Tag: USC Football

Five Nutty Predictions That Just Might Be Right: 20 for 2020 Offseason Topics No. 2

20 for 2020: 20 key college football offseason topics: 5 nutty, out there predictions that just might turn out to be right.

20 for 2020: 20 key college football offseason topics, No. 2: 5 nutty, out there predictions that just might turn out to be right.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

20 for 2020 Offseason Topics 
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Top 5 Instant Impact New Head Coaches
15. 2nd Year Coaches Who’ll Be Better
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
13. Key Transfers You Forgot About
12. Five Big Power 5 Upset Alerts
11. Great Players About To Go Nuclear
10. Group of 5 Teams In New Year’s Six Chase
9. Power 5 Sleeper Teams
8. Most Interesting Quarterback Battles
7. 5 Teams That Might Disappoint
6. 5 Teams That Might Surprise
5. Group of Five Conference Ranking
4. Power 5 Conference Ranking
3. Top Non-Obvious Heisman Candidates
1. NEXT: The College Football Playoff call

We’ll keep on doing what we do whether or not there’s a season, but all thoughts go out to those suffering and struggling, and to all the health care workers battling above and beyond the call. Please … stay safe.

Welcome once again to the annual three-true-outcome piece.

With these offseason big-swing cuts, I either walk, strike out – usually in painfully embarrassing fashion – or hit a towering home run.

Last year, for example, I struck out big-time with the call that Texas A&M would beat Clemson on the way to being a big thing, and whiffed harder on the idea that Michigan would win the Big Ten championship.

I’ll take the K on the call that Urban Meyer would be the next USC head coach, but it was on a borderline pitch off the edge of the plate. I lined out by saying Oklahoma would get to the CFP and end up playing for the national title, but I cleared the fence by calling that either Clemson or Alabama would miss out on the College Football Playoff.

So you get the idea.

Oh, I’ll miss massively on a few of these, but …

Get ready for 1977 World Series Game 6 Reggie Jackson.

5. There will be college football in 2020, but …

It will depend on how we all get through what’s potentially coming.

If the optics of playing a fun game are too awful five months from now, then it’s an absolute and hard no on a season. However, if the country wants and needs any sort of a morale boost/diversion, and the mood is there for football …

Football will figure something out.

It might not be a full season, but – obviously this is I’m-not-a-doctor-or-specialist speculation – if it’s possible 4-to-6 months from now, the NCAA will 1) procure enough easy tests with quick results to ensure that no infected player or coach goes on the field, and 2) will get creative enough with the timing and scheduling to have college football in some form.

CFN in 60: 5 Nutty College Football Predictions Video
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Knock out two other key elements from the equation.

First, until there’s a vaccine, just forget about the idea of any fans being in the stands until 2021, and even that’s a maybe.

There are too many parts that athletic directors and the NCAA can’t control, and squishing together tens of thousands of people together in a stadium is an easy – but painful – part of the logistics that can be eliminated.

Also, don’t assume for a second that player preparedness has anything to do with this. Whether or not the guys are in shape is on them, the coaches, and the programs.

The NCAA might relax the time restrictions and practice limit rules, but if there’s a way to get players on the field playing college football in front of TV cameras, it’s going to happen.

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Remember, the NBA, NHL, NCAA, and – even with a little more time – MLB were caught totally flat-footed. The NFL and college football powers-that-be have at least four months to come up with a way to do what they do.

It might take draconian measures – like sequestering and quarantining the players once they have negative tests – and/or it might take daily checkups, but if there’s any possible way to have football before the end of the year, it’ll happen.

Now, assuming that is all true in some way …

NEXT: No. 4 Nutty Offseason Prediction

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

5 Potentially Disappointing College Football Teams: 20 or 2020 Offseason Topics No. 7

Which five college football teams have the potential be disappointments? 20 key offseason topics for 2020: No. 7.

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20 key offseason topics for 2020: No. 7. Which five college football teams have the potential be disappointments?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

20 for 2020 Offseason Topics 
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Top 5 Instant Impact New Head Coaches
15. 2nd Year Coaches Who’ll Be Better
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
13. Key Transfers You Forgot About
12. Five Big Power 5 Upset Alerts
11. Great Players About To Go Nuclear
10. Group of 5 Teams In New Year’s Six Chase
9. Power 5 Sleeper Teams
8. Most Interesting Quarterback Battles

Of course Miami was going to be a major player in the 2019 ACC Championship hunt.

Michigan State appeared to have everything in place for a huge season, Nebraska was going to rise up and rock, and Texas A&M was in for a breakthrough season …

Nope.

Every year, seemingly sure-thing good teams turn into stunning disappointments. Some teams fall off from the lofty expectations set after a big previous season, and some simply don’t play up to their respective talent levels.

