigers open up the season at NRG Stadium in Houston vs BYU on Saturday, September 2nd at 8:30 PM CT on ESPN. That’s not a bargain. BYU has a talented quarterback in Tanner Mangum, and is always a hard-nosed, competitive team. Another interesting thing, and I hope this doesn’t happen, BYU will not play any football on Sundays, so if the game were to go past midnight, the Cougars would have to make a decision on whether they would keep playing. Hopefully it won’t come to that because this is an excellent matchup. In week 2, Sept. 9th, the Tigers host Chattanooga at Death Valley. Then they’re at Mississippi State on Sept. 16th facing State’s prolific quarterback Nick Fitzgerald in what should be a classic. Syracuse comes to Death Valley on Sept. 23rd, the Troy Trojans then visit Baton Rouge on Sept. 30th. The Tigers then go to the Swamp to face the Florida Gators on Oct. 7th in what will be a classic after the fiasco between Florida and LSU last year when LSU made Florida come to Baton Rouge and play them after Hurricane Matthew hit Gainesville and the game was postponed. Florida came to Baton Rouge and upset the Tigers. Florida’s has made this their homecoming game. Pretty interesting matchup here. Then the Auburn Tigers visit Tiger Stadium on Oct. 14th in what should most probably be a Saturday Night matchup on ABC with Death Valley rockin’, Then the Tigers go to Ole Miss on Oct. 21st and that dysfunctional place. After a week off, the Tigers visit the Crimson Tide on Nov. 4th with possibly a lot on the line and Guice trying to prove that he’s elite. Fournette couldn’t do it against the Crimson Tide for 2 years, and Guice was irrelevant last year in the game at Death Valley, so he’ll be hungry. That still may not be enough against an NFL defense. Arkansas comes to Tiger Stadium on Nov.11th, LSU goes to Tennessee on Nov. 18th, and then host A&M on Nov. 25th.

Analysis

I see a good season for the Tigers under Coach O, and he is recruiting well for 2018 with the 8th best class in the country, Ohio State is No.1, Miami is 2, Texas is 3, Penn State is 4, Oregon is 5, Tennessee is 6, and Florida is 7. Alabama, Auburn and Georgia will start climbing soon. Coach O’s  2017 class was the 7th best in the country. Coach O is known as a prolific recruiter. But the Hat recruited well and usually got a little above average results for his efforts. I see LSU playing well against most teams with toss ups against Auburn and Florida.  State could give them some problems along with Tennessee, both  on the road, but Alabama is going to be difficult unless Etling can make a marked improvement this month and during the season. This could be a 10 win team, it could be an 8 win team. I’ll say they lose to Alabama, Florida and Auburn, and win 9 and go somewhere like the Outback Bowl again. I like O a lot. He’s going to be fun. But he  could have similar results to what Les did, unless LSU can find a top flight quarterback in the near future.  

Tomorrow: Preview and Prediction for the 99th PGA Championship