Does Golden Boy Marcus Mariota Have the Midas Touch to Take the Ducks to Pasadena?

The pundits have spoken and have made predictions about what 2013 will hold for college football, specifically a zero-to-hero quarterback from the west coast, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.  

Mariota, a redshirt sophomore from Honolulu, Hawaii, was ranked 123 for quarterbacks in the 2011 rankings.  With a 68.5 completion percentage, 32 TDs, and nearly 3000 passing yards, his #6 ranking at the end of the 2012 season (his redshirt freshman season) caused the college football world to remember the name, Mariota.

Entering the 2013 season, Mariota is one of this year’s golden boys.  But does he have what it takes to lead Oregon to victory at the Rose Bowl this January?

Taking a look back at some of the most recent preseason golden boy quarterbacks leaves one to question if this preseason factor is enough to bring the Waterford football home.

2012: Matt Barkley and his USC Trojans were both ranked #1 in the preseason.  The Trojans made the history books that year, but as the first team since the 1964 Ole Miss Rebels to go from #1 in the AP Poll to unranked.  Needless to say, their 7-6 finish was not what they hoped for, nor the pundits predicted.

2011: Pick a golden boy: Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Kellen Moore (Boise State).  The most successful out of that group was Kellen Moore who led Boise State to a 12-1 season.  Luck and the Stanford Cardinals also did well, ending the season 11-2 and tied with Oregon for first place in the North Division.  They did not get to play in the Pac12 Championship game because of their head-to-head loss to Oregon earlier in the season.  But the top ranked preseason QB that year, Terrelle Pryor, led the Buckeyes to their first non-winning season since 1999.

2010: All of the spring and summer talk was about FSU’s Christian Ponder.  He led the Seminoles to a 10-4 season and a spot in the ACC Championship game.  Which, they lost.  

In fact, the last time a preseason top ranked QB took his team all the way was Tim Tebow in 2009.  The time before that?  Matt Leinart with his 2004 Trojans.

The bottom line is that based on these patterns and despite Mariota’s ideal 6’4” 211 lb. build, his razor-sharp accuracy (only six interceptions last year) and uncanny athleticism (nearly 800 yards rushing, five rushing TDs and one reception for a TD), the Ducks will need more in order to win in Pasadena.

Fortunately, the NCAA sanctions that were filed Wednesday against Oregon will have little effect on their 2013 BCS championship dream.

-Lindsay Simpson

@lindsaysimpson

lindsay.projectcfb@gmail.com

Welcome Our New Team Members!

We finally finished our search for a lady writer, and after a retweet from Samantha Steele, reading a bunch of articles, and much consideration, we have wound up with three!

Everyone please welcome Lindsay, Hayley and Amy to Project CFB.

Lindsay is a former soccer player for the University of Maryland. She currently works on the coaching staff there as Director of Ops. He was also named the first Shirley Povich Scholar for Sports Journalism at Maryland.

Hayley graduated from UCSD in 2010 with a BA in Communication. She has interviewed the likes of JaMarcus Russell, Jeff Garcia and Manti Te'o. She also worked as a reporter for a weekly TV news program called North County News.

Amy loves college football and loves to write. A great combination for our team. She is a diehard Alabama fan. Her uncle was fortunate enough to play for Bama under Bear Bryant. She is also a St Louis Cardinals fan.

We are lucky to have all three of these ladies joining the team. It's an exciting time here at Project CFB. We are looking forward to seeing what articles these ladies come up with here.

College Football Playoff: Will This Fix The System?

Compared to every other major sports' playoff format, the college football bowl system seem the most controversial. If you ask me (and since you are reading this, I assume you are in fact asking) the NCAA basketball tournament is the most fun to watch playoff format to watch, even if you aren't a big basketball fan. The unpredictability and drama makes it second to none in my eyes, and I am not the biggest basketball fan in the world. After years and years of fans wanting it, the college football world is jumping on board.... Well sort of. Unlike the 64... uhh I mean 68 team NCAA basketball tournament, starting in 2014, college football is going to a  4 team playoff. Now college football historians, you do not have to worry about the New Years Day bowl games going away. Instead, the 4 teams will face off in a final four of sorts on New Years Day in the traditional bowl games. With the two winners facing off in the National Championship Game that will be contested in a different city each year.

