You, the fans, deserve what you requested for. The offseason -- talkin' season, based on Steve Spurrier -- is a glorious time when all of us make predictions for the upcoming season after which get ripped to shreds through all of you who now not handiest suppose that we're wrong, however believe we hate your crew as a result of long-tenured very own bias.
if you had that reaction, this column's for you.
the realm severely lacks accountability this present day, however I may not stand for that. I write and conclusion-of-the-season accountability story each offseason, condemning myself to a lifetime of despair because of my dumb preseason predictions -- well, apart from I do need to pat myself on the back a bit bit as smartly.
it be been an excellent faculty football season, so here's my parting reward as we head into the new talkin' season.
The ugly: Unbridled love for LSUI picked LSU to win the SEC West and suffer its 2nd loss of the season within the SEC Championship video game, which might eliminate the Tigers from the school football Playoff. sure, that same LSU team that could go on to finish 6-7, fireplace educate Ed Orgeron and suffer a dazzling crash again down to Earth after successful the 2019 country wide title.
It changed into one of the vital first times in my lifestyles -- i am forty one years historical -- that I have ever put faith in the Tigers. I say sorry. It may not take place once again. smartly, at the least now not except Brian Kelly receives things headed into the appropriate direction.
The respectable: False hype for Texas A&MThe Aggies greatly surprised the college soccer world after they upset Alabama in early October, but they still managed to conclude the general season 8-4 -- the third time in four seasons that educate Jimbo Fisher has complete with 4 or greater losses. The preseason hype for Texas A&M changed into predicated on a stout protection, awesome depth and flexibility at running again and a software that virtually made the CFP final season.
I failed to buy it.
I had the Aggies as my most overrated team within the SEC heading into the season, and completely refused to accept as true with that they had been a possibility to Alabama within the SEC West. It grew to become out that they were a probability to Alabama however remained an afterthought within the division title race.
This seemed like a hinge year for Michigan going into the fall, and that i, like many, didn't consider the door would swing in this path. I had the Wolverines finishing fourth within the huge Ten East, and no member of our personnel had them completing better than third.
"Michigan will again seem like an average massive Ten crew with out a precise shot at successful the division," I wrote. "because of this, [coach Jim] Harbaugh and the Michigan administration will come to an contract to movement in a new course that would not consist of Harbaugh within the combine. it should be like an amicable divorce between two americans who simply fell out of affection with each and every other."
It seems the Wolverines did finish third ... in the nation in the ultimate AP top 25.
Whoops.
I, like many, picked the former Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021. His bad play early within the season earned him a spot on the bench, and the notice "former" is the important thing note within the old sentence.
Rattler threw two picks in the nail-biter in opposition t Tulane within the opener and a complete of five INTs in 5 video games earlier than freshman Caleb Williams took over. Now, pay attention, Rattler was the Heisman Trophy favorite going into the season, so it wasn't exactly a sizzling take to claim that he'd hoist faculty soccer's most prestigious prize. however, man, that decide on crashed and burned quickly.
The respectable: Georgia's countrywide titleThe Bulldogs have been anticipated to be a contender, but I pegged them to win all of it in our countrywide prediction story.
"The comic story around the country is '1980' -- the last year that the Bulldogs won the country wide title," I wrote. "That funny story may be outdated on Jan. 10 when the Dawgs hoist the country wide championship trophy in Indianapolis."
It became a crazy trip to get there, but the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs earned this title after their efficiency all season long.
I wasn't buying into the Cincinnati hype. in reality, i used to be the only member of our staff who failed to choose the Bearcats to win the American Athletic conference.
"appear, I do not consider the Bearcats are going to be bad," I wrote. "definitely, I think that they're going to be fairly darn first rate. nonetheless it looks like the complete faculty soccer world just assumes that they will waltz through the AAC and into their 2nd straight New 12 months's Six bowl online game."
It seems that I vastly underrated them as they earned the primary CFP berth in group of 5 heritage.
The gruesome: Clay Helton saving his jobi thought the annual offseason criticism of now-former USC teach Clay Helton changed into unwarranted. probably I may still have identified that it didn't really rely what i believed.
"Helton's bottom must be on fireplace after sitting on the hot seat for 3 years," I wrote. "He'll get off it by using leading his Trojans to the Pac-12 Championship online game with a spot within the CFP on the road.
neatly, he turned into fired after simply two video games of the 2021 season, leading USC to make a monumental splash through luring Lincoln Riley away from USC.
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