College Football News

What to Expect from the Expanded Kickoff Newsletter

Friday, 09 June 2017 13:29

Now is a great time to Subscribe! The Buy One Get One Free “Early Bird” Special is back! For just $39, you can get a full year PDF/Email subscription (23 issues) for yourself — and FREE BONUS subscription for a friend. Or spend $23 for a 17 week Email Subscription that will push a PDF version of our newsletter to your inbox during college football season.

When the 2017 season of The Kickoff begins with issue #1 (August 2017), the electronic/PDF version will contain two additional pages of new information. According to Tommy Duff, Editor of the college football newsletter, the content will specifically focus on providing details of use to those making game picks. Since many of our readers are considering whether to renew their subscriptions for the fall, we felt this would be a good time to preview what’s being added!

“(The Kickoff) will be making choices based on point spreads as well as our proprietary formula,” Duff said. “It’s an additional formulation based on the spread and not The Kickoff formulas used to rank teams generally.”

Duff said one of the new pages in each weekly PDF issue (6 pages total) will offer extended stats such as points for and against, records against the spread, OOC records, division records, and similar information broken down into more useful bits.

Why add this? Because we know you have many choices for seeking out information about college football, and we want to remain one of the best sources.

We’re Betting You’re Going to Like the Changes

The Kickoff knows that there are all sorts of reasons to seek out prognostications, including betting on outcomes. These can range from friendly wagers and office pools for bragging rights to the sort of action that has created a billion-dollar gambling industry online and in casinos.

Sports Gambling Expert Dave Schwab provides insight into the important things one needs to know to get a solid feel for how sports betting works.

“The first part of the process are the betting lines and spreads that are routinely set by Oddsmakers. A betting line is designed to handicap a specific sporting event to even-out the playing field between a favorite and an underdog. When it comes to a sport such as football, a spread in points is created as the most popular way to even things out. It is important to remember that a point spread is not designed to predict what the margin of victory will be in any particular game, rather it is designed as a betting tool that aims to even-out the money that is bet on either side of that matchup,” Schwab writes.

Some who participate in sports betting use sportsbooks such as Bovada, BetOnline or 5Dimes. Schwab points to the importance of getting information from unbiased sources. Unlike a lot of websites that also offer information, tips and hints, The Kickoff is NOT in the business of accepting wagers – we simply exist to give our subscribers the best available information as we see it through our proprietary system.

The Kickoff also doesn’t play favorites when it comes to ranking teams, although, we’ll admit that past performance nearly always factors into future expectations. A certain outcome is probable based on a number of factors that go into objectively analyzing the teams. We compare teams’ history and average scores at home, on the road, and on neutral ground, as well as difficulty of schedule, and other considerations.

More Than Just Another Computer Algorithm

By adding the human element to fine-tune what the sportsbooks likely recommend as well, The Kickoff earns its reputation as one of the most accurate sources for NCAA statistics and prognostication since we started all of this in 1951.

Bite-sized bits of information bring you instantly up to speed in a no-nonsense format that fits your busy lifestyle. Overall Stats give you a larger perspective on how the home and road favorites have performed throughout the season against the spread.

Our Kickoff Top 25 paints a quick picture of where the schools and conferences stand, listing their win-loss record so far in the season, along with their respective Kickoff Power Ratings. Teams do evolve as a season progresses; as game results come in over several weeks, the ratings are effectively calibrated.

All of this information is created so our readers aren’t “flying blind” when the time comes to make their picks. Let’s face it: Knowledge IS power. The Kickoff is here for you like a friend obsessed with college football, sharing our opinions on how games are likely to turn out. As long as you’re a subscriber, we’re perfectly fine being your “cheat sheet” to convince your workmates and buddies that you’re some sort of genius when it comes to the game.

During the Season, we work hard on weekends to make sure the latest edition hits your email inbox by Monday morning. We want to give you plenty of time to use us as a helpful tool when deciding on your weekly picks. This timeliness factor, combined with the two additional pages, are why so many of our subscribers who’ve traditionally received a printed version of The Kickoff delivered by First Class Mail are now opting to go electronic instead. We’ve adapted for this fast-paced online world we now live in.