Since 2009, there have been major rumblings about a playoff being needed to truly crown a national champion. In the 2010 National championship game, in which we saw Alabama begin their impressive run with a win over the Texas Longhorns. Both teams were a perfect 13-0 going into the game, but they weren't the only undefeated teams in the country that season. The Cincinnati Bearcats, TCU Horned Frogs and Boise State Broncos were also undefeated and all ranked in the BCS top 6 at the end of the season with the 12-1 Florida Gators as the only other team in the top 6.

You also had the next year when Oregon and Auburn faced off in the National Championship with an undefeated TCU team on the outside looking in. Then there was the infamous 2011 season in which we saw Alabama play in the National Championship Game, despite not only not winning their conference, but not even winning their division when facing off against the only undefeated team in the nation that year, the SEC Champion LSU Tigers. The 2011 season I feel is what got the ball rolling on the playoff train with 3 one loss teams all with a legitimate case to make the national championship game in Oklahoma State, Stanford and Alabama. Rather than going with a new match up, the BCS decided to go with a rematch of one of the better games of the 2011 season in Alabama vs LSU as it's title game, much to the chagrin of many fans and writers. Then last season you had the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish face off with the one loss Alabama Crimson Tide who got the title nod over one loss Oregon and Kansas State.

From 2009 to now you really could make an argument that a playoff could have significantly altered the college football landscape. How much differently would it be if BCS busters like Boise State and TCU were given the opportunity to play for a national championship? Would Alabama have became one of the most dominant dyansties in college football history? Now, I don't mean to get into hypotheticals but those are legitimate questions. The biggest knock on the aforementioned TCU and Boise State was that they didn't play in "power" conferences, but with the 4 team playoff I do think that TCU or Boise State would have at the very least PLAYED in one of the national championship games, if not potentially WINNING one.

Now I am not saying that a playoff will fix all the problems in the system though. For example, after the 2009 season we saw 5 undefeated teams in Alabama, Texas,  Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State. With the new 4 team playoff system one team would still be left on the outside looking in. The polls, both computer and coaches, will still play a role in determining who does and doesn't get the opportunity to play for the national championship. But I feel that this new playoff system will do a lot to quiet any discussion of the "best" team not necessarily being the national champion, with the obligatory crazy fan conspiracy theories not withstanding of course. But I am interested, like I'm sure the rest of the college football world is, to see how this playoff plays out. Will this playoff change the 'power' conference mentality? Will the SEC still remain as dominant as they have been in recent years? Only time will tell.

- Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

NCAA Football 14 Preview

* I am not a video game blogger or writer. I decided to write about the new NCAA Football game because it's the exclusive college football video game. Please bare with me on this video game preview.

On July 9, EA Sports' NCAA Foootball 14 drops. NCAA Football has been a huge seller for EA Sports since its inception. This year they look to have their best one yet.

After playing many games on the demo, which was released June 18, I can say that this is definitely going to be a fun game to play. With updated uniforms, physic system, animations and cut scenes this game should be a step above all the previous NCAA Football games.

In the demo, which you can download on your console, you can play three different games. Ohio State vs Michigan, Alabama vs Virginia Tech and Oregon vs Texas A&M. All matchups will actually occur this season, like Alabama vs Virginia Tech in week one.

They can't use actual player names, although once the game is out you will be able to download rosters from the internet, so in the demo it generates fake names. It's kind of weird to see Johnny Manziel or Marcus Mariota have a different name, but it doesn't hurt the game play.

No game is perfect, and obviously this one has flaws like any other. One big gripe is that if a defensive player is playing a zone defense, if the quarterback starts to scramble the defensive player won't leave his zone to take down the QB. Kind of aggravating when Braxton Miller is chugging down the field and you watch Jake Ryan just standing and watching.

I'm sure this issue, among any others will be addressed by EA, and hopefully a patch will be released soon after launch.

After playing all three games several times, I have noticed many different cut scenes, tackle animations and more. I also don't feel like I've had the same game over and over. Each game is a new task. I've won games 49-0 and I've squeaked by 31-28.

