College Football Preview

Living in a college town like State College (where Penn State is) college football is pretty much everything. When the college football season gets closer it's kind of like a Christmas feeling. The weekends are what you live for and no matter who your team is playing, Saturday's are meant for football. The 2014 season is right around the corner and it promises to be an interesting one. There are many questions going in as there are with every season but this one will be unlike any other with the new playoff system. Is it perfect? No. Will people be happy about it? No. Is it a start? Absolutely. It sets up like this:

The Top Four Teams:

The selection committee will choose the four teams for the playoff based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results, comparison of results against common opponents, championships won and other factors.

New Year's Festivities:

Fans will enjoy back-to-back triple-headers. Two semifinals and four other premier bowl games will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Those holidays will belong to college football. Semifinal games will rotate among six different bowls, extending the experience to more fans.

Qualifiers:

Both participants in the Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls are contracted outside the playoff arrange­ment (Big Ten and Pac-12 to Rose Bowl; SEC and Big 12 to Sugar Bowl; ACC to Orange Bowl against the highest ranked available team from the SEC, Big Ten and Notre Dame). If a conference champion qualifies for the playoff, then the bowl will choose a replacement from that conference. When those bowls host the semifinals and their contracted conference champions do not qualify, then the dis­placed champion(s) will play in the other New Year’s bowls.

The Fiesta, Cotton and Peach Bowls will host displaced conference champions and the top-ranked champion from a non-contract conference. The highest-ranked available teams will fill any other berths. The Selection Committee will make the pairings.

Source: collegefootballplayoff.com 

The impact of the playoff system will be felt when teams are scheduling their non-conference games. With the selection committee looking at the strength of schedule being a factor in selecting the top four teams, there won't be anymore Northern Idaho type of teams on the schedule (I'm not sure if that's a real school or not). Point being, the season will be much more competitive and meaningful. 

When the preseason rankings come out we all look at them and try to pick a winner. There are certain teams you can always expect to be at the top when the season is over. You have the Alabama's of the world who always seem to be mentioned in the national championship conversation and rightfully so. Defending champs Florida State led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston are at the top of the polls and many believe they'll be there at the end. Many also believe that Winston could become the second player ever to win the Heisman for a second time. Ohio State's Archie Griffin did so in 1974-75. Winston won’t run away with the trophy by any means, as there are a few guys behind him who will have something to say. Ohio State’s Braxton Miller and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota look to have the same ending to their season that Winston did, with a Heisman Trophy and a national championship.

The top 25 polls were released and there was no real surprise in the top 10 with reigning champs Florida State leading the way. Nick Saban and his Alabama squad roll in at number two followed by the team that beat them in the Sugar Bowl in Oklahoma. Oregon and runner-up to Florida State Auburn round out the top 5. Ohio State, UCLA, Michigan State, South Carolina, and Baylor complete the top 10. The title game is a long ways away but it’s always fun to talk about it before the season even starts.

1. Florida State- the favorites to win the new golden football trophy thing. I’m still upset about them getting rid of the crystal ball.

      2. Alabama- you can never count out the Tide because well, Nick Saban is still coaching

      3. Oklahoma- always a contender, but also always seem to slip up

      4. Oregon- Heisman hopeful + new uniforms every game = still can’t win the big game

      5. Auburn- lost to Florida State and we still don’t know how they got there

      6. Ohio State- they’re from the Big Ten so obviously they won’t win the title, maybe the Rose Bowl (Big Ten Syndrome)

     7. UCLA- where did they come from?

     8. Michigan State- Big Ten Syndrome

     9. South Carolina- they don’t have Jedeveon Clowney

     10. Baylor- they score a lot of points and don’t give up a lot, so maybe they can win?

     

     One thing is for sure; at the end of the season there will be a Heisman Trophy winner and a National Champion. It just might be the same as last season. Whatever happens during the 2014 season, it’s going to be a good one so sit back and enjoy the new ride. COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS ALMOST HERE!