College Football: Three Burning Questions

All of my focus and attention is still on baseball (Gooooooo Giants!!!), but as college football commences this Saturday, here are three burning questions of intrigue and interest:

1. Will Alabama repeat?

With the constantly changing landscape of college athletics, it is immensely difficult for a team to win consecutive championships. But this year, it is certainly a possibility for Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide. Last year's Heisman winner Mark Ingram is back, and even though he will miss the season opener against San Jose State with a minor knee injury. he is poised to have another stellar season. 'Bama enters the season as the definite favorite, but they will have to persevere through an incredibly challenging schedule if they are to make it back to the title game. Alabama will face stern tests at home against fourth-ranked Florida, nineteenth-ranked Penn State, and twenty-second-ranked Auburn, and on the road at seventeenth-ranked Arkansas, and twenty-first-ranked LSU. So if Alabama does indeed repeat, it will be a feat of almost unfathomable achievement.

2. Will Brian Kelly bring success and glory back to Notre Dame football?

I was somewhat disgusted by the manner in which Brian Kelly left Cincinnati last year, deserting the Bearcats after their great season and refusing to coach them in the Sugar Bowl. It was a display of stunning selfishness from a man who had heretofore been a classy figure. However, while I still haven't forgiven Kelly for his actions quite yet, I do realize that he is a terrific coach, and I think Notre Dame made a fantastic hire. But just because Kelly is an excellent coach does not mean that he will experience success under the glaring pressure that comes with his current job. Notre Dame hasn't experienced much happiness in quite some time. The Charlie Weis era was an enormous disappointment, and now that Jimmy Clausen has followed in Brady Quinn's footsteps to the NFL, the Fighting Irish are left with untested Dayne Crist at quarterback. Very few positions in sports are as pressure-packed as that of Notre Dame head football coach, and it will be fascinating to see how Kelly fares. For my money, I say he will be successful. His boisterous spirit and energy will lead the Irish to a much-improved season.

3. Will Boise State and TCU finally get the respect they so richly deserve?

The answer, sadly, is likely to be no. The BCS is the most egregious, disgraceful, criminally unfair system in all of sports, and come January, I'm sure we will have another batch of controversy. Here's hoping Boise State and TCU, and all of the non-BCS teams, have outstanding seasons, so we can hopefully convince those in power to change to a much-needed playoff system. Boise State has a huge challenge in their season opener at Virginia Tech. Nothing against Frank Beamer and his Hokies, but I desperately hope Boise State gets the victory. I'm sick and tired of the BCS, and the more the Davids beat the Goliaths, the more likely it is that we will one day see a playoff system in college football.

So there you have it. And just for good measure: Go Cal!!!!! I know Jeff Tedford's Golden Bears are projected to have a rough season, but I stay loyal to my teams, and I remain optimistic. Championship or bust.

2009 College Football: Three Burning Questions

The incredibly thrilling, occasionally frustrating world of college football is back, ready to take us through a tremendously exciting regular season before the lousy, criminally unfair BCS takes over. Nonetheless, I'm excited. Here are three burning questions that will play a major role in the 2009 college football season:

1. Will Boise State finally get some BCS love?

Boise State opened their season last night on the blue turf with the biggest game they've had in years, a showdown with fourteenth-ranked Oregon. It was a make-or-break game for Chris Petersen's Broncos. They needed to win if they have any hope of playing in a BCS bowl game. It was a sloppy affair between two noticeably unpolished teams, but in the end Boise State prevailed, with sights set on an undefeated season.

First of all, it is wildly presumptuous to assume that Boise State will run the table. In order to go undefeated, the Broncos will need to play a hell of a lot better than they did on Thursday night. But just for the sake of argument, lets assume that Boise finds a way to go through the season unscathed. Will they then receive some much-deserved BCS love? Due to the horrific litany of BCS blunders, I wouldn't expect much love if I were a Boise fan. But if the BCS wants to reshape its severely tarnished image, it would be wise to reward an undefeated Boise State team.

2. Can Tim Tebow lead Florida back to the promise land?

The answer, of course, is yes. I am sometimes turned off by the Christ-like treatment the media gives to Tebow, but there is no denying the fact that he is the nation's best, most disciplined quarterback. Tebow plays with great fire and passion, and he uses the criticism of his doubters as fuel that makes him even better. Even with the loss of wide receiver Percy Harvin, Urban Meyer's Gators are widely expected to repeat as champs. It would be their third title in four years, and would further cement Tim Tebow's status as an all-time great. But there are several teams that are determined to knock Florida off the throne.

Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns and Bob Stoops' Oklahoma Sooners will be satisfied with nothing short of a national championship. Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide, Frank Beemer's Virginia Tech Hokies, and Houston Nutt's Ole Miss Rebels all have similar aspirations. And even though USC is led by an inexperienced freshman quarterback (Matt Barkley), any Pete Carroll team is always a national title contender. So I agree that Florida will be celebrating another BCS championship, but their fate is not as clear-cut as some may think.

3. Can Jahvid Best add Heisman Trophy Winner to his resume?

Absolutely yes. While Florida's Tim Tebow, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, and Texas' Colt McCoy are the Heisman favorites, it would be foolish to count out Cal's junior running back Jahvid Best. Best is a freak of nature on the football field, a lightning fast superstar with serious NFL potential. Best told Sports Illustrated that he modeled his game after Reggie Bush, and I think Best is even better than Bush. Jeff Tedford's Golden Bears have big aspirations this season, and with all due respect to quarterback Kevin Riley, Cal's success rests firmly on the shoulders of Best. When all is said and done, Jahvid Best should be in New York City as a Heisman candidate.


So there you have it! Let the games begin!

Pay Attention, Pete Carroll. Rick Neuheisel has arrived.

Last week there was an advertisement for UCLA football that featured newly minted head coach Rick Neuheisel pointing his finger with a stern look on his face that essentially translates into, "I mean business." Below the picture of Neuheisel were nine words that threatened to awake sleeping giant and UCLA rival USC: "The Football Monopoly in Los Angeles is Officially Over."

The universal response to this risky move by the Bruins was an overwhelming, Have they lost their minds?!?! Why would UCLA want to further motivate Pete Carroll and the Trojans? Southern Cal is one of the most spectacular dynasties in the history of college football, and with their dominant performance in Charlottsville against Virginia this past weekend, they showed absolutely zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. USC has been so good that they basically serve as Los Angeles' pro team. Yet UCLA, a football program that is considered the ugly stepsister of Tinseltown, still found it appropriate to call out their rivals. Crazy, right?

Not so fast. Believe it or not, this was actually a brilliant move by UCLA. Are they close to surpassing USC? No way, Jose. SC remains the premier program in all of college football. But UCLA has been reinvigorated by the arrival of Rick Neuheisel, and Neuheisel wants to make sure his players know that he's there to win. If this means angering USC, so be it. Karl Dorrell was a decent coach, but he was severely lacking in one regard: he never seemed to be able to energize and motivate his team. Neuheisel, a UCLA alum and former coach at Colorado and Washington, is quite the opposite. By stating that the football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over, even if it really is not, Neuheisel sent a jolt of fire and energy to his team. And, judging by last night's thrilling overtime victory against eighteenth-ranked Tennessee, a game in which third-string QB Kevin Craft followed a hideous first half with a magnificent second, his players have responded to his message.

Should Pete Carroll be worried right now? No. His focus, as it is every year, is to lead the Trojans to a national championship. But Carroll should be aware of the fact that Rick Neuheisel has come to town, and that he means business.