By Staff
Justin Schuver, Sports Editor
It seems like this time every year, anxious sports media types start to pick back up on their cash cow – college football. Just recently, the Rivals and Scouts, Inc., conglomerates released their Top 100 list of the upcoming senior high school recruits, prompting message board aficionados across the nation to go online and complain about how all their recruits were underrated or being snubbed.
Or take the previews recently published by Lindy's and Athlon Sports, each of which has already determined everything from who will be national champion to who will be the first coach to be fired. Yes, it's safe to say that even just a few days into June, folks all already getting excited about what's going to transpire on the gridiron of Division I colleges across the nation this fall.
And for once, that excitement might be even more palpable because of the fact that nobody really knows who will be No. 1 when it's all said and done. Unlike previous years, where you could essentially pencil in USC in the championship game, each of the frontrunners for the 2007 BCS championship has major holes.
Notre Dame – Solid offense, good senior leadership, but features a defense that gave up yards in droves in 2005 and is losing a senior leader in linebacker Brandon Hoyte.
Ohio State – An exciting playmaker duo in quarterback Troy Smith and wide receiver Ted Ginn, but losing seven players on a defensive unit that was the backbone of last year's Fiesta Bowl champion.
USC – Loaded with talent after years of strong recruiting, but has to replace its entire starting backfield.
Texas – Should be solid again, but has to find a replacement for Rose Bowl MVP Vince Young.
Oklahoma – A healthy Adrian Peterson is a plus, but there's a lot of question marks behind center with quarterback Rhett Bomar struggling with inconsistency in the past.
Auburn – Returns several key starters on offense including quarterback Brandon Cox and running back Kenny Irons, but has to replace two wide receivers and several players on defense; also faces a brutal conference schedule.
West Virginia – Has an easy schedule, but they won't be sneaking up on anyone this season.
Florida – Has a coach whose offenses always flourish in his second season with a team, but again has that tough SEC schedule to work its way through.
Yes, it's clear that 2006 will be a fun season for college football fans, although it will be tough on the prognosticators and Vegas lines-makers. Several of these teams meet each other during the regular season – Notre Dame-USC, Texas-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma – and the hype and buildup to those games will be off the charts.
There are all kinds of interesting questions and storylines that will be featured during the 2006 season, even some that concern teams that might not necessarily be national championship contenders.
Will Alabama find a replacement at quarterback for Brodie Croyle?
Was Tennessee's sub-par season in 2005 just a hiccup, or a sign of even harder times ahead in Knoxville?
Will Dennis Fra…He Who Must Not Be Named…be able to save his job at Texas A&M?
Will anybody learn how to correctly spell Jeff Samardzija and Paul Posluszny? Is there a better name in Division I than Tennessee quarterback Jim Bob Cooter?
Although the 2006 college football season is still months away, these questions and others like it are sure to keep sports nuts like myself guessing and debating up until that first kickoff.
Better get stocked up on nachos.