Sports Gambling: From Office Pools to Casino Action

At casinos like the Atlantis Race & Sports Book in the Bahamas, there are simultaneous HD video feeds, dozens of personal betting stations and even VIP betting stations. Sports wagering has become a huge business.

The Kickoff encourages readers to use it carefully when factoring in decisions on wagering money.

“If you are relatively new to sports betting, then you might want to limit your wagers to straight bets using a set point spread… A straight bet would be a set amount of money wagered on the favorite giving the points or on the underdog getting the points,” Schwab writes.

With straight bets, a betting line called the point spread is set, and you can either bet on the favorite and give-up the points or place a bet on the underdog and get the points. The favorite has to win the game by more than the set point spread in order to cash-in. The underdog has to win outright or lose by less than the point spread to “cover” and win the bet. Ties in this situation are known as a “push” and no money is lost or won.

The betting public tends to gravitate towards the top 25 teams in the nation when it comes to betting on college football. Schwab writes that because of the sheer volume of teams in Division IA football, most professional handicappers “tend to gravitate towards a limited selection of teams when it comes to releasing selections for the games.”

The Kickoff’s first issue of the season traditionally ranks the Preseason Top 50, with each successive week listing our Top 25 rankings (which may vary from other polls based on our analysis) right next to the previous week’s ratings for comparison viewing. The Kickoff also includes select Division I FCS team schedules because we know those schools and games matter as well to our readers.

Schwab points out that college and professional games differ because the love of the game and the emotional aspect of intense rivalries must be factored into matchups. Underdogs come into mismatches with huge chips on their shoulders because they have something to prove.

“Betting on sports is not as nearly as easy as it may appear and the average bettor is making nothing more than an educated guess at best when betting on the outcome of any sporting event… Even the best handicappers struggle to keep their winning percentage above 60 percent, so there is no such thing as a ‘sure bet’ or a ‘lock’ when taking this approach to wagering on sports. That’s why they call it gambling.”

With the additions set to arrive in the 2017 editions of The Kickoff, we’re providing you with even more information to use however you see fit.

To learn more about what’s waiting for you in The Kickoff, visit https://thekickoffstore.com/college-football-newsletter/

Spring Reflection: The Way-Too-Early Look at Teams

Friday, 28 April 2017 19:49

You can’t read too much into spring games, but they do offer some insight into potential and weak spots. These things mostly give fans a chance to raise their hopes anew while letting the new faces on the field experience a taste of what’s to come when the stadiums are packed with screaming fans.

Tommy Duff, Editor of The Kickoff college football newsletter, offered some thoughts on top teams across the sport after watching them do their spring thing.

Any talk about championships in the making has to include Alabama and Clemson, who spent the last couple of years trading victories in title games. Duff said Clemson has talent at quarterback, even with Deshaun Watson off the roster.

“Clemson’s problem is that they lost wide receivers and running backs as well as Watson, so it’s going to be a whole lot of fresh faces on offense,” Duff said. “As for Bama, the coaching situation is a mess on offense. How good of a passer can Jalen Hurts be?”

In the spring game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Hurts completed 16 of 25 passes for 301 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was also sacked seven times (tagged is more accurate since Nick Saban didn’t want his defenders slamming his probable starter into the turf). Freshman Tua Tagovaila out of Hawaii also had 3 TDs and an interception, completing 18 of 30 passes for 315 yards.

Other thoughts from Duff:

“(Baylor transfer quarterback) Jarrett Stidham looked very good for Auburn. He finished the spring game 16-of-20 for 267 yards and ran in a touchdown fumbled by the running back.”

“Georgia looked solid, but I’m still not sold on how they utilize their talent on offense. They’re strong talent-wise, but the Bulldogs have never utilized their speed at wide receiver. We have to wait and see how Jacob Eason develops at quarterback.”

“LSU still has an impressive running game, but it remains to be seen whether they can take advantage of their weapons at wide receiver. I’m excited to see how good Derrius Guice can be without Leonard Fournette taking carries.

