if you thought week 1 was good, which it was with phenomenal finishes in the UCLA-A&M and Tennessee- Georgia Tech games depending on your perspective, week 2 looks even better with some marquee matchups featuring some of the better teams in the country going head to head. Here’s a look at the action this week.

Last week: 19-3

No. 13 Auburn (1-0) @ No. 3 Clemson (1-0)

Tiger Stadium, Clemson, S.C. 

6 PM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay

Clemson by 5 1/2

Auburn had a relatively easy time of it last week at home with a 41-7 victory over Georgia Southern. The defense played well, Auburn ran the ball well, but Jarrett Stidham had mixed results. He fumbled a couple of times and threw an interception, so not too swift. The Clemson defensive front is massive, physical and dominating. The question for me is, can the Auburn offensive line handle the likes of defensive tackles Christian Wilkins (6’4″, 300) and Dexter Lawrence (6’4″, 340). Defensive end Clelin Ferrell is a tough one too at 6’5″, 250. Braden Smith and the rest of the Auburn front will have to step up in this game to open holes for Kamryn Pettway, Kam Martin and rest of the Tigers’ running game. Kerryon Johnson has a hamstring injury, so he’s questionable. He might be available, but it’ll be hard with a hamstring. Stidham will have to perform in the passing game. He needs to find Nate Craig-Myers and the other receivers. Craig-Myers had a quiet game last week, but he’s big play guy if Stidham can get him the ball. Clemson’s offense was outstanding last week in a 56-3 victory over Kent State, though the opponent didn’t test the Tigers offense much. Auburn’s defensive front with Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown are very formidable as well, and linebacker Tre’ Williams is a leader on the defense and a very good player. So I like defense to be more of the story in this game. Kelly Bryant had a good game at quarterback for Clemson last week, and he has plenty of playmakers to help him out. But this is not going to be a shootout. The trenches will decide this one. It’ll be tight, but I like the Clemson Tigers in a close game at Death Valley .

Clemson 21, Auburn 17

Fresno State (1-0) @ No. 1 Alabama (1-0)

Bryant-Denny Stadium

2:30 PM 

ESPN2

Adam Amin, Anthony Hecht, Rocky Boiman

Bama by 43 1/2

The Crimson Tide won a highly physical game against Florida State last week, but paid a price losing linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis for the season. Rashaan Evans has a groin injury and Anfernee Jennings is out with a sprained ankle. So the Tide is thin at linebacker this week.  Da’Shawn Hand moved back to linebacker from defensive end to help with depth. Alabama still has plenty of talent to handle Fresno State. Fresno State defeated Incarnate Word, an FCS school, 66-0 last week, so they have some firepower offensively, though the FCS school didn’t provide much resistance. The Crimson Tide can still play exceptional defense and special teams,  except for the kicker, and will run the ball well with Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and Najee Harris, but offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offensive line need to get better if the Crimson Tide wants to go far this season. Tua Tagovailoa should play this week, and if Hurts struggles again, could become interesting going forward as an option if Hurts can’t get it together. Like the Crimson Tide to play well this week in all 3 phases and take care of business.

Alabama 49, Fresno State 3

No. 15 Georgia (1-0) @ No. 24 Notre Dame (1-0)

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

6:30 PM CT

NBC

Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie, Kathryn Tappen

Notre Dame by 4

The Fighting Irish looked pretty good last week in a 49-16 victory over Temple. The Dawgs took care of business in Athens with a 31-10 victory over App State, in what looked like a dangerous opener for them. Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush is an electric player, and running back Josh Adams is big with speed, he’s a good back. But I like Kirby, Nick Chubb,  Sony Michel and freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, who I like a lot in Jacob Eason’s place, to take care of business and pull off the slight upset in South Bend. Georgia keeps trending well with a huge victory over the Fighting Irish. Should be a super game.

