College Football with Sam

The average fan may think that the Buckeyes are on their way out of the College Football elite club, and who knows, maybe there is some truth to that. After all, the games will play themselves and determine the losers and winners, and 2023 has not played itself out yet. However, Ohio State is Top 50 in returning production according to Bill Connely, and they have a Top 3 roster when it comes to st...

It is time to talk about Nebraska Football. The Huskers went 4-8 in 2022 after I predicted them to go 10-2, foolishly. Though I expect Nebraska to finally rebound from their lack of success in the Mike Riley and Scott Frost era, this bounce back will really take some time. The journey to figuring out what Nebraska Football's identity will be under Rhule starts with a Thursday road game against the...

Here are my 2023 College Football Playoff Predictions! I am so excited to share my thoughts, analysis, and opinion with you. I think that Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, and Washington will be College Football's 4 representatives in the CFP this coming season. Michigan, Ohio State, and Georgia all have elite talent on offense and defense and a proven coaching staff, while Washington represents a te...

PJ Fleck has had tremendous success at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are coming off of back-to-back 9-win seasons that have included wins over rival Wisconsin and successful finishes in the Big Ten West division. However, with QB Tanner Morgan and RB Mohamed Ibrahim departing for a future in the NFL or life after football, the Gophers could see a regression in 2023. This is especially possible con...

Nick Saban is searching for a new offensive coordinator to replace the outgoing Bill O'Brien, and Tommy Rees might be his replacement. Rees has commanded 3 Top 50 offenses at Notre Dame, 2 of which have appeared in the Top 30. 2 of his offenses have also averaged 6 yards per play. Every year he coached at Notre Dame he had three mid-tier QBs Ian Book, Jack Coan, and Tyler Buchner/Drew Pyne. With A...

Davison Igbinosun has chosen Ohio State over Tennessee, Michigan, and UCLA. The former Ole Miss Freshmen CB started in 10 games last season and recorded 36 Tckls and 5 PD. The honorable-mention freshmen All-American joins former S Ja'Had Carter in transferring to Ohio State, where they will help a unit that struggled mightily in 2022. I think the Buckeye secondary is bound to improve in 2023. Give...

Iowa and North Carolina were the two most toxic, intriguing, confusing, and insufferable programs to watch in the 2022 College Football season. Today, I want to talk about the Big Ten's No.1 defense and No.16 offense (Their offense will be worse than USC and UCLA) and how I view their program, and a sneak peek of what I think they will be in 2023. With several portal additions on offense, notably...

From media darlings to media underlings, Mel Tucker and his Spartans are now under the radar heading into the 2023 season. Tucker is still young in his head coaching career and he will only be at Michigan State for his 4th season when fall comes around. With a Top 25 overall recruiting class, several veteran players returning, and staff continuity (whether for good or bad), I think the Spartans ha...

Indiana Football has brought itself back down to the sewer of College Football. After a 14-7 run from 2019-2020, where Indiana played competitively with the Big Ten and beat Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State once, the Hoosiers have been 6-18 in the past 2 seasons. Tom Allen is on the hot seat, and I seriously doubt he redeems himself in 2023. Indiana has no depth on either side of the ball,...

The Pac-12 has been viewed as the worst Power 5 Conference in College Football for quite some time. Having only 2 CFP participants, and playing football after most Americans have gone to bed, there is a negative stereotype around Pac-12 Football. However, any real College Football fan and analyst will not only tell you the Pac-12 can be fun to watch, but also that the conference is deep and compet...

Marvin Harrison Jr, Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming all return to play for the Buckeyes in 2023. Add in Xavier Johnson (or TE Cade Stover) and you have the receiver's edition of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. WRs Coach Brian Hartline is a master of his craft, as he has freshmen and sophomore WRs playing NFL-caliber football before they are draft eligible. With high returning production and hig...

Matt Weiss was fired around a week ago and that has left a void at the QBs coach position that he held from 2021-2022. I think Jim Harbaugh should go after coaches that are on the rise, and not just use his personal connections when it comes to choosing who JJ McCarthy's next position coach will be. As long as they are good at their job, I will love the hire. Whether that is Brian Griese, Andy Kot...

James Franklin is currently on a 5 game-win streak, which most notably includes a Rose Bowl win over the Utah Utes. Many might deny it, but Penn State could continue that momentum and transform it into a playoff run this coming season. Returning more than half their starters on both offense and defense, the Nittany Lions have a roster full of experience and raw, untested talent. Most of that untes...

