Spring game season ramps up on Saturday. Three major college football contenders in Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama are all set to take the field on April 13.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are first on Fox’s Big Noon feature, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs on ESPN+ and Alabama Crimson Tide on ESPN in the afternoon. The three programs are all in different places in their trajectory.
Georgia is the team with the least to prove with two national titles and an Orange Bowl victory over the last three seasons. Nevertheless, the game will be worth monitoring for Texas who will host the team in late October. The Bulldogs’ offensive line has generated buzz as a dominant unit this offseason. That group could be what decides the game in Austin.
Ohio State is looking to go from a postseason disappointment to a team that returns to competing for national titles as it did in 2020. Current head coach Ryan Day breaks in new portal playmakers who will be heavily relied upon in 2024. How quarterback Will Howard runs the offense will be worth observing in the spring game.
Alabama is starting over after head coach Nick Saban retired to cap a decade and a half of dominance. The Tide brings in perhaps the best coach they could find in Kalen DeBoer and one used to quickly turning around past programs at Washington and before. Jalen Milroe is still there at quarterback, but several starters and coaches are gone from last season. We’ll see how quick the Crimson Tide has been able to install its offense this spring.
The above three games are the ones worth keeping an eye on when they take the field Saturday. The day should shed light on who the Longhorns could compete for a title against in 2024.