Category Archives: Preseason

The Kickoff Launches for the 2015 College Football Season

Monday, 31 August 2015 13:08

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The 2015 College Football Season is almost underway!

In the first issue of the 2015 college football season, published August 31st, The Kickoff shares our Preseason Top 50 and sets the initial Power Ratings for teams playing in this week’s games.

It will come as no surprise that we have Ohio State atop our preseason poll with TCU right behind, but beyond that, we are of a different mind as far as other recent polls based on our analysis of where we expect these schools to end up at the end of the year. We’ll go into that more later this week after our valued subscribers have had a chance to read the first newsletter.

There’s been a lot of speculation on whether the Southeastern Conference is losing its grip on domination. The other leagues are closing the gap on the premiere conference, but we still expect the SEC to rule the world of college football for another year. The margin of difference assigned in the Power Ratings between the SEC and the PAC-12 is growing slimmer.

In the first of 17 issues we will publish each Monday during the season, we place the Vegas ranking, the Amway Coaches’ ranking and our Kickoff ranking side-by-side for an easy comparison of the Top 25 so you can have a tool for making your Week One picks based on a numerical rating of all three polls averaged together.

While The Kickoff isn’t affiliated with the Vegas oddsmakers, our newsletter is a useful tool in prognosticating the results. Take advantage of a Buy 1, Get 1 special on individual subscriptions for a limited time, and you can have our newsletter ready to look at when making your own choices.

In the new issue, we also share our 2015 Preseason Kickoff All Americans (First team, Second team and Third team choices), the leading Heisman candidates and who we expect to be the breakout players this year. You’ll learn which three teams are hot on the Kickoff Thermostat during Week 1.

We also display the relevant stats for our Games of the Week: Alabama’s season opener against Wisconsin and North Carolina in a rare matchup against South Carolina. The Kickoff looks back to this date in 1989, when Notre Dame sat atop the rankings.
Included in the first issue is a list the schedule of every FBS team in the country along with select Division I FCS schedules.

Each week, you’ll be able to consult our Power Ratings for a numerical evaluation of the matchups. We provide this information in a table where you can quickly and easily determine the home teams, their opponents, their respective Power Ratings, and the margin between those ratings. Each team expected to win is designated with an asterisk. These bite-sized bits of information bring you instantly up to speed and reflect the bottom line in a format that fits your busy lifestyle.

For those of you who are new to The Kickoff, we have a complete description and illustration of what you get on our website at https://thekickoffstore.com/the-newsletter/ – It’s all intended to enhance your understanding and enjoyment of college football.

Who Will Win the Quarterback Races?

Friday, 21 August 2015 14:26

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With less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, it is crunch time for teams to choose their starting quarterbacks.

Will it be JT Barrett or Cardale Jones at Ohio State? Jake Coker or David Cornwell at Alabama? Everett Golson or Sean Maguire at Florida State? We’ll soon know.

Braxton Miller simplified things a little bit by moving to receiver for the Buckeyes, but we still don’t know for sure who will take the first snap against Virginia Tech. Urban Meyer promised no announcement will come before Sept. 7, but he’s in a good position with two proven winners in the running locked in a fierce competition for the starting job. It’s possible that Barrett may start under center with Jones running the option. That’s a scenario sure to cause headaches for defensive coordinators.

“Coach Meyer has a tough decision to make,” said Tommy Duff, Editor of The Kickoff newsletter, which covers college football with 17 issues weekly during the season. “Neither Barrett nor Miller participated in the spring game, leaving Cardale Jones the chance to make the most of the opportunity. Jones was inconsistent during the spring game, leaving the door open for Barrett to reclaim his starting QB slot this fall.”

We questioned whether the quarterback questions at Alabama are reasons to feel the Crimson Tide is overrated in preseason polls. After all, Jake Coker was supposed to set the world on fire last year and ended up as a backup QB. You’d think he would be the sure pick with another year under his belt to learn the system, now there’s word Coker’s dealing with a foot injury and has missed practices. That heightens speculation about redshirt freshman David Cornwell becoming the starter if Coker isn’t healthy. Of course, with so much talent, Nick Saban also has true freshman Blake Barnett or Alec Morris or Cooper Bateman to throw in the mix. The Tide starts the season Sept. 5^th at AT&T Stadium.

