NCAA Football: 20 Burning Questions Entering 2010

Perhaps more so than other years, this college football season will mark a time of transition.

Not only has the game lost some of it's biggest names of the past four years in Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford, but conference re-alignment has altered the landscape of the sport—albeit not as drastically as many thought it would.

Because of the rosters that constantly fluctuate, the surprise teams that emerge every year, and the constant backing of a deeply flawed system to determine a champion, there are always plenty of unanswered questions at the beginning, and end, of any college football season.

What the 2010-11 season has in store for us seems especially murky.

Many very talented teams are breaking in new players at key positions, and unlike most years, there are several teams which have a very realistic shot of winning the national championship.

It seems the only thing certain entering this season is that Duke will not make it to a bowl game.

...or will they?

Will USC play like a team with nothing to gain?

Many felt that USC would emerge from the Reggie Bush situation with merely a slap on the wrist from the NCAA.

The reason for this is some, including myself, felt that USC's football program was worth too much to the NCAA to risk damaging through sanctions. I figured the entire situation would serve as another textbook example of how the NCAA is often overly harsh on small offenses while concurrently overlooking big ones.

Well, I was wrong.

The NCAA sanctions slapped down on USC, which include the loss of scholarships and a two year ban from postseason play, proved that they meant business. It will be fascinating to see how USC, a perennial contender for the national championship, will respond to the sanctions through their play.

Will they play angry; Anxious to prove to everyone that they are the best team in the country, even if NCAA rules dictate that they're not allowed to play in the Rose Bowl or the national championship game? Or will they play uninspired and ultimately fall to teams with inferior talent?

Will Garrett Gilbert lead the Longhorns to the Big 12 crown?

When Vince Young left Texas for the NFL and Colt McCoy took his place at quarterback for the 2006 season, many compared the situation to handing over the keys of a fully loaded Mercedes to a teenager.

Now, Colt McCoy is the one leaving Texas to play in the NFL, but nobody is comparing his successor to an adolescent. In fact, some are even hinting that sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert is a dark horse candidate to make it to New York for the Heisman trophy ceremony.

Gilbert, one of the most highly-touted quarterbacks in Texas high school football history, is no stranger to pressure. Forced to fill-in for McCoy during the national championship game, Gilbert struggled initially, but eventually led Texas to within three points of Alabama in the final three minutes of the game, displaying poise and a dynamite arm in the process.

Gilbert will have one of the best defenses in college football on his side to take some of the pressure off of him, but how fast he develops as player will likely be the determining factor in how the Longhorns fare as a team this season.

The early prognosis is positive: Gilbert was 10-of-13 passing for 165 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns spring game.

How will Florida perform in the post-Tebow era?

Considering his presence in the national media rivaled that of any professional sports star during his final three seasons in college, it's going to be strange watching the University of Florida suit up this season without Tim Tebow under center (or more accurately, lined up two yards behind center and then charging like a rhino at center).

Regardless, Urban Meyer's outstanding recruiting over the past few years will ensure that Florida will be just fine without it’s star pupil.

After waiting patiently behind Tebow, John Brantley, a junior, will finally get the chance to start at quarterback for the Gators. Brantley was outstanding in mop-up duty last season, completing 75 percent of his passes and throwing seven touchdowns.

Florida's offense will most definitely have a different look to it this year, as Brantley's arm should allow the Gators to open up the passing game.

The real test will come on October 2, when the Gators travel to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama. At the conclusion of this game, Gator fans will either be rejoicing about being in the hunt for the national title once again or left praying for a third coming of Jesus to take over at quarterback.

Will Oregon be a national title contender without Jeremiah Masoli?

When thinking of Jeremiah Masoli's fall from grace, my thoughts are best articulated by Charlie Brown: "Oh brother!"

Masoli went from Heisman candidate to being kicked out of school in a matter of months as a result of a bunch of stupid and selfish decisions.

Now Oregon, who will still likely start the season ranked in the top 10 despite Masoli's absence, will be scrambling to find an identity on offense.

Nate Costa has shown flashes of talent and should be capable as a starter, but his injury history is likely to be an area of concern for Duck fans.

Fortunately for Oregon, its running game may be enough to glide it through what should be a weak Pac-10.

LaMichael James is a remarkable talent, rushing for over 1,500 yards last season, and it's possible he may garner some Heisman hype in Masoli's absence.

