We’re not even a month removed from the official end of the college football season, but that should not stop anybody from thinking about some of the more intriguing 2019 storylines.
Whether it be teams on the rise, players to watch or coaches to keep an eye on, we’ve got plenty of time to chew on things before play kicks off in late summer. For those who can’t wait that long, don’t worry.
Here’s a look at five early 2019 storylines for the college football season.
It’s Clemson’s world now, and we’re all just living in it. If those returning players can shed the calories from the food served at their The White House visit, the Tigers will enter the 2019 season as the team to beat.
Alabama will still be a force with Tua Tagovailoa under center, but Clemson should fear no one. It pummeled the defending national champions and now will be targeted. However, with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne leading the offense, and enough talent to reload on defense, the Tigers should at the very least get themselves back in the College Football Playoff in 2019.
Back to back September dates versus Texas A&M at home and the next week at Syracuse will provide a couple of strong early tests for the reigning national champs.
Kelly Bryant is at Missouri, Jalen Hurts appears set to take over the Oklahoma offense and Justin Fields could very well be doing the same at Ohio State as early as next season. As graduate transfers, Bryant and Hurts can play right away in 2019.
Photo by foxnews.com
Fields, meanwhile, is hoping to be granted a hardship waiver so he can also be under center in 2019.
These are three of the biggest names we’ll see playing for new schools in the near future. College football’s transfer portal has turned into a free agent pool, which we really should not be surprised about.
And let’s not forget about the coaches.
Mack Brown begins his second stint as North Carolina coach, Les Miles is back in the game and trying to make Kansas football relevant. Assistant Manny Diaz left Miami to take the Temple head coaching job, then gave up that gig to return to run the Hurricanes program. Then there is former Alabama assistant Mike Locksley, who is hoping to change the culture of the football program at Maryland.
Photo by heightline.com
Speaking of coaches, we can’t start a season without wondering about the fate of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.
He claims he’s not going anywhere and the school is apparently behind him, but the last two times we saw his Wolverines play, they yielded a 103 combined points to Ohio State and Florida. Sure, Harbaugh’s won 10 games in three of the four seasons coaching his alma mater, but he’s still yet to reach the Big Ten title game and has lost three consecutive bowls.
If Michigan takes a step back or fails to seriously contend for the Big Ten crown in 2019, it might finally be time for a change in Ann Arbor. This is a storyline that just won’t go away.
One story worth keeping on eye on his McKenzie Milton’s recovery from that devastating knee injury he suffered in late November. UCF has not ruled out Milton possibly returning at some point during the 2019 season.
Photo by foxsports.com
It would be a welcome sight, not just for the Knights and their supporters, but all fans of college football. Milton was one of the game’s top quarterbacks at the time of his injury, and the team and school did a nice job rallying around their injured star.
His replacement Darriel Mack Jr. and Notre Dame-transfer Brandon Wimbush appear set to fight it out for the starting quarterback job at the moment, but if Milton is able to make it back for game action, there might not be a better story in college football next season.
It’s hard to argue with any of the four teams that made up the College Football Playoff in 2018. Despite Notre Dame being routed by Clemson, the Irish deserved to be part of that foursome.
Still, some pundits, media types and or just uneducated fans will cry for playoff expansion. If that were to happen, say four to eight teams, then some criteria would likely need to be set. Meaning, perhaps, a Group of Five team would get in or an undeserving conference champion. In most, if not, all seasons, those teams would not have a realistic chance at winning the whole thing and would likely go against the Clemsons and Alabamas of the world right off the bat.
Now, that’s just an off-the-cuff example. Four teams seem fine for now, and the committee is doing its best to make sure the four best will play for a title. Parity is fun, but at the end of the day, the great teams find a way of separating themselves from the good.
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