“Coker failed to really separate himself from the pack, due to inconsistent play throughout spring practice. The spring game official rosters had Coker listed first team and Cornwell 2nd. That being said, it was Coker who had the best spring game showing, though Saban refrained from naming him the starter at that point,” Duff said.

Jimbo Fisher faces the daunting task of replacing Jameis Winston. Golson, the former Notre Dame quarterback, seems more likely to fill Winston’s shoes – if he’s had time to learn the FSU offense. The Seminoles open at home against the Texas State Bobcats on Sept. 5^th.

“The conventional wisdom is that Maguire has done enough to separate himself from his
competition to replace Jameis Winston, but coach Fisher noted his inconsistent play during the spring game,” Duff said.

Things have gotten interesting in Oregon after dual-threat player Vernon Adams passed summer school. Jeff Lockie was Marcus Mariota’s backup, so he may be better positioned to get the job. The Ducks play Michigan State on Sept. 12^th.

“Oregon has one of the more intriguing QB stories of the offseason,” Duff said. “Adams transferred from Eastern Washington and was initially overlooked by FBS schools because of his size (5’11” 170 lbs.), but had led the FCS program to victory over Oregon State and put up 475 yards of total offense in a close loss to Washington during the last two seasons.”

At Oklahoma, two-year starter Trevor Knight may lose the job because of past turnovers to Baker Mayfield if the Texas Tech transfer hasn’t been affected by “shoulder fatigue” reported in the offseason. Also in the mix is Cody Thomas. The Sooners play Akron on Sept. 5^th.

“Knight entered the 2014 season expected to have a breakout season after leading the team to a victory in over Alabama in their bowl game. It was much different this spring (after an injury shortened and disappointing season) as Knight found himself in a 4 way competition to hold onto his job. Some around the program had expected Mayfield to take over the spot, but he threw costly picks in the spring game. None of the four QBs were able to make any real separation in spring,” Duff said.

We’ll know the answers to these questions in just a few days!

The Kickoff is your secret weapon to excel in your fantasy league, office pool or when talking college football with co-workers and online friends. While we aren’t affiliated with the Vegas oddsmakers, our newsletter is a useful tool in prognosticating about games. Our Power Ratings use a statistical formula, giving readers a powerful tool for comparing football programs and anticipating the outcomes. Between August and January, we publish 17 weekly issues that are available in print and electronic versions. We put out an additional 6 monthly issues (February – July) covering recruiting, spring practice and transfers.

Learn more about our Buy 1 Get 1 Pre-Season Special at https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/individual/

Written by Steven Stiefel

Beyond Ohio State, Two Preseason Polls Differ

Monday, 10 August 2015 17:11

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In its new pre-season Top 25 poll, Sports Illustrated is (no surprise) picking Ohio State as the top team in the country, followed by Auburn at #2, TCU at #3, Notre Dame at #4 and Alabama at #5. The rest of their poll, in order, includes Baylor, Michigan State, USC, Florida State, Oregon, Georgia, Clemson, Ole Miss, UCLA, Arizona, Boise State, Arizona State, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, LSU, Wisconsin, and Mississippi State.

The Amway Coaches Poll Top 25, released days earlier, had Tennessee at #25 instead of Mississippi State. The Amway Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.

Bert Caldwell, one of the principle owners of The Kickoff Newsletter, noted significant differences in where several teams are ranked in the two polls.

There are sure to be arguments over why Auburn, for example, is ranked so highly by SI yet only #7 in the Coaches Poll. Or Notre Dame as the fourth best team versus 11th in the Coaches Poll. The two polls also different pretty dramatically on Boise State and Arizona while matching up pretty closely on ranking Clemson, UCLA, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

“It does seem pretty clear, and rightfully so, that Ohio State is a safe bet to defend its national championship,” Caldwell said. “It gets interesting when you get to teams like TCU and Baylor. Are they really that good? In less than a month, we’ll see. There are wild fluctuations about Auburn. (Incoming Defensive Coordinator) Will Muschamp is a great defensive coach, but (predecessor) Ellis Johnson was not stupid. Their defense was really bad last year. We’ll see how the Jimmies and the Joes line up, if they have the talent in the secondary to coach up their level of playing at Auburn.”

