Rashad Greene (80) will be back to help the Seminoles defend their title. (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
Timing is everything in life and Auburn coach Gus Malzhan took advantage of a league that is changing. Some argue that the SEC and college football in general might evolve into Arena League football, but let’s not go that far. Still what Malzahn’s offense does is take away some of the influence of the 300- pound defensive lineman. This was evidenced by FSU defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan sucking air in the fourth quarter of the title game. SEC defenses will eventually adjust, but for now Malzahn has at least a couple of years to make his move in the SEC.
CAN THE ‘NOLES REPEAT: Could coach Jimbo Fisher’s Florida State team win the national title again next year? Many of the pieces are still in place. Running back Karlos Williams, left guard Josue Matias and tight end Nick O’Leary join wide receiver Rashad Greene, right guard Tre Jackson and left tackle Cameron Erving as juniors who are returning to school. This compensates some for the losses of players such as Jernigan, who is leaving early for the NFL, and seniors such as cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, linebackers Christian Jones and Telvin Smith and free safety Terrence Brooks.
Many pundits said too much was made about FSU’s easy schedule. I disagree. The ACC schedule did prepare FSU to face Auburn’s offensive and defensive lines. Louisville entering the league next season should help strengthen the conference. Also Notre Dame, who remains an independent, will play five games in the league every year, including one in Tallahassee next season.
FRANKLIN’S IMPACT: What a great job that James Franklin did at Vanderbilt in three years by raising the bar to another level or two. Franklin is one of the best coaches in Commodore history. He improved the facilities, spirit and talent base considerably during this tenure. Franklin has instilled in Commodore fans and players the belief they can win despite being a private school that has a history of losing. Vandy officials could do much worse than hiring Mark Hudspeth, Louisiana-Lafayette head coach. He compiled a 27-12 record, which included three New Orleans Bowl wins, in as many seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns.
SABANS’ NEXT MOVE: Hiring former USC and Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin as his next offensive coordinator, means Alabama coach Nick Saban could be moving to a more up-tempo offense. This is good for two reasons. The first is to utilize his many weapons on offense. Second, the Tide defense needs to practice against an up-tempo offense to prepare them for the season. Currently, Alabama is built to beat LSU’s run-dominated attack. They need to be retooled to handle the no-huddle, spread/zone read offenses at Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Auburn.
UAB DILEMMA: UAB has really struggled to stay afloat in college football. The latest problem is head coach Garrick McGee leaving UAB to be the offensive coordinator at Louisville joining Bobby Petrino. At some point, the UAB administration has to wonder how much longer can they field a football team. It’s amazing to consider that FSU’s Fisher was nearly hired six years ago until the University of Alabama trustees stopped the move.
