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Sporting News is already ready to go for the upcoming season, so we asked 50 quick-hitter questions and gave 50 quick-hitter answers for the 2016 season.
This won’t take long.1. Which team have you talked about most this offseason? Tennessee. The Vols lost four games by a combined 17 points last season, and expectations are high for a school looking for its first SEC title since 1998.2. Which team have you not talked about enough? Georgia. The Bulldogs will have something to say about that under first-year coach Kirby Smart.3. Is Week 1 the best Week 1 ever? I think it has the potential to be better than any given first weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. It’s that loaded.
Can you back that up? Look at this list.
Best game on that list? Houston-Oklahoma. So much at stake for both teams, and an upset here on a noon kickoff could set tone for entire season.
Can Houston win that game? Yes, and if it does, it can crash the College Football Playoff, too.
What does that mean for the Sooners? If they beat Houston and Ohio State on Sept. 17 before Big 12 play starts, they’ll have the most-convincing playoff argument, even with a loss.
Next-best game? Ole Miss-Florida State on Labor Day. Two teams that will start in the Top 10, and it’s a toss-up.
You left off Alabama-USC and LSU-Wisconsin. Why? Alabama and LSU should win those games. If they don’t, then the SEC West will feel that heat.
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What about Notre Dame-Texas? Huge tone-setter for both programs, but more for Texas. What did you learn from last year’s 38-3 beat-down in South Bend?
Who starts at quarterback for Notre Dame? Malik Zaire, but DeShone Kizer will play a lot this season, too.
Can Auburn upset Clemson? Clemson hasn’t won a true road game at Auburn since 1950, so it’s possible. But we like Clemson in a shootout here.
Is Deshaun Watson the best player in college football? Yes, but he has company from Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Baker Mayfield, Dalvin Cook and J.T. Barrett, among others.
Who have you talked about the most? He wears khakis, tweets a lot and runs satellite camps.
Will his team win the Big Ten? It has to win at Michigan State and Ohio State, not to mention Iowa, to do that.
Which division will have the best race? It’s the Big Ten East. Ohio State and Michigan will start in the Top 10, and Michigan State won’t be far behind. Penn State could also work into the Top 25.17. Which first-year coach intrigues you the most? Mark Richt at Miami. Can’t wait to see the impact he has on Brad Kaaya.18. Another first-year coach? Lovie Smith at Illinois. They are an intriguing team in a division full of wild cards.
COACH RANKINGS: ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC19. Who made Wisconsin’s schedule? Somebody who thought putting LSU, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State on it was a good idea.20. Give me a long-shot Heisman candidate? North Carolina’s Elijah Hood, but the Tar Heels will need to win the ACC this time.21. Another one? Same conference, better story. Pittsburgh’s James Conner could get into the mix with a monster season. He beat cancer and is returning from a knee injury, all in one offseason. If Conner can flirt with 2,000 yards, this could happen.
One more? Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs. All the Vols have to do is deliver on that preseason hype.
OK, one more? Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. Maybe he can get one for former Nittany Lions’ running back Larry Johnson, who should have won it in 2002.24. Remember the overreaction to UCLA’s Josh Rosen after Week 1 last season? Yep, and definitely was a part of that. Rosen is still the best pro prospect at quarterback, and he’ll make the leap as a sophomore.25. Who will we overreact to this time? Georgia’s Jacob Eason if he has a monster game in the opener against North Carolina.
Favorite offensive players to watch? Watson, Fournette and USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. 27. Favorite defensive players to watch? Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett, Michigan State’s Malik McDowell and Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers.28. One rule change you’d like to see? Get rid of targeting.29. One more? Run the clock after first downs. It’s getting to the point where you could almost watch two soccer games before one college football game. Don’t give the kids an excuse to do that.
MORE: 11 best bets for college football’s next ‘Game of the Century'30. What is your favorite #hashtag? It’s a tie between #MACtion and #Pac12AfterDark.31. One thing you can’t wait to see in September? Virginia Tech and Tennessee at Bristol.32. One more? Ohio State at Oklahoma. That’s what we call a playoff atmosphere.33. Three dream matchups you want to see in October? Unbeaten matchups between Washington-Oregon, Alabama-Tennessee and Clemson-Florida State.34. Four more for November? Can we get a few more out of the combination of Alabama-LSU, Florida-Florida State, Michigan State-Ohio State and Michigan-Ohio State?35. What are two games on this year’s schedule that make you very happy? BYU-Utah and Penn State-Pittsburgh.36. One program from your childhood you know will be better? Washington.37. One program from your childhood you’d like to see do better? Colorado.38. Something you think could happen that will have everybody talking? Jim Grobe guiding Baylor to the Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff.39. We all know about Michigan, UCLA, Baylor and Oregon. Give me a random college football uniform you love? Louisiana Tech. It’s all about the red, white and blue.
MORE: SN Preseason All-American first and second teams40. Is Nick Saban the greatest college football history? It’s OK to put him in the same sentence with Bear Bryant. If Alabama wins it this year, then Saban comes first. MORE: 50 greatest coaches in sports of all time
If the second installment of Urban Meyer-Jim Harbaugh was a movie sequel, what it would be? “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” It will be much better than the first installment.
OK let’s get down to it. Who plays in the ACC championship? North Carolina vs. Clemson. Rematch!43. Big 10 championship? Iowa vs. Ohio State.
Pac-12 championship? Stanford vs. USC. Rematch!
SEC championship? Alabama vs. Tennessee. Regular-season rematch!
46. If you could see one bowl matchup, what it would be? Alabama vs. Michigan, and it’s not really close.
- Who are Sporting News’ picks for the College Football Playoff? Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama and Clemson.
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Did all that chalk get in your eyes? Yes, this will get blown up at some point this season, maybe even Week 1. But we like chalk.
College Football Playoff Championship Game? Alabama vs. Clemson. Rematch!
Who wins it all? Roll Tide until someone says otherwise.