“Tennessee’s spring game format is still difficult to understand. The scoring makes no sense. It looked as though the DBs were instructed to play soft, leaving intermediate passes wide open, and there were a lot of walk-ons playing against first teamers, creating easily exploited mismatches. The weather didn’t help either since they canceled the second half.

“I want to see what happens with quarterback situations at Tennessee and Florida. Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano are competing to replace Joshua Dobbs while Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask have battled for the No. 1 spot for the Gators.”

“Miami may take a step back this year without Brad Kaaya. He was a good quarterback. I think Mark Richt is probably a year away.”

“I wish I knew how the NCAA situation will affect Ole Miss. We’ll just have to see how the appeals process plays out.”

Of course, there are 130 teams all hoping to play in Atlanta on January 8th. As we move closer to the start of the regular season on August 26th, The Kickoff will be sure to offer more insight into the pool of talent and prognosticate performance.

Duff is hard at work on the 20th issue of the year, due out next week. In it, he’ll take a close look at the familiar faces from college ball that we’ll see playing in the NFL.

UAB fans celebrate program’s return in spring scrimmage

Monday, 03 April 2017 18:41

UAB fans celebrate program’s return in spring scrimmage
Michigan St holds spring game under cloud of investigation
Oklahoma, Tennessee agree to matchups in 2020, 2024
The biggest workout warrior on every Way-Too-Early Top 25 football team
Can Las Vegas become a new destination in college football?
The ACC’s most versatile man, Derwin James, is back
How Michigan is working to replace Jabrill Peppers
Big Ten Backs Off Plan for Friday Football Games for Northwestern
QB Emory Jones ‘110 percent’ committed to Ohio State but visiting Southern powers
New Tennessee AD John Currie says Butch Jones ‘on the right trajectory’
Why 4-star Tyneil Hopper calls Auburn ‘a great fit’
4-star defensive line recruit Alfred Thomas has Georgia on top
2017 NFL mock draft: Big changes in the top 5
Six players with plenty to prove in spring practice

Hey, did you know The Kickoff has a Buy One Get One FREE Early Bird Special? This deal ENDS TODAY so Subscribe Now!

Photo by Steven Stiefel

The Kickoff Expanding Its Email Edition for 2017-18 Season

Friday, 24 March 2017 13:09

“It’s time for spring football, where new faces step into the spotlight and we prepare for another season at The Kickoff,” said Tommy Duff, editor of our college football newsletter. “We are proud to add some big additions to our email version of The Kickoff this year in what will be our 67th edition.”

Duff explained that for the 2017 season starting this fall, two pages of additional content will be forthcoming for The Kickoff’s email/PDF subscribers. A print version, sent by First Class Mail, is also available to subscribers with four pages of content. The Kickoff publishes 17 weekly issues during college football season, plus six off-season issues between February and July that tackle topics like recruiting, the NFL draft and spring preparations.

“The two additional pages of content in the email/PDF version will be all new information, either expanded beyond what we have done in the past or have never used until now,” Duff said. “For the last few years, we have been working on ways to incorporate additional ratings into The Kickoff. It has been a long process as we have spent the last two years testing these new models to ensure their accuracy.”

What to Expect

The Kickoff is known as one of the most accurate prognostication tools in college football, primarily because of the proprietary “Power Ratings” that use a combination of factors to predict performance from week to week during the season. Duff said the new content being added with Issue 1 in September including ratings that work differently.

“This new rating works differently from our Kickoff Power Rating as it doesn’t rank teams, but predicts the margin of victory on a weekly basis. Not only will we have our front page picks based upon power ratings, but will include our weekly picks against the spread. Also included will be expanded records, which will include weekly home/road records, offensive and defensive output by game, and a complete breakdown of opponent winning percentage and opponents of opponents winning percentage.”

This information serves to better inform college football fans about the variety of considerations that can affect the outcome of games on any given Saturday, including overall wins and losses, weekly trends, home/road favorites, etc. While no system is infallible, Duff said The Kickoff has a good track record of surpassing the accuracy of similar sources online. With multiple data points, Duff can factor in many elements and give readers of The Kickoff a better resource for predicting team performance.

