Imagine for a moment this all works out.
College football has not one but two seasons, played from beginning to end no interruptions. In the fall, a super-sized Southeastern Conference schedule, Notre Dame battling for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a better chance than ever for a Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff (yes, imagine, too, there is a playoff).
Then, a couple weeks after a fall champion is crowned, Season II kicks off throughout the Midwest and West Coast, concluding with a springtime Rose Bowl.
Far from ideal, a season turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic could still be pretty cool. Of course, it is entirely possible the next down of major college football will be played at the end of August 2021.
The preseason AP Top 25 was released Monday. It was unusual, which is only right for what promises to be an unusual season.
In the past, the preseason edition of Reality Check has been about tempering expectations, pointing out reasons to be pessimistic about each of the ranked teams.
Not this year. We could all use some optimism these days. Here’s why everything is going to work out great for each team:
No. 1 Clemson
Opener: at Wake Forest, Sept. 12
Reality check: QB Trevor Lawrence becomes Clemson’s first Heisman Trophy winner in his final college season and freshman DE Bryan Breese emerges as the next great Tigers’ defensive lineman.
No. 2 Ohio State
Opener: TBD.
Reality check: The Buckeyes are loaded again, and if QB Justin Fields opts in for a winter season they will be positioned to become the first team in Big Ten history to win four straight outright conference championships.
No. 3 Alabama
Opener: at Missouri, Sept. 26