Dawgs 24, Fighting Irish 21

No. 23 TCU (1-0) @ Arkansas (1-0)

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas

2:30 PM

CBS

Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Allie LaForce

TCU by 3

The Horned Frogs and the Hogs had easy first games, but this will be a test for both squads in quite a matchup in Fayetteville. TCU features quarterback Kenny Hill and an explosive offense with a much improved defense under coach Gary Patterson. The Hogs were victors at Fort Worth last year, 41-38, in double overtime. Austin Allen is very good under center for the Hogs and they feature a solid run game. The defense is still a question mark. I like this to be tight, but I see the Horned Frogs pulling it out. Better defense this year for Patterson.

TCU 31, Arkansas 27

South Carolina (1-0)  @ Missouri (1-0)

Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, Columbia, Mo.

6 PM CT

ESPN2

Anish Shroff, Mike Golic Jr., Roddy Jones

Mizzou by by 2 1/2

Both teams had very good results on offense last week, but not so much on defense. South Carolina outlasted N.C. State, 35-28, and Missouri exploded on offense while imploding on defense in a 72-43 victory over Missouri State. I like Muschamp and quarterback Jake Bentley to pull off the slight upset in Columbia.

Gamecocks 38, Tigers 34

No.5 Oklahoma @ No. 2 Ohio State

Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris Fowler, Herbie, Maria Taylor

The Ohio State by 7 1/2

OU looked explosive offensively, albeit against UTEP in a 56-7 victory last week. Baker Mayfield only played a half and threw 4 touchdown passes. Ohio State struggled for a while at Indiana before pulling away 49-21. I like the experience in coaching here. Though I’m not always that sure Urb is that great, he has the edge on 33 year old first time head coach Lincoln Riley. Mayfield gives OU a shot, but he’s not enough to get the Sooners over the top. Buckeyes are victorious at the Horseshoe.

Ohio State 42, Oklahoma 34

No. 14 Stanford @ No. 6 USC

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

7:30 PM CT

FOX 

Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft

SC by 6 1/2

Stanford was explosive in their first game in Australia with a 62-7 victory over Rice, but that was against no competition. USC struggled with Western Michigan, which returned 16 starters from a New Year’s Six Cotton Bowl team a year ago, so that’s not that disappointing. SC won 49-31 pulling away late. Some prognosticators are picking Stanford to upset the Trojans, but I like quarterback Sam Darnold and the Men from Troy to get it done in LA.

USC 38, Stanford 31

UAB @ Ball State

Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, Indiana

2 PM CT

 ESPN3

Ball State by 14 1/2

I was impressed with the Blazers in their spring game, but not as much in a 38-7 victory over Alabama A&M last week at Legion Field. Ball State gave Illinois everything they could handle last week on the road, losing 24-21, so I like the Redbirds to take care of business over the Blazers. 

Ball State 35, UAB 20

No. 11 Oklahoma State @ South Alabama

Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile

Friday, 7 PM

ESPN 2

OK State by 28

Oklahoma State shellacked Tulsa last week, 59-24, and South lost at Ole Miss, 47-27. But I like the Jaguars to snap back at home and give the Cowboys a good game, though I don’t see them winning.

Ok State 45, South Alabama 38

Other SEC scores

No. 12 LSU 45, Chattanooga 14

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

No. 25 Tennessee 48, Indiana State 14

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Ole Miss 52, UT Martin 10

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Mississippi State 38, La Tech 28

6:30 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

State by 7 1/2

Vandy 49, Alabama A&M 7

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Kentucky 48, Northern Kentucky 10

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Texas A&M 49, Nicholls 3

6 PM CT

ESPNU

No.4 Penn State 42, Pittsburgh 28

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Penn State by 21

No.8 Michigan 48, Cincinnati 3

11 AM CT

ABC

Michigan by 34 1/2

Oregon 48, Nebraska 34

3:30 PM CT

FOX

Oregon by 13 1/2

Northwestern 28 Duke 24

11 AM CT

ESPNU

Northwestern by 3

Utah 35, BYU 31

9:15 PM CT

ESPN2 

Utah by 2

No. 20 Washington State 45, Boise State 34

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Wash State by 10 1/2

Fourth year coach James Franklin has brought the Penn State football program back to prominence, and this 2017 team has the talent and drive to be even better than the 2016 Big Ten Championship team.

