Alabama
Trivia Tuesday – FBS Head Coaches
There are 128 FBS schools that will be playing football this fall, but there are 129 FBS schools with head football coaches due to the rather odd, one year hiatus being taken by UAB – fodder for another blog.
Today’s Trivia Tuesday focuses on the 129 Head Football Coaches currently leading the programs at those 129 FBS schools. Just let me remind you that the information provided here is solely based on SOD’s limited research capabilities as powered through the Internet. The information is based on what SOD was able to ascertain through Internet searches and is only as accurate as that data allows. If you find any information to be inaccurate, we would love to know what the truth really is. Thanks.
TRIVIA QUESTION #1. How many FBS Head Coaches are coaching at their Alma Mater? How many can you name?
TRIVIA QUESTION #2. What college has produced the most FBS Head Coaches?
TRIVIA QUESTION #3. What is the most popular position played by Head Coaches in their collegiate careers?
TRIVIA QUESTION #4. Who is the FBS Head Coach that played baseball in college, but not football?
TRIVIA QUESTION #5. Who are the 5 current FBS Head Coaches who have been coaching the same school they are now with for 15 years or more? (Not counting 2015.)
BUFFER ZONE
You can join the SOD CFB College Football Poll by submitting your Top 25 to sodcfb@yahoo.com. Our Pre-Season Top 25 are:
ANSWER #1. 15. There are 15 FBS Head Coaches, including 3 who are new to their team this year, coaching at the same college where they attended college. They are: Terry Calhoun (Air Force); Scott Satterfield (Appalachian State); Bryan Harsin (Boise State); John Bonamego (Central Michigan); Ruffin McNeill (East Carolina); Paul Haynes (Kent State); Jim Harbaugh (Michigan); Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern); Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State); David Shaw (Stanford); Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech); Matt Wells (Utah State); Sean Kugler (UTEP); Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech); Paul Chryst (Wisconsin).
ANSWER #2. Iowa. There are 5 FBS Head Coaches that list Iowa as their Alma Mater. They are: Bret Bielema (Arkansas); Bob Diaco (Connecticut); Dan McCarney (North Texas); Bob Stoops (Oklahoma); Mark Stoops (Kentucky). Four Head Coaches list Alabama as their Alma Mater. Three Head Coaches come from BYU, Kent State and West Virginia.
ANSWER #3. QB. 39 of the 129 FBS Head Coaches list QB as the position they played in college. A couple of them list QB as one of two positions they played. DB is the next most popular position played by FBS Head Coaches, followed by WR then LB.
ANSWER #4. California’s Head Coach, Sonny Dykes, played baseball at Texas Tech.
ANSWER #5. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 28 years); Bill Snyder (Kansas State, 23 not-consecutive); Bob Stoops (Oklahoma, 16); Kirk Ferentz (Iowa, 16); Gary Patterson (TCU, 15). Both Gary Pinkel, at Missouri, and Mark Richt, at Georgia, are entering their 15th year as the Head Coach at their respective schools.
High Impact Freshman in 2015
There are several “perfect storm” factors that come into play resulting in a “high impact” freshman in big time college football. First, of course, you have to be good … real good. But, being good is not enough¸ you also have to have opportunity. There are plenty of real good freshman football players who, not only will not make an impact in year one, but will never even see the field in year one because there are better, more experienced football players ahead of them. Even though we, as fans, love to see that high impact freshman come into our program, it is often the sign that our favorite team has a “depth” problem at that position. It isn’t always a good sign that those highly touted, incoming freshmen are in the starting lineup in year one.
These young men also must make an adjustment, not just to the differences between high school and college football, but also an adjustment in their living environments, social lives, scholastic lives, etc. This life changing experience can make it difficult for some young men to assume the role of football superstar in their first year away from home. The ability to and time it takes to adjust to these all around changes have an impact on the first year football field performances of some of these young men. That is why many “high impact freshmen” are really red-shirt freshmen with 12 or more months under their belt adjusting to their new world order. Now, the newly popular, early enrollment path many college football players are taking helps prepare some of these young men to assume a starting role in their true freshman year, but that “opportunity” ingredient still needs to be there.
