Pigskin Preview Tells of Upcoming Football Season

The 13th Annual Peach State Pigskin Preview (PSPP) took place last week at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (GSHF) in Macon. The PSPP is an annual event sponsored by the GSHF and attended by the coaches and selected players from all college football programs in the state, which gives the media an opportunity for face-to-face interviews to gather perspectives of what to expect just 12 short weeks from now, when hearts, hopes and eyes will all be focused on the pigskin.

A new system has been approved by the NCAA to select a national championship in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the top level of the sport, of which Georgia now has four teams since Georgia Southern and Georgia State have moved up to this level with Georgia and Georgia Tech.

The national championship has previously been determined by computer rankings, polls and bowl game results. The bowl game system has survived and will continue, however the top four teams from the bowl games will be selected by a committee of 13 experts, and will play in two semifinal games with the two winners advancing on to the new College Football Championship Game.

Beginning with the four FBS teams in the state, here’s the scoop:

Georgia Bulldogs

Under Head Coach Mark Richt’s tenure for over the last 13 years the Dogs have gone 126-45. He is one of only five coaches in NCAA history to record 120 or more wins in his first 13 seasons. Even though the team was besieged by injuries last year the Bulldogs still managed to topple South Carolina, LSU, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia Tech, and finish the season with a 10-2 record. Including Quarterback Hutson Mason, the team will be returning 23 lettermen on offense and 25 on defense. Coach Richt said, “Our first team meeting was this week. All of our signing freshmen have reported and we’re ready to roll.” The Dogs will be tested early in their first game versus the Clemson Tigers who went 11-2 last year, however, the Dogs lead the series record at 41-18-4. Kick off is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 30 at Sanford Stadium.

Georgia Tech

Head Coach Paul Johnson, during his six years at the helm of the Jackets, had led his teams to six consecutive bowl games and to two ACC Championship Game appearances. Coach Johnson has posted a record of 47-32 during this period and ended with a record of 7-6 last year. Even though these records don’t jump out as very impressive, he has won more games in his first six years than any coach in the history of Georgia Tech. The team only returns 11 starters from last year and their quarterback transferred to another school. This information could be misleading since they actually return 23 players with starting experience, and starting sophomore quarterback Justin Thomas could be the quickest quarterback in the nation.

Coach Johnson said, “We had a productive spring practice and our schedule this year puts our non-conference games first. Last year we played without our two starting safeties, who are back this year. If we can be more consistent on defense, I look at the upcoming season with cautious optimism.” The Jackets should get off to a good start with their first three games scheduled against Wofford, Tulane and Georgia Southern, before ACC play begins. On August 30 the Jackets begin their season versus the Wofford Terriers at Grant Field.

Georgia Southern

The Eagles played their last regular season game as a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) last year when they upset the Florida Gators 26-20. After many years as a perennial power in the Southern Conference, they are moving up to the FBS, and will begin their first year of competition in the Sun Belt Conference. The Eagles also have a new head coach. Head Coach Willie Fritz was hired this past January after the existing coach accepted a position at West Point for Army.

Coach Fritz comes with a head coaching record of 176-67-1 over a 21 year period, most recently at Sam Houston State. Coach Fritz said, “I have completed hiring our coaching staff and have made our transition to the division one level. We will continue to run the triple option offense, but we will do it out of a sprint set, and we will throw the ball 15 to 20 times a game. Our biggest challenge is the offensive line, however, we have recruited some bigger players at these positions.”

The team’s biggest challenge will be their first game when they travel to Raleigh on August 30 to take on North Carolina State. Kickoff is at 12:30 pm, televised on the ACC Network.

Georgia State

The Panthers will begin their second year in the FBS, and also compete in the Sunbelt Conference. The team went 0-12 and 0-8 in conference play last year, so they have their work cut out for them. The good news is that they have 34 returning lettermen and have signed several junior college transfers. Second year Head Coach Trent Miles said, “We will be playing with a chip on our shoulder. We played 15 true freshmen last year. We have increased our size on the offensive line by signing three players from junior colleges. We intend to run a balanced offense with our base philosophy being to run the ball. We have taught our players to compete and now we have to teach them to win.”

This goal should be attainable, at least in their first game, when the Panthers take on Abilene Christian at the Georgia Dome at 7:00 p.m. on August 27, televised on ESPNU.

Continuing with the three FCS teams in the state, which are a part of an already existing playoff system:

Mercer University

The Bears played their inaugural schedule last year and set an NCAA record for most wins by a start up team by posting a 10-2 record including non-conference and Pioneer League play. Since then they have moved to the Southern Conference. Head Coach Bobby Lamb said, “I think speed will be the big difference as we move into the Southern Conference this fall. I was surprised at our success last year but our administration had everything in place for game one.

