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Top Games to Watch in Week One

It’s FINALLY Week One for the Big 12 and SEC! Per usual, there are a lot snooze fest matchups as teams boost their confidence (and attempt to avoid an upset) to start off the year. However, there are a few buzz-worthy games we will definitely be tuning into this weekend.

Keep reading for our top three Big 12 and SEC matchups to watch this weekend and respond to the CFB Insider post on @TexasBowl Twitter to share which games YOU will be watching and why.

Big 12 Games to Watch in Week One

1.      (23) Louisiana vs (21) Texas: The Ragin’ Cajuns have proven that they are not to be underestimated with a Big 12 upset over Iowa State in 2020. Their performance earned them top 25 honors in the preseason polls and they have Texas in their sites with a chip on their shoulder as the little guys with a lot to prove. We’re excited to watch running back Chris Smith and quarterback Levi Lewis as they team up to see what they can do against Texas in Week One. The Ragin’ Cajuns aren’t the only ones with a lot to prove. This will be the first true test of the Steve Sarkisian era. How will the Longhorns fair with a top 25 match-up to start the season?

2.      Kansas State vs Stanford: The Wildcats face off against the Cardinal for the first time since 2016 to start off the 2021. While this isn’t quite the top 25 match-up you were necessarily looking for in Week One, this game could do a lot to set the tone for the Big 12 in 2021. K-State looks to prove they deserve to be in the mix at the top of the Big 12 with a returning senior quarter back in Skylar Thompson and running back Deuce Vaughn after a breakout year. They will have to fight past Standford who is coming off of four consecutive wins to close out the 2020 season with a star running back of their own in sophomore Austin Jones.

3.      Texas Tech vs Houston: Once again, while this matchup might not have top AP Poll rankings, this will be a fun one as two Texas teams face off in what could potentially be a season defining start for both programs in the Good Sam Texas Kickoff in Houston. The Texas Tech coaching staff has not received raving reviews after their past few seasons, but the Red Raiders did some major work in the transfer portal and look to make a statement with a new QB1 in Oregon transfer Tyler Shough. Houston’s squad is poised for a breakout season under coach Dana Holgersen’s attack as he returns eight key starters along with a few transfers—including Texas Tech transfer and Ta’Zawn Henry. Who doesn’t love a good revenge game against old teammates?

SEC Games to Watch in Week One

1.      (5) Georgia vs (3) Clemson:

2.      (14) Miami vs (1) Alabama:

3.      LSU vs UCLA:

CFB Insider

It's Time to Judge that AP Poll!

Who are the most underrated and overrated teams so far?

This week the first poll of the season dropped and to the surprise of absolutely no one, it features the defending champs (1) Alabama, (2) Oklahoma, (3) Clemson and (4) Ohio State in the top four spots. 

Continue reading to get our opinion on the latest AP Poll and don’t forget to comment on the @TexasBowl Twitter post with you YOU think are the most overrated or underrated teams of the season…so far.

Looking at the poll from top to bottom, there honestly aren’t a ton of surprises. A few Group of Five schools (only three to be exact) inched their way into the top 25 this year to represent the ‘underdog’ category to start the 2021 season. After three strong years Cincinnati rolls on and keeps their final rank from last season a #8. Other than Cincinnati, the next closest team from the AAC to be ranked is the Houston Cougars who received 5 votes as they prepare for their Texas Kickoff matchup vs Texas Tech at NRG Stadium to start off the season Saturday, September 4. 

Other G5 schools that appear in the top 25 are Coastal Carolina at #22 and Louisiana-Lafayette at #23 who are both coming off stellar seasons with many returning starters. 

Here’s a look at the full AP Poll:

1. Alabama (47) - The defending champs earned the most first place votes by far.

2. Oklahoma (6) - The Sooners are one of the only top teams to have a returning starting QB. 

3. Clemson (6) – The Tigers open up the season in a clash of top 10 team against Georgia. 

4. Ohio State (1) – New QB but still the same contender, as always.

5. Georgia (3) - Received two more first place votes than Ohio State but still ended up one spot lower than them. Suspect?