So, any list of “Potential Top Impact Freshmen” should not be confused with a list of “Best Incoming Freshmen”. Some of the best incoming freshmen will just have to wait their turn before making an impact. Having said all that, here is the short list of young men SOD is expecting to make a high level impact in the FBS.
The 3 young men whose names rise to the top of almost everyone’s list are:
• Byron Cowart, DE, Auburn
• Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
• Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
I suspect Byron and Malik to be monsters on the defensive side of the ball, but, given the position he plays, I am most curious about how Josh Rosen makes out in his freshman year at UCLA. The opportunity, it appears, is there for all three of these ballers, but, how they adjust to college life and how quickly they learn the system and earn a spot in the starting lineup is yet to be seen.
Three more young men that also appear likely to have an immediate impact in 2015 are:
• Trent Thompson, DL, Georgia
• Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
• Martiz Ivey, OL, Florida
Like noted earlier, the fact that these three are all on SEC teams either indicates that the SEC has a recruiting advantage (which, they probably do) or that SEC teams have more holes to fill (which, they probably do).
SOD believes those 6 names above have the most likely chance of being first year stars in 2015, but significant playing time and significant impact could also come from any or all of these young men, as well:
• Iman Marshall, DB, USC
• Kahlil McKenzie, DT, Tennessee
• Canton Kaumatule, DL, Oregon
• Derwin James, S, Florida State
• Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
• Daylon Mack, DT, Texas A&M
• Kevin Tolliver, CB, LSU
Now, the chances are that the real impact freshmen come from out of the blue and off of this list. Those less highly recruited young men that outperform their expectations or that are afforded opportunities to excel due to injuries, suspensions or other reasons that put them into the starting lineup. Those stories will develop as the season plays out. And, those are the stories we will be looking for.
Whereas, we do expect big things from the names on our list, just by being names on the list puts high expectations on these young men, some of whom might not be ready for that pressure. But, we will see and we can’t wait to watch.
And, don’t be upset of your rooting interest does not have a name on this (or anyone else’s) list – it may simply mean you’ve already got the talent on your team to win today without a new freshman superstar contributing a high impact to the results.
Pre-Season to Post Season #1s
So would anyone be surprised if all of the pre-season College Football polls has THE Ohio State Buckeyes ranked number 1 this year? It seems like a foregone conclusion. With the way the Buckeyes finished last year; and, with the fact that they have much of their roster returning this year, they seem to be a lock. Don’t they?
But, Some Other Dude wonders, doesn’t that happen a lot? I mean, every year, the champion from the previous year must certainly stay number 1 going into the next year. Right? I guess if they are losing their quarterback or some stud running back or a large number of starters, maybe not. But, I wonder.
So, we took a look back into time.
Since the 2002 season, there have been 6 times when the previous season’s #1 was ranked #1 to start the next season. That’s 50% (or, half, for those of you who attended non-Ivy League schools – just kidding) of the time. But, how often does that team finish the year still (or, back) on top?
The chart below shows the Pre-Season and Post-Season #1 teams as ranked by the AP and USA Today polls since 2002. The team that finished #1 in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2014 entered the next year as the Pre-Season #1 Team. Only USC finished that follow-up season as the #1 in 2004.
That table also shows just how hard it is to pick the ultimate Champion in a Pre-Season poll. That one year that USC repeated as the Champion is only 1 of 2 times that the polls got it right with the Pre-Season rankings. Interestingly enough, the year that Alabama repeated as National Champions, they were not ranked #1 in the year following their previous Championship season.
In fact, the preseason #1 team finished outside of the Top 5 at the end of the season 50% of the time. And, the eventual champion was ranked below #10 in the pre-season polls 3 times.
