| 19 April 2010
Last Thursday, we looked at No.’s 10-6 on the 10 Most Important Questions of Spring Football 2010. Included in the list, were how coaching changes at Notre Dame, Tennesee and USC will effect this upcoming season, and whether or not Garrett Gilbert is ready to hop under center at Texas.After a long wait (And my apologies, technical delays kept this from running on Friday as planned), we are here to look at questions 5 through 1, including whether or not the Alabama Crimson can defend their title…
5. What Is Going On At Michigan, And How Much Longer Can Rich Rodriguez Survive?: Wow. I’d say this whole thing is getting ugly, but it got ugly two years ago. Michigan football is Michael Bolton in the mid-80’s ugly right now.
Looking back on Rich Rodriguez’s time in Ann Arbor, he’s basically been in hot water since before he even got to campus, as he left West Virginia under conditions that were worse than the impending Sandra Bullock-Jess James divorce proceedings. There was name calling by each side, accusation of misconduct by Rodriguez’s staff, and a settlement that is still being paid out by Rich Rod to this day. On a positive note, the two sides did agree on joint custody of the children.
Beyond that, things got even dicier last fall, when Rodriguez was accused by former Michigan players of an NCAA rules violation on practice limits. Rich Rod of course vigorously defended himself in the media, at one point even breaking down in tears during a press conference. Which may have been the highlight of his time at the school so far.
And now just recently- as he was finally putting all that behind him- Rodriguez has again been accused of NCAA violations, these dating back to his days at West Virginia. Again, Michael Bolton in the mid-80’s ugly.
Maybe the worst part of this whole situation, is that none of the off the field stuff would matter if the team was just winning, something Michigan hasn’t done a whole lot of under Rodriguez’s watch. They went 3-9 in 2008, 5-7 last year, and even now in Rich Rod’s third spring in Ann Arbor, there are still more questions than answers. Starting with, who the heck will be their quarterback in Week 1?
Personally, I’ve always liked Rodriguez, and tried to defend him dating back to his West Virginia days. When he gets things going, there’s not a more enjoyable team to watch in college football than a Rich Rodriguez coached one. But in the here and now, it’s looking more and more like he’s just never going to figure it out in the Big 10.
And with a challenging schedule this fall that see’s the school open with a visit from an underrated UConn team, and a visit to South Bend to take on Notre Dame in Week 2, there’s a chance that Rodriguez might not even survive until the end of September, let alone the end of 2010.
The Rich Rodriguez era at UM has been ugly since Day 1 and doesn’t seem to be getting any better, any time soon.
The ugliest, may still be to come.
4. Opposite of the Michigan Situation, There’s Ohio State. How Good Is Terrelle Pryor, And Can He Lead Them to a Championship? It’s hard to believe, but in mid-October of last year, my buddy and I were having a debate about Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Not about what he’d been doing under center, but instead what he hadn’t been doing, and whether it was time for him to move to wide receiver. Ohio State was 5-2 at the time, had just lost to…gulp…Purdue. And it seemed like Pryor might never put it together.
Then a funny thing happened: Pryor figured it all out. In his last four games of the season, he looked like a completely different player. He finished 4-0 down the stretch, leading Ohio State to wins against Penn State, Iowa, Michigan and Oregon, the last, in a Rose Bowl performance where he had over 260 yards of total offense, and did everything short of hand out orange slices at halftime.
Now the talk has gone from, “Should Terrelle Pryor be moved from quarterback,” to “Will Terrelle Pryor be a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.” Funny how quickly things change.
And while I wouldn’t hand him the Heisman just yet, he’s certainly got the players around him to have a highly successful season. Most of his skill position guys return, and so does most of Ohio State’s defense, including All-American Cam Heyward at defensive end. The Big 10 isn’t looking nearly as tough this year as last with Penn State and Iowa losing key personnel, half the Michigan State roster in the state penitentiary, Ron Zook remaining on the sidelines for Illinois (much to the joy of the remaining Big 10 teams), and the problems at Michigan well documented.
Beyond that though, becomes the bigger question. Can Ohio State go from being the class of the Big 10 in 2009, to undefeated with a shot at a National Championship?
More than the defense or special teams, that question will be answered by Pryor and his offense.
