College Football is just days away from starting on August 26, 2023. This season looks fun, with multiple junior and senior quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, linemen, and many more to be accounted for. Even with the Pac-12 being disbanded and teams stretching out to other conferences. Also, the schedules have been released for all the teams, and week one is just days away; the fans are really anticipated for this season.
The time is here for the Heisman watch before the season starts, and defending champion Caleb Williams, quarterback for USC, is fresh off a Heisman, Maxwell, and Walter camp awards all won in 2022. Throwing for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns last season, along with a Quarterback rating of 87.6 percent, he came up short in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, throwing for 462 yards and five touchdowns with a singular interception.
This year, another promising prospect for the Heisman is North Carolina Tar Heels Sophomore Drake Maye. He had a completion percentage of 66.2 percent, throwing for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns; with all of this, he had a quarterback rating of 82.4 percent, putting him in 10th. In the Credit Union Bowl, he went 18-35 with 206 yards and three touchdowns but came up short, losing 28-27 against Oregon.
Excluding the Heisman race, many other prospects look promising this year to carry their teams to a big season or win some awards.
Six-foot-two University of Arkansas junior running back Rahiem Sanders out of the University of Arkansas has the nickname “rocket” for a reason, rushing for 1,443 yards with 222 carries and ten touchdowns. NFL scouting reports say that his projected 40-yard dash time is 4.47, which lives up to the nickname of rocket. His last performance last season was the Autozone Liberty Bowl, where he rushed for only 17 yards from 3 carries and came out on top with Arkansas beating Kansas 55-53.
Some Madison Consolidated High School staff have opinions about the upcoming season. MCHS math teacher and football coach LeRoy Wilson had some things to say about his favorite team:
“I have been a fan of Ohio State ever since I was 10, and the main reason is because I really liked the style of our helmets.” He even stated about his favorite memory, and he said,
“I went to an Ohio State Michigan game in 2012, and I remember that Ohio State came out on top.”
Coach Wilson shared his thoughts on which team could win the national title, as well:
“I think that Clemson could have a good run; it could also be the same teams as last year ending up in the playoffs.”
A wide receiver out of Ohio State, the son of the great Marvin Harrison, Marvin Harrison Jr. from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had a good season last year, getting 77 receptions, 1,263 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 16.4 yards per carry on average. At the Peach Bowl the previous year, he had five receptions, 106 yards, two touchdowns, and 21.2 yards per carry on average.
Wilson also had his thoughts on Marvin Harrison Jr.; he replied,
“I think that he is the best receiver by far in college football and on Ohio State and by far the best receiver athletically.” He has a very positive output on Ohio State and hopes they can do well this year.
MCHS science teacher Tom Ferry also expressed his feelings about the upcoming football season.
“Notre Dame is my favorite college football team. I have followed them for a long time, and I will keep doing so…(g)oing to a Notre Dame football game, winning against UCLA, and winning the national championship that year.”
“Out of all the teams this year, I think that the Alabama Crimson Tide will win this year’s national championship.”
Media day had a ton of exciting topics to talk about, too, with news coming out about the PAC-12 splitting up because of deals with sports network ESPN to Northwestern firing their head coach. The off-season has been very muddled this year, and media day had to explain everything.
The PAC-12 has officially disbanded this off-season after declining a 30 million dollar per school per year deal after wanting 50-60 million because that is what the other conferences were getting, such as the Big 10 and the SEC. So now all the PAC-12 schools are going to different conferences to fill up the spots that need to be filled.
Northwestern has officially fired head coach Patrick Fitzgerald after suspending him initially. The reason for his departure is because of an investigation into hazing allegations. Northwestern will now put defensive coordinator David Braun as the interim boss.
One thing each college football season has the potential to bring is memories that last a lifetime. For MCHS Boys Soccer Coach and math teacher Kyle Boekeloo, that is no exception.,
“…(I)t was when Texas University beat USC in the College Football Playoffs to win the national championship with a game-winning touchdown by Vince Young rushing into the endzone.”
“I think Alabama will go all the way this year and win,” Boekeloo continued.
This past offseason has been interesting, as all this news happened in just a few months. With all these great teams and great players, this calls for a fantastic season. We will have to see what will happen as the season goes on and how this year will play out.
