College football season, finally, is here
Aug. 28—Come July and August every year, I find myself proclaiming the same old same old and see no reason to make an exception this trip around the sun.
So, first off, finally! Wonderful, glorious college football returns in full next week.
That's the rub. The time between crowning a national champion in January from the previous year's season to week 1 kickoff for the current year stretches out just slightly shorter than eternity, or at least feels comparable to the time an old girlfriend made me sit through "Gone With The Wind."
But then, when the new season does ramp up, best hang on cause it flies by in the blink of an eye.
But no matter that. September's right around the corner bringing, let's hope, cooler weather in the weeks ahead and tons of football excitement.
Exciting showdowns such as next Saturday's Oklahoma versus UTEP showdown.
Okay, maybe not so much that one but hey, No. 5 Notre Dame against No. 2 Ohio State, not to mention No. 11 Oregon battling reigning national champion and No. 3 Georgia. Several other — well, one at least — Week 1 games look interesting as well including No. 7 Utah against unranked Florida. Elsewhere, assorted big names — Alabama, Clemson etc. — run through cakewalk games but exciting matchups aplenty fill the weeks following.
As in recent years past, the Times-Review has once again called upon area coaches and assorted fans to gaze into the crystal ball of college football and voice their season predictions.
Participants were asked to guess conference champions, the national champion, Heisman winner, dark horse pick and other categories.
Should be fun to revisit their preseason picks in January to see which were champs and which were chumps.
Those we polled, in addition to my picks, include Rio Vista Head Football Coach Kasey Black, CTR Sports Editor A.J. Crisp, Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Ryan Eady, Burleson Centennial Head Football Coach Kyle Geller, Joshua Fire Department's Lance Lewis, Cleburne Police Department's Sgt. Kelly Summey and Cleburne Head Football Coach Jim Woodard.
Readers are, of course, encouraged to weigh in with their picks on the Times-Review's Facebook page.
Who wins the Big 12, SEC, Big 10, ACC & Pac-12 conference championships?
Black: Baylor, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & USC
Crisp: TCU, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & Utah
Eady: Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & Utah
Geller: Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan, Clemson & Utah
Lewis: Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & USC
Smith: Oklahoma State, Alabama, Purdue, Clemson & Utah
Summey: Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, NC State & Oregon
Woodard: Baylor, Alabama, Michigan, Clemson & Utah
What 4 teams qualify for the College Football playoff?
Black: Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia & Notre Dame
Crisp: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & Utah
Eady: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State & Utah
Geller: Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan & Utah
Lewis: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & Georgia
Smith: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson & Oklahoma
Summey: Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M & Oklahoma
Woodard: Alabama, Baylor, Utah & Clemson
Who wins the National Championship?
Black: Alabama
Crisp: Alabama
Eady: Alabama
Geller: Alabama
Lewis: Alabama
Smith: Alabama
Summey: Ohio State
Woodard: Alabama; would love to pick Baylor, but they may be a year or so away.
Who wins the Heisman Trophy?
Black: Alabama QB Bryce Young
Crisp: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud; last year I went out on a limb and picked North Carolina QB Sam Howell — this year, I'll stick to one of the favorites.
Eady: USC QB Caleb Williams
Geller: Alabama QB Bryce Young
Lewis: Alabama QB Bryce Young
Smith: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
Summey: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
Woodard: Alabama LB Will Anderson, the 2nd defensive player to win it.
Who is your dark horse team?
Black: Texas
Crisp: TCU; I think the Sonny Dykes era starts off with a bang.
Eady: Texas Tech
Lewis: TCU
Smith: Arkansas
Summey: TCU
Woodard: Houston; not really a dark horse but will win its conference and be in the top 10. Nebraska should have a chance at a decent year.
