Ohio State’s 42-20 win over Oregon in the first ever National Championship Playoff already has triggered projections that the Buckeyes will establish a dynasty and long term national powerhouse under head coach Urban Meyer. But perspective is in order.
College football is entering an exciting new era of parity with several top perennial contenders to go along with new powers, such as TCU and Baylor. Ohio State enjoyed a perfect storm in the Big Ten Conference that saw subpar seasons again from traditional powers like Michigan, Penn State, and Nebraska.
Here are 10 quick thoughts on the 2015 college football season in review
Marcus Mariota
Yesterday, the Heisman Trophy winner announced that he would enter into the NFL draft, where he will likely be one of the first two quarterbacks taken along with the 2013 award winner, Jameis Winston. Mariota ends his decorated career at Oregon with an astounding 105-14 TD-INT ratio, as he also added 29 touchdowns on the ground.
LSU
Head coach Les Miles finally filled his defensive coordinator position with Kevin Steele and is facing a season in which he needs to get back into contention. The Tigers are coming off an 8-5 season in which their offense was an ugly eyesore. Miles has not developed quarterbacks consistently in his time at Baton Rouge and that is really coming back to bite his program. While the rest of the SEC has improved, LSU has been stagnant. Miles seat is a little warmer.
Jameis Winston
The Florida State quarterback announced that he is off to the NFL, and not a moment too soon. The college game will be better off without him and his antics will be a perfect fit in the league. His inconsistent 2014 season also calls into question his actual value as a NFL quarterback.
SEC
While there was plenty of delight in the struggles of the SEC this past season the fact remains it is the strongest league from top to bottom in the game. The SEC has suffered from having its loaded rosters raided by the NFL each year and that has served to deplete their teams of depth. With the most passionate fans in the game, not to mention the most fertile recruiting territory in the land, this league will roar back as a beast sooner, rather than later.
Big Ten
Commissioner Jim Delany’s league has taken its share of shots in recent years but Ohio State’s dominating playoff run changes the conversation. When you add Jim Harbaugh in the mix as the new coach at Michigan, you have the makings of a new Ten Year War in what is still considered the top rivalry in sports.
Highest Ever Cable Rating Speaks to Growth
Monday night’s national championship game shattered the records for the top-rated cable television program in history. This is emblematic of college football’s dramatic rise in popularity and the success of the new playoff format. The fact that college football got more attention than the NFL on the Sunday that the four playoff teams was announced is another impressive metric. The ratings and attention demonstrate the all-time high in popularity for what has become the number two sport in the U.S.
Expanded Playoff
With only four slots available for the power five conferences and with those record TV ratings, expansion of the playoff is coming sooner, rather than later. Six teams would be the answer with the top two seeds getting bye weeks. This would ensue that each Power Five Conference would get a team in the mix along with one wild card team, perhaps from a team outside the Power Five when warranted.
Notre Dame
Head coach Brian Kelly has had one big season, in 2012, when the Irish went 12-1 and made the BCS Championship Game. Besides that, he has failed to deliver another double-digit win season since taking over in 2010. With National Signing Day approaching on Feb. 5, Kelly needs a strong class and a strong 2015 campaign as his record bears little distinction from failed predecessors Charlie Weiss, Bob Davie, and Tyrone Willingham.
On Campus Playoff Games
When the playoffs eventually expand the first round should be played on the campuses of the higher seed teams. Fans of this year’s playoff teams had some expensive road trips to consider. Ohio State and Oregon fans had to make the trek to both the playoff and championship games in a matter of 10 days. That is too much to ask of fans and, beyond that, a playoff setting on a college campus would be electric.
