Who Will Emerge as King of the Hill?
The anticipation, which has been building for months now, is almost over.
The 2009 college football season is practically upon us. If you are like me, you’ve flipped through several preseason magazines which arrived on the newsstands several weeks ago. I am looking for my crop of new media guides which should begin arriving any day now.
Like any new season, there are many questions which will be fun to watch answered this fall. Of course, major college football still can’t determine a true national champion, leaving us with the “BS” system (note I didn’t say BCS.)
With kickoff just a little more than a month away, here’s a few things I will be keeping an eye on this fall from my favorite viewing recliner:
•Will Southern Cal be able to defeat that one team it should be able to defeat and claim another mythical national title (with no playoff system you can only have a mythical national title winner.) Last year it was Oregon State which somehow tripped the Trojans up.
•Will this be Charlie Weiss’ last season at Notre Dame? If so, look for an NFL team to hire him quickly as its offensive coordinator.
•How far will the University of Georgia fall since its top two offensive stars bailed on the program for the NFL. I’ve seen some indications of a fourth-place SEC East finish for the Athens team. Athens-based talk show host and the ultimate UGA loyalist Jeff Danztler no doubt is on suicide watch.
•Will Georgia Tech continue to prove the doubters wrong with Paul Johnson’s triple option offense. I say yes. In fact, look for another win against the hated Bulldogs in the regular season finale.
•Will Florida continue to have UGA’s number? You bet. It could be even uglier than a year ago.
•Who are the best coaches in Division I-A? It’s easy to go with Pete Carroll at USC or Urban Meyer at Florida. However, for my money, I would hire Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson or Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe any day of the week to lead my program.
•Has the game passed the Old Ball Coach by? This is a tough one. So much of me wants to say no, but 2009 will be a big season for Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. Another non-bowl appearance could spell retirement and the golf course for the game’s No. 1 visor wearer.
•Upset special for Week 1 of the season: In true Appalachian State form, try Portland State, led by former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville, defeating Oregon State. The Vikings return a ton of offensive firepower and could be set to make some noise in their third season under the Man in Black.
•Other predictions for the upcoming season: Oklahoma State will defeat Georgia in the season opener; Duke will qualify for a bowl game under David Cutcliffe; Vanderbilt will qualify for a bowl game for the second consecutive season under the aforementioned Bobby Johnson; Georgia Southern will return to the Division I-AA playoffs and Lane Kiffin will be entertaining to watch at Tennessee (kind of like a young Jerry Glanville or Buddy Ryan.)
Monticello native Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal in Winder. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.