6. Texas A&M

7. Iowa State – Can they keep the hype train rolling along?

8. Cincinnati – Is there an AAC challenger capable of taking out the Bearcats? 

9. Notre Dame – Highly ranked once again, can they deliver?

10. North Carolina – Mack Brown has the Tar Heels soaring as they look to contend in the ACC.

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Florida – A once promising season ended with three straight loses in 2020, can they bounce back?

14. Miami – Big Week One test coming up for the Hurricanes as they face the defending champions. 

15. USC

16. LSU – The undefeated 2019 champs fall from grace was more of a plummet and last season was a forgettable one. 

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Penn State

20. Washington

21. Texas – With a move to the SEC coming up, Texas gets a just few more shots at a BIG 12 title. 

22. Coastal Carolina - The Chanticleers are coming off a historic season and now they look to prove they belong in the FBS. 

23. Louisiana-Lafayette – The Cajuns get tested to start their season at #21 Texas. 

24. Utah

25. Arizona State

Who do you think got burned in this preseason, probably way too early to predict anything poll? Tell us who you think the most underrated or overrated teams are so far this season by dropping a comment on our @TexasBowl Twitter post! 

 

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CFB Insider

CFB Insider: How NIL Will Change College Football

Is College Football Living on the Edge?

With new legislation comes new challenges. Athletes can now profit from their Name, Image and Likeness according to the new NCAA bylaws. With extremely vague parameters and a LOT of money to be made, will this be a good or a bad thing for college football as a whole?

Keep reading for insight into some of the changes to be on the lookout for and tell us your opinion by responding to the CFB Insider post on @TexasBowl Twitter.

So first off—what exactly is Name, Image and Likeness? At this point, if we’re being honest, no one really knows. 

Essentially, athletes can except sponsorships from any company as long as:

  • They report it to their university.
  • They aren’t promoting anything deemed ‘inappropriate’ by the NCAA (cigarettes, alcohol, porn, etc.)
  • It doesn’t conflict with any existing university sponsorship deals.
  • They aren’t working with professional sports team in a pay for play scenario.

And that’s about it. The legislation has been in the works for years with the aim of allowing student athletes to profit from of their image while still maintaining their amateur status and NCAA eligibility. Technically the legislation as it currently stands is ‘interim’ so we can expect more changes to come as the kinks get worked out.

This could be a really positive move for student athletes, allowing them to share some of the profit that schools are making off their talent. There are also a couple of major what-ifs when it comes to implementing the legislation on a wider scale.

What does this mean for the distribution of talent?
There are two ways that we can look at this. First off, the new legislation might really help to spread out talent. Where in the past athletes may settle for playing behind major stars at big schools, that secondary school that might not be as good at football but can offer a starting spot might be a little more exciting. Think about it—would you rather play behind Alabama’s starting QB Bryce Young who is apparently making upwards of $1M this season (Sporting News) and not make a cent? Or would you rather go play at a school like Kansas State that hasn’t necessarily been producing super stars, but as a starter you could make money off half of the businesses in Kansas? Now a starting spot is not just a starting spot, developing as an athlete behind a super star with an amazing coaching staff might lose its value when playing for the little guy could mean a nice, big check.

Secondly, we know this is going to be a HUGE recruiting tool for schools now. Will we widen the gap between the big dogs and little guys as the more well-funded programs hire in-house branding teams to help promote their athletes and get them sponsorships? These student athletes—for the most part—do not have the knowledge or resources coming out of high school to be able to navigate the world of sponsorships and brand development. If a school can offer a full staff to help promote your brand, you could argue that’s more valuable than winning. 

Will this hurt athletic departments?
There are conversations going around that while this is good for the athletes, this is BAD for athletic departments. Why would their donors give them money when they could give their money directly to a kid for a few social posts and a commercial appearance? Alternatively, maybe the new legislation will do the opposite. If donors can now make money with sponsorships of the players AND sponsorship of the team, maybe they are compelled to increase their donations to help amp up recruiting efforts.