Kenjon Barner, like James, is a sophomore, and averaged six yards a carry last season. He’s type of back that is a threat to score every time he touches the football.

Finally, incoming freshman and Youtube sensation Lache Seastrunk is a shifty speedster out of Texas whose talents should cater very nicely to Oregon's scheme.

How the Ducks play without Masoli is anyone’s guess, but anything less than a 10 win season will likely cause an uproar in Eugene.

Can Miami finally translate talent into wins?

Miami has not played like “The U” in almost a decade now, but it’s not for lack of talent.

Randy Shannon, while perhaps not the most adept X’s and O’s coach, has proven to be a very strong recruiter during his time with the program.

The Hurricanes have a lot of returning players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Jacory Harris, meaning youth can no longer be considered an excuse for futility. Given the talent and experience they possess, anything but an improvement on last season’s 9-4 record should be considered a disappointment.

Miami’s second and third games of the season will both be tough out-of-conference match ups: At Ohio State and at Pittsburgh. The performance of the Hurricanes in these games should give us some indication of exactly how far Miami has come and whether The U of old is truly back.

Is Boise State the best team in the country?

It doesn't seem like that ridiculous of a question anymore.

The Broncos have shed their underdog image—112 wins over the course of 10 seasons will do that for you.

They return every starter except one from last year's team that went undefeated—including a victory over a then-undefeated TCU team that many felt was deserving of a spot in the national championship game.

Boise State will play Oregon State and Virginia Tech in back to back weeks towards the beginning of the season, and if they win both of those games convincingly, there's a relatively good chance the Bronco's will become the first non-BCS school to play in the BCS national championship game.

Will Mark Ingram become the second player to win the Heisman twice?

With all of the other players that joined him in New York last season for the Heisman ceremony now in the NFL, it appears that 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is in a good position to become the first player since Archie Griffin to win the award twice.

One of the main obstacles in his way may very well be his talented teammate and fellow running back Trent Richardson. Ingram and Richardson will make up the most talented backfield that the state of Alabama has seen since Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams suited up at Auburn.

To win the Heisman once again, Ingram will need to put up big numbers. While he undoubtedly will do so, it's unclear whether he will get enough carries to win the award.

This may benefit Ingram in the long run.

Nobody can question the Heisman winner's talent, and with less carries, he'll enter the NFL draft without being labeled as "damaged goods" as a result of being over-utilized in college.

Ingram himself wasn't really on anybody's Heisman radar entering the 2009 season, so perhaps another unheralded player will follow in his footsteps this season to capture the award.

Is Terrelle Pryor ready to take the next step?

Pryor has garnered comparisons to Vince Young since he was in high school, but hasn’t played like Vince Young thus far in his career.

Young had his breakout game as a collegiate player in the 2004 Rose Bowl. Similarly, Pryor had one of the best games of his young career in the Rose Bowl last season.

Whether the parallels continue between the two players will depend on how Pryor plays this season.

If he is able to put all of his physical talents together and help Ohio State storm through the Big Ten, there is little doubt that Pryor will be invited to the Heisman ceremony at the end of the season.

The Buckeyes have the talent to win the national championship. Whether this talent is realized and utilized is squarely on the shoulders of Terrelle Pryor and head coach Jim Tressel.

Which team will surprise us?

One of the questions entering every college football season is which team will greatly surpass expectations.

There are two teams in particular that I believe are compelling dark horses, and fortunately for college football fans, they’ll be playing each other on October 9 in Cowboy Stadium.

Arkansas and Texas A&M should both have dynamite offenses, and if their defenses can hold up just enough to not give up more than 25 points per game, as the Aggies did last year, they will be serious contenders in their respective conferences.

The Aggies quietly have put together arguably the best trio of skill position players in the country in QB Jerrod Johnson, RB Christine Michael, and WR Jeff Fuller. Last season the offense ranked in the top 15 nationally in a myriad of offensive categories including points per game, yards per game, and third down conversion percentage.

There’s no real reason for the team to take step back this year, as they return vital players on both sides of the ball and added former Air Force defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter during the offseason, who should give the much-maligned defense a boost.

The Razorbacks' hopes this season begin and end with Texarkana, Texas native Ryan Mallett. The junior met all of the high expectations that were placed on him prior to the season, thriving in head coach Bobby Petrino’s offense.