“We have worked very hard to put together a system that will ensure The Kickoff’s continued success in our accuracy, and we hope these new additions will add to your weekly college football experience,” Duff said.

Choices, Choices: Which Version Do You Want?

While some subscribers prefer the printed edition to hold in their hands – and it makes a great direct advertising tool for business subscribers who want to get in front of prospects – there are some advantages to receiving the electronic version. Chief among these is speed, with the PDF version typically arriving in an email inbox by Monday morning during the season. Printed versions, on the other hand, require a little more time to be printed and delivered by the US Postal Service to a physical address. The electronic version is also more affordable.

Follow the link below to get all set for the 2017-18 college football season and help out a buddy too!

Speaking of pricing, the Email/PDF version of The Kickoff is available for just $23 to receive 17 issues this fall or $31 to receive all 23 issues published before September 2018. An Early Bird Special is live now with a special Buy One, Get One FREE offer: Subscribe for $31 and we’ll send an additional copy of the 23 issues to the email inbox of a buddy, your dad, your boss or anyone who loves the game as much as we do. The Kickoff is offering this deal to coincide with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, so when it ends April 3rd, so does the deal. Don’t miss it: https://thekickoffstore.com/product/buy-one-get-one-free-pdf-subscription/

Test Feed

Thursday, 02 March 2017 14:57

[wp-rss-aggregator]

With Changes and Additions, the 2017 College Football Season is Already Taking Shape

Friday, 17 February 2017 19:17

Another preseason unfolds as we move beyond National Signing Day to the start of Spring practices for many teams. Fans pin our hopes for this autumn on the progress our schools make in these February and March days.

Reflections on National Signing Day

The Kickoff ranked Alabama at the top of our 30 best recruiting hauls. Nick Saban and Company signed a total of 28 players, six of them in the Top 30, 14 of them in the Top 10 and two JUCO transfers. We expect that losing to Clemson in the title game won’t do much to affect Bama’s habit of reloading with the nation’s top talents. The six 5-star prospects this year for Bama are OT Alex Leatherwood, RB Najee Harris, OLB Dylan Moses, DW Labryan Ray, QB Tua Tagovailoa, and WR Jerry Jeudy. Last year, the Tide had a mere 25 recruits, including a mere four 5-star players, so watch for the abundance of riches to pay off in Tuscaloosa.

Across the state, rival Auburn claimed the top Junior College prospect, 5-Star Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who picked them over Florida and Texas A&M. Considering the problems the Tigers have had at the QB position this past couple of seasons, Stidham will be a welcome addition to the team. They also just hired Larry Porter, one of the nation’s top recruiters, away from North Carolina.

Filling out the top 10 in recruiting this year are Ohio State (signing 21), Michigan (30), Southern Cal (24), Georgia (26), Florida State (23), LSU (24), Stanford (14), Oklahoma (27), and Auburn (21).

Out of the Top 30 Overall high school prospects, UCLA got 5-star defensive end Jaelen Phillips, whose father was also a Bruin. The Tennessee Vols signed 5-star offensive tackle Trey Smith, a Parade All-America honorable mention. We listed the Top 30 in the most recent edition of The Kickoff newsletter, as well as the Top high school prospects by position and where those guys committed to play.

Defending National Champs Clemson had the 13^th ranked recruiting class with 14 signees, including two Top 30 prospects, WR Tee Higgins and QB Hunter Johnson, both considered 5-star players. Replacing Deshaun Watson is no small feat, but two other highly ranked QB recruits join Johnson in going after the job.

You can see the future of college football taking shape! Get ready to hear names like Tagovailoa, Cam Akers, Davis Mills, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Colby Parkinson, Trey Smith, Wyatt Davis, Cesar Ruiz, Jaelan Philips, Marvin Wilson, Dylan Moses, Jacob Phillips, Jeffrey Okudah, Jacoby Stevens, and Brendon White referenced on future Saturdays. Of course, there’s no guarantee these young men will live up to their hype (or how soon they will begin to make an impact). In the February newsletter, we designated which of these prospects we believe are future stars, program changers, first year contributors, developmental players, and FBS prospects.