So, yes, Ohio State will be a unanimous #1 in the pre-season polls this year, but, history seems to suggest it is still too early to pencil them into even the four team playoff, yet. There is still hope for non-Buckeye fans out there. But, they sure do look strong, don’t they?
Pipelines to the NFL
I realize that with the start of the Free Agency period yesterday this is a fluid situation, but SOD took a look at every NFL Team’s active roster to see if there was any evidence of a “pipeline” of sorts from one college team to one NFL Team. What we found is not too surprising.
Most NFL teams, of course, have a pretty diverse mixture of players from all over the place. Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cleveland, in fact, had no more than 2 players from the same school listed on their active roster on 3/10/2015. Fourteen other teams had no more than three players from the same school listed as part of their player profile. But, 1 team had 7 players who played on the same college team in their collegiate career; can you guess which NFL Team and which college has this connection?
Think of a NFL Team with a head coach who recently came over from a successful college program. That’s right – the Philadelphia Eagles have 7 players on their active roster who played college ball at Oregon. Like I said, not surprising.
No other team has any more than 5 players from the same school. Cincinnati has 5 players each from Alabama and Georgia – could make for a fun locker room following a certain SEC football game. Dallas lists 5 players from Oklahoma State on its roster; Arizona has 5 former Clemson players on its roster; and, with Russell Wilson listing the Badgers as his collegiate tie, Seattle has 5 from Wisconsin.
Colleges that have placed 4 players on the same NFL team include: Utah with 4 players at Miami; Illinois and Rutgers each have 4 players on New England’s roster; Stanford has 4 Cardinal currently listed on Indianapolis’ roster; there are 4 players from Miami-FL playing for Jacksonville – makes sense; there are currently 4 players from Tennessee playing for Kansas City; 4 Orange from Syracuse are listed as New York Giants; Notre Dame has 4 each with Minnesota and Detroit; USC also has 4 players with the Vikings; the Crimson Tide has 4 ex-Alabama players listed on Green Bay’s active roster; and, 4 players from Auburn are currently getting paid to play for St. Louis.
Based on the high numbers of players some of the big-time schools have playing in the NFL, you would expect to see some clumping on NFL Teams just through the law of averages, but, for the most part, they are pretty evenly spread throughout the league. The further Chip Kelly gets removed from his personal ties with the players from Oregon, you might expect to see that one existing, prominent “pipeline” start to dwindle.
So, no real surprises, but it was fun looking into it.
Trivia Tuesday – Power 5 Conferences
In recent years, there has been a lot of shuffling of College Football Conferences. And, if you believe Some Other Dude, there is more yet to come as we advance upon the age of the Mega-Conferences. But, SOD wonders, how well do you know the history of the current Power 5 Conferences?
THE TRIVIA CHALLENGE
Name the original teams in each of the current Power 5 Conferences.
THE BUFFER ZONE
THE ANSWERS
The Atlantic Coast Conference. Even though we appear to be headed to 16 team Mega-Conferences, back in history there was an even mega-er conference; the Southern Conference. The Southern Conference, at one time, consisted of 23 teams and eventually splintered into other, smaller conferences. One of those splinter conferences was the ACC which officially formed as a conference in 1953. The 7 charter members of the ACC were: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest. Only South Carolina no longer calls the ACC home as they eventually joined the other splinter conference with former Southern Conference brethren. Link to information source.
The Big 12. The history of the Big 12 is a little more convoluted than that of the other conferences. The Big 12 itself wasn’t formed until 1994 when teams from the Big 8 merged with teams from the Southwest Conference. The Big 8 Conference was originally chartered in 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and eventually became known as the Big 6 and then grew up to become the Big 8. The original members of this conference were: Iowa (two-timing with the Big Ten), Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington University in St. Louis. Only Kansas remains as a current member of The Big 12. Link to information source. The Southwest Conference was first formed in 1912, consisting of: Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Rice, Texas and Texas A&M. Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas remain as current members of the Big 12. Link to information source.
