View From the Sideline: New Faces in New Places

Football is back! Yes I know that beautiful feeling you just got pulsating through your veins, I felt it on Saturday as well. Life just gets easier when you have football to watch and that time has finally come. The dark cloudy days of no pigskin are gone, and we have a forecast of football for the next six months.

 This weekend we begin the venture of a new college football season that comes with major changes. This article will highlight the major changes, whether it be conference realignment or transfer portal, and give my foresight on what I believe will happen.

Conference Realignment:

The biggest difference that will be very prevalent right away is the depth of talent in the Big 10 and SEC. The Big Ten added Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA. UCLA is a southern California school, but their program is not as dominant as it once was. USC has built a little of the prestige back, but I have no faith in Lincoln Riley to get competent defensive coaching. Washington is in a transition year after making the championship game. Their roster turnover will most likely lead to drop off in wins. Transfer quarterback Will Rogers comes from Mississippi State, and has shown he can run an air-raid offense. I still see Washington struggling, and making a bowl game with six to seven wins. On the other hand, Oregon is a potential College Football Champion with the addition of quarterback Dillion Gabriel. The Ducks potent offense will have to deal with stylistic changes in the games played. I personally think Oregon is set up to fail against the Big Ten style of play. They are not meant for a rock fight in Kinnick or Camp Randall.

The SEC added two major powerhouses in Texas and Oklahoma to an already loaded conference.Texas is coming off their first playoff appearance, and have the advantage of signal caller Quinn Ewers returning. I still don’t see them handling the pressure of these new conference opponents. We saw them beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa last year, but that did not sell me on the longevity of Texas against these opponents. They will certainly hold their own, but I do not see them coming into the conference and competing for the SEC Title. I would say the same as Oklahoma. The Big 12 may not prepare for the speed of the SEC. Any team you play could have just as many talent players, there is no longer that huge discrepancy in talent like in the Big 12.

The last thing I want to touch on is the Pac-2. A conference once known, and still referred to as, the Pac-12, but there are not 12 participants anymore. They are down to their last two schools: Washington State and Oregon State. These two teams have filled out their schedules for the season, and will face each other on November 23 for the sole conference matchup of the season. One of the more interesting outcomes of all the conference realignment.

Transfer Portal:

For this exercise, I will only be looking at some of the top quarterback prospects, and project which I feel will have the best transition.

Cameron Ward (Miami):

I have to start this with my bias towards Cam Ward. I loved his play style at Washington State and think he’s a good college quarterback. I don’t necessarily see him translating to the next level, but he has shown to produce in college. He should do the same for Miami, and could help propel them to a College Football Playoff spot. I do not foresee them winning the ACC, I personally think it will be Clemson. They can easily play themselves into an at-large bid.

Will Howard (Ohio State):

Will Howard is the most interesting of all these quarterbacks to me because I can’t say I watched him play much. I think the biggest factor will be him going into a program that is known for producing skill players, and on top of that has my favorite running back in the country in Quinshon Judkins. I think he may have the best setup for success in all the transfer quarterbacks.

Riley Leonard (Notre Dame):

Duke lost a pure pocket passer, and Notre Dame gained one. Leonard was one of the better passers in college football in my eyes. He will now head to a loaded Notre Dame roster that has an advantage, and disadvantage, of not being in a conference. They have Texas A&M, Florida State and USC on schedule, but if they win two of those games they should be a shoe-in for the playoffs. The only problem is they won't be eligible for a bye because those are for conference winners only.  

Dillion Gabriel (Oregon):

On to his third team, Dillion Gabriel comes into the season as a Heisman favorite. Behind Will Howard, he is the best setup for success, and once you combine that with him being successful when he transferred to Oklahoma. I think statistically he will have a phenomenal season, but I worry how things will look in mucky Big Ten games, where defense is the difference. I do see Oregon making the College Football Playoff, but as an at-large bid rather than a conference champion.

DJ Uiagalelei (Florida State):

Lastly, I am the least thrilled by DJ Uiagalelei. He was a highly rated prospect coming to Clemson and showed flashes against Notre Dame, when starter Trevor Lawrence wasn’t available. Outside of that one game, he has struggled and now gets his third chance with Florida State. He hasn’t sold me like Dillion Gabriel has because Gabriel showed success on his second team. This seems to me like a team hoping they could fix DJ, and make the flashes more consistent, but I personally do not see it. Confidence is such a huge thing for quarterbacks, and he seems like a textbook case of lost confidence in ability to perform. He has the tools, but never seems to put it all together.