When it comes to intra-state rival bragging rights, our February issue also listed the top recruit in all 50 states.

Coaching Carousel

Among the changes on the sidelines to look forward to:

Tom Herman replacing Charlie Strong at Texas. Strong replacing Willie Taggart at USF. Former Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Luke Fickell replacing Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati. We also get to see how long Ed Orgeron can avoid the same fate as Les Miles at LSU. We’re curious how Former Alabama Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin does as Head Coach at FAU. Former Temple Head Coach Matt Rhule takes over from Jim Grobe at Baylor.

It is fun to imagine the impact these additions and changes will make, especially if our teams did not finish up to their full potential in 2016.

Written by Steven Stiefel

QBs Give Clemson an Advantage Over Bama in College Football Playoff

Tuesday, 10 January 2017 18:56

Another great season of college football ended Monday night with Clemson’s last-second (literally) touchdown to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship Game. Tommy Duff, Editor of The Kickoff college football newsletter, believes quarterback play was the difference for the Tigers.

“Deshaun Watson took a lot of punishment all night long and showed a lot of ability to stay calm and show poise in pressure situations,” Duff said. “He torched the Alabama defense in the fourth quarter by wearing them out. They couldn’t stop him in the second half. Watson played with a chip on his shoulder because he’s from near Georgia but the kid they recruited for quarterback instead of him is now the Bulldogs’ back up punter. Watson deserves all of the accolades he is getting.”

Duff said Alabama switching offensive coordinators a week before the championship game did no favors for Quarterback Jalen Hurts. “Hurts made some good plays but he was off. He looked uncomfortable. When Bo Scarbrough got hurt, it deprived Alabama of their power back to pound the ball and Jalen had to carry the team.”

In the end, Clemson’s fourth quarter 21-point rally was too much for an Alabama defense that had dominated teams all season long.

Although Tide fans ended the night sad and shocked (perhaps having forgotten how it feels to lose a game), Nick Saban’s team is always a threat to be right back in the national championship game next year.

Looking Ahead Part I

Duff said he also sees great potential for USC and Penn State: “The Rose Bowl was a great game at the same level as the national title game. These teams are loaded with talent. If USC was playing Alabama right now, I think they could be very dangerous.”

He said the ACC showed it is moving closer to matching the SEC, but the loss by Ohio State and the performance of the Big 10 conference teams overall this season exposed “a flop. Penn State was the one good team that showed up this bowl season. Wisconsin was not a good matchup with Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl. The Big 10 had 4 good-to-great teams, then a lot of mediocrity. SEC teams might have one week where they play weak teams, but the rest of the season they have to rise and play to the best of their ability to win.”

Duff counts Oklahoma, which defeated Auburn in the Sugar Bowl, among the teams to watch in 2017 because of getting QB Baker Mayfield back.

“Georgia is also positioned to do well with Chubb and Michel returning,” Duff said. “He may be a great recruiter, but it remains to be seen whether Kirby Smart can head coach after they went 4-4 in the SEC. I expect LSU will also do well. Auburn must find a quarterback that can work in Gus Malzahn’s system. It’s hard to put my finger on Tennessee, which is losing some great talent but has this Jarrett Guarantano kid who reminds me of Marcus Mariota and is faster than Dobbs. There will be pressure on Butch Jones to demonstrate the Volunteers are beyond rebuilding years and Tennessee hasn’t peaked in what it can accomplish.”

Looking Ahead Part II

The next issue of The Kickoff, due February 6^th, will have full National Signing Day coverage. Duff said he loves covering recruiting “because it has all of the fun and intrigue of the regular season – the last-minute decisions and teams sending out their best recruiters to battle for the next crop of great talent. We’ll be listing the Top 10 in every position and following these high school kids and JUCO talent.”

In fact, The Kickoff publishes a total of 23 issues each year, including 6 during the off-season. This fall, the cycle will begin anew.

