TEAMS THAT SHOULD DISAPPOINT
Just like there are always the surprises every year, there are always teams that do not live up to expectations, like Clemson. Clemson has done it so much that they are not even a part of this list because it is almost a formality. So here are the three teams outside of Clemson who will be bona fide disappointments this year.
1. OKLAHOMA SOONERS - I know, they return a dearth of talent on offense and defense and skip Missouri on the schedule this year. There is only one problem: Brent Venables is still the defensive coordinator. As long as he holds that title, Oklahoma will not live up to expectations. Everyone knows that Oklahoma has thoroughbreds, so why do they keep getting upset? Their defensive scheming. How Brent Venables does not blitz more and utilize his ridiculous talent to the best of their ability is baffling. So, regardless of their schedule, thanks to Venables, Oklahoma’s defense will again cost them a National Championship in 2008.
2. GEORGIA BULLDOGS – Georgia is not on this list because of their talent or coaching. They are arguably the best in America in both categories. So what’s the issue? Their schedule. It is one of the toughest schedules in the history of college football and I would never wish this schedule upon any team. They have to play South Carolina, a team they lost to last year at home, on the road in week 2. Then they travel to Arizona State, never an easy place to play, for their first regular season non-conference road game since 1949 west of the Mississippi. Then they have a stretch at the end of the season where they have to go on the road and play LSU, Auburn and Kentucky with Florida mixed in between those. Yikes, are we done yet? Georgia has the talent to win the National Championship, but it will be nary impossible to get through that stretch of road games with less than two losses. So, just based on that, and their preseason number one ranking, they are a disappointment, it has nothing to do with their talent.
3. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS – West Virginia is just like Oklahoma. The talent is Morgantown is stockpiled, the problem is coaching. Rich Rodriguez left controversially to take over at Michigan, and West Virginia hired Bill Stewart, one of Rodriguez’s assistants to be the full-time head coach after he led the ‘Eers to an upset victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Well, off-the-cuff hirings rarely work, and this will be further evidence. He may be a nice guy, and he won them a big game, but one game does not make a head coach. He also made a fatal mistake of bringing in Jeff Mullen, Wake Forest’s old Offensive Coordinator to run this offense. If you looked at Wake Forest’s offense the past couple seasons, you probably became nauseous. Yes, Jeff Mullen did not have this caliber of athlete at Wake Forest, but I, along with many West Virginia fans can see the offense taking a step back without HC Rich Rodriguez. It’s not just the coaching, the defense loses a ton of talent, and without a good defense, there will be too much emphasis put on the offense to score. Oh and Jeff Mullen likes to throw more than Rich Rod did, and QB Pat White is not a great passer. The list of questions just keeps going on, and it’s all a formula for disaster. Expect at least three losses from WVU this season.
So, that ends the 2008 College Football Preview, Stay tuned each week for previews of the three biggest games on the schedule and the predictions of who will win. I can promise you those previews will not be as long as this one. I now leave you with my prediction for who will be playing for the National Championship and who will win it.
The National Championship at Miami Dolphins Stadium will see:
Florida taking on Missouri
Your 2008 National Champion: THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
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