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You can count on this in college football

You can count on this in college football

From the new kickoff rules to USC losing a game to who'll be playing QB for Notre Dame by season's end, College Football News gives us three things (and then some) they're sure will happen this year.
Q: Give three things you're absolutely sure of going into this year.
Pete Fiutak
1. There will be plenty of fireworks on kickoffs.Everyone made a big deal out of the clock rule changes last year (which were changed back this year), but that was nothing compared to what's about to happen. Teams and coaches get a limited amount of time to work on the basics, much less fine tune the special teams. Those who aren't strong in kickoff coverage are going to get ripped apart now that kickoffs are starting from the 30 instead of the 35. Those teams with elite returners are going to have a serious advantage, since there won't be many touchbacks. Expect a three-game adjustment period with some very ugly results for some.
2. USC will lose a game.Not only is USC the most talented team in America, but it's not even close. The second, third, and even fourth stringers are better than most teams' starters, and it's gotten to the point to where other major teams are bragging when they get a player recruited by USC, as if it's now the gold standard. Even with all that talent that's come through Pete Carroll's program, the team has only gone tape-to-tape once without a loss, and this year's team isn't the 2004 squad.
While it's hard to come up with any one game that screams for a possible upset, remember, no one saw the near-miss against Fresno State coming two years ago. No one predicted the loss to Oregon State last year. USC needing a win to play for the national title is like Tiger with a lead on Sunday — it's over — but UCLA had other ideas last season.
Sorry, Pete. But the CFN crew seems to think your guys are going to lose at least one game this year. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press)
Predicting a loss at Nebraska on September 15th is too obvious. The same goes for the November 10th showdown at Cal. It's going to happen, but it's going to be when everyone is assuming a Trojan win, like at Oregon the week after the trip to Notre Dame, or at Arizona State before the showdown against UCLA ... or in the BCS Championship.
3. This year will be better than last year.It won't be 2005, but it'll be a lot more entertaining than 2006. College football historians will easily be able sum up last year. Ohio State was No. 1 and wasn't really challenged until the Michigan game, Troy Smith won one of the most boring Heisman races ever, and then Florida obliterated the Buckeyes when the sports world was paying attention to the NFL playoffs. Things will be far different this year, with a far more entertaining Heisman race, a national title chase — at least for the number two spot if USC rocks out of the gate — that'll be terrific, and overall, better teams and conferences. It'll be a wild ride.
John Harris
1. More points will be scored this season in the Big 12 South than in any other year.The offensive talent in that half of the conference is overflowing. Texas returns seven offensive starters, not including star running back Jamaal Charles; Oklahoma returns eight starters, not including star running back Allen Patrick and upcoming stud DeMarco Murray; Texas A&M returns nine starters, not including star Mike Goodson; Oklahoma State returns one of the best QB-RB-WR trios in the nation with Bobby Reid, Dantrell Savage and Adarius Bowman; and Texas Tech has QB Graham Harrell returning. And Baylor ... well, okay so Baylor isn't nearly as potent, but you get the point, right? Add to that the fact that each team has serious defensive question marks and it's a fairly safe bet that the scoreboards will be exploding in '07.
2. Notre Dame's Evan Sharpley may start the season as the Irish starting quarterback, but he won't finish it that way.Remember Todd Helton in 1994 at Tennessee? Held the seat warm for some kid named Manning (in addition to another freshman, Branndon Stewart), then went and played major league baseball. If Jimmy Clausen isn't starting by the USC game, then he's either a fraud or Demetrius Jones is the real deal. Notre Dame has a monster first half of the season, but a manageable second half, one that should allow for Clausen to get experience, some Ws and a bowl trip under his belt. Essentially, he can prep for a strong 2008 season.
3. Florida's Tim Tebow will throw the ball much better than anyone anticipates. Oh, and one more, no university recruiting video will ever be worse than the Appalachian State "Hot, Hot, Hot" video. Just go to YouTube and feel the heat.
How's your team look?Get ready for the college football season with our 119 teams in 119 days series. And stay tuned as our series of conference previews unfolds.
Richard Cirminiello
1. USC will win the Pac-10 in a walk. Although Cal and UCLA are quality programs, the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is nowhere more pronounced than it is in this conference. And while the Trojans have retooled for another monster run toward a national championship, the other nine programs are packed so tightly that they'll cannibalize one another every Saturday.
2. Week-in and week-out, the SEC will show the rest of the nation why it's still the deepest, most talented, and most exciting conference in America.Don't even waste your time debating otherwise. College programs are only as good as their leaders, and the SEC boasts a Murderer's Row of head coaches that includes Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Mark Richt, Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Les Miles, and Tommy Tuberville. Enough said.
3. Moving the kickoff back five yards to the 30 will prove to be a very good rule change for the game.Let's see, dramatically fewer touchbacks and more open-field touches for some of college football's most exciting athletes — yup, that's the definition of a win-win, particularly for fans.
We're also 98% sure that ...
Michigan will lose a game this year that it's not supposed to. Yeah, the Wolverines are all the rage in the Big Ten and the offense will be nifty, but that offense wasn't enough to overcome a defense that got ripped by Ohio State and USC late in 2006. You know, the same defense that's trying to replace its best pass rusher, run stuffer, linebacker, and cornerback.
This will be the final collegiate season for Arkansas' Darren McFadden, Miami's Calais Campbell, West Virginia's Steve Slaton, and Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins. They'll be joined by another three dozen or so juniors and redshirt sophomores that leave school early in order to be eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft.

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