“The Kickoff would like to thank everyone for helping to make our 67^th year successful,” Duff said. “We are planning on some big additions for next year with weekly bonus coverage. We look forward to seeing you next season!”

To subscribe to THE KICKOFF, email [email protected], call (423) 267-0953 or subscribe online: https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/individual/

Written by Steven Stiefel

The Kickoff’s College Football Bowl Games Preview

Wednesday, 21 December 2016 17:18

College football bowl games are upon us and fans have plenty of viewing to do as the College Football Playoff approaches. Tommy Duff, Editor of The Kickoff newsletter, said “this is one of the better bowl seasons we’ve had in recent years with the way the bidding and acceptance has gone. There are some good matchups this time around.”

In the College Football Semi-Playoffs, No. 1 Alabama will play No. 4 Washington in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta while No. 2 Clemson matches up against No. 3 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale AZ on New Year’s Eve at 3 pm and 7 pm respectively.

Duff thinks Alabama and Washington has potential to be particularly interesting to watch.

“Alabama has been dominating all season, but Washington finished the regular season 12-1,” he said. “The Huskies could come in and play lights out because they’re one of the better coached teams in the country with Chris Petersen. However, they haven’t played Alabama’s schedule. Clemson and Ohio State should be a great game as well.”

The winners of those games will clash in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game January 9th in Tampa FL.

Alabama Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin announced he will coach in that game before leaving to become the head coach at Florida Atlantic. “FAU wasn’t exactly his first choice. He wanted a big-time coaching job, but I think there’s a ceiling on how far Kiffin can go because there are just too many questions about his character.” Steve Sarkisian, also an ex-USC coach, was hired by Nick Saban to lead the offense in 2017.

Looking back on the regular season, Duff said he was surprised by the ascent of Washington (which started ranked No. 14 in the AP preseason poll and No. 19 in The Kickoff’s preseason poll). “Colorado also did a pretty amazing job this season considering how badly they were recently,” he said. On the other side of the equation, Duff said he “kind of had a feeling” Notre Dame was overrated in the preseason and “it was shocking to see how bad Michigan State was this year, and I think a lot of people expected more from Houston.”

The announcement by Nick Chubb and Sony Michel that they’ll return in 2017 “is a huge deal,” Duff said. “It puts Georgia in positions to be favorites for the SEC East championship next season. I don’t think the Florida Gators have sold anyone on being that good. They sort of benefitted from Tennessee’s misfortunes to end up in the SEC title game. Tennessee is going to lose Dobbs. The Volunteers had a disappointing season because of so many injuries late in the season, same as at Auburn. Fournette leaving LSU isn’t really a big impact because he missed part of this year and the guy behind him, Darius Guice, is really good as well.”

As the teams play in and prepare for bowl games over the next several days, Duff isn’t one of those people who think there are too many bowl games. But then again, why would anyone who loves the sport want to see fewer games?

“I do wish the bowl games put more emphasis on New Year’s Day like they did 10 or 15 years ago,” Duff said. “It has kind of taken the shine of New Year’s Day having 3 games on the 23rd, 4 games on the 27th, 4 on the 28th, 4 on the 29th, 5 on the 30th, 4 on New Year’s Eve, and 5 on January 2nd. I have a lot of good memories of spending New Year’s Day watching it packed full of college football, but ESPN controls it all now, and they want to maximize viewership for every day by spreading it out.”

In Issue 16 of The Kickoff, we listed all of the bowls dates and start times, who is playing, in which cities, and on which TV networks, along with The Kickoff’s Power Ratings comparisons for each of the matchups. Being able to view their schedules and results side-by-side certainly makes it easier to measure expectations.

In that issue, we also listed the major award recipients in college football, listed the bowl game payouts, named players to our Kickoff First and Second All American Team, listed conference standings, listed our final pre-bowl power ratings for 128 teams

The Kickoff’s Post Bowl/Season Wrap Up Issue will come out January 10, 2017 – one day after Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, or Washington grabs the glory of a national championship victory.

Learn more about The Kickoff college football newsletter.

