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Finally college football season is upon us.  Unfortunately we started off with a dud of a Florida-Miami Saturday night game that resembled more of a prison yard battle than an actual clean football game with all the penalties and turnovers involved. 

Even the ole ball coach Steve Spurrier thought it was too painful to watch.

Steve Spurrier watching Feleipe Franks play Quarterback 😂 pic.twitter.com/VsR8B6yKPx

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) August 25, 2019

But I think we all kind of knew Florida (preseason #8) was overrated going into this season and Miami is basically rebuilding from the ground up with a first year coach in Manny Diaz and a freshman QB starting. 

This week the hunt for the 2019 college football playoffs begins.  It's also why college football is the greatest sport known to man.  Every game means something.  One single loss in week 1 all the way to week 15/16 can dismantle a playoff run.  With only 4 teams eligible for the playoffs it makes every single game intense no matter who is playing.  Last year we saw an unprecedented 3 teams go undefeated (Clemson, Alabama and Notre Dame) during the regular season to reach the playoffs.  Don't expect the same to happen this season.  Undefeated regular seasons are hard to come by and as great as Nick Saban is as a coach he only has one undefeated season on his legendary resume.

Let's take a look at this season with some predictions of what I think will happen.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS PREDICTIONS

1) Clemson Tigers - The only team to ever go 15-0 in modern college football history returns the nation's best quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and one could argue maybe the nation's best running back in Travis Etienne and the nation's best duo of wide receivers in Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross.  Simply put the Tigers are gonna put up a shitload of points again this season and nobody is gonna stop their offense except maybe themselves.  Lawrence has the benefit of a season under his belt and Clemson has the pedigree to run through a rather pedestrian ACC schedule unscathed.  In fact I would be shocked if they lost before the playoffs.  Head coach Dabo Swinney will have them ready and hungry.  Despite the massive turnover on the defensive side of the ball most notably the front seven Clemson just reloads there with blue chip prospects ready to step up.

2) Alabama Crimson Tide - No one saw the 44-16 thrashing Bama took in the championship game to Clemson coming.  Not even Clemson and you sure as shit know Nick Saban didn't expect it.  I expect a very mean and focused Bama squad this season.  Last year they were being discussed as one of the greatest teams ever (I was leading the argument for it) and got caught up in their own headlines.  This year I expect Saban to unleash hell on the SEC like he did all last season.  With QB Tua Tagovailoa back and plenty of elite offensive weapons at his disposal the Tide will compete with Clemson for the best offense in the nation.  While the Tide face a little more daunting schedule in the SEC I'm not a firm believer in LSU, Auburn or Texas A&M knocking them off.  Expect Bama to look to their 2nd string QB in the SEC Championship to again knock the Dawgs out of the playoff picture.

3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Coming off an undefeated regular season (2nd in 6 years) Notre Dame again got embarrassed on the big bowl stage, losing to Clemson in the playoffs 30-3.  While Clemson players have stated Notre Dame and not Alabama was the tougher opponent in the playoffs it's time for ND to step it up to another level and win a NY6 Bowl game.  The good news is the majority of their starters return on both sides of the ball and the entire coaching staff is back minus the upgrade at RB coach (Lance Taylor).  QB Ian Book is back and will be looking to build off a tremendous 2018 performance in which he set an ND record completing 68.3% of his passes.  Playmakers like WR Chase Claypool and RB Jafar Armstrong should have breakout seasons and with 4 starters back on the offensive line the running game should be stout.  Defensively ND has the best duo in the nation in edge rushers with seniors Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem back as starters and top notch talent such as Daelin Hayes rotating in.  The linebackers are inexperienced in terms of PT but the talent is there.  The secondary is one of the nation's best with safeties Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott back along with CB Troy Pride.  This will be Notre Dame's most talented and deepest team since 1993.  With road night games at UGA, Michigan and Stanford being extremely daunting I expect ND to win 2 of those 3 and squeeze into the playoffs at 11-1.  I'm sure everybody will take it in stride with no arguments. 

