The transition to the College Football Playoff era has not been a pleasant one for the Pac-12 Conference. With just two appearances in eight seasons and zero titles to show, the “Conference of Champions” has been anything but in an environment that caters to the richest and most powerful conferences — in other words, conferences […]
On the opening drive of the college football season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers lined up in “11 personnel,” a package that features one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers. Coach Scott Frost, marketed as an offensive guru after leading Central Florida to an undefeated 2017 season, used the grouping on 81.7 percent of […]
In his first season as the starting quarterback, Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler posted a Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) of “only” 81.2, which made him “only” 11th among qualified players in 2020. But no team would feel sorry for the Sooners, who are known for churning out elite QBs: Since 2017, Lincoln Riley’s first as Oklahoma’s head […]
Nick Saban’s arrival at Alabama ahead of the 2007 season was a seismic college football event. Saban has since built two different dynasties with the Crimson Tide, winning three titles between 2009 and 2012 and another three from 2015 to 2020. The most clear-eyed way to look at the Tide may be that since Saban’s […]
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns open the season as an underdog but carry the weight of expectation like a favorite. Head coach Billy Napier has guided the long-middling program to back-to-back seasons of at least 10 wins, the only double-digit-win seasons in school history. The Sun Belt Conference team has been so successful, in fact, that […]