In his first year, Franklin went 7-6. Year 2 was 7-6. But last year his plan came together as the Nittany Lions finished the season 11-3, beat Ohio State at home, won the BIg Ten Championship over Wisconsin, and played, what in my opinion, was the most riveting bowl game of the 2016 season, a heartbreaking 42-39 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl. That heartbreaker and the fact that the Nittany Lions were not selected for the college football playoff, even though they defeated Ohio State and won the BIg Ten championship, were painful but also motivating. Ohio State showed why they didn’t belong in the playoff as Clemson blasted them in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal game, 31-0. Those two things have made this 2017 Nittany Lions team even hungrier for more. They’ve got to navigate some challenging opponents in the Big Ten, but they have a talented squad capable of putting together a terrific season. 

The main guy for Penn State and the Rolls Royce of this football team is running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley is back for his junior season after putting up stellar numbers as a sophomore. Barkley ran for 1,496 yards on 277 carries, a 5.5 average, with 18 TDs, and an average of 106.9 rushing yards per game. Barkley is also a heckuva receiver out of the backfield as he caught 28 passes for 402 yards and 4 TDs in 2016. He’s a stellar overall weapon. I don’t like talking about the Heisman Trophy much in August, really not until late October-early November, but everybody else does, and this guy is certainly a main part of the discussion. He’ll have to prove it this fall, but if his work in the offseason indicates what kind of player he’ll be in 2017, he should have an outstanding junior season. Barkley dropped his 40 time to 4.33 and has gotten his weight up to 230. He’s 5’11”. For this team to really excel, Barkley needs to have another exceptional year. And that is expected. And there is good depth behind Barkley. Miles Sanders, 5’11”, 215, Andre Robinson, 5’9″, 223, and Mark Allen, 5’6″, 180, are all excellent backups, capable of giving Barkley a breather, and churning out yards and getting into the end zone in their own rights. Sanders didn’t play in the spring game, but the Nittany Lions are high on him.  Allen, who’s smaller stature-wise, was impressive with his quickness and his pass catching in the spring. He’s a good player. Robinson caught a 10 yard TD out of the backfield in the spring game. All solid players.

Quarterback Trace McSorley, 6’0″, 195,  is back for his junior campaign as well. McSorley, a redshirt junior, is a super runner, solid passer and good leader for this offense. He started all 14 games last season, and completed 224-of-387 passes, 58%,  for 3,614 yards, and 29 TDs against 8 interceptions. Franklin and offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead want more improvement in his accuracy, but there’s a lot to like about McSorley. Backup Tommy Stevens is outstanding as well. The 6’5″, 228 pound sophomore, had a heckuva spring game, completing 17-of-24 for 215 yards and 3 TDs. He can really sling it around. His deep ball is very accurate.

The wide receiver and tight end positions are close to being totally loaded. Franklin may need to develop the 2017 signee to really solidify a full arsenal of playmakers, along with his 2018 class, which is ranked 3rd in the country by 247 sports, but he’s got a pretty explosive group right now.  Tight end Mike Geseki, 6’6″, 250, caught 48 passes for 679 yards and 5 TDs last season. Jeff Holland, 6’4″, 248, is another weapon at tight end. The Nittany Lions staff are also very high on sophomore wide receiver Juwan Johnson,  who had a big spring and looks ready to break out. He is 6’4″, 228, a big target who can run. Penn State did lose star Chris Godwin to the Tampa Bay Bucs; he was a third round pick. Godwin caught 59 passes for 982 yards and 11 TDs. But Johnson, along with DeAndre Thompkins, 5’11”, 187, DeSean Hamilton, 6’1″, 206, who caught 34 passes for 506 yards and a 7, along with Saeed Blacknall, 6’3″, 217, Irvin Charles, 6’4″, 217,  and Brandon Poik, 5’9″, 175,  can all be very good playmakers in the passing game. McSorley has a lot of weapons to work with. Franklin brought in 3 pretty highly rated incoming freshmen receivers, so they could add to the talented group he’ll put on the field this fall. 

