Hot seat for Strong? Absolutely not (yet)
Finally, kickoff. American-Statesman columnists Kirk Bohls and Cedric Golden address 10 hot-button topics along the Texas, Big 12 and national topics:
1. Is Charlie Strong already on the hot seat?
Bohls: Absolutely not. Now it’ll warm up big time if he fails to show progress this season and fails to get Texas into a bowl game. Back-to-back losing seasons are no way to go through college life, and Notre Dame’s 31-17 win Saturday won’t help matters any.
Golden: Strong’s seat isn’t
hot, but he needs a minimum of seven wins this season to guarantee things stay cool on his backside. Notre Dame won’t be the start he envisioned — the Irish will win, 30-20 — but the Horns will compete much better this year and finish up at a respectable 7-5.
2. Will the Baylor scandal dog the Bears all season?
Bohls: Yes, mainly because the Bears are a preseason top-5 team and will figure prominently into the playoff race. Because of their national prominence, the sordid topic will remain in the public’s conscience and will grow if Baylor makes the Final Four. But I don’t think it will deter them from being a great team.
Golden: I’m disappointed in the way Baylor’s administration has handled this matter, but winning will push it to the back pages. Not lost in all of this is the fact that a young woman was possibly forever changed while her attacker was allowed to leave one great school for another, mostly because he could help a football team.
3. If you were Steve Sarkisian’s boss, what would you do?
Bohls: I’d tell him he just had his last call. I’m sure Pat Haden has put him on notice that he needs to mind his P’s and Q’s and watch his behavior. Another lapse and Sark could be on the way out of town.
Golden: I’d suspend him for USC’s first two games and send a message to the team that there isn’t a different set of rules for athletes and millionaire coaches. Haden really dropped the ball here.
4. How many snaps will Jerrod Heard play in South Bend?
Bohls: I’m betting on at least a dozen. Strong and Texas play-caller Shawn Watson remain entrenched in Tyrone Swoopes’ camp and will give him a long leash. But they need to incorporate the athletic backup into the game plan on a regular basis.
Golden: Ten snaps, which will be basically two series. Texas should go into every game with the idea of giving Heard 10 touches because of his big-play ability with his feet, and we all know this offense isn’t awash in proven playmakers.
5. How long until Jim Harbaugh wears out his welcome at Michigan?
Bohls: Uh, never. Michigan is starved to return to the elite, and if the volatile Harbaugh can’t pull it off, I’m not sure it can be done. He makes the Wolverines relevant and noisy and, before long, very good. Watch him pull off a huge upset this year and eventually return to the NFL. He’s got some Nick Saban in him.
Golden: It’s going to take a while, because he’s maize-and-blue royalty. I’ll give those cheap khakis 10 years to walk the sidelines in Ann Arbor. Harbaugh’s a winner, but he’ll eventually grate on the school’s administration and end up back in the NFL, probably as a GM.
6. What’s college football’s most overrated team?
Bohls: No. 17 Ole Miss. I’m not sure I completely understand all the love for the Rebels. Losing Bo Wallace is a big step back.
Golden: No. 13 UCLA. The Bruins are getting plenty of preseason love because of their sheer volume of returning starters, but they no longer have quarterback Brett Hundley, who’s being replaced by freshman Josh Rosen.
7. Will Texas A&M reach the SEC title game?
Bohls: Highly doubtful. I had the Aggies in my preseason Top 25 poll, but they’ll need to get by Arizona State in the opener to secure some momentum. A&M has more than enough offensive weapons, but the Aggies have to show they can stop the run and be a defensive force.
Golden: Sure they can, if they beat LSU, Alabama and Auburn, which could happen since the Bama and Auburn games are in College Station. But the guess here is no. The Aggies have other tough conference games in the nation’s toughest league. I don’t see them getting there this year.
8. Pick one breakout player nationally.
Bohls: Keevan Lucas. The Tulsa wideout is aiming for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he is that team’s offense.
Golden: Christian Hackenberg. Penn State’s quarterback went through growing pains last year but will bounce back this season in a very thin Big Ten. He’s one of those guys who will get more notice once he makes it to the NFL.
9. Who’ll end up being the NFL’s No. 1 pick next May?
Bohls: It’s a quarterback-friendly league, so I’ll take Hackenberg. He’s got arm strength, presence in the huddle and has a great command of Penn State’s offense.
Golden: He may be taking this weekend off because of a suspension, but Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa will be a handful at the next level.
10. Will Texas State finally make it to a bowl game?
Bohls: Yes. The Bobcats are quietly — too quietly, given last year’s bowl snub — developing into a respectable FBS team that has size in its lines, depth overall and a top-notch, very underrated quarterback in Tyler Jones.
Golden: Yes. It’s not fair to Coach Fran to require the Bobcats to win eight games just to guarantee a bowl slot. I see them finished with seven wins again and getting that bowl nod.