Coaches’ Seats Getting Warmer in Texas, Oregon

Thursday, 27 October 2016 16:41

Texas Longhorn football The coaching carousel is accelerating in college football.

LSU fired Les Miles in week four after starting the season 2-2, including a loss to an Auburn team that began the year 1-2 but has since prospered. Interim coach Ed Orgeron has helped the Tigers regain their confidence with wins, including a 38-21 win against Ole Miss, but the real test is Nov. 5^th against Nick Saban and Alabama.

Tommy Duff, Editor of THE KICKOFF, said, “To be honest, I have no idea what will happen at LSU. They should hire Orgeron, but I don’t think the administration wants to. If they beat Florida, Arkansas, and A&M, I don’t see how they don’t hire him. They won’t beat Alabama. The school administration wants more of a marquee name for recruiting purposes. However, LSU recruits itself because of the large amount of in-state talent, so I personally don’t think it matters.”

The SEC West picture has gotten more interesting with the wins by LSU and Auburn, signaling to Bama that it will have to actually earn the West after putting away Texas A&M last week. Auburn thrashed Arkansas 56-3, yet Duff doesn’t think Gus Malzahn’s job is safe just yet despite the dramatic turnaround. “It’s Auburn. He’ll never be completely off the hot seat there,” Duff said. “They better stick to a coach for a while. But they have roared back to life and into SEC West contention.”

Texas Coach Charlie Strong is all but gone after the Longhorns are struggling for a third straight season. “Strong’s gone. They’ll get (Tom) Herman from Houston,” Duff predicted. Texas lost to Kansas State last week while Houston lost to SMU. “All Strong can do is just keep working hard to try and salvage the season. Houston was the toast of the football world after week one, now they are a playoff afterthought.”

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick expressed “complete confidence” in Brian Kelly despite the Fighting Irish being 2-5 as they go into Saturday’s game against Miami. The Oregon Ducks are also floundering at 2-5 after a double overtime loss at California, but will Mark Helfrich have had enough recent success to avoid the hot seat after losing five in a row this season? Duff doesn’t think so if they continue to lose.

“Oregon will fire Helfrich,” he said. “Notre Dame won’t fire Kelly.”

In addition to Miles at LSU, Florida International fired Ron Turner after an 0-4 start and Darrell Hazell got canned at Purdue. Fresno State fired Tim DeRuyter after a 1-7 start to the season and a six-game losing streak. Going forward, besides Strong and Helfrich, Steve Addazio at Boston College (3-4), Georgia Tech’s (4-3) Paul Johnson and UCLA’s (3-5) Jim Morrow may all want to dust off their resumes. Duff said the injury to UCLA QB Josh Rosen has put the Bruins on the back foot.

No one is questioning the security of Urban Meyer’s job at Ohio State despite the Buckeyes falling to Penn State and tumbling from #2 to #6 in the AP Top 25 and #8 in the Coaches Poll. They fell from #2 to #9 on the Kickoff Top 25.

On the other side of football fortunes, Duff said #10 West Virginia and unranked Syracuse are trending up on the Kickoff Thermostat. “The Orange have their first back-to-back wins of the season (against then #17 Virginia Tech and Boston College), with one major upset while the undefeated Mountaineers look like a Big 12 Title contender.” Syracuse faces Clemson on Nov. 5^th while West Virginia plays Oklahoma State this weekend.

Like everyone else, Duff’s eyes will be on these games and the huge contests ahead this week. The Kickoff’s Games of the Week are #3 Clemson at #12 Florida State, #14 Florida vs Georgia, and #7 Nebraska at #11 Wisconsin.

As we make our way through the second half of the season, The Kickoff continues to accept entries for the FANtastic Football Sweepstakes. On December 2^nd, we’ll draw a random entry to win a 48-inch HDTV (retail value: $349.99). Weekly winners are also winning annual subscriptions to THE KICKOFF as well as Polar Bear Coolers. Make sure your name is in the hat: https://thekickoffstore.com/the-kickoffs-fantastic-football-sweepstakes/

First class printed editions of our newsletter are currently being prorated in price to reflect what’s left of the 2016 season so new subscribers can catch the action without having to pay for issues in past weeks so far. Learn more about options at https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/

2016 College Football Winners, Losers Coming into Focus

Wednesday, 28 September 2016 18:54

A month into the 2016 college football season, the College Football Playoff picture is not quite locked, although it’s clear which teams are most unlikely to play in it.

