College Football Teams We Wish Could Do 'Hard Knocks' in 2015
Over the past few years, professional football fans have found a beacon that carries them toward the beginning of the NFL regular season: Hard Knocks.
For the uninitiated, Hard Knocks is a reality documentary series that takes a look at the inside workings of an NFL training camp, focusing on position battles, rookies struggling to make the team and the home life of players and coaches alike, among other things.
It has been a highly popular venture for HBO and the NFL, with fans speculating each summer about which team will be selected to be spotlighted. Since 2001, nine seasons of the program have been produced, and it has now become a yearly program.
So we got to thinking: What if HBO expanded the concept to the college ranks? College football coaches are notoriously private and paranoid, but an all-access look at a college program would be fascinating. Here are 10 programs that we’d drop everything to watch on Hard Knocks.
Alabama
1 of 10
Nick Saban isn’t the cuddliest guy around. Alabama’s coach has had more than his share of scraps with beat writers in press conferences. This spring, he ripped Florence Times-Daily reporter Alex Byington (via Sports Illustrated) for (gasp) asking players about other players and the pace of the Crimson Tide offense.
"Well, if you guys continue to get quotes from players about other players, then we're not going to talk to players any more," Saban said.
But when you’re perhaps the nation’s top active college football coach (and its highest paid), you can’t argue with the results.
Saban and “The Process” have won four national championships, three since taking over as the Crimson Tide head coach in 2007. He knows how to use the media to his advantage and has provided well-regarded analysis as commentator for ESPN on several occasions.
This season, in particular, would be a great time to take a look inside the program’s inner workings. Alabama is coming off appearances in the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff but returns just nine starters and will be working a number of young, talented players into larger roles.
Also, who will replace Blake Sims as the Tide starting quarterback? Will Jake Coker hold off a cadre of young challengers? It’d be very interesting to watch it all unfold.
Clemson
2 of 10
Over the past seven years, Dabo Swinney has built Clemson into one of the nation’s most consistent programs. The Tigers have won at least 10 games in each of the last four seasons, winning an ACC title and taking postseason victories over LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma in that span.
Swinney is also a loquacious, animated presence, as anyone who has watched one of his interviews following a big Clemson victory or paid attention to his ongoing war of words with South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier can attest to. Clemson has hosted ESPN’s College GameDay multiple times in recent seasons and isn’t afraid of cameras.
This is an important season for the Tigers, who are trying to go from great to nationally elite and get past Florida State in the ACC Atlantic Division. With star quarterback Deshaun Watson rehabbing following offseason ACL surgery and a talented crop of recruits joining the roster, there’s no shortage of storylines.
LSU
3 of 10
From his press conferences to his idiosyncratic sideline behavior (chewing grass, anyone?), Les Miles is one of college football’s most intriguing presences. Since succeeding Nick Saban at LSU, Miles has kept the Tigers playing at a high level, winninig a national championship of his own with consistent solid play.
2014 was a down year in Baton Rouge, with a young team slipping to an 8-5 record. But with plenty of talent coming back, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Leonard Fournette, the needle is pointing upward again in Death Valley.
How will Miles handle the upcoming season, especially with the Tigers needing to choose between Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris at quarterback? It’d be a fascinating watch, without question.
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Michigan
4 of 10
Last fall under Brady Hoke, Michigan was a joyless, boring program. That all changed when the Wolverines fired Hoke and managed to lure alum Jim Harbaugh home to breathe life into a moribund atmosphere.
Harbaugh is driven, fiery and intense, and he immediately makes Michigan one of the most interesting stories in college football. His transition back to college coaching and his approach to the Wolverines roster will be a truly fascinating story.
How will he pick a quarterback? How will he revitalize a down offense? How will Michigan’s roster respond to him? All great reasons to give him a bigger spotlight this summer.