Will athletes benefit equally?
In this author’s opinion, the answer to this question is a big fat no. Student athletes with the existing support and resources to afford an agent to establish their personal brand and shop around for sponsorships are way more suited to make money than those without. The problem with this is that those students—with all the existing resources and support—need the money they could make from the new NIL legislation the least. The beauty of the athletic scholarship is that it can turn a student’s life around. If you can work hard and perfect your talent, you can gain a scholarship and make a life for yourself. What happens when schools are now looking for players that can bring in more money to their program with their existing sponsorship and well-known branding? Is a player who will sell tickets because of their TikTok following and Barstool sponsorship now more valuable than a player who is better physically but is unknown? While the new legislation is well intentioned to benefit athletes, the NCAA needs to find a balance in the regulation to help continue to move equality and avoid only benefiting those who have, rather than benefiting all based on athletic ability.

Will this keep talent in college longer?
In the past, the goal was to make it to the league. That was the dream. To make money doing what you love, as soon as there was a chance, players were making the leap to professional sports. Now, that dream can come true at the collegiate level.  Will the draw of sponsorships at the collegiate level mean that players will stay their full four years? Develop more as an athlete to be better prepared to join the league? Stay to graduate with their degree to set themselves up better in the future? These arguments will probably affect football less than other sports like baseball where players don’t make much money until they hit the majors, but it will be interesting to see if stars are more willing to stick around with a check coming on a regular basis.

 

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CFB Insider

Who's Winning the 2021 College QB Race?

After a season of uncertainty, many teams are looking at big question marks at the QB position. Read on to see which newbies have big shoes to fill and which veterans have big expectations to live up to.

Alabama
The defending champions are more than likely going with sophomore Bryce Young as their starter. Young, a 5-star recruit coming out of high school has very little play time with only 22 passes for 156 yards and one touchdown on his resume. 

Georgia
J.T. Daniels is the undisputed starter and like many of the top teams, expectations for the Bulldogs QB is nothing short of a National Championship. With all the talent around him, Daniels must prove that he’s the guy that can lead Georgia back to the ‘Ship.

Houston
As the returning starter for the Cougars, it’s time for Clayton Tune to show what he’s capable of under Dana Holgorsen’s system. After a few down seasons, the Cougars are hopeful they will contend for the AAC title this season. 

Iowa State
Coach Matt Campbell and returning QB Brock Purdy are looking to continue their success from last season that resulted in a New Year’s Six Bowl win. Campbell and Purdy have worked together for a few years and with Purdy’s impending graduation, this will be his last shot to make a splash as a Cyclone.

Oklahoma
OU keeps the Spencer Rattler show going as he looks to cement his status as the top QB of the 2022 draft over North Carolina’s Sam Howell. Going into his third season there’s a lot of expectations for Rattler. Only question is, will he be able to deliver?

Oklahoma State
After earning the Cheez-it Bowl MVP the expectations are that QB Spencer Sanders will continue his success from last season. Oklahoma State added Gunnar Gundy to the roster but even as the coach’s son it will be an uphill battle for playtime for the freshman QB. 

Texas
After showing out in relief of the injured Sam Ehlinger against Colorado, Casey Thompson is the likely starter for Texas. With a new coach and new QB Texas is looking at a fresh start and to finally be able to claim that Texas is back. 

Texas A&M
After narrowly missing the College Football Playoff last year the expectations for A&M this season are sky high. For the moment Haynes King is the presumed starter as he ended the season as Kellen Mond’s backup, but he has yet to prove anything. He still needs to perform on the field to show he belongs so this QB battle will be one to keep an eye on.

Texas Tech
The QB battle is still wide open for the Red Raiders with five potential candidates to start the season off at the Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium. The most likely starter will be Oregon transfer Tyler Shough who’s an NFL hopeful looking to improve his draft stock while in Lubbock. 