The Big Ten. The name “The Big Ten” was actually not officially incorporated until 1987, but the conference referred to as the Big Ten has been around since 1905. The original conference was made up of 7 teams in what was known as the “Intercollegiate Conference Athletic Association”. In 1917, when the conference had expanded to 10 teams, it was labeled the “Big Ten” by members of the media. The original members of this so-called Big Ten Conference were: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, University of Chicago and Wisconsin. Only the University of Chicago is not a member of that conference today. Link to information source.
The Pac 12. The Pac 12 Conference started off as a little seedling conference that eventually grew up into the Pac 12. Forming in 1916 as the Pacific Coast Conference, its original members stood at only 4 schools: California, Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College (later known as Oregon State) and Washington. All four schools still remain in the conference today. Interestingly, Idaho and Montana were one time members of this conference and the conference was disbanded and re-assembled in 1959 due to a pay-for-play scandal. The re-formed conference was called the Athletic Association of Western Universities, commonly known as the Big 5. After growing once again, the conference started being referred to as the Pacific 8 in 1964 and officially became the Pacific 8 in 1968, the Pac 10 in 1978 and the Pac 12 in 2011. Link to information source.
The SEC. The SEC preceded the ACC in splintering away from the huge Southern Conference when 13 schools left in 1932 to form their own conference. The 13 schools that made up the first version of the Southeastern Conference were: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Sewanee (University of the South), Tennessee, Tulane and Vanderbilt. Georgia Tech now resides in the ACC; Tulane, although still an FBS school is no longer a member of a Power 5 Conference; and, Sewanee, after having decided to de-emphasize sports in 1940, currently competes in Division III athletics. Link to information source.
2015 Playoff – SOD’s 1st Predictions
Here it is, February 23, way too early to make predictions about the 2015 College Football season, and yet, it seems, everyone already has. So SOD, with his brand new college football blog, has decided to enter the fray with my very first college football prediction. No better way to earn or tarnish your credibility than to make predictions that prove, by way of luck, to be accurate or, by way of misfortune, to make you look like an idiot. So, here we go, SODs prediction of the four teams to land in the second FBS playoff.
Two of my picks show up on many other prognosticators’ picks and two picks are much less popular.
Ohio State. This is an easy pick to make. The reigning champs and winners of the inaugural FBS playoffs almost didn’t make it into the 2014 format. But, the Buckeyes proved to be deserving of the selection and won out with a third string QB leading the way in two rather dominating performances. Urban Meyer’s squad returns lots of experience on both sides of the ball and just seems built to repeat. The one concern about the Buckeyes is … complacency. After riding a year on the Champions horse, it is sometimes hard to get that motivation and drive to where it needs be. That is Coach Meyer’s job – to make sure that doesn’t happen. The schedule looks to be in Ohio State’s favor and they will enter the season odds on favorites for a repeat selection to the playoffs.
TCU. Like Ohio State, the Horned Frogs are returning a very seasoned football squad, all wearing that “we should have been in the 2014 playoffs” chip on their shoulder. No concerns about complacency here; the Horned Frogs will come into the 2015 season with something to prove and the bitter taste of being left out of last year’s party in their mouths. SOD likes TCU’s chances this year and their schedule looks pretty manageable for achieving that end.
And now, here is where SOD varies from the beaten path. Alabama and USC appear to be the next two teams showing up on the majority of the playoff prediction pages, but, although solid picks, SOD believes that Alabama is just losing too much talent, again, and SOD is not yet a Sarkisian believer. Whereas, it will not be a surprise to see Alabama and USC fill out the remainder of the 2015 playoff slate, SOD is going with a couple of long shots.
Georgia. Although the Bulldogs will be breaking in a new QB and they have a way of disappointing their fans year after year with high expectations, SOD is going to roll the dice and predict that the bad luck and injuries of previous seasons abandon the Bulldogs and pave the way for a surprising trip to the playoffs. The SEC West teams will continue to beat each other up throughout the regular season and limp into the SEC Championship Game against an SEC East winner that is less beat up. The East Champion will win the Championship Game and sneak into the playoffs after going all year outside of the Selection Committee’s top 4.