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4) Texas Longhorns - Yes, Texas is in fact back!  Last year the Longhorns beat Oklahoma and UGA.  Building up the program has been Tom Herman's goal since arriving and with 10 wins last season including a dominating Sugar Bowl performance vs UGA he appears to be on his way.  QB Sam Ehlinger returns and should be a top 5 Heisman Trophy candidate.  I think Texas beats an overrated LSU squad early in the season and while I see them eventually dropping a game vs either Oklahoma or Iowa State I think they win the Big 12 title and finish 12-1.

National Champion - Clemson Tigers

Yes they got the bulls eye on their backs this season and everybody will give the defending champs their best shot.  But in the end the combination of Trevor Lawrence and Dabo Swinney will be too much for Texas in the semifinals and then Bama in the Natty.  Lawrence and Swinney will both stamp their college football legendary status with another convincing championship win over Bama. 

Most Overrated Team - Michigan Wolverines

I feel like this has become an annual thing with Michigan.  They have only won a 1/2 National Championship in the last 80 something years but still get put in the top 10 preseason every year.  Last year's Michigan team will be better than this year and that's not saying much.  They got blown out by Ohio State and Florida to end the season.  Ohio State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin look like losses to me on their schedule and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Army beat them in the 2nd week.  They are not a top 10 team and not worthy of being ranked #7 preseason.

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Most Underrated Team - Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame was the third best team in the country last year and look to again be the third best team when all is said and done.  This is Brian Kelly's deepest team in his 10th season.  It's also a veteran squad with plenty of leadership ready to get ND to the next level.  Ranked 9th in the preseason is short changing ND and should provide a chip to their shoulders mentality.

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Coach of the Year - Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

I got Clemson going back-to-back and winning their 3rd National Championship in the last 4 years.  If that's not Coach of the Year status for Dabo then I don't know what is.

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Heisman Trophy Winner - Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

While I think Trevor Lawrence is the better QB I think Heisman voters will have a hard time ignoring the incredible stats Tua will put up this season for a 2nd straight year.  Last year it took a remarkable run by Kyler Murray to steal the Heisman from Tua who was leading on most ballots for most of the season.  This year Tua edges out Lawrence to get the Heisman to delay Lawrence from getting his first in 2020.

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Bold Prediction - Georgia will have a playoff berth all but wrapped up only to see Kirby Smart inadvertently go for it on 4th and long vs Alabama in the SEC Championship.  Jake Fromm will get sacked and Bama will score in the final 20 seconds to send themselves back to a 6th straight playoff berth.  Meanwhile UGA will be leapfrogged by an one-loss Notre Dame team whom they narrowly beat in September and an one-loss Texas Longhorns team who soundly beats Oklahoma to win the Big 12.  Barking will intensify to Mark Richt-er scale levels in the great state of Georgia.

If you had Desmond Howard on your "most likely to get fired" on-air personality for ESPN this year the safe bet is you will be collecting soon.  This morning on ESPN's College Game Day Howard, who is known for his idiotic predictions and lack of English grammar as much as his Heisman Trophy winning days at Michigan, made the joke he would have to "choke a bitch" in order for Michigan to beat Ohio State this season.

Does Desmond Howard have to “choke a bitch” now to keep his job? https://t.co/W389czVjdC

— SportsCrack Apparel (@sportscrack) August 24, 2019

Call me naive but I don't think it's wise to say "choke a bitch" on live air in Disney World in front of millions of impressionable ears. I know Howard is referring to the old Dave Chappelle skit with Wayne Brady high on PCP but you gotta know when to say "choke a bitch" and that's not the right time. The only thing that might save Desmond his job during this whole #MeToo movement we are in right now was he could claim he was saying "Djokovic"... 

Nope.  No way Desmond survives.  He was already horrible at his job.  This just gives ESPN another legit reason to fire him.  Also that prediction of Iowa State winning the Big 12 was another great "joke" by Desmond.

