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.