The offensive line returns 6 of 7 players who started at some point last year including 4 starters. Connor McGovern will be the leader at center. He’s a returning starter and stands at 6’5″, 312. Left guard Ryan Bates, 6’4″, 312, left tackle Brendan Mahon, 6’4″, 318, and right tackle Andrew Nelson, 6’6″, 305, are all returners for an offense that averaged 380 total yards and gave Barkley and McSorley plenty of space to work with. Right now, the starter at right guard is sophomore Steven Gonzales, 6’4″, 341, and there looks to be pretty good depth overall up front. Not super depth, but some that can be developed. Franklin brought in 3 linemen, including high 4 star C.J. Thorpe, a 6’3″, 318 pound guard, so he and the other 2 guys may be able to provide some more depth. Franklin is in his 4th year, and  I always think it takes 5 years to really get your program in place unless you’re Nick Saban or Urban Meyer. But Franklin looks to be in pretty good shape with the group he has on offense this season. 

Free safety Marcus Allen led the team in tackles last season with 110 and added 6 tackles for loss. That’s not always a good sign when your safety leads your team in tackles- you want your linebackers to- but they return some other solid players on the defensive side of the ball. Middle linebacker Senior Jason Cabinda, 6’1″, 234  is the leader of the defense. He registered 81 tackles last year, 4 for loss and a sack. He was one of the stars of their spring, and he is a really solid guy personally as I heard him in an interview and he was impressive. He will be quite a player this season. Defensive tackles Curtis Cothran, 6’5″, 301, and Robert Windsor, 6’4″, 303, are 2 cogs in the middle of the defensive front. Defensive end Shareef Miller, 6’5″, 257, will be counted on to get to the quarterback and affect him this season. Penn State recorded 40 sacks last year and 10 ints, which are decent numbers, but as Coach Saban says, ‘sacks don’t win games, affecting the quarterback does.’ I thought that was an interesting comment by S. The secondary looks pretty solid with Allen, 6’2″, 207, and corner Grant Haley, 5’9″, 190, leading that group. They will need to jell in time for the season opener which is just a week and a half away from starting. But there is good personnel to work with on the back end.

Schedule

Penn State opens with 3 out of conference home games. Akron and Terry Bowden come to Happy Valley on Saturday, Sept. 2nd, for an 11 AM CT kickoff on ABC. Then the Pitt Panthers are at Penn State on Sept.9th at 2:30 PM CT on ABC. Pitt defeated Penn State, 42-39 last year, so the Nittany Lions will be looking for some retribution. Georgia State on Sept. 16th is the third straight at home, then they hit the road where they are @ Iowa to face the Hawkeyes, a pretty good, under the radar team in the Big Ten. That should be a competitive game. Indiana comes to Happy Valley on Sept. 30th, then the Nittany LIons are @ Northwestern Oct. 7th. Northwestern defeated them soundly at Happy Valley 2 years ago. The teams didn’t play last year. The Wildcats are a perennial bowl team and always field a solid team under Pat Fitzgerald.. Northwestern defeated Pittsburgh 31-24 last year in the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium, and they have a good amount of players back. That’ll be a challenge. After an off week on Oct. 14th, Penn State hosts Michigan, Oct. 21. Harbaugh has a young team, but he’s recruited well, and the Wolverines embarrassed the Nittany Lions  last year at the Big House, 49-10. It was the fourth game of the season and dropped Penn State to 2-2. They won their next 9 before losing in the Rose Bowl. If it wasn’t interesting enough, the Nittany Lions then play @ Ohio State. Could be pivotal there in the Big Ten, though there are a ton of big time games before that one. That game will be televised by FOX at 2:30 PM CT on Oct. 28. On Nov. 4th, the Nittany Lions are @ a usually good Michigan State team. Though the Spartans had an off year last year, Mark Dantonio usually fields highly competitive teams, and this year’s team will most likely bounce back. So another tough assignment. On Nov. 11th, Rutgers comes to Penn State. On Nov. 18th, Nebraska comes to Happy Valley, and on Nov. 25th, the Nittany Lions are @ Maryland. The Big Ten Championship game is Saturday, Dec. 2nd, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy, with a 7 PM CT kickoff. FOX will carry the game.

