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Previewing the upcoming NCAA season

By MICHAEL J. THOMPSON
mthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

The long, hot summer is nearly behind us meaning the time of year southern football fans salivate for after the bowl games end in January is about to kickoff: the 2005 college football season.

Will the Southern California Trojans win their third straight National title? Who has the upper hand in the first year of Atlantic Coast Conference division play? Can Georgia replace the quarterback who earned more victories than any other signal caller in Division IA football history?

Can Georgia Tech make a bowl game that people actually care about?

More importantly, can the Auburn Tigers replace four first round picks from last years NFL Draft and 13-0?

Not to be biased, but this preview will primarily focus on the SEC and ACC, since I attend a certain school in East Alabama that has a 15-game winning streak on the line when they start the season Sept. 3 against Ga. Tech.

In fact, Sept. 3 will be a big day for football fans of this state, as both the Yellow Jackets and Georgia Bulldogs will have high-profile openers that will be an early indicator of the kind of season each team will have.

Tech opens up at Auburn, which at the beginning of the summer looked like another classic defensive battle to add to the storied rivalry. But, Tech has been plagued with a cruel, cruel summer, most notably the current suspension of my old Starr’s Mill teammate and friend Reuben Houston.

Auburn breaks in sophomore quarterback Brandon Cox and running backs Tre Smith and Kenny Irons in this game, but have a plethora of talented receivers and a tremendous defense to fall back upon.

The Tigers are going to surprise a lot of people this year and win the SEC West and this game, which is followed by four consecutive home games that will be the springboard the young offensive backfield needs to build confidence for the rest of the season.

It seems that Mark Richt, who used to be the offensive coordinator for the aptly named Florida State Creminoles (Seminoles, I mean) brought his penchant for recruiting players with disreputable past lives to Athens.

I lost track of how many players have been suspended, arrested or thrown off the team this summer, but the trouble he faces is on par if not worse than those Steve Spurrier has faced at South Carolina.

In fact, with the players suspended from UGA, South Carolina and Tennessee this off-season, you could put together a talented team.

Those off-field battles look minute to the challenge UGA faces in Boise State. Georgia lost both of the David’s (Green and Pollack) to the NFL, and the current team lacks character. Most pundits I’ve read aren’t giving the Broncos enough due and this game will send shock waves throughout the fickle Bulldog nation when the Dawgs are defeated on national television by a non-BCS team.

Look for Boise State to put up a lot of points and potentially win by a couple touchdowns.

From these two games, Tech struggles in the first year of ACC divisional play and goes 6-5. UGA will also struggle and put up a 7-4 record.

The SEC East race will come down to Tennessee and Florida, again. The Vols have one of the more loaded teams in football and the Gators have the most overrated player in the land, Chris Leak, at quarterback.

If you watched last years Peach Bowl battle between Florida and Miami, you were painted with a perfect picture of the true Leak.

First year Florida coach Urban Meyer will have a tough time in Gainsville, and Tennessee will face Auburn in a rematch of last years offense battle in Atlanta for the SEC title.

In the SEC West, look for Alabama to surprise a lot of people by finishing second, ahead of LSU. Brodie Croyle has had a rough career at the helm of Tide, but look for him to have a solid senior season.

Alabama may lose three or four games, but for Tide fans who have weathered a 30-31 record since 2000, that will be welcomed.

The first year of ACC divisional play will see the most important game of the year played on Monday, Sept. 5, as FSU plays host to Miami.

Former Starr’s Mill standout Darrell Burston will anchor the FSU defense line at end, and help lead the Seminoles to a big early season victory, and the win will help them take the Atlantic Division championship.

The Coastal Division will come down to a battle between Miami and Virginia Tech, but in the end the Hurricanes will represent the league in the inaugural championship game and beat FSU for the ACC title.

Nationally, college fans have a lot to be excited about as many high profile intersectional games are worth watching and will have the feel of a major bowl game.

Sept. 10 will see Texas at Ohio State and Notre Dame at Michigan, along with an interesting Arizona State at LSU game.

These three games will show the nation early on if the teams involved are national title contenders.

My preseason pick to win the NCAA championship is USC. The talent in Los Angles is comparable to a mediocre NFL team.

Michigan comes in at No.2, followed by Texas, Tennessee and Miami.

Another difficult year for SEC teams, as they will beat each other up during the year and inflict a number of losses on each other, allowing only one team to represent them in the BCS bowl game series.

Georgia fans, take heart. Your team will be headed to Atlanta, albeit to face Clemson in the Peach Bowl.

Tech fans, look for a fun filled trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

And for those Auburn fans reading, look for the Tigers to finish 10-1 in the regular season and then play in the Cotton Bowl in January.