I believe what you saw last Monday night was a stellar finish to the 2017 college football season. Two power houses playing for it all until the last play, and oh boy, was it something special. Georgia controlled the first half and looked to be getting their first national title in 37 years. However, Nick Saban with his bag of tricks, made the call of the year by putting in the freshman, Tua Tagovailoa. Nothing against Jalen Hurts, but he was not productive for the Crimson Tide against the bulldogs. Yet, when DeVontae Smith broke free and got open, Tua launched a bomb that set the college football world on fire. Now the Crimson Tide have 17 National Championships in their storied history and Nick Saban has reached the ranks of legendary, adding his sixth National Title-which is tied with another legend-Bear Bryant.
Now that the dust and confetti have settled, what does the 2018 season do for an encore?
How about the BIG1G? The strong showing during bowl season shows me that the Big 10 has something to prove and is gaining a lot of momentum into 2018. Urban Myer and his Buckeyes knocked over USC in the Cotton Bowl. Coach Myer was quoted before the game about the playoffs saying, ” We aren’t disappointed- we’re devastated.” A clear message to the playoff committee? Perhaps, but it def got his team fired up. And will Jim Harbaugh finally put it all together to take Michigan somewhere they haven’t been since 1997.
The SEC stole the show in 2017 with their National Title game. Nick Saban doesn’t look to be slowing down, nor does Alabama. Look for them to be right back in the thick of things in 2018. Georgia loses 31 seniors on a team that was close to winning it all. Thanks to the current #1 recruiting class, the bulldogs aren’t thinking rebuilding; their minds are to get back to the National Title stage. And don’t forget about Florida and Tennessee with their new hires. Dan Mullen and Jeremy Pruitt have the coaching skills and personnel to win big at their respective schools. The SEC will be a force for years to come.
And there’s the ACC- a conference that continues to build on recent success is making strides in the recruiting game. #1 Quarterback in the nation, Trevor Lawrence out of Cartersville, GA comes to Clemson with all of the accolades and prestige that he earned in high school, will have to prove he is the next big man on campus in Death Valley. And what does Louisville do now that Lamar Jackson is heading to the NFL? How does Mark Richt take the U to the next level? And does Willie Taggart have the right indgrienets to make FSU a consistent winner? It should be an interesting season in the ACC.
Whatever your feelings are during the off season, know that college football is played during the Fall for a reason- to get you pumped up during the Spring and Summer! Enjoy some basketball during the winter and go check out some baseball games this Spring and Summer, because like I always say, it will be football season again before you know it.
JDubb's Sideline Report 