Quick Hits: College Football Preview

1. Caleb Williams is HIM

Caleb Williams deserves all the respect he can get. From the moment he replaced Spencer Rattler in 2nd quarter down 18 against Texas, Williams showed he was an instant superstar leading a phenomenal comeback starting a legacy that he will look to round out with a national championship this season. Like any budding starlet, Williams made the wise move to head out west to USC and immediately elevated that program from irrelevance to national prominence. Even with all this success, Williams is still a man on a mission as he tries to reach the pinnacle of the college football world in what will likely shape out to be his last college season before being taken 1st overall in next year’s NFL draft. Williams and USC had their playoff hopes dashed on two separate occasions by Utah last season. With the sour taste of those losses lingering in their mouths, Williams & Co will be playing with a hunger that can only be satiated by a CFP championship so expect to see great football out of USC every Saturday.

2. Big Ten Dominance

There is a changing of the guards in college football. For the entirety of the 21st century, college football has been dominated by the SEC. The conference always provided multiple title contenders each and every year as well as dynastic programs that controlled college football a decade at a time like LSU in the 2000s, Alabama in the 2010s and now Georgia in the 2020s. Well the times are a changing and it looks like the Big Ten is ready to seize the crown. Just look at last year’s major bowls. Michigan and Ohio St both made the CFP while Penn St and Purdue both played in major New Year's bowls. Success is not anything new for the Big Ten as the conference has a long rich history but for a long time the conference seemed stuck in the past with basically all their teams being ground and pound teams that would win by running the ball and playing great defense. The conference has realized it is time to catch up as when their best teams tried to ground and pound the rest of the country’s best teams they would get dominated. More and more the programs are changing and it looks like one of the last dominoes has fallen as RB and OL U Wisconsin is implementing an air raid offense, yep that’s right the home team at Camp Randall will be lining up in empty sets, wild. Changes like this were inevitable but they were fast tracked when the conference agreed to absorb the top teams of the PAC 12 so they will need to score fast and often to keep up with those new conference rivals. While it is sad to see the Big Ten’s unique identity fade, these teams becoming more explosive will only make the Big Ten and college football as a whole a better product to watch.

3. The New Alabama Crimson Tide?

Speaking of a changing of the guard, college football’s most prolific program, Alabama, is undergoing significant change this coming season, well on the offensive side of the ball at least. Alabama has been one of the greatest stepping stones for college prospects to make the NFL thanks in large part to their pro style scheme that showcases a prospect’s potential to succeed in an NFL system. Well if this team wants to have another dominant season, they will have to change their offense completely. The team’s top two options at quarterback, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Buchner, are both run first signal callers, which when paired with the lack of special pass catchers on the outside means this team needs to be a run first offense in order to succeed. This change in offensive scheme will take an element of danger away from this team and make them more predictable resulting in a worse offensive product overall. Do not misconstrue what I am saying, Bama will still be one of college football’s best teams thanks in large part to their usual stout defense, just do not be shocked when you turn on a Bama game and they look like an entirely new team on the offensive side of the ball.

4. Mile High Expectations in Boulder

Is Colorado ready for Prime Time? Deion Sanders has made the jump from the FCS to the FBS. Sanders' time with Jackson St was short but very impactful. In just three years, Prime completely overhauled the JSU program leading them to a 27-6 record, while making them one of the top teams in the FCS. Now Sanders has taken on the task of trying to replicate his success with Colorado. Sanders' celebrity status played a big role in recruiting at JSU as it unlocked a tier of recruits that were previously unavailable to FCS teams. Colorado is not an FCS school so they have to compete with all the big dogs for their recruits meaning Colorado cannot simply rely on a good recruiting class for success, they actually need to play up to their talent. Colorado does reside in the weaker Pac 12 so Colorado can expect some immediate success as there are only a couple strong teams that will offer a real challenge for this team. Getting off to a good first season will be pivotal for the program as they prepare themselves for a move to the Big 12 and need all the good press they can get to keep the good recruits wanting to move to Boulder.