So should be another riveting season in Happy Valley, and one that can possibly be elite. The pieces are in place for an excelllent year. Games with Ohio State and Michigan loom large, and they should be on alert for games @ Iowa, Northwestern and Michigan State. Nebraska at home is no picnic either. But it’s a game at a time for every team nationally, and Penn State is no exception. I’m sure Franklin and his team have Akron squarely on their minds. Bowden took his 2015 team to an 8-5 record and a Idaho Potato Bowl victory over Utah State, 23-21. Last year they were 5-7, but they’re competitive.

Penn State will be a national contender this year if their defense can develop well in game 1 and going further. The offense looks locked and loaded for a big season.  

It’s the year of the quarterback and the offense this season. There will be good defenses of course. Alabama and Auburn will be very good on defense, so will LSU, Florida, and Georgia has 10 defensive starters returning. South Carolina will be better. Vanderbilt will be pretty solid on defense. A&M should be better, but you never know with them. Their front 7 is always a question mark. Ole Miss will need to improve, same with State. Tennessee, who knows with them. I guess they’ll be better. They’ve recruited well, but haven’t seemed to develop a good defense. They have question marks overall on their team. Kentucky should be pretty decent on defense. Stoops is doing a good job in Lexington. Arkansas, like A&M, needs to improve on defense to be a competitor in the west. But overall, fairly solid defensive play this season. Defense is key a lot of times, but these quarterbacks will be electric this season.

Quarterbacks in the SEC

1. Alabama-Jalen Hurts, primed for a big year. Tua Tagovailoa will play a role and has unlimited talent.

2.Auburn-Looking for a big year out of Jarrett Stidham, and they like their depth with Sean White, who will be competing for the starting job in fall camp, and freshman Malik Willis has a ton of ability.

3.Georgia-Jacob Eason should have an excellent year.

4.Ole Miss-Shea Patterson has off the charts talent.

5. Arkansas- Austin Allen is outstanding and very tough.

6. Mississippi State-Nick Fitzgerald is a phenomenal runner and passer. Needs to develop his downfield passing a little more.

7.South Carolina-Jake Bentley. The sophomore from Opelika, AL. is an outstanding passer and can move.

8. Kentucky-Stephen Johnson is another Fitzgerald-like player who passes it and runs it well.

9. Vanderbilt-Kyle Shurmur-Another excellent passer. Not too mobile, but with protection he can really pick apart a secondary.

10. Missouri-Drew Lock-Has a chance for a really big 2017. Outstanding arm, moves pretty well when necessary, but more of a pocket passer. Like him a lot. Should have a big junior year.

Teams that need to find a good quarterback.

All 4 of these teams have options, but need to develop a leader of their offense.

11. Florida- Has 4 players competing. Malik Zaire transferred from Notre Dame, and he has got a lot of running talent and some passing talent, but he’ll be battling it out with 3 others including Luke Del Rio, who I personally like a lot.

12. A&M- Jake Hubenak is back, and he may be good enough, but there is a competition going into fall camp.

13. LSU- Danny Etling is back. Not sure he’s the answer to making LSU a contender for the conference title. And there will be a competition come fall camp.

14. Tennessee- Two guys competing for the job right now. Undecided who the guy will be. One guy is Dormady. Jones likes both, so one of them will need to take the bull by the horns this August if Tennessee expects to challenge for the East crown.

Winners in the West and the East

West-Alabama, but Auburn will really challenge the Crimson Tide.

East-Georgia, but Florida will put up a big time fight with the Dawgs.

SEC championship game

Alabama 38, Georgia 34-Bama captures another SEC title under Nick Saban and heads to its fourth straight playoff.

Playoff teams

Alabama vs. Southern Cal

Penn State vs Florida State

Semifinals

Alabama 42, Southern Cal 28

Penn State 45 Florida State 42

National Championship game

Alabama 41, Penn State 27

Will have breakdowns of all SEC teams along with other national contenders in Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida State coming up in the next 3 weeks. Thanks.  

 
 

Gus Malzahn is excited, pretty much ecstatic, about his 2017 Auburn football team.