 

 

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CFB Insider

2021 NFL Draft Predictions

Who will win the 2021 NFL Draft?

Could we call ourselves college football fans if we didn’t make everything a competition? Of course not. Here at LSSE we are obsessed with competition, especially between the Big 12 and SEC. 

So, who will win the 2021 Draft? Read on for everything you need to know for 2021 Big 12 and SEC hopefuls.

BIG 12 VS SEC
The SEC West is winning the draft competition overall with a total of 47 eligible alumni, with 17 predicted to go in the Top 100*. The West is followed by the SEC East with 41 eligible players and the Big 12 with 34, both the SEC East and Big 12 have 9 players predicted to go in the Top 100.

Overall, the SEC West averages 7 eligible players per team. Alabama is leading the chase with 12 players followed closely by Texas A&M with 10. In the SEC East teams average 6 players in the Draft per team. The Georgia Bulldogs have taken the lead, tying the SEC West top team with 12 eligible players. The Big 12 averages only 3 eligible players per team and is lead by Texas and Oklahoma both with 7 players apiece.

TOP 100
LSSE College Football Insider, host of the Football with Friends podcast and overall college football master Johnny Harris has published his famous Harris 100, predicting the Top 100 picks in the NFL Draft. Here are the highlights you can expect from each Big 12 and SEC team.

Click each player name to check out the full Harris 100 breakdown.

BIG 12 - Predicted to go in the Top 100

Harris 100 Ranking School Name Pos. Year

58

Oklahoma

Ronnie Perkins

EDGE

Junior

61

Oklahoma

Creed Humphrey

IOL

RS Junior

83

Oklahoma

Rhamondre Stevenson

RB

Senior

34

Oklahoma State

Teven Jenkins

OT

RS Senior

72

Oklahoma State

Tylan Wallace

WR

Senior

81

Oklahoma State

Chuba Hubbard

RB

RS Junior

32

TCU

Trevon Moehrig

S

Junior

26

Texas

Joseph Ossai

EDGE

Junior

49

Texas

Samuel Cosmi

OT

RS Junior

 

SEC East - Predicted to go in the Top 100

Harris 100 Ranking School Name Pos. Year

4

Florida

Kyle Pitts

TE

Junior

19

Florida

Kadarius Toney

WR

Senior

92

Florida

Kyle Trask

QB

RS Senior

16

Georgia

Azeez Ojulari

EDGE

RS Soph.

54

Georgia

Tyson Campbell

CB

Junior

56

Georgia

Eric Stokes

CB

RS Junior

42

Missouri

Nick Bolton

LB

Junior

21

South Carolina

Jaycee Horn

CB

Junior

73

Tennessee

Trey Smith

IOL

Senior

 

SEC West - Predicted to go in the Top 100

Harris 100 Ranking School Name Pos. Year

3

Alabama

DeVonta Smith

WR

Senior

8

Alabama

Jaylen Waddle

WR

Junior

14

Alabama

Patrick Surtain II

CB

Junior

22

Alabama

Najee Harris

RB

Senior

28

Alabama

Landon Dickerson

IOL

RS Senior

30

Alabama

Christian Barmore

IDL

RS Soph.

40

Alabama

Mac Jones

QB

RS Junior

47

Alabama

Alex Leatherwood

OT

Senior

71

Alabama

Deonte Brown

IOL

RS Senior

78

Alabama

Dylan Moses

LB

Senior

91

Auburn

Seth Williams

WR

Junior

2

LSU

Ja'Marr Chase

WR

Junior

51

LSU

Terrace Marshall Jr.

WR

Junior

66

LSU

Jabril Cox

LB

RS Senior

75

LSU

Tyler Shelvin

IDL

RS Junior

69

Texas A&M

Bobby Brown III

IDL

RS Junior

94

Texas A&M

Kellen Mond

QB

Senior

 

*Predictions based on the Harris 100.

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