Week 1 College Football Preview

Football is back! 10 AM in Philly is back!!! I'M BACK!!!!!

After essentially taking the whole summer off, I've returned to my perch atop the blogosphere to deliver my sermon upon you, my deserving reader(s). Summer had been great, but there's nothing quite like fall. Leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground, the weather is cooling down, and, most importantly, the pads are coming on, cleats coming out, and the grass (or turf) is green as ever. That's right, I'm talking about some football.

NFL action may still be a week away, but my beloved collegiate game is already underway, with some ranked teams, including playoff contenders TCU, playoff dark horse Georgia Tech, and a sneaky-good Arizona squad taking care of business Thursday night. With the rest of the week 1 slate (except Baylor on Friday night and defending champs Ohio State on Monday) ready to kick off on Saturday, I'm here to run through some of my favorite storylines for this upcoming year, highlight a couple of my players primed for breakout years, and of course give my picks for a few of the weekend's most anticipated matchups.

First off, I'd like to say thank you to anyone reading. I'm hoping to be on top of my shit this time around, as my inaugural year running this blog definitely had its share of ups and downs. Hopefully, with your eyeballs and minds as my support, I'll be able to provide all you with compelling content on at least a semi-regular basis.

Now, onto some college football. We all know about Ohio State's dominance in the preseason polls by now, so I'll just skip right on to the #2 team in the country, the TCU Horned Frogs. Head coach Gary Patterson has quietly been perhaps the top defensive coach in college football for almost a decade now, regularly fielding absolutely ferocious defenses dating back to his days in the Mountain West, and he hasn't slowed down one bit since the move to the Big 12. A funny thing happened last season though, something that the Horned Frog faithful haven't seen since the days of Andy Dalton: a legitimately potent and downright scary offense. Led by out-of-nowhere sensation Trevone Boykin, TCU's newly installed Air Raid offense took the nation by storm in 2014, resulting in sky-high expectations for the returning Boykin for the 2015 season, and serving up notice to the usual powerhouses that a new program is here to challenge anyone. Boykin is certainly not doing it alone either. Running back Aaron Green was the conference's best kept secret in 2014, averaging 7.1 yards per carry to go along with 11 total touchdowns. Now clearly "the man" in that backfield, Green should explode in 2015 and likely catapult up some draft boards. In addition, receiver Josh Doctson is a straight up beast on the outside. A master of jump balls and being more physical than his opponent, Doctson emerged as Boykin's go-to guy in the passing game. With all this talent returning, plus the guaranteed stout defense Patterson ensures each and every season, TCU easily has the best chance to unseat the Buckeyes.

Championships may be the ultimate goal, but it's still about 4 months away, so excuse me as I shift my focus over to some week 1 storylines. What better place to start than in Tallahassee, where former Notre Dame QB Everett Golson has been handed the keys to the Seminole offense, one that must replace a lot of production, and quickly if this team has playoff aspirations like I know they do. Lucky for Golson, his backfield mate just might be the most talented back in the country. The troubled but electric Dalvin Cook burst onto the national scene as a true freshman a season ago, compiling 1008 yards and 8 touchdowns on only 170 carries. Jimbo Fisher will likely lean on Cook heavily as Golson finds his footing with an array of athletic underclassmen at wide receiver.

Speaking of talented running backs, Leonard Fournette though! Cook might be the most talented back in the country, but realistically, Fournette is. Labeled as an ungodly cross between Adrian Peterson and Michael Jordan as an uber-prospect coming out of high school, Fournette possessed an NFL body the second he stepped on the LSU campus, and is just now, as a sophomore, growing into the complete running back he is expected to be. Other sophomore sensations to keep an eye on are Oklahoma power-back and current record holder for most rushing yards in a game Samaje Perine, Nick Chubb, the new lead guy in the always-stacked Georgia Bulldog backfield, and Royce Freeman, the thunder to Oregon's usual plethora of lightning-fast skill players. Fournette, Cook, Chubb, and the others are names that you will certainly be hearing and seeing all over the place as the season progresses. Not only are they supreme talents who will rack up some impressive numbers, but all their teams are contenders who will surely be playing in some extremely meaningful games late in the season.

As for those you don't know yet, or those who won't be playing in meaningful games deep into Novemeber and December, I got you covered. 7th in rushing yards, 3rd in rushing touchdowns just a season ago, Pitt RB James Conner is the most underappreciated star in college football at the moment. With just one other notable playmaker helping him out on offense (WR Tyler Boyd), Conner is tasked with moving the Panther offense down the field despite the 11 guys on the other side of the ball being distinctly aware that he will be receiving the handoff on the majority of the plays. A bowling ball of a man at 6-2, 240 lbs, Conner's running style is downright vicious, and I certainly do not envy all the ACC defenders who happen to get in his way this season.