There are a lot of outstanding players and a great deal of quality depth. He likens this group to the 2013 team that made it to the national championship game, where they fell just barely to the FSU Seminoles in an exceptional game. Gus says, “this team is hungry. They have a chip on their shoulders from how last year ended and they have a lot they want to prove.” I could see that happening in major ways, SEC title, the college football playoff. This team has the makeup. They’ll have to get by the Alabama Crimson Tide at home, but everybody has to go through Alabama to win the SEC. That’s the way it is in this conference. Gus knows that as well as anybody. Should be an epic Iron Bowl in Auburn, Saturday, November 25th.

The big news was the transfer of quarterback Jarrett Stidham, the former Baylor standout as a freshman at Waco. Stidham didn’t disappoint in the spring game as he had a gigantic day and showed signs of becoming a championship quarterback. But there is competition. Sean White is back and he threw for over 1,300 yards and was having a solid season until a shoulder injury hampered him severely towards the latter half of the season. AU was doing very well reeling off 6 victories in a row in 2016 before injuries to key players took its toll. 

But White is back and talented freshman Malik Willis provides Gus and first year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey with 3 very good players under center. It starts there. Offensive line is tremendously deep, led by All American candidate, right tackle Braden Smith. Braden is a tremendously tough, physical player, and, along with center Austin Golson, will be a leader up front on a deep, physical group. They will pave the way for the dynamic running back tandem of Kameron Pettway and Kerryon Johnson. Pettway ran for over 1,300 yards last year and he and Kerryon accounted for 2,300 rushing yards for the Tigers. Pettway is down to 238 pounds from around 250, Johnson is up to 218 pounds. They will form a formidable duo for the Tigers on the ground. Gus likes the way Kerryon can catch the ball out of the backfield and make plays. Kam is developing in that area as well. Third string running back could be Malik Miller, a talented runner from Madison Academy, where Kerryon played. Gus likes Malik a lot, but says there is a battle going on for the 3rd string running back spot.

At wide out, Nate Craig-Myers looked super in the spring. Craig-Myers accounted for 4 or 5 major explosive plays (over 30 yard catches-runs) for the Tigers in the spring game. He has arrived as a special, game changing player for the Tigers. Darius Slayton, Kyle Davis and quite a few others will be threats in the vertical game. Gus brought up John Franklin III and what a weapon he can be in the passing game and the return game. Gus calls him “the fastest guy I’ve seen in pads in a long time.” Jalen Harris looks like the starting tight end at this point. Tight end will need to be developed in fall camp. Offense looks outstanding. Stidham appears to be the most talented QB, but White is ready to battle it out with him in August. Willis looks like a stellar quarterback who will very much be in Auburn’s future plans. 

The defense returns as the 7th best scoring defense in the country. Auburn only allowed 19 points per game last year. Kevin Steele, in his first year, had the Tigers playing exceptional defense. Gus calls linebackers Deshaun Davis and Tre’ Williams, “the quarterbacks of the defense.” He is really high on both players. He likes the depth there too. Up front, Marlon Davidson will be a handful for offensive linemen and is a potentially dominant defensive end helping fill the holes left by the departures of Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams, who were both drafted by the NFL. Dontavious Russell is an underrated defensive tackle. He’s excellent. Derrick Brown was a highly acclaimed 5 star 2 years ago and he’s a 300 pounder who can be a major disrupter in the middle. A guy Gus and Steele are looking for to take the next step to becoming an elite football player is defensive end Byron Cowart. Cowart was a highly acclaimed 5 star 3 years ago with so much promise. If he can step his game up and become an elite player, that will also boost the front 7. 

The secondary will be led by safety Tray Matthews and cornerback Carlton Davis, both excellent players. Stephen Roberts is another who will be a major impact player at safety. Javaris Davis is listed as the other starting corner, so that will be determined how that other corner spot develops opposite Carlton Davis.

The kicking game is led by the sensational Daniel Carlson, who I would say is the best kicker in college football. Carlson is amazingly accurate and can hit from major distance, 50-55 yarders for sure, probably deeper if necessary. He’s quite a weapon. Punters are Carlson and Ian Shannon. Franklin III could very well be an explosive player as a punt returner, with Ryan Davis getting a shot too. Kerryon will be one of the kick returners. Craig-Myers could get involved in that too.

