IT’S FOOTBALL TIME DOWN SOUTH
Today is August 1, and once again I’m allowed to talk and write about football. The 2016 season is underway, and most schools have begun fall practice. The early polls are out, and I choose to believe that The Sporting News is as accurate as any of them. Their preseason picks on the national stage are:
- University of Alabama SEC West
- Clemson University ACC
- University of Oklahoma Big 12
- The Ohio State University Big Ten
- Baylor University Big 12
- Florida State University ACC
- University of Mississippi SEC-West
- University of Michigan Big Ten
- Stanford University Pacific 12
- Notre Dame University Independent
The lineup for the National Championship contains seven of college football’s annual powerhouses, along with Clemson, Baylor and an Ole Miss team powered by a recruiting juggernaut that defies description. It would be unlikely that any of the lesser lights will be able to crack this group, so the two teams vying for all of the marbles are most likely on this list.
The two teams from the SEC West will play each other on September 17; Oxford and Ole Miss will be gunning for their third straight win over the Tide. Regardless of the outcome of the Ole Miss v Florida State game, this game may well decide the SEC Championship.
Other early games of national importance are:
Ole Miss v Florida State in Orlando on Sept 5
LSU v Wisconsin in Green Bay on September 3
Clemson v Auburn at Jordan Hare on Sept 3
Michigan State v Notre Dame in South Bend on Sept 12
Oklahoma v Ohio State in Norman on Sept 17
Texas v Notre Dame at Austin on Sept 4
Stanford v USC in Palo Alto on Sept 17
Tennessee v Florida in Knoxville on Sept 24
When September ends we should have a much clearer picture of the race for the National Championship. We may see a team like Texas or USC make a strong statement, but my guess is the top ten will still look pretty much as it does today. Next week I’ll talk about the top two conferences in the country, the SEC West and the SEC East.
Categories: As I Like It!
Ole Miss’ “recruiting juggernaut” does not defy description. Its called “payola”. Bill Harvey
Heck Bill, I thought it was the fancy bongs.