The option works a little better as does the stiff arm. There is also a new feature where you can make the ball carrier accelerate, but only for a limited time depending on their stamina. Something to make the game even more realistic.

If you are a college football fan and a video gamer, this is definitely worth a pick up. I am very impressed with this game, and have only played the demo. There are other modes in the actual game, but we won't be able to see how those play out until the game is officially released.

NCAA Football 14 comes out on July 9. You'll be able to pick it up at GameStop, Best Buy, Wal-Mart or many other retailers.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

matt.projectcfb@gmail.com

2013 Project CFB All-America Team

2013 is our first full season of what we do here on this website. We have a lot of things planned out for you guys soon.

First thing is first. This is our 2013 Preseason All-America Team! This team was selected by every member of the Project CFB team.

Offense

QB: Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville)

RB: Todd Gurley (Georgia)

RB: TJ Yeldon (Alabama)

WR: Marquise Lee (USC)

WR: Sammy Watkins (Clemson)

TE: Austin Sederian-Jenkins (Washington)

C: Gabe Ikard (Oklahoma)

G: Cyril Richardson (Baylor)

G: David Yankey (Stanford)

T: Taylor Lewan (Michigan)

T: Jake Matthews (Texas A&M)

Defense

DE: Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina)

DE: Stephon Tuitt (Notre Dame)

DT: Louis Nix III (Notre Dame)

DT: Timmy Jernigan (Florida State)

LB: CJ Mosley (Alabama)

LB: Trent Murphy (Stanford)

LB: Ryan Shazier (Ohio State)

CB: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon)

CB: Aaron Colvin (Oklahoma)

S: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Alabama)

S: Dion Bailey (USC)

Special Teams

K: Jeff Budzien (Northwestern)

P: Kyle Christy (Florida)

How will losing Everett Golson affect Notre Dame's National Title hopes this season?

When news broke that Notre Dame starting quarterback Everett Golson had been suspended for "poor academic judgment," the initial reaction among the fanbase was panic. After hiring coach Brian Kelly and giving him a fairly long leash by university standards, the coach was able to whip his ready-made team into title contenders. Hope ran high throughout the program and its faithful after years of watching from the sidelines.

Kelly started Tommy Rees during the 2011 season, mainly due to a very good freshman performance and in-game experience. But 2011 wasn't so kind to Rees as he suffered through a season of mental mistakes, and more importantly to Kelly's offensive scheme, 14 interceptions. Many were worried that just as the team began building steam, it would fall helplessly back into the void known as irrelevance.

Enter Everett Golson. Kelly rolled the dice on the entire 2012 season by starting Golson. Although he started out a bit shaky, many credit him with guiding a very talented team through an undefeated season and a berth in the BCS National Championship game.

Although the team fell short in the title game, no one was second guessing Kelly's decision to start Golson. But with Golson out of the picture for the upcoming season, do the Irish really have reason to panic? A closer look at the stats of the two quarterbacks may have the answer.

When comparing Golson's 2012 season with Rees' 2011 season, the first thing you might notice is the similarities between the two. Golson threw for 2,405 yards and a 58.8% completion rate while Rees passed for 2,871 yards while finishing the season with a 65.5% completion rate. Some may argue that Rees' 20 touchdown passes trump Golson's 12, unless you add in the 6 rushing scores Golson contributed, which makes their scoring output virtually even.

The argument can also be made that Rees' yardage totals are higher until you add rushing yardage. Golson ran for 298, while Rees, mainly a pocket passer, lost 56 yards. This puts Golson's total yardage at 2,703, while Rees comes in at 2,815, still a negligible difference.

The only difference between the two quarterbacks is their interception totals. Golson recorded only 6 interceptions to Rees' 14, but chances are good that Rees sees the field more clearly now, thanks to Kelly plugging him into the game anytime Golson began to struggle during the 2012 season. If Rees used those opportunities wisely, it's unlikely he throws more than 10 interceptions and could likely throw for more than 3,000 yards this season.