Schedule

As talented as the Tigers are, once again they have a very difficult schedule. They go to Clemson in week 2 after opening up with Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 2. A pretty pivotal game early in the season in Clemson’s Death Valley, but Clemson’s quarterback situation is not settled, so I see AU with an advantage there. But the Tigers can’t sleep on the Georgia Southern Eagles and their triple option offense. Those offenses always gives defensive coordinators nightmares and causes problems for the defense. So AU will have to be ready to play on Sept. 2nd. Mercer is next Sept. 16th.

In the SEC, AU is @ Missouri on Sept. 23rd, home vs Ms, State, Sept.30th, home vs Ole Miss, Oct.7th, then have a tough stretch of road games, @ LSU, Oct. 14th, @ Arkansas, Oct. 21st, an open date, @ A&M, Nov. 4th. Then they come home for the South’s oldest football rivalry and one of the most physical, toughest games of the year against the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 11th. That should be a classic. The Tigers host Mercer after that Nov. 18th, then the Crimson Tide comes into Jordan-Hare Nov. 25th, a Saturday. 

The schedule is tough, but they all are in the SEC. The SEC will have superb quarterback play this year, so a good quarterback/offense will be critical. You have to play defense in the league too, and Auburn looks like they’ll be able to do that along with running the football, two key areas to winning SEC games. If the Tigers can stay mostly healthy, and Stidham, if he’s the starter, can play on an elite level, like he did in the spring, this will be an elite football team capable of challenging the Crimson Tide for the SEC West title and a chance to get into the college football playoff. I’m a buyer in the Auburn Tigers. Gus has a special group that can do some spectacular things. 10-11 victories is highly possible and a trip to Atlanta and beyond that is entirely attainable for this 2017 Auburn Tigers football team. 

Can Dabo Sweeney and his Clemson Tigers repeat the magic from 2016 and make it to another playoff and go back to back? That depends on his quarterback play. Clemson lost one of the greatest college quarterbacks in the history of the game as the superb Deshaun Watson finished off his illustrious career with a national championship on a last second TD pass to Hunter Renfrow to capture the coveted prize. Deshaun is now with the Houston Texans in hopes of leading talented Texans to greater heights and a Vince Lombardi Trophy in the future. More than one for that matter. Deshaun was exceptional and an amazing success story. 

As for the 2017 team, the Tigers have material all over the field, but in order to make the playoff and win it all, they need to develop a quarterback who can successfully run the offense, make plays consistently and take care of the football. There are 4 candidates.

Kelly Bryant, a 6’3″, 215 pound junior, got the start in the spring game. Bryant can really create plays with his legs, but needs to sharpen up his passing. He needs to be more consistent with all his throws and become a better downfield passer. Zerrick Cooper, a 6’2″, 205 pound redshirt freshman, is another exceptional runner who showed some promise in the spring game with his arm, but needs some polish passing the ball as well. Tucker Israel is a 5’10”, 180 pound sophomore who is on the smaller size, but has a pretty good arm. And then there is 99, 5 star freshman Hunter Johnson, 6’4″, 200 pounder  (ranking by 247 sports), who has a super arm, pretty good mobility and a chance to be special. But Johnson needs some work in all phases of playing the position. So Sweeney and his co-offensive coordinators, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott, have a lot of work ahead of them to get these guys ready for Clemson’s September 2nd opener against Kent State at Death Valley. But there’s no doubt they’ll put in the work and so will their players. If they can develop these guys and get a bona fide starter and backup the talent around the signal caller and on the defensive side of the ball are off the charts good.

The offensive line will be led by left tackle Mitch Hyatt (6’5″, 295), who isn’t massive, but a powerful, physical player and a leader. Left guard Taylor Hearn (6’5″, 325) gives the left side an impressive, potentially dominating combination. The line returns 4 of 5 starters and there is quality depth behind them as Dabo’s recruiting has been sensational.