The Kickoff’s own Pre-season coverage, ranking the teams based on how we expect their season to end, launches later this month – take advantage of a Buy 1, Get 1 special on individual subscriptions for a limited time so you can consult the Kickoff’s Weekly Power Ratings each week during the college football season!

Caldwell loves this time of year when football fans start intensifying their devotion to their teams around the water-cooler and on message boards.

“You can get a back and forth started quickly when you stay how you feel about your team and their rivals this close to the start of the season,” Caldwell said.

He noted that although Auburn and Alabama are the only two SEC teams in the SI poll, the Southeastern Conference has seven teams in the Top 25 overall.

“I find it amazing that SEC coaches in the Western Division are earning millions each year. Nick Saban’s getting $7 million. It’s fascinating that you can finish seventh in your conference division getting paid $3.2 million as Bret Bielema did last season in his second season at Arkansas. Kevin Sumlin earns $5 million and finished sixth in the West after going 3-5 in conference play last year. Fans want instant gratification, so there’s pressure to produce when you’re earning that much money,” Caldwell said.

We’ll see how these teams fare in just over three weeks when the regular season gets underway on Sept. 3rd

Learn more about our Buy 1 Get 1 Pre-Season Special at https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/individual/

The Kickoff Reacts to Preseason Coaches Poll

Friday, 31 July 2015 21:34

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The 2015 preseason Amway Coaches Poll came out Thursday, and it was no surprise to find the defending national champions in the top spot. Second-ranked TCU and No 3 Alabama each claimed one first-place vote apiece. Tommy Duff, editor of The Kickoff newsletter, said he disagreed with where several of the teams ended up on the poll, mostly because there are so many untested quarterbacks in the mix.

“I think No. 4 Baylor, last year’s Big 12 co-champions with TCU, may be a little overrated. I’m skeptical you’re going to have that much success right away breaking in a new quarterback to replace Bryce Petty, but on offensive line, Baylor returns all 5 starters, which should provide the QB with plenty of protection,” Duff said. “Trevone Boykin missed the TCU spring game with a wrist injury and his backup QBs were a concern.”

The Amway Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th. The Kickoff’s own Pre-season coverage, ranking the teams based on how we expect their season to end, launches later this month – take advantage of a Buy 1, Get 1 special on individual subscriptions for a limited time so you can consult the Kickoff’s Weekly Power Ratings each week during the college football season!

So much of how these teams end up hinges on how fresh talents react to the challenge. Duff believes the teams with All Conference quarterbacks returning will see a distinct advantage over those adjusting to growing pains.

“Jacob Coker has had a year to get ready to lead Alabama’s offense after failing to get the quarterback spot last fall, but he only has a year left. Oregon (ranked No. 5) is going to play well, but they aren’t going to break away without Mariota, their Heisman winning quarterback. Florida State (No. 8) is overrated, bringing in a transfer at quarterback who has just started practicing and has to pick up the system fast. I would have ranked Auburn higher (No. 7) because their quarterback has potential and has been a starter in a big game before,” Duff said.

Eight SEC teams begin the season in the top 25; five of them (Bama, Auburn, No. 13 LSU, No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 20 Arkansas) represent the West Division. Georgia is ranked at No. 9 in the Coaches poll, Missouri is No. 23 and Tennessee is on there at No. 25.

“Tennessee fans have been through a lot, from Kiffin to Dooley,” Duff said. “The Volunteers have potential to jump a lot higher because the skill positions are in place on paper. I wonder if they have the depth to rotate so the first stringers aren’t overplayed. Until they do it, they won’t move up the rankings.”

Also earning spots in the Coaches Poll Top 25 are Michigan State (6), USC (10), Notre Dame (11), Clemson (12), UCLA (14), Arizona State (16), Georgia Tech (17), Wisconsin (18), Oklahoma (19), Stanford (21), Arizona (22), and Boise State (24).

“I think Boise State could run the table with their schedule,” Duff said. They face Washington, BYU, Virginia, Hawaii, Colorado State, Utah State, Wyoming, UNLV, New Mexico, Air Force, and San Jose State. We’ll begin to know more after their first game on Sept. 4^th.