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Injured Reserve- (84) Kmet, Cole TE; (87) Young, Michael WR

TAILGATE LIKE A CHAMPION #TOUCHDOWNJESUS SHIRT - Notre Dame Shirt https://t.co/a8Gwkf746h

— SportsCrack Apparel (@sportscrack) August 21, 2019

Catholics Vs Khakis 2019 Football Shirt #notredame #ndvsmichigan #annarborhttps://t.co/yPcMdtOGHV

— SportsCrack Apparel (@sportscrack) August 17, 2019

Domers Vs Dawgs 2019 Shirt #NotreDame #UGA #classiccityhttps://t.co/c8rkccqAbF

— SportsCrack Apparel (@sportscrack) August 17, 2019

NFL Week 3 Preseason Predictions

So far, we’ve made a killing against the NFL Odds this 2019 NFL preseason.

You see, most people think that preseason ball is unpredictable. And to an extent they are right. You don’t know who you are going to see on the field or how much time they are going to get during each week of play. So, it’s nearly impossible to predict the personnel matchups. 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t predict the outcomes. Instead of looking at personnel and teams, you just need to look at head coaches, regardless of the team they are running. 

Week 2 of preseason saw Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers smash Andy Reid and the KC Chiefs – as we expected because Tomlin was 8-5 in PS Week 2 situations (now 9-5) going against an 8-12 Andy Reid (now 8-13). Bill O’Brien was on our list to win because he was previously 5-1 in Week 2, going against Matt Patricia who, although a small sample size, cares not about preseason victories. We also knew that Baltimore would smash Green Bay and that Carolina would likely get the win over Buffalo … all because of the coaches. 

So what about Week 3? Are there any standouts that you should keep your eye on?

Preseason Picks for Week 3

Andy Reid 12-8 vs. Kyle Shanahan 0-2

The Chiefs are worth a good hard look to win in Week 3, especially since they have already followed their standard Reid-trend of a Week 2 loss. Look for Andy Reid to get his token preseason win against Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers at home on August 24th. 

Andy Reid loves to win in Week 3, and Shanahan at 0-2 is a small sample size but we have to go with the proven trend. Another factor to consider is the 49ers play on Monday night and then have a short turnaround for Week 3 on Saturday. 

Sean Payton 10-3 vs. Adam Gase 1-2

This one is a bit difficult because the Saints squeaked out a two-point win over the Chargers in California. And now, they have another road game in Week 3 where they visit MetLife and face the Jets. Adam Gase is 1-2 during Week 3, and I would think that he would maybe try to get the home win even with his losing Week 3 record. However, he pulled out a pretty solid victory over the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 2, so we should expect Sean Payton to move to 11-3 in Week 3 PS situations. 

John Harbaugh 8-3 vs. Doug Pederson 2-1

John Harbaugh likes getting his preseason wins. It’s just what he does. He’s 13-1 in Week 1, 10-3 in Week 2, and 8-3 (soon to be 9-3) in Week 3. Doug Pederson is relatively new as a head coach, and I would lean for him to try and put forth some effort to avoid the loss in Philadelphia; give the fans something to cheer for if he didn’t just already smash the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-10 in Week 1. Put your money on Harbaugh and his preseason ego to go into Philadelphia and get another preseason win before he relaxes a bit in Week 4.

Mike Tomlin 7-5 vs. Vrabel 0-1

Now, this lean isn’t as strong as say Harbaugh’s or Reid’s, but Tomlin is another one of the rare head coaches in the NFL that really enjoys getting his preseason wins in. Vrabel, a defensive mind, doesn’t seem to care either way. He is more concerned with assessing his pieces in play than striving for the win. Plus, the Titans put down the Eagles in Week 2, which was Vrabel’s first-ever preseason win. Understanding the way he coaches leads me to believe that with a win under his belt, he will be more focused on individual players and team cohesiveness than calling plays to win the day. Take Tomlin to win.

Chris A.

TauroSports.com

These rising sophomores are expected to contribute in a big way for the Fighting Irish this fall.

Center Jarrett Patterson - Patterson made the transition from tackle to center in the spring with no issues.  In fact he locked on to the starters job early replacing departing senior Sam Mustipher.  Patterson will be the only starter on the line with no starting experience but he's been getting rave reviews all spring, summer and now fall.