3. Is Boise State Ready To Break Through?: Actually, that's a bogus question. I hate that everyone (Not just me), is asking if Boise State can “break through?” After all, this team has won 49 games over the last four years (Really, think about that), and suffered all of ONE defeat since January of 2008 (No really. Think about that). If they haven’t “broken through,” yet, then I’m not sure I really understand the definition of the term.
But, can they break through into the National Championship game? Now we’re talking.
I’m sure by now most of you know the details, so I won’t bore you with too many specifics. Boise returns 21 of 22 starters this fall off a team that went 14-0 last year, and 12-1 the season before. They return the most efficient quarterback in college football in Kellen Moore (39 touchdowns and three interceptions, are you kidding? Those are video game numbers.). And they return their best skill position player, D.J. Harper, who missed all but three games last year because of injury.
But they also play their toughest schedule ever too, with a trip across country to play Virginia Tech on Labor Day, and follow it up two weeks later with a visit from Oregon State. With all the additional landmines in the WAC yet to come (Nevada and Fresno are popping right to mind).
It won’t be easy for Boise this fall, but there may never be a better chance for a non-BCS to break straight through to the National Championship Game.
Can they do it? That question will start to get answered Labor Day weekend.
2. How Good Will John Brantley Be?: For those of you who may have been under a rock for the last six months (Or simply outside getting fresh air) Brantley is the guy who has the unenviable task of following Tim Tebow as the quarterback at Florida (I just hope Brantley isn't asked to lead the pregame prayer too. Now that would be the really tough act to follow).
So far from everything I’ve read, the team appears to be in good hands. Brantley completed 15 of 19 passes in Florida’s spring game, claiming afterward that, “It felt like my huddle.” Not to mention that his receivers were gushing over him like a stage parent after their kids first big performance. Also, in a new wrinkle in Florida’s offense, Brantley won’t have to do it alone, as backup’s Trey Burton and Jordan Reed could get snaps in goal line, and short yardage packages. So clearly, the burden of replacing Tebow, won’t be solely on Brantley’s shoulders.
At the same time though, for all the people who are ready to anoint Brantley the latest “Chosen One,” they’re forgetting one kinda big thing. Brantley didn’t even step into the role of Tebow’s backup until Cam Newton went and got kicked off this team a few years ago. If Newton hadn’t stolen a laptop, wouldn’t it be his huddle and not Brantley’s? And if Brantley is as good as he’s being made out to be right now, why was he the backup to the backup until 18 months ago? Would he even still be at Florida if Newton were there?
Regardless, it might not end up mattering. The truth is, I can never remember the SEC East being as bad as it will be coming into this year, and Florida will still probably be the favorite. Looking around, Georgia’s a mess that keeps on getting messier, as it was announced Sunday that they booted backup quarterback Zack Mettenberger from the team. Tennessee’s an even bigger mess than Georgia. And South Carolina’s quarterback and coach bicker like an old married couple.
So the SEC East is still Florida’s, until someone comes and takes it away from them. I’ll give Gators fans that.
But for those who think this team will be in better hands with Brantley than they were with Tebow?
Well I’ll believe that when I see it.
1. Can Alabama Handle Everything That’s About To Be Thrown Their Way?: To me, this is the biggest question surrounding this team. Bigger than all the starters they lost on defense. Bigger than some of the depth that’s taken a hit because of suspensions and injury. Bigger than wondering why Nick Saban has been so darn nice this spring. Because as much as things are the same around Tuscaloosa heading into 2010, they’re also completely different.
No longer is ‘Bama, the cute, plucky, feel good underdog, but now, the stone-cold favorite.
Can they go from being the hunter to the hunted? To having the target on their back? To being asked questions not about whether or not they can win…but by how much? Can they handle a schedule that includes trips to LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina on the road, and Penn State, Florida and Auburn at home?
Now let me make one thing clear: I’m not saying that I think that Alabama can’t go undefeated, just that it’d be pretty impressive if they did. After all, look at how this same situation turned Florida into an emotional train wreck by the end of last season.
The pressure is on at Alabama. But can they handle it?
That’s the biggest question this spring, that will decide the 2010 BCS National Championship.
(To read Part I of the 10 Biggest Questions, CLICK HERE)
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