It seems like the moment the Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship, the focus shifted to next season and what the fallout will be following their surprising title run. What will the Buckeyes do at their quarterback position? How will the Alabama Crimson Tide respond? Will the Big 12 do enough to avoid the BCS Playoff snubs?
Lots of questions that will only be answered as we kick off the coming season. Here are the major questions being talked about as we head towards the 2015-16 season:
Can Ohio State Repeat?
All eyes will be on Ohio State as it looks to become the second repeat national champion of this century with a group that includes many of the same star players that helped them win 14 consecutive games last season. The Buckeyes absolutely steamrolled their opponents – including when they beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and then flattened the Oregon Ducks 42-20 in the national title championship with their third-string quarterback.
All indications are that this team is talented enough to win it all again this season. Ohio State is listed as a +280 favorite to repeat as national champion and everyone is curious to see how their quarterback situation will play out even after Braxton Miller has moved to wide receiver.
Who Will Win The Heisman Trophy?
According to the futures, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is the current favorite to win the Heisman trophy but we all know how quickly that can change based on one bad performance by him or a string of incredible performances by another player. Johnny Manziel came out of nowhere to win the Heisman in 2012 followed by Jameis Winston in 2013. Most expected Marcus Mariota would win it going into 2014, and he did end up taking the trophy.
The sprawl of the college football world means there is no shortage of possible candidates that could win this year’s Heisman and it will be very interesting to see if Boykin wins it. Being a preseason favorite can be a leg up if everything plays out as expected but the Heisman is often an award where the power rankings change week-to-week.
Which Conference Gets Shut Out Of Playoff?
Even with their strong finish to the season, Ohio State didn’t get into the college football playoff without some controversy. Many thought either Baylor or TCU deserved that final playoff spot before it was handed to the Buckeyes. The lack of a conference title game left the Big 12 on the outside looking in while the SEC, ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten were all represented. The Big 12 opted not to change its conference structure and as a result, they risk being overlooked in the college football playoff once again. One of the most interesting storylines this year will be which teams get in and which don’t with the knowledge that at least one conference will be shut out of this year’s playoff once again.
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Who Will Be This Year’s Biggest Surprise Team?
We don’t have to look very far back to remember what Auburn did in 2013 when they were transformed from a 3-9 team under Gene Chizik to a national championship game finalist under Gus Malzahn the following season. One of the questions on our mind now is who will be this year’s biggest surprise team. Jim Harbaugh’s arrival at Michigan has some jumping on the Wolverines bandwagon while some think David Beaty can turn things around at Kansas and challenge for a Big 12 title.
However, that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of teams with the potential to surprise the college football world. Texas A&M went 8-5 last season after posting a 3-5 record in SEC play, so don’t ignore the Aggies. Speaking of the SEC, a lot is expected of the Arkansas Razorbacks and Mississippi State Bulldogs this season but it’s also possible that Tennessee – a team loaded with youth and potential –finally puts it together this season. The Cinderellas are always what make college sports so special.
