WS Chronicle

The Clemson Tigers dominated college football last season. The Tigers wrapped up their season with a beat-down of the Alabama Crimson Tide by the score of 44-16. They even held the Tide scoreless in the second half. With the Tigers losing a lot of firepower on the defensive side of the ball, can the Tigers make it three national championships in four years?

The Tigers must replace quite a few studs on their defensive line, but they have a stable full of replacements to step in. With Trevor Lawrence having a year of experience and a national championship under his belt, he should be poised for a Heisman campaign this season.

Everyone was shell-shocked by the results of the national championship game. Alabama has been a force in college football for a decade, so to see them dismantled in that fashion was an absolute surprise. Tua Tagovialoa was the darling of college football all season and I am sure he wants to redeem himself following his subpar performance in the title game against Clemson.

For me, I am truly happy that Clemson has maintained this level of success. Even though I am a Florida State Seminole fan, I was getting sick and tired of seeing Alabama crush the competition in college football. It took all the fun out of watching college football for awhile, but Clemson has brought back some intrigue to the game.

It seems Clemson has taken over the top spot in the college football hierarchy for now, but I would not count Alabama out. Last year was the first time since 2013-14 Alabama has gone back-to-back years without a championship under head coach Nick Saban. I would not be surprised if we see another Clemson/Alabama matchup in the title game.

Clemson and Alabama are not the only teams that have a legitimate shot at the championship this year. Ohio State will have to replace a star quarterback, running back, and a couple of skill position guys on offense. They will have Justin Fields (UGA transfer) under center and a swarming defense. They will play a major role in deciding who the eventual national champ will be.

For the last two years, Georgia has probably had the most disappointing end to a season of any team in college football. After a heartbreaking loss to Alabama in the 2018 title game, the Bulldogs lost to the Crimson Tide once again in last year’s SEC title game, after holding a lead. They followed that up with a loss to Texas in the Sugar Bowl.  Jake Fromm, Georgia QB, could make a run for the Heisman and running back D’Andre Swift will be deadly out of the backfield.

Oklahoma has had the privilege of having the last two Heisman trophy winners with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. The Sooners will be led by former Crimson Tide QB Jalen Hurts this year. Oklahoma head coach, Lincoln Riley seems to be a magician with signal callers, but the Sooners always seem to come up short on the defensive end. If they can tighten up on that side of the ball, maybe the Sooners can have a legit shot at the championship.

Michigan and LSU are also teams to look out for in the college football landscape. This season could come down to some intriguing conference matchups, along with the possible matchups in the college football playoff.  

It would be great to see another team step up to the level of Clemson and Alabama this year. If someone could create more intrigue, that would make this season a lot better in my opinion. If it comes down to Clemson and Alabama once again, let’s just hope it’s a good game and not another blowout.