WR Lawrence Keys III - Initially Keys was not on my list at all but with the injury (broken collarbone) to starter Michael Young last week and the "suspension" of fellow sophomore Kevin Austin it has opened up a starting spot for Keys.  Expected to line up at Z receiver next to starters Chris Finke and Chase Claypool Keys brings quickness and the ability to get open along with tremendous speed.  Keys also has a firm grasp of the playbook which has earned him starting reps over fellow sophomores Braden Lenzy and Joe Wilkins Jr.

LB Jack Lamb - Right now it looks like it's a battle between Lamb and returning senior Asmar Bilal for the starting BUCK LB position.  Lamb is coming off injuries in both his senior season in high school and his freshman season last year but appears to be fully healthy now.  Lamb brings the length (6'4), speed and range rarely seen at the inside linebacker position at ND and I fully expect DC Clark Lea to unleash Lamb this season.  He's gonna be a great LB.

DT Jayson Ademilola - Last season Jayson played early on in his freshman season behind Jerry Tillery after Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa was lost to injury.  Earning the most snaps out of his class gave Ademilola valuable experience and he is expected to back up MTA this season.  But make no mistake Jayson could eventually earn the starters spot because he was highly efficient last season against the run (hint vs Georgia and Michigan).

TE Tommy Tremble - Tremble wasn't on my initial list like Keys III but after starter Cole Kmet suffered a collarbone injury too he is now the projected #2 tight end behind Brock Wright.  Tremble brings elite speed (timed in 4.5 coming out of HS) and has already formed a bond with starting QB Ian Book this fall.  Tremble reminds me a lot of Evan Engram coming out of Ole Miss.  He's basically a WR who can line up inside at tight end but blow past safeties and LBs trying to cover him.  If Book can hit him in stride expect a lot of explosive plays from Tremble this season.

Others: CB Tariq Bracy, CB/S Houston Griffith, LB Shayne Simon, WR Braden Lenzy, WR Kevin Austin, WR Joe Wilkins Jr, QB Phil Jurkovec, RB Jahmir Smith

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Oh man that catch by #24 Tommy Tremble has me excited about his potential at tight end. With starter Cole Kmet out with the broken collarbone I look forward to seeing more of Tremble on the field at least early on in the season.  There's not a lot of big tight ends that can run legit 4.5 which Tremble did before fall camp.  And those hands?  Oh my.  Just need him to get open for Ian Book this season and we could be talking breakout player for the Fighting Irish.

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Ronald Acuña Jr. can fly. pic.twitter.com/IxsjSZqRwB

— FOX Sports South (@FOXSportsSouth) August 16, 2019

You might as well just give the kid the MVP Award. Sorry Cody Bellinger. Sorry Christian Yelich. You can't soar over fences like Superman the way Acuna does it with ease. He's gonna do 40/40 at the age of 21 and leads the league in runs, stolen bases and hits. Not to mention stolen home runs.

Say it out loud: M-V-P

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UPDATE: He hits his 35th HR of the season to creep even closer to Bellinger and Yelich for the MLB HR lead.

Seriously, he does it all.#ChopOn pic.twitter.com/hIZp8hP0Gg

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 16, 2019

BREAKING: Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Wife on Board Plane That Went Down In Fiery Crash In Tenn. - https://t.co/a7ZrE5GgMq pic.twitter.com/Bp5hXaQgWa

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 15, 2019

Dale Jr must have had Sr. looking after him here. I don't even know how you can survive a small, private plane crash that is engulfed in flames. It's either some Final Destination shit going on or Dale Jr has some dirt on the Clintons.

Reports out of Tennessee are everybody survived and are OK.  Whew!

Elizabethton Fire Chief Barry Carrier said all of the passengers were able to get out safely including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife.

Three passengers were onboard when the plane crashed. All are expected to be OK.

We are officially only 9 days away from College Football kicking off.  To ease the slow pain of the offseason and to get the blood flowing I present you some football porn aka 2019 College Football Pump Up video.  We are almost there fam!