As always, Arkansas will face a very difficult schedule in the SEC this upcoming season, but fortunately, many of their toughest games will be played at home. The defense should be better and if Mallett is able to repeat the success he had in the SEC last season, he will be one of the favorites to take home the Heisman.

Keep a close eye on how this team performs against Alabama at home in the fourth week of the season—if Mallett can lead the Razorbacks to an upset, he may just leap to head of the Heisman pack.

In terms of mid-major surprise teams, SMU is an intriguing squad. I think it’s quite possible for June Jones to coach the Mustangs to the Conference USA championship this season.

There’s probably no fan base in the nation that’s hungrier for success, and SMU’s confidence should still be sky high after absolutely shellacking Nevada in last year’s Hawaii Bowl. This will be the third year that SMU’s players will have to adjust to Jones’ high-octane system, so it’s likely that things will really start to click for the Mustangs.

A good SMU team is very bad news for Conference USA, and possibly worse news for the coaches around the country that recruit heavily out of the talent-rich Dallas Metroplex.

Which team will emerge in the Big East?

No major conference is more wide open heading into the season than the Big East.

Six teams—Pittsburgh, UConn, Rutgers, Cincinnati, South Florida, and West Virginia—each have a realistic shock at winning the conference, and Louisville, who will now be coached by former Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, is a possible sleeper team.

Although the conference doesn’t get much publicity, the race for the Big East title has been among the more interesting story lines in college football in recent history, with seven different teams either winning or sharing the conference title the past seven seasons.

This year, who will win the conference is anybody’s guess.

Pitt’s Dion Lewis and West Virginia’s Noel Devine combine to make arguably the best duo of running backs that any conference can offer. In addition, some of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country will call the Big East home this coming season.

While it’s unlikely that the conference will produce a national championship candidate—many of the squads are evenly matched and will beat up on one another—the Big East is a conference to watch this season, as the style of plays most teams employ should offer up some very exciting football games.

Can Jimbo Fisher bring Florida State back to prominence?

It’s going to be peculiar watching Florida State games this season and not see Bobby Bowden roaming the sidelines in a straw hat.

Jimbo Fisher, after patiently serving as the coach-in-waiting, will be taking over the Seminoles this year, hoping to turn around a program that most would describe as underachieving in the past decade.

Fisher, the former quarterbacks coach at LSU, will have a valuable weapon at his disposal in senior quarterback Christian Ponder, who put together a great junior season before succumbing to injury.

Fisher has already proven that he’s a solid recruiter—the last three recruiting classes at Florida State have been ranked in the top ten in the country according to Rivals.com—and now it’s a matter of whether Jimbo can 'coach ‘em up.'

The biggest story surrounding the Seminoles program in the past decade was a massive academic cheating scandal that forced the program to forfeit wins from the 2006-07 season. If Fisher is as talented a coach as he is a recruiter, it’s likely that this next decade will be full of much more positive news at Florida State.

How will Tennessee recover from the Lane Kiffin debacle?

As a college football fan, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the night that Lane Kiffin left Tennessee.

The idea that Kiffin would leave a Tennessee program that he had just taken over seemed absurd. Kiffin abandoning Tennessee in the middle of the night to take over USC indeed seemed like more of a punchline than a possibility.

Whoops.

Urban Meyer, who was accused of cheating by Kiffin in attempting to land a Tennessee recruit, had a reaction to the news that may have summed up the whole situation best—a simple wry grin.

In reality, we probably should have seen this coming from a coach whose brash recruiting antics and demeanor towards other coaches had firmly established him as arguably the most hated man in the SEC.

The city of Knoxville is likely still recovering from their meltdown from that night. Those that are still especially torn up over the event may want to refrain from watching the product that Tennessee puts on the field this season.

New coach Derek Dooley will likely have to take some time to rebuild the confidence of a proud program that was tossed aside, and the only way to build confidence is to win. Given the fact that Eric Berry, one of the best safeties in SEC history, is now playing on Sundays, and the Vols don’t have any player with experience lining up behind center, expect those wins to start coming later rather than sooner.

Will North Carolina’s NFL defense make up for their high school offense?

North Carolina’s defense heading into the 2010 college football season will have an embarrassment of riches.

A breakdown of the top defensive prospects in the 2011 draft by Collegefootballnews.com placed six different North Carolina players among the top two prospects at their respective position: DE Robert Quinn, DT Marvin Austin, ILB Quan Sturdivant, OLB Bruce Carter, FS Deunta Williams, and CB Kendrick Burney.

