My Experience With The "Terps"

This summer, I got the opportunity to do a summer program at the University of Maryland. While there, I got to meet a large portion of the football team at the Diner during dinner. One of the more notable players there was Stefon Diggs. Stefon was a five star recruit on ESPNU's 150, the top 150 recruits in the country. He was ranked thirteenth and was listed as an athlete. He will be playing wide receiver for the Terps this season. It was interesting to her from the players how they manage their schoolwork with football. Kerry Boykins, a senior wide receiver had his routine down. Simply put, he took morning classes, had football practice and then would do his schoolwork before dinner. As the season nears closer and closer, it is obvious that the players are becoming more anxious. Maryland opens up the season at home against William & Mary, in what should be an easy win. One last question, do you have any possible dark horse Heisman contenders like RGIII last season?

SEC Dominance Again

The preseason coaches poll is out and as a Seminoles fan, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Noles ranked 7th after last season being ranked in the top 10 and finishing 23rd. The Pac-12 had USC at number three, when many people thought they would at least be ranked 2nd. Oregon is also a top 5 team. But the day belonged to the SEC with 7 in the top 25 and half of the top 10 including #1 and #2. I believe it is well warranted. They have won the last 6 national championships and have numerous contenders this year. Other conferences have equal and better offenses than say LSU or Alabama, but the top SEC schools have NFL caliber defenses that are just impermeable. As always, the end of the Top 25 are teams that have had glory, but are not contenders this year. More specifically, Boise State, Florida, and Auburn. Boise State and Florida have new quarterbacks and Auburn's offense is not what it was when it had 6' 5" Cam Newton running the show. A team outside of the Top 25 who I think has a shot at a BCS bowl is Georgia Tech. In a weakened ACC, if Georgia Tech can beat Virginia Tech head-to-head, they can have a shot to play for a bid to the Orange bowl. My preseason prediction for the national championship is LSU vs. USC. Oklahoma and Oregon do not have the defenses to play for the national championship. USC has an easier road to the national championship than Alabama, I think Alabama will to LSU this year in Death Valley. I do not think the voters want to see another SEC vs. SEC showdown in the national championship. The playoff system will not be in effect next year, so the BCS will decide the national champion next year. Also, on a recruiting note, I would not be surprised to whom many people see as the number one recruit in the country, Robert Nkemdiche decommit from Clemson. He wants his best friend with him at Clemson, and if they decide to not offer Ryan Carter a scholarship, he may "hold-out" in a sense. Nkemdiche already has numerous teammates from his high school with, but Ryan Carter is "like a brother." All in all, with college football on the horizon, it should be an exciting three and a half weeks leading up to the start of another great season.

What a CRAZY "Off"season

In the words of the great Bobby Bowden "He died right after he retired, and seeing that made me feel more conscious of a man needing a motive to live. If I ever got out of coaching, I would want to get a job somewhere, or I'm afraid I'd wilt on the vine, too." Bobby was referring to Bear Bryant, but Joe Paterno suffered the same fate. Amidst, perhaps the biggest scandal in college football history, Joe Paterno died January 22nd, 2012. The scandal itself has already been highly publicized. If you're interested in reading more, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/penn-state-scandal/ Players have transferred, and Penn St. has a long road to go before ever getting back to glory and putting this awful event behind them. Looking ahead, college football has a bright future with the addition of the playoff system, while keeping the bowls. Teams are getting prepared, and personally I can't wait until August 30th.