Last year, we got it sort of right with Pitt and Texas, nailed it with Northwestern and whiffed hard on Oregon and Florida – although we did an about-face and pump up the Gators large as the offseason wore on.

Which Power Five teams will start the season with big expectations but should fall just short?

ACC: Florida State

It was supposed to take a little while for Willie Taggart to build the program back up. He got fewer than two years to give it a shot.

Enter Mike Norvell, who made Memphis a whole lot of fun with the flash, speed, and excitement missing from Florida State over the last few seasons.

However, what was the knock on Taggart when he took over? He hadn’t won anything big, and you and Novell have the same number of bowl wins on your resumés.

Norvell got Memphis over the American Athletic Conference title hump last year, and there’s no denying the excitement he brings to the Noles with his style, but his defenses at Memphis were iffy at best, he was 0-4 against UCF, and he failed to come up with a win over a Power Five program that finished with a winning record.

But you never, ever know when it comes to coaches – Norvell might just be the next Dabo or Saban.

For this year, though, he has to try implementing his new systems without the benefit of spring ball to get everything up and rolling. The Noles have to improve one of the nation’s worst pass defenses, the boatload of penalties have to slow down, and the offensive line that was a disaster when Jimbo Fisher left – and Taggart was never able to fix – is still a question mark until the practices finally kick in.

The schedule doesn’t bring a whole lot of help.

If everything goes off according to plan, facing an improved West Virginia to start things off isn’t easy, going to Boise State will be tough, and that’s just a part of the first three games.

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The other problem is the rest of the ACC – most of it should be better.

NC State will be stronger, and that’s on the road. Louisville and Miami are dangerous road games, Clemson is more of a monster than ever, and closing out against Florida won’t be fun.

NEXT: Big Ten Potential Disappointment

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Most Interesting Power Five Quarterback Battles: 20 For 2020 Offseason Topics No. 8

20 for 2020 key college football offseason topics: No. 8. The top Power Five conference quarterback battles.

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20 for 2020 key college football offseason topics: No. 8. The top Power Five conference quarterback battles.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

With no spring football, the battles for the starting quarterback jobs are going to be more interesting than ever.

Whenever there’s college football again, it’s going to be a mad dash to figure out who’s ready to step up and shine at the most important position. Throw in the transfer portal and grad transfer aspect of this, and this list can and will change around wildly over the next several months.

Which Power Five quarterback situations are the most interesting? Here we go, starting with …

ACC: Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils went from Daniel Jones under center, to Quentin Harris, and the results were sensational …

For a while.

Harris was a dominant passing force over the first four games of the season, but the offense stalled as the year went on, and he finished with just 16 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions after throwing ten scoring throws in the first four games.

Harris is gone, and the heir apparent should be Chris Katrenick, the No. 2 guy last year who only completed 3-of-13 passes for 49 yards and a touchdown with a pick. He’s a 6-3, 215-pound passer with the upside to shine as David Cutcliffe’s quarterback, but it’s going to be a fight.

6-3, 190-pound redshirt freshman Gunnar Holmberg is an elite athlete, but who can do a little bit of everything, but he’s coming off a knee injury. Once practices kick in, his mobility will be a big part of the puzzle.

And then there’s the wild card. Clemson transfer Chase Brice.

The guy who saved the day two years ago for the Tigers in the win over Syracuse wasn’t going to see the light of day again as long as Trevor Lawrence could stay in one piece, but he’s looking to fill the void at Duke, take the gig, and potentially be a statistical star under Cutcliffe.

– Duke Schedule & Analysis

NEXT: Most Interesting Big Ten Quarterback Battle

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

WATCH: My Favorite Notre Dame Football Play, Ever

Quick – what is your absolute favorite play ever in Notre Dame football history?

Quick – what is your absolute favorite play ever in Notre Dame football history?  Heck, if you’re a bigger basketball fan you can share that as well but I’m legit curious as we sit here avoiding contact with each other and trying to pass the time until better days are upon us.

An up-start and top-ten Notre Dame team welcomed defending champion and No. 1 USC to Notre Dame Stadium.  It was the biggest game at Notre Dame in a dozen years and a classic wound up playing out.

A Brady Quinn pass found Jeff Samardzija for a 32 yard touchdown pass to tie things at 14 and Notre Dame’s defense answered the call forcing a three-and-out immediately after.

Then entered Tom Zbikowski:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t89zYrTfJ5w]

Forget for a second how things ended that afternoon and instead remember just that exact moment.  In the dozens of games I’ve been too I’ve never heard it louder, not even when Quinn gave the Irish the lead late in the fourth quarter.

From the Tom Malone punt nearly being blocked initially to Chase Anastasio’s block at the 37-yard line (seriously, go back and watch again and appreciate it) and finally Zbikowski breaking three tackles at the end to finish the return.

Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart and soon-to-be Heisman winner (before it was taken away) Reggie Bush coupled with Pete Carroll and everything USC was at the time, I thought for the life of me that Tom Zbikowski shifted the tide in what was to be a monumental win.

We all know it didn’t end that way and maybe it’s just me looking back at wide-eyed me in my very late teens. For a team I’ve always rooted for but never seen win a championship though, I don’t know if things have gotten much better for me as a Notre Dame fan than at that very moment.

So what’s yours?  Share it on our Facebook page or send us a tweet explaining which play and why, and maybe yours will be chosen for a future post here at FIW.

Notre Dame Given Seventh Best Odds at 2020 National Championship

BetMGM has their updated 2020 national championship odds out and Notre Dame shows up pretty high on the list.

It feels like its a million years away but odds are out and have been wagered on in regards to college football’s 2020 national champion.  The site we use to track here at Fighting Irish Wire, BetMGM, has their updated odds out and Notre Dame’s odds show up pretty high on the list.

As everyone can probably imagine, 2020 Notre Dame opponent Clemson is the odds on favorite to hoist the College Football Playoff trophy at the end of the year with +225 odds.

Ohio State (+300), Alabama (+450), LSU (+650), Georgia (+900) and Florida (+1400) check in next.

Then you’ll find the Brian Kelly led Notre Dame Fighting Irish with the seventh-best odds at +2000 (20:1).

Odds via BetMGM. Access USATODAY Sports Betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated March 16 at 5:15 p.m. ET

Notre Dame’s biggest rival can be found with 40:1 odds as USC is actually tied with Oregon as the Pac-12’s best bets.  Notre Dame’s October 3 opponent Wisconsin also checks in at 40-1 while for whatever it’s worth, Michigan can be found a little further down the list at 50-1.

Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.

-Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

2020 NFL draft: Austin Jackson scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about USC offensive tackle prospect Austin Jackson

Austin Jackson | OT | USC

Elevator Pitch

Jackson has plenty of physical tools and the upside to develop into a quality starting left tackle at the next level. His length and top-notch athleticism for the position gives him palpable potential, but his lack of technique will cause him problems early in his career. He’s a boom-or-bust prospect whose upside could persuade a team to use a fairly early pick on him.

Vitals

Height | 6-5

Weight | 322

College Bio Page

Strengths

There’s a lot to be intrigued about when evaluating Jackson’s prospects at the next level.

A lengthy tackle with a long wingspan and solid bulk, Jackson certainly looks the part of a starting left tackle in the NFL. He has an athletic frame that has room to pack on even more muscle. His long arms alone give him considerable range as a blocker, but his athletic ability aids that range even more so. Jackson is a smooth lateral mover who plays with promising quickness and great nimbleness in his feet when he moves. He has good counter agility and blocks with good body control.

Jackson accelerates well to the second level and takes good angles to defenders in down-blocking situations, giving him plenty of upside in zone schemes. He has flashed some potential in terms of his hand usage, as he can pack a powerful punch at the point of attack at times, and he has shown that he can play with quick hands when countering finesse moves.

Weaknesses

He has plenty of physical talents, but Jackson has quite a bit of work to do from a technical standpoint. His pad level needs some polishing, as he struggles with sinking his hips into contact and maintaining leverage consistently. He is guilty of lunging at times and can be knocked off balance fairly easily as a result of his own technical flaws.

Jackson doesn’t play with consistent hand placement yet and can get better at using his hands with more precision. They can also be a little bit quicker, as he can be a bit late to execute punches at times. He doesn’t have much of a nasty edge in his game yet, and he could be aided by adding a bit more power in his lower body to get better at driving defenders backwards.

Projection: 2nd Round

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2020 NFL draft: Michael Pittman, Jr. scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about USC wide receiver prospect Michael Pittman, Jr.

Michael Pittman, Jr. | WR | USC

Elevator Pitch

Pittman is a big-bodied wideout with top-notch length, bulk and physicality for the wide receiver position. He has good ball skills and is a surprisingly refined athlete for a player as big as he is. Though he’s still developing, he has the potential to outplay his draft positioning in a stacked receiver class.

Vitals

Height | 6-4

Weight | 223

College Bio Page

Career Stats

Strengths

If you’re looking for a massive receiver with red-zone potential, Pittman is one of the best in the class.

A tall wideout with a well-proportioned frame and plenty of play strength, Pittman excels in tight-window situations and does a good job of boxing out defensive backs, whether it be on the 50/50 ball or when running short routes. His size and physicality translates to when he goes up against press coverage, projecting him well as an ‘X’ receiver at the next level. That strength is also apparent as a blocker, as he’s a willing and able helper to his teammates on running plays who can drive back defensive backs.