These players will comprise more than half of the starting defense for the Tar Heels this fall, and if they play to their full potential, should be the cornerstones of the best defense in college football.

So, with such a dominating force on one side of the ball, how come more experts aren’t listing North Carolina as one of the favorites to win the national title?

The simple answer is North Carolina’s quarterback T.J. Yates.

Yates, a senior, has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career and led a North Carolina offense that was 101st in the nation in passing yards last season. For context, North Carolina finished last season with only 329 more passing yards than ACC north rival Georgia Tech, which runs the triple-option.

Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they return 245-pound mammoth running back Ryan Houston, who was their leading rusher last season.

If they hope to win the ACC title, the Tar Heels offense must find some rhythm on offense this fall. If not, expect a lot of low-scoring disappointments in Chapel Hill.

Who will be the best mid-major QB: Case Keenum or Kellen Moore?

An interesting storyline to keep track of throughout the season will be the competition between Houston quarterback Case Keenum and Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore for the distinction of being know as the best mid-major QB.

Last season, both players had superb years. Moore threw 39 touchdowns and only three interceptions, and Keenum led the nation in passing by more than 1,400 yards.

Despite being arguably the two best quarterbacks in the nation statistically, neither Keenum nor Moore was invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York, or even garnered serious consideration for the award last season.

It seems extremely unlikely that the two mid-major quarterbacks will get enough media attention to both receive invites to New York this season, but the odds are favorable that if they continue their stellar play, at least one of them will get the coveted Heisman consideration that they rightfully deserve.

It will be interesting to watch which player distinguishes himself more as the 2010 season progresses.

Is this Rich Rodriguez’ last go-around at Michigan?

Unless the Wolverines make a drastic turn around this season and win at least nine games, I think this year may be Rodriguez’ swan song in Ann Arbor. The signs pointing towards an early departure for Rodriguez are obvious—the donors are not happy with him, the NCAA is not happy with him, and even players that have never played for him, are not happy with him.

Former Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards recently said that Rodriguez is “past the hot seat.” Edwards continued, "If he can't [make it work]—me being one of the alumni guys—I want someone that can make it work. We've been patient. If it doesn't go right this year, we'll have to find a guy that can make it work with that winged helmet.”

Edwards' comments more or less echo the sentiments of the proud Michigan fan base that is desperate to compete in the Big Ten. At the very least, if Rodriguez can find a way to defeat the hated Buckeyes in Columbus this season, his job may be secure for at least one more year. But seeing as though Ohio State is a more talented team playing at home, in addition to winning eight of the last nine matchups between the schools, Rodriguez may want to get a head start on packing up his office.

Will Nebraska depart from the Big 12 on a high note?

The University of Nebraska will be saying goodbye, or more accurately “good riddance,” to the Big 12 following the conclusion of the 2010 college football season. Appropriately enough, the Cornhuskers will be sporting a team this season that possesses the talent to win the school its first Big 12 championship in football since 1999.

The Huskers were very vocal with their dismay of the conference, and in particular, their dislike of the University of Texas, while making plans to depart.

The fact that this may be the last time we watch Texas and Nebraska square off on the gridiron for a long while will add another dimension to the game on October 16 between the two schools in Lincoln. Because Nebraska does not have to play OU in-season this year, this game will likely be the toughest contest the Huskers face all year.

If the Huskers ultimately do win the Big 12 championship, it will be interesting to see whether the fingers raised by their supporters at Cowboy Stadium signify “We’re No. 1!” or...something else.

Did Jake Locker make the right choice by sticking around?

I’ve always respected a player’s decision to stay in college and complete their career with their respective program.

Top players have a much longer window of time to experience life in the NFL than college, so if money isn’t an issue, why not spend one more year of being the big man on campus?

Many pundits placed Jake Locker among the best prospects in the 2010 NFL draft at the conclusion of his junior season. Despite this, to the surprise of many, he decided to return to the University of Washington to play his senior season and continue to do his part to resurrect a program that increased its win total by five last season.

Some feel this decision could prove costly for Locker, but as we’ve learned from recent history, it’s possible that the decision will be inconsequential.