This week we learned that Ohio State has suspended All-America defensive end Joey Bosa, receiver Corey Smith and H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson for its opening game Sept. 7 at Virginia Tech. The defending national champions open the season Labor Day night in Blacksburg, Virginia, against the only team to beat them last season. “That is concerning because Bosa is projected to be the number one draft pick for the NFL next year,” Duff said. “It’s a very delicate situation for Ohio State. We’ll just have to see how explosive they are.”

Learn more about our Buy 1 Get 1 Pre-Season Special at https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/individual/

College Football Season is Almost Here!

Friday, 24 July 2015 17:33

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Are you excited about college football? Are you ready to make your picks?

Can you feel it? That buzz of excitement in the air?

With August just around the corner and the new season starting in five weeks, college football players are visiting their hometowns and resting before they report on campus to start the grueling fall practices. Soon they’ll be back in classrooms, weight rooms and practice facilities getting their bodies and minds in the right place to prepare. College football will be here before we know it!

“All eyes are on Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon as they choose quarterbacks,” said Tommy Duff, Editor of The Kickoff. “This is so important because you can’t win championships without a leader.”

Fans can’t predict how the final rankings might end up without arming themselves with some knowledge. That’s where The Kickoff comes in.

“The Kickoff is historically the most accurate over the long haul when you compare Top 25 picks at the start of the season and the final rankings,” said Tommy Duff, Editor of the newsletter that publishes 17 weekly issues during football season and 6 additional monthly issues the remainder of the year. The newsletter has had some skin in the game of covering college football since 1951.

Bert Caldwell of The Kickoff said fan frenzy for college football is about to go into overdrive as people look ahead to their tailgating plans and mark their “can’t miss” games on the calendar. Soon the grills will be lit, cold drinks in the cooler, and our bodies decorated in T-shirts declaring our allegiance. What a fun time of year…

“We, as fans, most of us are looking for that edge when we make our weekly picks,” Caldwell said. “You don’t want to go into the season without The Kickoff.”

Now is also a great time to prepare by taking advantage of The Kickoff’s Preseason Special: Buy 1 First Class or PDF subscription and get one free PDF subscription for a time. It’s a great way to build goodwill with a buddy who loves the game as much as you do, but it’s only around for a limited time.

This fall, some fans will participate in office pools for entertainment purposes, seeing who has the best grasp on how the season will shake out for top teams and their favorite conferences. It’s fun to compare records week-to-week, seeing which of our friends and coworkers were right on target with their choices. There’s those who casually watch, then there’s the rest of us who make our picks public on social media or among our circle of friends, forcing us to lock in our choices with no backtracking when things are looking grim in the third quarter.

“I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved.”
– Urban Meyer

“Braggin’ rights” are at stake, and who doesn’t want to be admired by others for our keen insight into the game? It sure beats getting teased on Monday for lousy picks. Maybe you go a step further, daring a friend to perform some embarrassing stunt in public if he loses. Who knew that wearing the jersey of your hated rival hurt while being taunted all day at work would sting that much? Remember when you struggle over whether to be loyal to your alma mater despite their not being favored to win that Facebook photos and tattoos are forever.

The Kickoff’s “Power Ratings” consider different factors for arriving at a numerical prognostication of how different match-ups should fare, making the newsletter a useful resource for choosing weekly picks — definitely more helpful than just trusting a “gut feeling”, trying to read the tea leaves from news stories or simply assuming that a traditional football powerhouse is going to run away with an easy win over a lesser known foe.

The Kickoff is a great resource for previewing the games ahead and getting bite-sized bits of data on the games just played. Right at a glance, you can get scores, compare team records, see the highlighted superlatives, and quickly determine who’s hot and who is cold with the “Kickoff Thermostat” – just what you need when Friday rolls around and you’re reminded to turn in your picks for the week. Many of these features are illustrated on the website at https://thekickoffstore.com/the-newsletter/ .

On September 3^rd, it will all begin anew, with every team in America having an equal shot at the national championship until the first kickoff return starts to separate the real contenders from the rest of the pack. Where will you be when the winners and the losers are sorted out?

To take advantage of The Kickoff’s Preseason Special offer, visit https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/individual/

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Category Archives: Preseason

The Kickoff Launches for the 2015 College Football Season

Who Will Win the Quarterback Races?

Beyond Ohio State, Two Preseason Polls Differ

The Kickoff Reacts to Preseason Coaches Poll

College Football Season is Almost Here!

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