Some picked LSU pre-season to win the National Championship, yet the Tigers are 2-2 and without Head Coach Les Miles after losing 18-13 to Auburn, despite scoring as time expired just before the snap. Tommy Duff, Editor of The Kickoff, said he wasn’t shocked to see Miles get fired considering the pre-season expectations.

“LSU could’ve waited until the end of the season, but they named Ed Orgeron as interim head coach so they can get a head start on the search for a replacement,” Duff said. “Miles was the second-winningest coach in school history, posting a 114-34 record in 11-plus seasons at LSU. (Auburn Coach) Gus Malzahn saved his job for the time being, but there’s no job security there either. LSU will get their pick of coaches, I expect, and Miles will be one of the first choices anywhere else needing a new coach.”

There’s still a long way to go in the season, but this could be a very long season for Notre Dame, where they lost to Duke 38-35 for a 1-3 start to the year.

“Stoops at Kentucky is also in trouble. Will Muschamp at South Carolina has some time to develop that program but the talent level have severely dropped in Columbia,” Duff said.

Another pre-season favorite, Georgia, has also struggled against North Carolina and Missouri before falling this past weekend to Ole Miss. “Firing Coach Mark Richt made a lot of sense last season when the favorites to win the SEC East lost to Alabama, Florida and Tennessee, but a program had better have a plan in place to keep things up if it makes a decision like that,” Duff said. He thinks new Head Coach Kirby Smart is not exactly on the hot seat, although some Georgia fans may lose patience if the Bulldogs can’t beat a resurgent Tennessee that’s fresh off breaking an 11-year losing streak to the Florida Gators.

Duff thinks Tennessee is better than some polls have them. “Saturday’s game against Florida showed why we’ve ranked them higher than other polls, but there’s a tough schedule ahead with Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama. They need to be consistent. I think Tennessee had better be careful this weekend. Georgia is going to be out for blood.”

Alabama still sits atop the Kickoff Top 25 Poll as well as others. “They’re certainly beatable, but you have to beat them on speed,” he said. The Tide faces off against Kentucky after beating Kent State 48-0. The Kickoff has Ohio State at #2, ahead of Louisville and Clemson. The Louisville-Clemson game on Saturday will force some separation between the two.

“That’s going to be a hard one to predict,” Duff said. “You wonder if Florida State is not as good after losing so badly to Louisville or are the Cardinals capable of playing as good as they did in that game against other top teams this year. Clemson still looks solid, but I don’t think they are playing as well as they did last year. How much can you tell by almost losing to Auburn and beating Georgia Tech this year? Deshaun Watson was the Heisman front-runner at the start of the year, but he has been overshadowed by Lamar Jackson after that performance against Florida State.”

The Kickoff’s other Games of the Week are Stanford at Washington, Wisconsin at Michigan, and Texas at Oklahoma State. Find out more about these and other content in this week’s issue, which includes the Kickoff Thermostat, Conference and team standings through week 5, and The Kickoff’s Power Ratings to compare the match-ups.

To subscribe to The Kickoff, visit https://thekickoffstore.com/subscriptions/

Sign Up for The Kickoff’s FANtastic Football Sweepstakes for a chance to win great prizes! https://thekickoffstore.com/the-kickoffs-fantastic-football-sweepstakes/

Page 5 of 8

The Feed

UAB fans celebrate program’s return in spring scrimmage

Test Feed

With Changes and Additions, the 2017 College Football Season is Already Taking Shape

QBs Give Clemson an Advantage Over Bama in College Football Playoff

The Kickoff’s College Football Bowl Games Preview

Coaches’ Seats Getting Warmer in Texas, Oregon

2016 College Football Winners, Losers Coming into Focus

Available Subscriptions

Contact Us

Follow Us on Twitter