Stanford. Like Georgia, Sanford will start from back in the pack of ranked teams and slowly play their way into contention behind QB Kevin Hogan and a strong defense. The Ducks will still be competitive with a very capable QB moving in from Eastern Washington to replace Marcus Mariota, but the Cardinal will win the head to head and face a very competitive Pac 12 South Team in the Championship Game as the springboard into the playoffs.
In 2015, the ACC will be left sitting on the sidelines moaning that their champion deserves to be in – but that team will not stand out enough to win over the selection committee. There are plenty of other teams that will sit at or near the top of the selection committee’s list throughout the year, but, once the conference championships are over, these four teams will be the ones left standing, or, at least, that’s the way SOD sees it on February 23. Two front-runners and two long-shots. A credible pick or proof that SOD is an idiot. Now we just have to sit back and watch the cake bake.
2015 Week 1 – Too Soon?
So, here it is, February 12; Week 1 of the 2015 College Football Season is still over 6 months away, and, I wonder, is it too early to start looking forward to the Week 1 schedule? … HELL, NO!
Besides, what else do good, respectable, young college football fans have to do? Well, I might not be good, respectable or young, but I am a college football fan, so, here goes – the look ahead to Week 1.
The 2015 FBS College Football Schedule kicks off on a Thursday Night, September 3, with a couple intriguing match-ups.
The Carolinas, North and South will tangle at a, somewhat, neutral site, Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte, NC, to get things started. Both teams are trying to get back into the thick of things in their respective conferences and this game should be a good indication of which team is poised to make a move. Steve Spurrier will be debuting a new signal caller in this game and the Tar Heel defense is a tough first-game assignment. The Tar Heels are currently ranked #35 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings and the Gamecocks weigh in at #40.
Jim Harbaugh will debut as the Head Coach for Michigan in Utah as the Wolverines try to pay back the Utes for embarrassing them in the Big House in 2014. A pretty tough assignment, to go on the road for your first game with a new program, and Wolverine expectations will be through the roof, but the Utes will be in no mode to be gracious hosts. An interesting match-up, indeed. Michigan currently stands at #28 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings while the Utes hold down the 38th spot.
After a nice double-dose of intriguing games on an opening Thursday night, football fans will get a couple of days rest to prepare themselves for the first Saturday of the new season and a handful of additional games that will merit some attention.
After leaving the program in 2013, Chris Petersen will head back to Boise State with his new team, the Washington Huskies. The Broncos will be anxious to show that his old, non-Power 5 program is still better than his new, PAC-12 squad. There will be a new gunslinger for the Broncos tossing footballs on the blue turf, but Boise State returns a good team coming off of their Fiesta Bowl victory over another PAC-12 team in #10 Arizona. Boise State is likely to be ranked in the Top 25 and Washington is likely to be one of those, “also receiving votes” teams coming into the game. Both teams will enter with a chip on their shoulder and one team will have it knocked off. Boise State is currently ranked #31 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings and Washington sits at #46.
The first Saturday also has Virginia travelling coast to coast to complete the home and home series against UCLA. The Cavaliers played a close, but losing game against the Briuns in their Virginia home in 2014. Going out west, however, the Cavaliers will be facing a Briuns’ squad that has a new QB at the helm, replacing the early departed Brett Hundley. It’s not easy going coast to coast for your first game of the season, as UCLA discovered last year; it will be interesting to see how this game kicks off the 2015 season for both teams. UCLA is currently ranked #12 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings while Virginia is ranked #56.
In what might be dubbed the Brainiac Bowl, the B1G Ten’s academic leader, Northwestern will make a trip out west to meet the PAC-12’s academic leader, Stanford. The Cardinal is likely to be a heavy favorite in this game, but an interesting matchup nonetheless between two of the finer educational institutions that happen to also field pretty good football teams. Stanford sits at #17 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings and Northwestern is down at #68.
