Jul. 22—***
Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,
The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.
Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.
And away we go …
If you watch the Citrus Bowl, you saw Tennessee’s next great quarterback. Nico Iamaleava lead a 35-0 victory against Iowa, a game that certainly got the attention of SEC defensive coordinators. He was a five-star recruit who is taking charge of Josh Heupel’s offense in what will still be his freshman season. … Squirrel White and Bru McCoy lead a talented group of receivers. … Three starters are back on the offensive line. … Defensive end James Pearce Jr. is coming off a 10-sack season. … Jackson Ross, the team’s returning punter, can boot it with either foot. Of course, he is Australian. … League powers Texas, Mississippi and Missouri aren’t on the schedule.
Only three starters are back on defense. And the entire secondary is new. Against the teams Tennessee will see there will be some high-scoring games. … Heupel filled some needs with the transfer portal, but the Vols also lost 15 players. … With consecutive strong seasons, Tennessee has raised the expectation level for the fan base that fills giant Neyland Stadium. That is a good thing as long as the Vols keep winning. … The nonconference schedule includes a neutral-site game in Charlotte against NC State. In the SEC, the Vols travel to Oklahoma and Georgia and host Alabama. That’s plenty.
50. Maryland Big Ten
49. Colorado Big 12
48. Georgia Tech ACC
47. Tulane American
46. UCF Big 12
45. South Florida American
44. Appalachian State Sun Belt
43. Rutgers Big Ten
42. Virginia Tech ACC
41. Texas Tech Big 12
40. Liberty Conference USA
39. South Carolina SEC
38. Washington Big Ten
37. North Carolina ACC
36. Boise State Mountain West
35. Memphis American
34. Kentucky SEC
33. Nebraska Big Ten
32. Florida SEC
31. Auburn SEC
30. SMU ACC
29. Wisconsin Big Ten
28. West Virginia Big 12
27. Iowa State Big 12
26. NC State ACC
25. Iowa Big Ten
24. Arizona Big 12
23. Louisville ACC—July 13
22. Southern California Big Ten
21. Kansas State Big 12
20. Texas A&M SEC—July 16
19. Kansas Big 12—July 17
18. Miami ACC
17. Oklahoma SEC
16. Clemson ACC
15. Oklahoma State Big 12
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