Pittman isn’t just a big receiver, though; he offers some upside as a route runner and as an athlete. He has impressive body control for his size, showing off some underrated twitch in his cuts and good short-area burst. Pittman can make subtle movements with his feet to attack leverage points against defensive backs, and he can open up the hips of his opponents pretty well. His production in 2019 was also stellar, as he managed to catch 101 passes for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also has an NFL pedigree, as his dad, Michael Pittman Sr., was a running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Weaknesses

Though Pittman is a good athlete for his size, he doesn’t come without his athletic limitations. His acceleration off the snap is decent, at best, and he doesn’t offer much after the catch. He can’t make defenders miss incredibly well in the open field because of subpar lateral agility. Tight-window situations and shorter routes should be utilized more often than deeper routes and double moves in order to maximize Pittman’s skill set.

His route running abilities could still use some polishing, as well. As a taller receiver, he struggles to sink his hips and generate burst coming out of sharper breaking routes after building up speed. He doesn’t offer a whole lot in terms of hand techniques to create separation yet, and his stems could be improved, too. One could argue that Pittman is a one-year wonder, as his production prior to 2019 was mediocre at best.

Projection: 3rd Round

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USC Rejoins Notre Dame & UCLA – Good For Them, I Guess

I’ll admit as a fan that I like that Notre Dame has never gone to the FCS level in order fill out a schedule and hope they never do.  At the same time I’m well aware that it really doesn’t matter when you’re scheduling a good amount of poor programs.

Three teams in college football history have never played an FCS foe.  By this time you’re probably aware that Notre Dame is one while the two Los Angeles schools, UCLA and USC are the other two.

It appeared that USC was going to come off of that list as they had a 2021 game scheduled against UC-Davis but plans have changed and that has been called off because USC announced Thursday they’re replacing UC-Davis with San Jose State and will remain the small group to never play an FCS opponent.

I get it before you even start to get your thoughts and remarks in.  San Jose State is not good.  They’re awful, in fact.  They’ve won an average of three games each of their last four seasons and don’t look like they’ll be turning a corner anytime soon.

I however also know to try and not throw stones while living in a glass house.  Notre Dame is on this list but has played traditional powerhouses like Massachusetts, Miami of Ohio, Bowling Green, New Mexico in recent years.

I’ll admit as a fan that I like that Notre Dame has never gone to the FCS level in order fill out a schedule and hope they never do.  At the same time I’m well aware that it really doesn’t matter when you’re scheduling a good amount of poor programs.

So good for USC, I guess.

Even if it really doesn’t matter.

Two former Georgia football players/coaches leave South Carolina for NFL

Two former Georgia football players and coaches have left South Carolina to coach in the NFL.

Two coaches are leaving the South Carolina program to take NFL coaching jobs.

Both of those coaches happen to be guys who played and coached at the University of Georgia.

Thomas Brown, who played running back at Georgia from 2004-07, has joined the Los Angeles Rams staff as the running backs coach, where he will coach former Dawg Todd Gurley.

Related: Thomas Brown hired to Rams

And Bryan McClendon, who caught passes in Athens from 2002-05, will be joining the Steelers staff as receivers coach.

Related: Report: Former Georgia WR Bryan McClendon hired to Steelers

After their collegiate playing careers, both players returned to Georgia to coach shortly after testing out the NFL.

McClendon coached the running backs and receivers in Athens from 2009-2015, after spending two seasons as a grad assistant at Georgia.

Brown coached at Georgia in 2011 as a strength coach and then came back in 2015 to coach the running backs, which at the time was Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

Both ended up on the same staff at South Carolina under none other than former Georgia defensive back Will Muschamp, who is head coach of the Gamecocks.

Georgia ties run deep.

Report: Former Georgia football player and coach hired to Steelers staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly hired a former Georgia football wide receiver to coach.

According to the ABC television affiliate in Columbia, S.C., the Pittsburgh Steelers have pulled from the college ranks to find their next receivers coach.

The Steelers have reportedly worked out a deal with former Georgia wide receiver Bryan McClendon, who also coached in Athens for nearly a decade.

The Steelers have been on a long search for a receivers coach. This past season, interim receivers coach Ray Sherman handled those duties after Darryl Drake passed away during training camp in August.

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McClendon played at Georgia from 2002-05, finding a ton of success in Athens.

After college, he tried out the NFL for a year with the Bears but quickly found himself coaching at Georgia in 2007 as a graduate assistant and staying until 2015. In 2009, McClendon was promoted to running backs coach under Mark Richt, a position he held until 2014, before switching to wide receivers coach in 2015. He also added other titles along the way, such as assistant head coach and interim head coach after Richt’s firing.

In 2016, McClendon was named co-offensive and wide receivers coach coordinator at South Carolina and in 2019 was named the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator.

Oddly enough, McClendon is the second former Georgia football player to get an NFL coaching job today. And even more odd, the other, Thomas Brown, also left a position at South Carolina to do so.