The Badgers of Wisconsin are proving that they like to start off their seasons with a bang and do not shy away from tough scheduling challenges. Last year the Badgers started things off in a high-profile game against LSU, blowing a big lead in eventually losing the game, and will start off the 2015 season back in SEC country against the reigning SEC Champs in Alabama. The Crimson Tide does turnover a large portion of their starting lineup, but this seems to be something that Alabama does well. A good test for both teams to start the new year and a game that is sure to get most of the first Week spotlight going into the season. Alabama is currently ranked #2 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings and the Badgers fall in at #36. But, preseason polls are likely to have both teams in the Top 25.
In another intriguing contest with an SEC powerhouse, Louisville squares off against Auburn in the Georgia Dome. The Tigers will be replacing Nick Marshall at QB while Louisville brings in an experienced Will Gardner. Another early season measuring stick for two programs poised to make a run at their respective conference championships. Auburn is currently ranked #18 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings and the Cardinals sit at #44.
In a contest between two of the better teams in two of the best conferences, Arizona State and Texas A&M match up in NRG Stadium in Houston. This is another good match-up that could be an early indication of which team is ready to vie for a top spot in their respective conferences. Texas A&M is currently ranked #11 in the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings and Arizona State is a respectable #20. All in all, a pretty good Week 1 for the SEC West top teams to send a signal to the rest of the college football world that they are still the cream of the crop.
And, the first week of the season is capped off with a Monday Night affair between the Buckeyes of Ohio State and the Virginia Tech Hokies. Last year, the Hokies hung an albatross around the Buckeyes’ necks almost big enough to keep them out of the playoffs. Ohio State overcame that “bad” loss on their journey to the National Championship, but will be looking to avenge the loss in Blacksburg. One thing for sure is – whichever QB is under center for the Buckeyes this time, it will be one with a lot more experience than JT Barrett had going into last years’ game. Ohio State currently sits atop of the ESPN PreSeason FPI Rankings at #1 while Virginia Tech is ranked #25.
So, yes, it is over half a year away, but the intrigue these games promise will only grow brighter and brighter as the season gets closer and closer. There will also be some interest in games that appear less fairly matched as the nation watches to see how new QBs perform under center – like the Eastern Washington vs Oregon game in which Oregon’s new QB just might be Eastern’s old QB; and, the Texas State vs Florida State game in which famous Jameis will likely be watching from an NFL camp somewhere.
For now, however, its nearing time for college football fans to go into their summer hibernation, dreaming of the sounds of whistles to ring in an interesting Week 1.
The NFL Combines and the Holes They Create
The NFL has invited over 300 draft eligible football players to its annual, pre-draft combine in Indianapolis, February 17 – 23. Although this doesn’t tell the whole story, the list of invitees is a good place to start in identifying the talent that FBS schools have to replace going into the 2015 college football season.
SOD took a look at the teams that finished in the final AP Poll Top 10 to assess which teams might have the biggest challenges to overcome in a repeat visit the top based on this list of invitees. Here is what SOD observed.
#1 Ohio State. The Buckeyes have just 4 graduating seniors attending the NFL Combine. As you would expect, all of the players invited were key contributors to their teams in 2014, and the Ohio State players are no different, but the four that the Buckeyes lose do not indicate that there will be gaping holes to fill in the 2015 roster. This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the Big Ten and is a good indication that the Buckeyes will enter the 2015 season sitting at the top of the polls.
#2 Oregon. There will be 7 ex-Ducks participating in the 2015 NFL Combines this year – not least of which will be Heisman Trophy winning, QB Marcus Mariota. The Ducks also lose a couple offensive linemen and 4 defensive starters. Not too many names on the list, but one huge hole to fill at QB. That QB hole, however, is more than just talent; the leadership and character wrapped up in that Marcus Mariota package will also be hard to replace. SOD doesn’t see Oregon falling too far down the polls, but the QB issue remains a big question mark.
