Football is back and so is the Countdown

For many years now, I have spent the month of August profiling some of the top college football teams in the country with my annual College Football Countdown.

For those of you who read the Catoosa County News and may not be familiar, the Countdown is a highly original concept in which I write a small bit about each football team in my Top 25 and present them to you, the reader, in order from No. 25 to No. 1 over a period of five weeks.

So those of you in Walker County might have noticed that the first installment of the Countdown has yet to appear in print. That’s because I’ve bee a teensy bit busy here lately, but not to worry.

You don’t have to wait any longer, because the Countdown - in a new and improved form - starts today. I know how popular it is and there is no way I was going to let the season begin without getting it in the paper.

So to the one anonymous reader who e-mailed me and threatened to shave all of his wife’s rare Kurilian Bobtail cats until the Countdown began, chill out and put the clippers down. Please.

Since the season really doesn’t get going full throttle until Labor Day weekend, I will offer up the Countdown in two installments, starting today with teams No. 25 through No. 16 in reverse order. The final 15 teams will appear in next week’s edition, leaving just enough time for the usual injuries and player arrests that will blow my Top 25 to smithereens by the time the season ACTUALLY starts.

So let’s get this shindig going...

25. Pittsburgh - The Panthers beat both Penn State and national champion Clemson last season. Now they just have to replace a starting quarterback, a starting running back, a starting tight end, an All-American offensive lineman, three starting linebackers and three starters in the secondary. No sweat.

24. Texas - New head coach Tom Hermann will have to lean on sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele to jump-start the Horns’ offense, but the defense has some big shoes to fill and the October schedule is far from friendly.

23. Tennessee - Who will the Vols turn to at quarterback now that Josh Dobbs is in the NFL and has the offensive line improved enough? But John Kelly looks like more of a running back that fits a Butch Jones offense and the defense still has plenty of talent.

22. South Florida - If you haven’t heard of quarterback Quinton Flowers, where have you been? New head coach Charlie Strong

sure knows about him, as do opposing defenses in the AAC. Flowers threw for 2,812 yards and 24 TD’s last year and rushed for 1,530 yards and 18 more scores.

21. Virginia Tech - Second-year head coach Justin Fuente is building a defense in the Frank Beamer mode with standouts at linebacker and in the secondary. However, major retooling much be done to replace several key offensive stars from last year.

20. West Virginia - Remember former Florida quarterback Will Grier? He’s now in pass-happy Morgantown where the Mountaineers always have plenty at the skill positions. The defense, as usual, has big question marks, but if Grier plays to his potential, West Virginia can score on anyone.

19. Miami, Fla. - Mark Richt is quickly and quietly rebuilding the football program at The U and could have the Canes in line for a chance at their first ACC championship. Keep an eye on the young Canes, especially freshman quarterback N’Kosi Perry.

18. Wisconsin - The Badgers were higher in my poll until their leading tackler from last season, linebacker Jack Cichy, was lost for the season with a recent ACL injury. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook is back, but a replacement will have to be found for tailback Corey Clement.

17. Florida - Malik Zaire or Felipe Franks? The Notre Dame transfer (Zaire) already has the pedigree, but Franks looks like the quarterback of the future. Both could (and should) play early until a starter emerges. A season-opener versus Michigan at JerryWorld is intriguing.

16. Stanford - The Cardinal will be sound defensively if nothing else, but there are questions at quarterback and can Bryce Love be the next Christian McCaffery? It seems like a tall order, but sleep on head coach David Shaw at your own risk.

Next week, the Top 15 teams in the land.

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