What I Believe We Will See in 2013

So the college football season is over. Now we are stuck with the NFL, MLB, NBA, college basketball and the return of hockey until next CFB season.

A bummer, but some of the other previously mentioned sports aren't all bad. Nowhere near as good as college football, but we won't go there.

I have decided that I would make a post about some things I feel will go down in 2013. I did pretty well at our weekly picks. I figure I will do pretty well at this. You can call me McNamarus (like Nostradamus...you know?)

In 2013, this is what I see happening in the college football world:

- The Ohio State Buckeyes will not go undefeated. They will not play in the National Championship. They will not win the B1G.

- Penn State will win the B1G.

- An SEC team will win the National Championship AGAIN.

- Johnny Manziel will win the Heisman for the second straight year. Watch out Archie Griffin!

- Chip Kelly will not fair well with the Philadelphia Eagles (not CFB, but still)

- The Ohio Bobcats will go undefeated.

- Nick Saban's Crimson Tide will be upset by two lesser opponents.

That's all for now. I hope you guys enjoyed these predictions and I hope I get a few right! Lol

- Jackson McNamara

Manti Te'o Inspirational Girlfriend Death Story a Hoax

Manti Te'o had a wonderful year for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He played well, he represented the school well, and he played most of the season as a tribute to his grandmother and his girlfriend, both who passed away only a few hours apart. Or at least that's what he wanted you to think.

Today a lot of this story (the real story), came to light, and it is quite a shocker.

Apparently Manti's grandmother did pass away, but his girlfriend not only didn't pass away, but it seems she didn't even exist. Notre Dame has came out with a statement trying to say that Manti wasn't in on this hoax, but actually a victim as well, but that seems like it couldn't be further from the truth.

Here is a link to the full story. It's long, but worth the read.

http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-and-inspirational-story-of-the-college-football-season-is-a-hoax

After you read, we are interested to get your responses below.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

Fiesta Bowl: #4 Oregon Ducks vs #5 Kansas State Wildcats

Today I did the simulation for tonight's Fiesta Bowl featuring the #4 ranked Oregon Ducks vs the #5 Kansas State Wildcats.

Oregon is led by freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota, as well as their very talented running back Kenjon Barner. Oregon's offense has been a fast paced high power offense, and both of these players have played key roles.

Kansas State is led by quarterback Heisman finalist Collin Klein, who has had quite an impressive season.

The Ducks are ranked second in the nation for rushing yards per game as well as points scored per game. Kansas State isn't ranked quite as high as Oregon, but is ranked eighth for points scored per game.

Definitely two high power offenses going at it tonight. I believe this very well could be a high scoring, very exciting game that may come down to who has the ball last.

In the XBox 360 simulation on NCAA Football 13, the Ducks won in a close one with the final score being 51-48. Kenjon Barner wound up being the player of the game with over 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

The game kicks off tonight at 8:30 on ESPN. Make sure to tune in for a very entertaining matchup.

- Matt Lytle
@mattlytle

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida Gators vs #21 Lousivlle Cardinals Preview

Tonight at 8:30, the #3 Florida Gators will take on the #21 Louisville Cardinals in the 79th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl. Last year's Sugar Bowl wound up going to overtime where the Michigan Wolverines held off the Virginia Tech Hokies with a final score of 23-20. We are all hoping for an equally as entertaining game this year.

The Florida Gators are led by sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, who has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards. He has connected to receivers for 11 touchdowns, and only tossed three interceptions. He has been a very reliable quarterback for the Gators. He will look to take advantage of Louisville's defense who is allowing about 24 points per game. Florida is also equip with running back Mike Gillislee, who will look to add on to his season total of 10 rushing touchdowns. He too will look to take advantage of this Lousiville defense.

Florida's defense however is only allowing about 13 points per game. They're ranked 3rd in the nation for points against. Louisville's outstanding quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is looking to use his skills to take down the tough Florida defense, and add on to his season total of 3,452 yards passing, 25 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Bridgewater, who was a Project CFB Award finalist, was looked at with a little bit of doubt just because of the team that he plays for. But him and the Louisville Cardinals have proven that they're a legit team, only losing two games this season.

The last time Florida was in the Sugar Bowl, they beat one of Louisville's rivals, the Cincinnati Bearcats with a final score of 51-24. They will look to dominate the field tonight like they did against Cincinnati in 2010. When you compare team stats, Florida has the edge in rushing yards per game, and points against, while Louisville has the edge in passing yards and points scored.