After the disaster that was the 2022 season, it is time for a rebuild and a change in the Nebraska program. Headed by Matt Rhule, the new coaching staff regime at Nebraska is doing everything it can to beef up the roster in Lincoln. Nebraska has 11 transfer portal commits so far, the most notable and most recent commit being former 5-star TE/WR Arik Gilbert out of Georgia. With QB Casey Thompson,...

Deion Sanders has done it again, flipping the No.1 CB in the nation to his current school (Colorado in 2022 and Jackson State in 2021)! Deion Sanders is not only a national treasure on the field but is now a national treasure off the field. In his short tenure at Colorado, he has amassed a Top 30 High School recruiting class and a Top 4 Transfer Portal class, and he may not even be done in the 202...

Wisconsin has just finalized some of their last staff additions by adding RBs coach Devon Spalding and OLBs coach Matt Mitchell. Now, with the staff all put together, it is time for Luke Fickell, Phil Longo, and Mike Tressel to begin assembling their roster and plan for success in Madison. I think a realistic goal for the Badgers would be winning the Big Ten West. It may sound crazy, but Fickell h...

It was announced Tuesday that Jim Harbaugh will be coaching at Michigan for the 2023 season. His return marks what I think could be a continuation of one of Michigan Football's better runs. Going 25-3 winning 2 Big Ten Titles, and beating Ohio State twice, all over the past 2 seasons, are all great achievements that deserve a reward. Harbaugh will likely earn an extra few million per year and hope...

Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards could be the nation's Top 2 RBs in all of College Football, and both will be returning to play at Michigan in 2023, along with QB JJ McCarthy, TE Colston Loveland, and a plethora of experienced Offensive Lineman. Michigan also is adding several players from the portal, including 1 TE and 3 OL. The main anchor of this Wolverine offense has been and will always be the...

CJ Stroud can only be described as a monumental gift from God to Ryan Day, and Day used Stroud's talents to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, due to poor defensive coaching, Stroud will have likely (if he decides to return this could be a moot point) finished his career at Ohio State with no Big Ten Titles, no National Titles, and no Heisman Trophy. Out with the old, in with the new. Whether...

With the 2022 College Football season over, it is time for me to release my 2022 All-Big Ten team (with bowl statistics included). Today, we will be discussing my offensive selections on my 3rd, 2nd, and 1st team, along with a brief mention of some honorable mentions. The Big Ten conference had plenty of great players this year, especially at RB, where Blake Corum and Chase Brown were Doak Walker...

It means more in the SEC, specifically in Athens, Georgia. Kirby Smart and his crew just put out the most lopsided National Title Game score in College Football history, beating TCU 65-7. From the beginning, it was clear that Georgia was the more talented and balanced team, but by the 2nd quarter, it was a proven fact that these two teams didn't belong on the same field (from a matchup perspective...

The Nittany Lions will have success in 2023, in part because of their huge win in the Rose Bowl. What I watched this past Monday was a slow, physical peeling of Utah to its core. This culminated in an unfortunate injury to Cameron Rising and the effective end of Utah's Rose Bowl victory hopes. Both of these teams will be solid in 2023, with Utah likely returning QB Cameron Rising. For Penn State,...

Jim Harbaugh reportedly told reporters at the Queen City News today that, "Although no one knows the future I think I will be coaching Michigan next year". While that statement is essentially meaningless, Harbaugh has been mentioned several times as a potential candidate for NFL jobs ever since he stepped foot into Michigan, and yet he is still with the Wolverines. Regardless of the decision coach...

This is the game we have all been waiting for and the matchup that no one would have predicted in the preseason. No.1 14-0 Georgia will take on No.3 13-1 TCU Monday night which should be a game of the ages. The 2023 CFP National Championship Game is expected by many to be a dominant Georgia victory, but Max Duggan and Sonny Dykes have both proven time and time again that underestimating TCU is a g...

A Loss to Georgia in the CFP would mean that Ohio State will finish 11-2 (just like last year) after starting 11-0 and that they would finish 1-2 against Top 10 teams on the year. Ryan Day's job will be further questioned by Buckeyes fans and national pundits, and there will be unfathomable pressure on the team entering 2023. We know this because of the national reaction to The Game and Ohio State...