Running back will be manned by three talented players. Returnees C.J. Fuller (5’10”, 215 Jr), Adam Choice (5’9″, 210) and Tavien Foster (5’11”, 210) are three backs Dabo thinks can all play on Sundays. Running back is stellar and 2017, 92, 4 star Travis Etienne (5’11”, 210) is coming in for fall camp. Wide receiver is excellent with junior Deon Cain (6’1″, 210), who pulled in 38 passes for 724 yards and 9 TDs, leading the charges. Ray Ray McCloud is a playmaker out wide as well. McCloud, a 5’10”, 180 pound junior caught 49 passes for 472 yards and 2 TDs. He’s explosive, a playmaker, like Cain. And the awesome Renfrow, the 5’11”, 180 pound redshirt junior, who caught 44 passes for 495 yards and 6 TDs and was a key part of the national championship victory and also the year before in that amazing game with the Crimson Tide, is back and will be a key target. 

So whoever the quarterback is, he will have a super arsenal to work with. Stellar tight end Jordan Leggett is gone to the NFL, so the Tigers will need to replace him too. Juniors Garrett Williams (6’3″, 245) and Cannon Smith (6’5″, 265) will compete for that spot.

On defense, the front for stellar defensive coordinator Brent Venables will be dominant again. Clemson is becoming known as d line U along with Bama and Auburn is starting to make its case for that moniker as well. Junior defensive end Christian Wilkins (6’4″, 310),  sophomore defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and sophomore defensive end Clelin Ferrell (6’5″, 265) are all 3 potential All Americans. They are dominating players with tremendous size, toughness and physciality. They can blow up the running game and get to the quarterback. All 3 are superb. There is excellent depth on the d line as well. Linebacker looks terrific with redshirt freshman Shaq Smith (6’2″, 240),  junior J.D. Davis (6’2″,225) and depth. The secondary may be the biggest strength on this team. Corners, junior Mark Fields (5’10”, 180) and senior Ryan Carter (5’9″, 180), are experienced players who are  tremendous in coverage and can make game changing interceptions. Sophomore strong safety Denzel Johnson (6’0″, 195) and junior free safety Van Smith (5’11”, 195) are stellar also. Depth is good in the secondary and all over the defense. 

Kicking game looks solid with Greg Huegel and Alex Spence handling the kicking and punting duties respectively. McCloud returns punts, and can take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Fuller and Feaster are explosive in the kick return game. 

This is a really good football team, but a team that has to develop a quarterback if they want to be exceptional, make the playoff and advance in that.

Schedule

The key games, even though they’re all key in college football, are Auburn, Saturday, Sept. 9th @ home, Sept 16th @ Louisville, Sept. 30th @ Virginia Tech, Oct. 28th, November 4th @ NC State, @ home vs Georgia Tech, Nov,. 11, @ home vs Florida State in what could be a colossal game in the 2017 season nationally, and @ South Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 25th. Will Muschamp will have a much improved team and South Carolina is ready to extract some revenge against Clemson after losing to the Tigers the last three years, including a 56-7 drubbing last season @ Death Valley. The Palmetto Bowl should be compelling. 

Prediction for the Tigers in 2017

This is an extremely talented football team. Double digit victories are certainly attainable and a chance to make the playoff a possibility. But I see some issues at quarterback preventing Clemson from making the semifinals. They should have a good team, 10 wins and a New Year’s Six Bowl in the Orange or the Peach Bowl, the semifinal playoff games are at the Rose and Sugar Bowls respectively Jan.1, 2018, but I don’t see them making the playoff this season. Still, the team should have another outstanding year, and with Johnson maturing under center and with 2018 .9998 5 star Trevor Lawrence (6’6″, 196),  Clemson will certainly be ready for the playoff in 2018. Two thousand seventeen is not totally out of the question. They have a couple of tough road games @ Louisville and @ Virginia Tech. Winning those 2 would be tremendous. Auburn @ home will be extremely challenging as the Auburn Tigers have found a talented signal caller in Jarrett Stidham, to go along with exceptional talent around him.  FSU is a superb looking team. South Carolina on the road to finish off the season will be challenging. I like 9 to 10 wins, depending on quarterback play and injuries. This program is spectacular and may find a way to make the playoff, but the quarterback issue is the factor that will keep them out this season. Still, Dabo Sweeney will field another very good football team at Clemson.