#3 TCU. Texas Christian will be represented by 5 players at the Combines this year, including 2 juniors. The Horned Frogs lose 2 DBs, 1 LB, 1 OL and 1 RB. All in all, not too big a hit for the Frogs who also come back to 2015 with a big ‘ole chip on their shoulder. It looks like, using this as an indicator, that TCU has every reason to believe they can make another run at the playoffs in 2015 and, hopefully, this time, not be left out of the party.
#4 Alabama. Alabama sends 11 players to the NFL Combine including 3 juniors. ‘Bama’s list of attendees includes several players from skilled positions, including QB Blake Simms, RBs TJ Yeldon and Jalston Fowler, and WRs Amari Cooper, Chris Jones and DeAndrew White. Yes, the Tide did just sign the #1 ranked Recruiting class; yes, Alabama does have a deep roster; and, yes, Nick Saban is a master at filling holes every year – but, it just seems that replacing experienced talent with inexperienced talent – especially in the skilled positions, might eventually catch up to the Tide and, if not move them out of the Top 10, maybe move them out of the now-all-important Top 4. I wouldn’t bet against the Tide in 2015, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if they have some trouble replacing all of the talent they have recently lost to the NFL.
#t5 Michigan State. The Spartans send 6 prospects to the NFL Combines including 1 junior. The Spartans will be losing 2 DBs, 2 WR, 1 RB and 1 LB off of their 2014 roster. Not too big of a hit. The Spartans’ issue is not so much what they are losing, but the fact that the team that hovers above them in the Big Ten also brings back the majority of their starting lineup, as well. Even so, the Spartans’ roster should keep them in the pre-season Top 10 going into 2015.
#t5 Florida State. The Seminoles have placed 12 men into the 2015 NFL Combine including 5 early declarers. A pretty huge hit to a regular season, undefeated team that got little respect for that accomplishment. Florida State’s losses include a Heisman Trophy holding QB, in Jamies Winston, and a darn good RB in Karlos Williams. The Seminoles also will be losing 4 from their offensive line and 2 from their defensive line. The Seminoles did have a highly ranked recruiting class, but this is a lot of talent to lose – too much, SOD believes, to even sniff at next years’ playoffs.
#7 Baylor. Like Oregon, Baylor’s issue is not in the number of holes created, but in the significance of the hole created at the QB position. The Bears only have 4 players participating in the 2015 NFL Combine but one of them is super-star QB Bryce Petty. Baylor does have the advantage (or, perhaps, disadvantage) of a relatively weak schedule again in 2015 but the fate of the Bears in the rankings may lie in the hands of the new QB.
#8 Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have two WRs participating in the NFL Combine – not a position too heavily relied upon in the Georgia Tech offense. But, the Yellow Jackets finish in the 2014 rankings is not as much a result of the talent on their roster as it is in the system they run in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is the kind of team that earns its way into the top ten on the field of play – seldom do they make the pre-season top 10 based on expectations. SOD suspects the same will be true in 2015.
#9 Georgia. The Bulldogs, the yearly enigma of college football, will have 5 players participating in the NFL Combine this year, including RB Todd Gurley. The Bulldogs have successful and experienced running backs in the fold that have already proven they can do just fine without Mr. Gurley – even as talented as he may be. So, Georgia does not lose too much from their roster and can be expected to be ranked highly in the pre-season rankings. If history is any indication, however, you can almost as surely count on them losing a game or two they are not expected to during the year, knocking them down a peg or two.
#10 UCLA. UCLA is another 2014 Top 10 team who loses its star QB to the NFL in 2015. That fact alone always makes a pre-season ranking hard to predict and hard to get right. Besides QB Brett Hundley, the Bruins will have four defensive players participating in the NFL Combine. Once again, not too big a loss in terms of numbers, but a question mark with who replaces the signal caller. UCLA probably starts 2015 outside of the Top 10 but should have chances to play their way back into it as the season goes on. The Pac-12 will be an interesting conference to follow in 2015 with so much turnover in the QB position.
