There they are, the guys who could make or break USC's season. And on the other side is Notre Dame.
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Mike took care of the defense. Now it’s time to score some points. Anyone that knows football better than Barbara Walters will tell you that this is a team sport, and it works better when everyone is playing together. That’s especially true on the offensive side of the ball.
Whether it’s the quarterbacks and running backs having their steps in sync and knowing when to look for an outlet pass, or the receivers running precise routes that stretch the defense’s elasticity to bursting point and knowing when to perform a perfectly executed “illegal” pick, or the offensive line stepping in rhythm to open a gaping hole or keep a frothing pass rusher at bay, everyone on the scoring side of the ball has to flow in unison.
So here they are, the best units in college football, ranked by position, so you know who to watch this season. The format’s a little different over here. We’ve got five teams to watch. One underrated squad that no one is talking about. One overrated squad that too many people are talking about, and three teams that deserve the prestigious distinction of being liked by me.
Overrated
Alabama Crimson Tide — Let me clarify this. No one seems to think Alabama’s O line is all that worthy of a top five spot when asked directly about them. But when you question whether or not Greg McElroy will step in seamlessly as the new starting quarterback or if Mark Ingram can keep the ground game churning no Tide fan on the planet has any doubt — Alabama will be great.
I’m not down on the Tide. I’ve got them ranked in the top five of my preseason poll, but that’s because the defense could be insanely good. The offensive line, on the other hand, might not be. So why are they overrated? Because no one seems to realize that the losses of Andre Smith, one of the best run blockers college football has seen in some time, and Antoine Caldwell, a heady and nasty center, are huge. Somehow no one seems to think that those losses will adversely affect the offense. Alabama could end up being a top SEC contender yet again, and I wouldn’t be surprised, but I wouldn’t sneeze milk out of my nose if the O line is incapable of giving McElroy adequate time or blowing open holes for Ingram early on.
Underrated
North Carolina Tar Heels — Surprised? You shouldn’t be, but I’ll understand if you are. No one is talking about this O line. And I mean no one. Every set of offensive line rankings I’ve seen has conveniently skipped over the Heels. But this might be a better line than ACC opponent Virginia Tech’s, you know, the one receiving more hype. Yes, they gave up too many sacks last season, but this is a strong, cohesive unit whose familiarity with each other should produce a near-impenetrable wall this fall.
Kyle Jolly is back for his senior year at left tackle. He’s an underrated NFL prospect as well at 6-06 300 with great athleticism. Jolly’s started 25 consecutive games, played every position on the line except center, and has graded out above 80% against guys like George Selvie, Calais Campbell, Eric Norwood, and Chris Long. Pretty legit. He’s joined on the left side by fellow senior and returning starter Aaron Stahl and center Lowell Dyer, another senior returning starter. And if that’s not enough, massive junior Alan Pelt (6-06 325) is also back for another season with the first unit. Stepping in at right tackle is Mike Ingersoll, a versatile player in his own right who has played center, guard, and tackle with a little tight end thrown in as well. He saw extensive action last season and should gel quickly with the other four.
Top Three
3. LSU Tigers — We’ve been here before. Last season, this was supposed to be possibly the top unit in the country. So many starters were back, they had a reputation as road-graders who could blast open holes for a talented backfield, and they were coming off of a national title.
Well, they weren’t awful, but they weren’t as invincible as advertised. Now there’s hope again with LT Ciron Black back for his senior season after flirting with the NFL. He’ll be a first round pick in 2010, and he’ll be a hero to new quarterback Jordan Jefferson. On the right side, Joseph Barkdale was dominant at time last year after switching over from the defense early in his career. T-Bob Hebert looks to have nailed down the center spot, and that’s become an accolade of its own at LSU, a school who has produced some of the best college centers around over the last decade. Lyle Hitt is a steady senior at right guard, and while he’s about a teenager lighter than departed Herman Johnson, Josh Dworaczyk is a tough player who has a great frame to bulk up.
But the biggest statement for this line? How about the production of the backfield. 2100+ yards and 27 TDs on a 4.38 ypc average ain’t too bad. With Charles Scott, Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy, and a gang of new skill players back in Baton Rouge, expect those numbers to grow.
2. Texas Longhorns — The Longhorns, however, don’t have the statistical production on the ground to backup their ranking here. Last season was a bum year for running backs in Austin. The leading man, Vondrell McGee, only managed 376 yards on the ground. Of course, Colt McCoy helped out by leading the team and scoring 11 TDs, but they didn’t exactly maul anyone over.
What they did do, however, was allow ample time in the pocket for McCoy to break the NCAA single-season completion percentage record. That doesn’t just happen. It comes from guys like 6-08 left tackle Adam Ulatoski who has started 30 staright games. It comes from players like center Chris Hall who has started at least one game at every position on the line and is the consummate quarterback up front. Throw in the fact that Kyle Hix (RT) and Charlie Tanner (OG) are both returning starters with over 25 games of experience apiece, and you start to see why Texas isn’t so worried about replacing All-Big 12 gurad Cedric Dockery.
The recruiting is always great for the Longhorns, so the depth is there as well. In this offense, McCoy is king, and the passing game will continue to reign as the preferred method of defensive destruction, but with talent like this up front expect Texas to produce yet another 1000 yard rusher in 2009.
1. USC Trojans — Are you ready for USC the ground-pounding, wrecking ball, rushing giant? I hope not, because that’s entirely too many adjectives, but this could become the new M.O. for Pete Carroll’s squad in 2009. Part of that is because the backfield is stacked. A bigger reason might be the talent of the offensive line.
Center Kris O’Dowd is an All-American on nearly every preseason team you can find, and he’s probably the top center overall. He’ll be a great pro, and his moxie will be a big help to whomever ends up playing passer for USC this season. Guard Jeff Byers is another player with great pro prospects and is back for a sixth season of eligibility. And left tackle Charles Brown is getting some hype as a first-rounder in next April’s draft. He’s a very underrated prospect right now, and he gets to hang out with Snoopy whenever he wants, which is almost good enough on its own to warrant this top spot. Redshirt freshman Matt Kalil is a name to watch as well. He’s got USC pedigree (Ryan Kalil), and was a top prospect coming out of high school.
With names like Joe McKnight, Stafon Johnson, CJ Gable, and Marc Tyler in the backfield, this line should produce one hell of a rushing game. That support coupled with what should be ample time in the pocket, is a great situation for Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain, or Matt Barkley to step into as a first time starting quarterback.
