August 26, 2016.
This day has been circled on calendars all over the country for months. College football is back.
From spring practice to fall camp, teams across the country have been gearing up for the start of another season. Coaches have spent countless hours watching film, running practices and recruiting for years to come. The players have endured a brutally hot summer, but they have finally reached their time to shine.
Like seemingly every season before, the expectations are set high for many teams across the country.
The SEC will be strong once again, but no team stands out as a true front-runner. Alabama is expected to find themselves in the College Football Playoff once again, but they lost Jacob Coker and Derrick Henry to the NFL this offseason. Tennessee is the dark-horse pick to win the East Division as they return Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd and Cameron Sutton. The SEC could also produce another Heisman Trophy winning running back this season, as LSU's Leonard Fournette is one of the early season favorites.
The Big Ten is about as wide open as the SEC for the upcoming season. In Columbus, the Buckeyes are returning just six starters, an FBS low. Despite this small number Ohio State is still one of the favorites with JT Barrett at quarterback. Their biggest game of the season may be against Michigan, who many are picking to win the Big Ten East. Iowa is a trendy pick to win the West Division again, but Nebraska is a team that many people are sleeping on. After a rough year in 2015, the Huskers return 12 starters for Mike Riley's second season in Lincoln.
On the coast, the ACC has two major National Championship contenders. First is Clemson, who lost in the title game last season, and they return star quarterback Deshaun Watson. Also in the Atlantic Division is Florida State, who returns Dalvin Cook at running back. The Seminoles will likely start the year with redshirt freshman Deondre Francois at quarterback, who would take Sean Maguire's spot. In the Coastal Division there is North Carolina, who has explosive playmakers in Elijah Hood and Ryan Switzer. The Tar Heels will look to Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, who starred at Mentor High School before committing to UNC. The Miami Hurricanes will begin the Mark Richt era in 2016 as he looks to get the program back to prominence.
A tumultuous offseason was the major headline for the Big 12 Conference. Baylor experienced arguably the worst offseason of all time, losing their coach, athletic director and some players. The conference is now also looking towards expansion and the implementation of a conference championship game. For 2016, however, Oklahoma should dominate the conference. With Baker Mayfield, Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine coming back, the Sooners look loaded for a championship run. Their toughest test in the conference will be Oklahoma State, who is led by quarterback Mason Rudolph.
One of the most star-studded conferences is the Pac-12. Christian McCaffrey is expected to be a Heisman Trophy finalist once again for Stanford. Quarterback Josh Rosen has UCLA believing they can become a championship contender. Adoree Jackson is a star on both sides of the ball for USC, and he will have to be at his best for their opening matchup against Alabama. The Washington Huskies are expected to be strong this season, as the preseason polls ranked them much higher than many expected. Oregon will be high powered on offense once again. They return Royce Freeman, Devon Allen and Darren Carrington. The Ducks do have a question at quarterback, however, as they will once again start an FCS graduate transfer. Dakota Prukop is hoping to continue the success he had at Montana State the same way that Vernon Adams Jr. did last season.
Many questions will be answered throughout the 2016 season. There will be no shortage of excitement in college football this year.