Ohio State
5 of 10
Last season made it official: Ohio State is one of college football’s elite programs once again. The Buckeyes overcame an early loss to Virginia Tech and injuries to quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett to win the program’s first national title since 2002.
Urban Meyer’s third national championship returned him to the college football mountaintop, and he doesn’t figure to descend any time soon. The Buckeyes return 14 starters this fall and have an embarrassment of riches at quarterback, where Barrett, Miller and Cardale Jones will compete for the starting role this summer.
That storyline alone is rich enough to carry a look at the Buckeyes, but Meyer is a compelling personality, too. How does the veteran coach deal with success? What about his team? It’d be really interesting television that would attract a huge viewership.
Oklahoma
6 of 10
Sometimes, the most interesting point in a career happens after a person has been knocked down. That’s the situation Bob Stoops faces right now. After 16 seasons at Oklahoma, 168 wins, eight league titles and a BCS national title, the Sooners fell hard last fall.
A season that began with College Football Playoff aspirations ended with an 8-5 record and an embarrassing 40-6 Russell Athletic Bowl loss to Clemson. Stoops responded by revamping his offensive staff and hiring East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, a proponent of the Air Raid offense.
How will Riley’s philosophy fit in? Will Baker Mayfield or Trevor Knight start at quarterback? How do the Sooners handle adversity? All great questions that make Oklahoma a program worth following this summer.
Southern California
7 of 10
Southern California doesn’t have a reputation as being camera-shy. Under Pete Carroll’s watch, the program embraced stars such as Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg attending open practices with sideline game access.
NCAA probation and former coach Lane Kiffin reined in those free-wheeling policies to an extent, but with the Trojans emerging from probation’s effects, it’s a perfect time to take a closer look at the Trojans.
USC should be a College Football Playoff contender this fall after returning 15 starters from a 9-4 team, led by star senior quarterback Cody Kessler and do-everything athlete Adoree’ Jackson. The Trojans will have the national spotlight on them again, so this is the perfect time to take a closer look as they emerge.
South Carolina
8 of 10
Steve Spurrier has enjoyed a long, storied career in college football with a national title, multiple SEC championships and 226 victories. And South Carolina’s veteran head coach has become just as known for his acid tongue as his successful resume—as anyone who has followed his verbal sparring sessions against Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee can tell you.
Spurrier is entering the twilight of his coaching career, but he isn’t done yet. As South Carolina enters the 2015 season, he is determined to rebound from an ugly 7-6 campaign in 2014. How can Spurrier solve his quarterback situation? Can he improve a defense that struggled mightily a year ago?
With the cameras on, Spurrier would be sure to have a few choice words about the situation, directing them at his players and media members alike. Admit it, you’d watch.
Texas
9 of 10
One year ago, Texas got a new sheriff. The school hired Charlie Strong take over a program that had grown soft during Mack Brown’s long reign, and he found a new direction immediately, booting nine players from the roster for various reasons.
On-field success was more fleeting: The Longhorns finished 6-7 and absorbed an ugly Texas Bowl loss to Arkansas.
As year two of the Strong era begins, there are many questions. Who will be the starting quarterback? Is Strong done weeding out malcontents on the roster? Will the tough love turn into victories? This would be a natural inside-the-program series for the Longhorn Network to tackle, assuming Strong gives it carte blanche in regard to access.
Washington State
10 of 10
Anyone who has paid any attention to college football in the past decade knows that Mike Leach is one of the game’s most eclectic and controversial figures. Leach is a pioneer of the pass-happy Air Raid offense that has lit up scoreboards all across the nation.
Following his surprising exit from Texas Tech, Leach retreated to Key West, Florida, before being hired by Washington State in 2011. Big things were expected, but he hasn’t necessarily delivered. In three seasons, Leach is 12-25 with one bowl appearance, and pressure is building on him.
It’d be fascinating to follow him through a crucial preseason where he knows he needs to succeed, especially in the context of replacing prolific quarterback Connor Halliday. Mike Leach under the gun would be must-see TV.
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