Seems like this is the typical high scoring offense (Louisville) against the tough defense (Florida). That's the perfect matchup, for quite a chess match of a football game. The game kicks off tonight at 8:30 and will air on ESPN. Make sure to tune in, as this one seems to be quite the matchup! Can Louisville pull the upset against a top SEC team, or will Florida do what the SEC is known for, win the bowl game?!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

Capital One Bowl: #7 Georgia Bulldogs vs #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers Preview

On January 1st the #7 ranked Georgia Bulldogs match up against the #16 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. Georgia’s previous meeting with a Big Ten opponent resulted in a 33-30 loss in last year’s Outback Bowl against Michigan St. This year Georgia goes up against a completely different team lead by the dual threat quarterback in Taylor Martinez.

In past years, Taylor Martinez was heavily criticized on his throwing ability, it was rumored that in the
off season he flew to California to work with a quarterback guru. It must have worked because the first
two games of the 2012 season Martinez threw for over 300 yards. Flashes of Martinez’s old throwing habits started to show once entering Big Ten play. Martinez threw for less than 150 yards and had a completion rate below 50% against some of the better defenses in Big Ten including Northwestern, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, and of course Michigan.

The Georgia defense lead by USC transfer Jarvis Jones will be eager to prove the rumors false. Georgia’s secondary is one of the best in the nation, only allowing two teams to pass for more than 250 yards. It seems as if they will be able to handle the passing attack from Nebraska; but unfortunately for Georgia, Martinez is a dual threat quarterback – meaning he can hurt you with his feet as well. In the 2012 season Georgia hasn’t encountered quarterback like Martinez. The closest comparison Georgia has seen is from their in-state rival Georgia Tech, whose offense consists of mainly options and involving very little throwing.

Even though Georgia’s defense has yet to see a quarterback like Martinez, their defense is ranked 17th overall in the nation. The Bulldog defense has the upper hand and in order for Nebraska to assert an offensive presence they must establish the run. The most important player for Cornhuskers in this game is not Martinez, instead it’s Ameer Abdullah. Nebraska is ranked 8th in the nation in rushing, and Ameer is the main contributor with 1089 yards in the season. If Ameer is able to effectively move the ball, then it will force the Georgia defense to cheat the safety into the box, allowing for other players like Kenny Bell and Quincy Enunwa to make some key plays in the passing game.

The Nebraska defense will have their hand full with Aaron Murray and the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia’s offense is ranked 19th in the nation and scores on average 37.2 points in a game. Luckily for Nebraska, their pass defense isn’t their weak spot. Only three teams have passed for over 200 yards. The problem with the Cornhusker defense is they cannot stop anybody from running the ball. In the 2012 season the defense gave up over 200 yards in 9 out of the 12 teams they played. Wisconsin truly exposed the soft spot in Nebraska’s defense by rushing for an astonishing 524 yards in the Big Ten Championship game. If I was the coach I would not even bring receivers on the field. Instead I’d beef up on extra lineman and pound the ball every play. The simple key to success for the Georgia Bulldog offense can be summed up in three words – Run the Ball.

- Troy Woolfolk

@twoolf29

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We here at Project College Football would like to wish you and your's a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year.

We will be back soon with previews of bowl games, as well as articles about such things as rivalry games, legendary players, and more.

Thank you for reading, and we look forward to entertaining you throughout 2013 and many years to come!

- Project CFB Staff

2012 Project College Football Awards

After much consideration, watching clips, looking at stats, and our team voting for who they thought deserved each award, we are pleased to announce the Project College Football Awards!

We will recognize these athletes as award winners for this year, and obviously throughout their careers in college football. We also plan on having a page on our website that will list all of our award winners from this year on.

Congratulations to these award winners.

Tebow-Dorsey Award
(Quarterback of the Year)
Winner: Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)

Williams-Peterson Award
(Running Back of the Year)
Winner: Montee Ball (Wisconsin)

Edwards-Fitzgerald Award
(Wide Receiver of the Year)
Winner: Marqise Lee (USC)

Woodson-Laurinaitis Award
(Defensive Player of the Year)
Winner: Manti Te'o (Notre Dame)

Nugent-Janikowski Award
(Kicker of the Year)
Winner: Dustin Hopkins (Florida State)

Mesko-Sepulveda Award
(Punter of the Year)
Winner: Justin DuVernois (Illinois)

Yost-Bryant Award
(Coach of the Year)
Winner: Bill O'Brien (Penn State)

Freshman of the Year Award
(This award will be named after it's winner this season)
Winner: QB-Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)

And last but not least, our version of the Heisman Trophy. The Award that we will call the Project College Football Best of the Best Award

Project CFB Best of the Best Award
(Most Outstanding Player of the Year)
Winner: QB-Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)

Congratulations to all these outstanding athletes! We look forward to handing out more awards next season!