 Despite not getting perhaps all the recognition I feel he deserves, Conner was a full-fledged star last year. There's no disputing this; his stats hold up against any returning back in the country. Someone whose stats may not jump out to you and scream "BREAKOUT" is USC CB/WR/returner/possible alien Adoree' Jackson. Watch one play in any phase of the game that Jackson is involved in, though, and his game-breaking speed immediately jumps off the tape. Extremely agile with fluid hips and plenty of natural athleticism, Jackson's future is likely at corner, just as ESPN predicted when they ranked Jackson as the #9 overall recruit in the 2014 class. Jackson will be an important piece to a Trojan squad that, led by QB Cody Kessler, looks to regain the national prominence they held about a decade ago.

I can't just identify the obvious ones, right? You come to me for those deep sleepers, those "who the fuck is that guy" picks where you can say you heard about him before any of your buddies. Well, mark these two names down then: Robert Foster and Joseph Yearby. Hardcore recruiting nerds as well as fans of Alabama and Miami will be plenty familiar with these two, but to the large majority of the country, those two names could very well be two obscure presidential candidates for the 2016 election who will inevitably concede to Trump and Hillary. Make no mistake, though, Foster and Yearby will no longer be confused for anything but bonafide college stars after this season. Foster, a wideout for the Crimson Tide, must work quickly to fill the rather large vacancy left by OBJ-lite Amari Cooper (who is also looking primed for a put-everyone-on-notice type of rookie year). I have little doubt that Foster will rise to the occasion. At 6-2 and nearly 200 pounds, Foster has the size to battle with the notoriously physical SEC secondaries while also possessing the speed and after-the-catch wiggle to become Bama QB Jacob Coker's new best friend.

Yearby is also stepping in for a recent NFL draft pick (that would be Cleveland Browns RB Duke Johnson), and his impact could very well surpass that of Foster, especially if Miami is to enjoy the kind of success that is expected out of coach Al Golden and the rest of the underwhelming Hurricanes program the past few years. A smaller back that may remind some of Johnson, Yearby actually runs with a different style than his predecessor. Built compactly in his 5-9, 205 pound frame, Yearby has some between-the-tackles juice to go with his open-field agility and elusiveness. Just like the Duke, however, is Yearby's knack for taking receptions out of the backfield for some serious yardage. In 2014, Yearby took just 8 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown to go along with his 86 carries for 509 yards.

And with that, onto the picks! First matchup is...
Texas at 11 Notre Dame (-9.5) - 7:30 PM ET (NBC)
Were you even expecting anything else? Yes, I'm an unapologetic Longhorn fan, but that doesn't mean I can't provide unbiased analysis! Or maybe it does...either way let's talk about this showdown of two of the most prestigious college football programs in the country. Notre Dame is completely deserving of their lofty preseason ranking and two-possession spread they are given, as I expect the Irish to topple my Horns. However, this young Texas defense has some playmakers, highlighted by freshman sensation Malik Jefferson, that can really bother Malik Zaire, Notre Dame's newly minted full-time starting quarterback. As long as the talented Irish offensive line holds up like it should, however, than Texas likely won't be able to apply the type of pressure needed to frazzle Zaire and really throw him off rhythm. On the other side of the ball, Tyrone Swoopes will be staring down star LB Jaylon Smith all game, and let's just say I'm not expecting anything too beneficial to come out of that matchup. As sad as I am to say it, I think Notre Dame puts on a show for the home crowd and disposes of Texas by a score of 31-17.

15 Arizona State at Texas A&M (-3) - 7:00 PM ET (ESPN)
Do the handicappers think Johnny Football is still taking the snaps in College Station? I mean, Kyle Field is a savage environment for road teams to enter into, but come on: Arizona State is for real. QB Mike Bercovici and RB/slot receiver D.J. Foster are back and ready to lead an explosive Sun Devil offense that figures to seriously compete for the Pac-12 crown. Though unranked, A&M figure to make it into the top 25 at some point this season, just not in the first week. This team is insanely talented though; guys like Kyle Allen, Speedy Noil, and Myles Garrett are going to be making their presence felt in the SEC for sure. This blogger just doesn't see it coming together for the Aggies in week 1. ASU wins a shootout behind 200 combined rushing and receiving yards from Foster, with a final score of 51-45. #ForksUp

20 Wisconsin at 3 Alabama (-14) - 8:00 PM ET (ABC)
No one's giving Wisconsin a chance. The Badgers' first game of the post-Melvin Gordon era is against Saban and his robot factory in the less-than-friendly confines of Tuscaloosa? Every college football fan is seeing that and staying the hell away from Wisconsin, even with the 2-touchdown gift. Well, this is where I come in and say...eh, give me 'Bama too. I know, I know, easy cop out. Let me explain though: Alabama is pretty damn loaded this year, and not even the usual degree of "loadedness" that we usually assume Alabama will be boasting. Jacob Coker was only just barely beat out by a certain man named Jameis Winston while he was at Florida State, and I believe he is fully capable of running the Tide's offense to perfection. The secondary is the strength of this defense once again, as sophomore cornerback Tony Brown is on the verge of becoming the next household name and 1st-round pick to come out of the Saban assembly line. Gordon's replacement, Corey Clement, also figures to be next in a long line of productive Wisconsin backs, but don't expect his ascent to begin Saturday night. Roll Tide roll, 38-21.

Look out for my Week 1 College Football Shoutouts likely coming out on Monday, and good luck to all your squads this weekend!