Because of our facilities, location and academics we are able to recruit well. We will have a tough job by moving into the Southern Conference, but we have a high level of confidence.”

It seems that the fans of the Bears do too, since the entire fall season has sold out. Their first game is scheduled for August 28 at Mercer University Stadium at 7:00 p.m. versus Reinhardt, a non-conference team, before moving into conference play.

Kennesaw State

The Owls won’t begin play until the fall of next year, but from the progress they have made it certainly appears they will be ready. Head Coach Brian Bohannon said, “Since last year we have signed 29 players, 26 of whom are from Georgia. We now have 72 players on the roster and we’ll be up to 90 by this fall and be ready to play in 2015. We will be competing in the Big South Conference. We have a new stadium and locker rooms and phenomenal facilities which are the best kept secret in the state.”

The Owls first game is scheduled versus East Tennessee State in Johnson City, TN on September 3, 2015 at 7:30 pm.

Savannah State

The Tigers had a disappointing record of 1-11 last year, competing in the MEAG. However, two of those losses were on the road and by two points, and they are returning 14 starters this fall. Head Coach Earnest Wilson was hired in June of last year so his first recruiting class was this past winter. The consensus is that despite their record, the Tigers showed vast improvement and played several close games against conference opponents. They will be hard pressed to get off to a good start on the season since their first game is scheduled for August 30 versus Middle Tennessee State University, a FBS team.

Now we move to NCAA Division II teams in the state, which also have a playoff system to determine a national championship:

Valdosta State

The Blazers, a traditional force in the Gulf South Conference, had a down year last year with a 6-4 overall and a 3-3 conference record. However, Head Coach David Dean, in his eighth year, led his team to a 2007 and a 2012 national championship and has a career record of 60-21. He should have his team back in the thick of things this year with 13 starters returning and a strong recruiting class. They begin play versus their traditional rival, Albany State, at home on September 6.

West Georgia

The Wolves, also a member of the Gulf South Conference, coming off a 6-5 season last year and returning 16 starters, may do some howling this fall. New Head Coach Will Hall comes to the Wolves from North Alabama, where he was an All-American and Harlan Hill Trophy winner as a quarterback. The should get their season off to a good start when they host Mars Hill at home on September 6 with kick-off scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Shorter

The Hawks, who transferred into the Gulf South Conference last year, were winless in conference play and went 2-11 overall. The Hawks should soar a little higher this fall with 14 returning starters and a season of Gulf South Conference play under their belt. A first game win should be very attainable for the Hawks since they are scheduled to play Paine College of Augusta, in what will be that school’s inaugural football game. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Rome on Thursday, September 4.

Fort Valley State

The Wildcats, who compete in the SIAC, went 4-6 last year, and with only eight returning starters, may be facing another mediocre season, since they begin their season versus Delta State, a perennial power in the GSC, at home on September 6.

Clark Atlanta

The Panthers haven’t won an SIAC championship since 1991, and will be hard pressed to improve on their record of 3-7 last year. They begin their season on September 7 at Central State University in Ohio.

Morehouse

The Maroon Tigers went 2-8 last year. They should get off to a good start versus Edward Waters on September 6.

Division III in the NCAA, also utilizes a playoff system to determine a national championship. Here’s how the two Georgia teams in this division stack up:

LaGrange College

The Panthers compete in the USA South Conference, began competition in football in 2006 and have complied a record of 29-52 since. They did post a 5-5 season last year and return an unprecedented 19 starters. Last year’s team led Division III in passing yardage averaging 357.6 yards per game. The team also has a new coach. Head Coach Matt Mumme took over the team in October of last year and led the team to a 2-1 record over the final three games. Look for the Panthers to make some noise this fall beginning with Birmingham Southern on September 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in the Magic City.

Berry College

The Vikings, in their first season during 2013, only won one game and that was over a JV team. They return 23 starters from a mostly freshman team and should post a better record this fall, however, it probably won’t be their first game when they travel to Maryville in Tennessee on September 6.

We move on to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which has no affiliation with the NCAA, but is the governing body of athletics for 89 small colleges across the USA which also has a play-off system in place to determine a national championship:

Reinhardt University

The Eagles play in the NAIA Mid-South Conference, located in Waleska, and played their inaugural season last year, and came very close to upsetting first-year program Mercer with a loss of 40-37. The Eagles went on to post a 6-4 season, 4-1 in their conference, winning five games in a row at one stretch. They will get another crack at the Mercer Bears on August 28 in Macon at 7:00 p.m.. As mentioned above, the game is already sold out. Look for the Eagles to dominate the Mid-South Conference this fall and advance in the playoffs.