Matt Leinart decided to return for his senior season at USC, despite the fact that many experts believed he would be the top pick in the 2005 draft. Leinart ended up being surpassed by other prospects as a senior and many criticized he decision to return to USC when he dropped all the way to 10th overall in the 2006 draft.

But despite dropping in the draft, Leinart wasn’t necessarily a loser.

He ultimately signed a six-year contract worth $51 million. Comparatively, Alex Smith, the top overall pick in the 2005 draft, signed a six-year deal worth $49.5 million with the San Francisco 49ers.

Similarly, Sam Bradford returned to Oklahoma for his redshirt junior season after winning the Heisman Trophy, and despite suffering a shoulder injury the first game of the season, he was still selected first overall by the St. Louis Rams in the 2010 NFL draft.

The biggest threats to Locker’s earning potential are Ryan Mallett, who may ultimately surpass Locker as the top quarterback prospect in the country, and the re-negotiation of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, which may result in scaled contracts for NFL draft picks beginning in 2011, similar to the system used in the NBA.

Both of theses developments will be interesting to watch as we track Jake Locker during the 2010 college football season.

How will Brian Kelly fare in his first season with the Irish?

The Charlie Weis era in South Bend has come to a merciful end, and fortunately for Irish fans, Notre Dame should have a new look this fall under new head coach Brian Kelly.

Kelly, who led the University of Cincinnati to back-to-back championships in the Big East, is no stranger to resurrecting a program.

In his first full season with the Bearcats in 2007, Kelly coached the team to 10 wins, tying the highest win total in school history, which occurred in 1951. By the time he left the program two years later, he had led Cincinnati to an undefeated regular season.

Kelly already has experience recruiting in the Midwest—prior to serving as head coach at Cincinnati, Kelly was the lead man at Central Michigan. The fact that Kelly has already proven to have an eye for talent and the ability to coach players to their potential should also be cause for optimism for the Irish.

The bar likely won’t be set too high for Kelly to begin with, given Notre Dame’s loss of talent to the NFL draft last season. If Kelly can lead the Irish to a respectable bowl game—and there is no shortage of respectable bowl games that would fall over themselves to take them—then it will make for a very successful first season in the Brian Kelly era at Notre Dame.

Which injury and/or suspension will change the course of the season?

An unfortunate reality of college football, and sports in general, is that injuries and suspensions can greatly alter the outcome of a season.

For an example, consider how many questions Texas fans were left with at the conclusion of last season as a result of injuries and suspensions.

Does Texas defeat OU if Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham are healthy?

Would Texas have destroyed Oklahoma State only a few weeks later if the NCAA had not suspended WR Dez Bryant, and RB Kendall Hunter had been 100 percent?

And perhaps the most burning question, and one that will trouble Texas fans for years to come: What if Colt McCoy hadn’t been injured in the first quarter of the national championship game?

The real troubles many teams will face this upcoming season will not be obstacles presented in August, but rather ones that come up with five minutes left to go during a close contest in November.

College football is a grand roulette wheel comprised of 120 spaces, some much larger than others. The ball bounces around from team to team throughout the course of a season, often not staying in one slot for too long. And where the crystal ball ends up in January can usually be attributed to equal parts skill and luck.

It will be interesting to see who gets lucky this college football season.

Who will win the national championship?

Last preseason, the quest for the national championship was thought to be a three-horse race between Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas.

All three teams returned experienced quarterbacks and had proven defenses, in addition to having played in BCS bowls the season prior. But Alabama had other plans in mind, going undefeated in the SEC by gaining four tough-earned yards at a time and eventually taking the crystal football with them back to Tuscaloosa to be proudly displayed in a Wal-Mart.

This season, the race appears to be much more wide open. Defending champions Alabama are the favorites, but it remains to be seen how attrition will affect a defense that they relied on heavily on last season.

Ohio State is a trendy pick to go undefeated and win the Big Ten, but will Terrelle Pryor and the offense be consistent enough to not trip up at some point?

Oregon, Texas, and Florida will be breaking in new quarterbacks, and Boise State will play Virginia Tech in a de facto playoff game that will launch the winning team into serious consideration for a spot in the national title game.

Perhaps this season could see the rise of a team that not many are pegging as national title contenders, such as Miami or Auburn.

It should be a compelling season for college football fans because every BCS conference outside of the Big East possesses at least one serious contender for the national title.

At this point, the only thing that we know for certain is that we don’t know anything for certain—and that’s what makes this time of the year so fun.