So, the combines begin in less than a week and some of us will be watching closely to see how our favorite sons perform and project where they might land in the NFL. Meanwhile, College Football’s Spring Practices are not far behind when the teams that have holes to fill start auditioning potential replacements. Fun for everyone.
Jimmys and Joes
If you are a college football fan then you have probably heard the adage, “College football is not about the X’s and O’s; its all about the Jimmys and Joes”. Well, a lot of the Jimmys and Joes fell into place yesterday as National Signing Day 2015 finally arrived and recruits sent in their Letters of Intent (LOI) to the colleges and universities they will call home for the next 2 – 4 years, or so. Now, we will have to wait and see who actually got the right Jimmys and Joes.
In the final analyses, the number of stars the recruits bring with them won’t necessarily be the determining factor. Each class has only about 15 – 20 five star recruits – so, obviously, not enough to go around. Just how much separates a 4-star from a 5-star, or a 3 from a 4, is hard to say and is just a judgment call from self-labeled experts. Each individual coaching staff does their own evaluation and has their own inside-the-program ranking for each recruit. Also, coaches are looking beyond what recruit ranking sites look at and try to determine if the potential recruit is, what some coaches like to label, “our kinda guy” – an OKG.
The OKG is that young man who, above and beyond knowing how to play football and may already play in a system somewhat similar to the one the college employs, but also shares the values of the program; is willing to be coached; and has, as far as the coaching staff can determine, the mental and emotional maturity to fit right in and be a productive member of the football family – as a key contributor or otherwise.
Yes, the 4 and 5 star recruits garner the attention and receive the most applause and acclaim. And, more times than not, those 4 and 5 star recruits become the young men who form a solid foundation for elite football programs each year, but, SOD believes that what separates a good team from a great team are those who get the most out of their 2 and 3 star guys. Everybody fights hard to get those 4 and 5 star recruits and persuade them to commit, but the real science and the advantage gained is in finding those diamond in the rough guys, those 2s and 3s that you know you can develop into value-added contributors on your football team.
Chris Petersen (and his predecessors and successors) put together a nice little program at Boise State by finding those 2 and 3 star recruits who fit their system and were OKGs. Now Coach Petersen is going to try to do the same with, hopefully, 4 and 5 star recruits at Washington to regain some Husky glory.
Meanwhile, Boise State continues to excel with their OKGs. According to Rivals.com, the 2015 Boise State recruiting class comes in at #64. The Broncos class of ’14 was ranked #65; the ’13 class was #62; the ’12 class was #54 – and, yet, Boise State finished 2014 ranked #16 in the AP Poll and finished ranked #18 in 2012 – so, something is working with those Jimmys and Joes. This either suggests that there is something Xs and Os bring to the table or the real value of your coaching staff is their ability to get the most out of the Jimmys and Joes who do play for you.
So, as we tie a bow on the 2015 Recruiting class – with everyone but ‘Bama fans sick and tired of seeing the Crimson Tide ranked #1 again – coaching staffs are already knee deep into working on the 2016 class. Almost every coach interviewed yesterday on one of the numerous shows covering National Signing Day indicated that they already have recruit visits scheduled for the rest of this week to meet next years’ prospective recruits. Although it feels like Signing Day ends one cycle and starts another, don’t be fooled. Your top-of-the-heap programs are already well into the Class of 2016 – just look at those teams who finished ranked in the Top 5 this year.
According to ESPN’s Recruiting Nation,
• Alabama already has 3 verbal commitments for their 2016 class.
• Florida State has 7.
• USC has 3.
• Clemson has 7.
• Tennessee has 8.
It never ends.
The recruiting game is just one fun aspect of what separates college football from the NFL. And, it is what makes coaching this game a full-time job. The college football off-season is that proverbial duck on a pond (no, not an Oregon Duck), it looks smooth and easy on the surface, but there is a lot of energy and movement going on underneath.
Good luck to all you Jimmys and Joes; SOD hopes your college decisions work out well for you and your university.
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