By Robert MacRae, Will Vandervort, Ed McGranahan, Hale McGranahan, William Qualkinbush.
The TCI staff of Ed McGranahan, Hale McGranahan, Will Vandervort, William Qualkinbush and Robert MacRae go Around the Horn to answer some of the questions surrounding Clemson athletics and college football.
Who do you think will win the national championship this year in college football?
Ed McGranahan: “Because predictions are inane exercises, my approach has been with a wink and a nod to the extreme because we deal in best case and worst case possibilities. In that spirit let me suggest that Auburn, Michigan State, UCLA and Notre Dame – this whole thing was created for the Irish, don’t ya know – will be in the first CFB Final Four, with Michigan State beating Auburn then UCLA for the national title and crushing all Gamecock hope that Mark Dantonio, after he receives more money than God and Nick Saban, will ever want to leave East Lansing, Mich., and return to Columbia, S.C., when Steve Spurrier retires.”
William Qualkinbush: “Honestly, the most talented team in the country is Florida State, and it’s not even close. The Seminoles have stability at quarterback and a championship pedigree. On paper, they should repeat as champions, but winning consecutive titles rarely happens. Since the NCAA began giving out “consensus” national title designations in 1950, there have been eight repeat winners, meaning a repeat champion either wins its first or second national title one-quarter of the time. Since Alabama just accomplished the feat, it just seems unlikely that FSU repeats this year.
The team I’m watching is Auburn. The Tigers have a brutal schedule that may prove to be their ultimate downfall. However, if Gus Malzahn can guide his team through the slate, this is a deep and talented team that is just ahead of everybody schematically right now. Malzahn is a brilliant offensive mind with a scheme simple enough for his players to grasp, yet complex enough to baffle the opposition. Meanwhile, Ellis Johnson continues to prove himself year after year on defense. I believe Auburn will avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss with a victory over FSU in the national championship game.”
Will Vandervort: “I go under the assumption until someone knocks off the champion you have to pick the defending champion. Florida State returns 14 starters and one of those guys is quarterback Jameis Winston, who just happened to win the Heisman Trophy last year. Say what you want about Winston’s character–and I have said plenty–but as a football player, the kid is a winner and he motivates his teammates. Can Florida State be beat this year? Yes! But until someone does it, whether that is Oklahoma State, Clemson, Notre Dame or Miami, I’m going to go with the Seminoles.”
Hale McGranahan: “Paging Captain Obvious: Wisconsin has to do is win Saturday’s neutral site game against LSU. Then, they’ll spend the month of September jumping around in Camp Randall against Western Illinois, Bowling Green and USF. Their toughest
league road game isn’t until the late November trip to Iowa. Ohio State isn’t on the schedule. Neither are the Michigan schools. That favorable schedule with the return of running back Melvin Gordon makes the Badgers a legit contender for this thing.”
Robert MacRae: “Florida State is the easy choice and they will be in the four team playoff. However they won’t bring home the title in the first playoff. My four playoff teams are going to surprise some. Florida State, Ohio State, Oregon and Alabama will be in the playoff. UCLA is the sexy pick to win the PAC 12 but I’ll go with the Ducks. Also look for Ohio State to be just fine at QB and win the BIG. I’ll go with Alabama to win the title. If Clemson wins Saturday they will make the four team playoff even with a loss to Florida State.”
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