The big question on everyone's mind this preseason has been how badly Notre Dame may suffer without Everett Golson's services. But from what I can see, they're no worse for wear. Sure, Golson could scramble, but he ran mostly when he felt pressure and seldom showed the necessary patience to wait for a play to materialize downfield, so it shouldn't be long before the fans settle in and see what the coaches already see.

Will the Irish return to the Big Game again this year? That's a tall order for most teams, but as we've seen recently, it's not impossible. One thing is for sure, they still have an experienced quarterback on the field to guide them.

- Kevin Hicks

@kevinhicks77

kevin.projectcfb@gmail.com

The Evolution of the Alternate Uniform in College Football

Uniforms have always been among the first things you notice when you watch a sporting event on television or in person. I remember from a young age being drawn to uniforms in football, I remember from a young age being fascinated with the Michigan helmets. From the trademark golden domes of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, to the all white Penn State uniforms, for the most part college football uniforms have stayed pretty consistent throughout history.

Now in the world of what seems like weekly unveils of new uniform combinations, it is hard to remember a time when most teams just stuck to the old school home/away uniform combinations. Now, we still have a few teams like Alabama and USC that stick with the historic uniforms that Crimson Tide and Trojan fans have known for generations, but over the last few years, more and more teams have adopted, what many fans and analysts look at as the Oregon style of uniforms. Now, Oregon wasn't the first team to use an alternate uniform, among the earliest programs to adopt a third uniform was actually the Ole Miss Rebels, but the University of Oregon and Nike are the program who most people equate with the alternate uniform phenomenon.

Oregon starting with what has been referred to as the "Donald Ducks" in the 1995 Rose Bowl, the Ducks have always pushed the envelope in uniform combinations (some good, some not so much). After the 1995 season, the Ducks and Nike have had a partnership with Nike as their uniform designer. And since then the Ducks have a 144-59 record, with 8 Bowl victories and 5 Pac 12 championships. I feel you could make a correlation between the Nike partnership and the on the field performance. I feel the Ducks program had benefited tremendously with the Nike uniforms, many of which are very cool, if I must say.

Contrary to what many may feel, uniforms are among the most important thing to football players. Back when I played football I know the uniform was one of my favorite part of being a player. Many of these college prospects tend to be drawn to schools with slick uniforms and ever since the Oregon trend of alternate uniforms more and more schools have begun to partner up with sneaker companies like Adidas and Under Armor to develop new uniforms to I feel draw in potential recruits in with the different uniform combinations, which may seem flashy and gimmicky to some, but to these kids, it's hip and in a sense fuels the flash that national media outlets that ESPN have helped become a major aspect of the college football world. Along with Oregon, Ohio State, North Carolina and Maryland have started getting very creative with their uniform combinations, with varying levels of success.

Over the last 5 or 6 seasons, alternate uniforms have now become more than just an every once in a while, big game type of tradition to almost an every week occurrence. Odds are, if you watch a decent amount of college football you will see at least one team a week donning an alternate uniform. Naturally, with the amount of uniform flip flopping in college football, you will have a few "what the heck are they wearing?" instances. The Maryland checkered shoulder pad design, many of the early Nike Oregon designs, and the all blue Boise State uniforms are among the worst that I have ever seen. For every nifty alternate design (the Virginia Tech camo Veteran's Day, Washington and Arizona State's all black and Florida orange alternate jerseys are among some of my favorite alternate get ups) you have a few head (or in this case eye) scratchers. However, I do not think this will get stopped anytime soon. The alternate uniform phenomena has bled into other college sports. College basketball and baseball teams (as well as a few pro teams) have started using the alternate uniform combinations to draw in recruits, and much like the football uniforms, not all the basketball ones have been appealing. I remember Notre Dame this past college basketball season donned some all green uniforms that received unanimously negative reviews among fans and viewers on Twitter.

I am a big fan of alternate uniforms in college football. It adds to the flash and presentation of the game, but I also feel that to an extent a few teams could afford to tone it down a little and stick to their traditional uniforms, but as long as we don't get more of the Maryland checker pattern type designs it is a good thing in my eyes. Some people might feel the alternate get ups are gimmicky and unnecessary, and others feel it is part of the charm of college football, which tends to be the side of the fence I tend to lean towards.

-Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

josh.projectcfb@gmail.com