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By Stewart Mandel We’re in that phase of the offseason where it still feels a tad too early to be going nitty-gritty season preview, but I think we could all use a change of pace from the never-ending news cycle of NIL and Pac-12 TV deal non-developments. Which is why I found this first question fun. Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity. How would you rank the top 10 SEC programs, including Oklahoma and Texas? Talking about the overall strength of a program and its ability to seriously compete annually for conference and national titles. — Mike S., Claremore, Okla. I wish I could go back in time and answer this question in, say, 2008, just to see how different the ranking would be today. 1. Georgia: I swear this is not a recency bias answer. Georgia has absolutely everything a coach could want — location, resources, facilities, administrative support — and we’re now seeing what that looks like when a rock-star coach like Kirby Smart is at the wheel. 2. Alabama: Obviously, there’s a lot of history, both past and present, to show how frequently this program can contend for trophies. Georgia gets the slight edge just because of how close it is to Atlanta. 3. LSU: Another program that can morph into a monster at any moment, as it did with Joe Burrow and friends in 2019, thanks to owning a state overflowing with talent. The one downside is it’s been harder to be consistent there. 4. Oklahoma: While I do have concerns about the Sooners’ transition from the Big 12, this is still one of the winningest programs in the history of the sport, and even more so since 2000. 5. Texas: I’m sure Texas A&M fans and others will roast me, but Texas is another best-of-all-worlds place, and the ability now to sell the SEC makes it that much more dangerous. Just need to hire a coach for a change. 6. Florida: UF has had two dominant coaches, Steve Spurrier (1990-2001) and Urban Meyer (2005-10), but otherwise mostly mediocrity. Still, the state of Florida alone gives the Gators a huge advantage, as does a strong athletic department. 7. Texas A&M: It’s another best-of-all-worlds place, but without the championship history of every program above (and some below). Someone’s going to figure it out at some point, though. Too much support. 8. Auburn: It’s easy to overlook Auburn, but the program has won or played for two national titles since 2010 and has six SEC West titles. And the school is certainly willing to throw money around — unfortunately, though, a lot of it is spent on buyouts. 9. Tennessee: Last season was the first reminder in a while of how special Neyland Stadium can be when it’s filled and rocking. I only have it this low because the Vols don’t have nearly as much backyard talent as others on this list. 10. Arkansas: Arkansas flies under the radar for a program with as much history as it has. It’s admittedly a long shot to think Arkansas could win another national championship today, but I’d still take those odds over the ones at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Kenutcky, South Carolina and mighty Vanderbilt. With the regular elite teams (Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State) all with question marks at QB, is this the first real year in a while that you can see Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, etc., having a realistic shot of winning a title, or at least being favored in a College Football Playoff game against the SEC and Ohio State? — Ryan F. Winning a national title is a much harder feat than being favored in a Playoff game, so let’s focus on that part. First of all, your question led me to wonder: How many teams have won a national title in the CFP era with a new starting QB? (I’m counting Alabama’s Tyler Buchner as “new” for these purposes). Ohio State did with Cardale Jones in 2014. Alabama’s Jake Coker was a first-time starter in 2015, though he was a fifth-year senior. Do we count Tua Tagovailoa for Alabama in 2017? On the one hand, he only played a half of football. On the other hand, it was the half. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence was a first-year starter in 2018, but, he was Trevor Lawrence. The past four winning QBs — LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Mac Jones and Georgia’s Steston Bennett (twice) — were not newbies. Knowing that, whoever starts for Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State would be the least-experienced national title QB since Lawrence, and frankly much closer in profile to Jones, then a third-year guy who’d barely played, or Coker, than to No. 1-recruit-in-the country Lawrence. In other words, they’d be bucking eight years of history. But are USC, Notre Dame and Michigan necessarily the three best equipped to take advantage? The Trojans certainly have a quarterback, but I’m skeptical whether they have the bodies up front to compete with Georgia. Michigan more closely fits the bill, but Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines haven’t acquitted themselves well on the Playoff stage thus far. Notre Dame — not seeing it, unless Sam Hartman morphs into C.J. Stroud by September. I know y’all don’t want to hear this, but your best bet for a not-usual suspect is probably going to be someone from the South. I’m not sure LSU counts because it’s a recent national champion itself, but that’s one option. Or perhaps Florida State, with its potentially dominant defense and a difference-making QB in Jordan Travis. Or Tennessee, which you’ll recall was No. 1 in the country at one point last season. Side note: If Joe Milton were to actually take Tennessee to the national championship game, the place I would most want to watch it from is Ann Arbor, Michigan. But ALSO: I could be there watching Michigan in that game. There’s a long, long history of coaches/teams that “couldn’t win the big one” right up until they did. And if we’re still including Ohio State among the “regular elite teams,” then the program that’s whipped the Buckeyes each of the past two seasons can’t be far off. The latest buzz around the Big 12 trying to raid the Pac-(10) seems to be centered around Colorado and Arizona only. Why just those two and not Arizona State and Utah? Seems like you’d want all four, especially given that it would bring two marquee rivalries (Arizona-Arizona State, Utah-BYU) into the conference. — Andrew G. Pretty simple: The other two schools don’t seem interested. At this point, the Four Corners schools have had nearly a full year to bolt if they have reason to believe the Pac-12’s TV deal will be a disaster. That it hasn’t happened tells you they view the Big 12 primarily as a “break glass in case of emergency” option. In the case of Utah and ASU specifically, don’t underestimate the academic factor. We know university presidents are academic snobs. With that in mind, note that both Utah and ASU were recently bestowed with the prestigious AAU status. After Texas leaves, the Big 12 will be down to just one such school (Kansas). Is conference realignment in the cards for Arizona State? Athletic director Ray Anderson gave his thoughts on it. 🎧: https://t.co/nNPi6hdJcU pic.twitter.com/3p7da3SP3y — PHNX Sun Devils (@PHNX_SunDevils) June 13, 2023 But in contrast to those two, Arizona president Robert Robbins and Colorado AD Rick George, at least publicly, seem more open to the Big 12’s overtures. (CU chancellor Phil DeStefano has been more strident in his loyalty to the Pac-12, but in realignment, everyone’s loyal until they’re not.) Mind you, even in those guys’ comments, they insist no decisions will be made until they see some final numbers on the Pac-12’s media rights deal. Given how thirsty we all are for any sort of intel, Robbins’ continued media tour has made for no shortage of over-analyzing. On the one hand, he has said on multiple occasions things like “My prediction is that we’re all going to stay together as a Pac-12,” and how he’s confident they’re going to “win the bronze medal” in TV money. So perhaps his signature is a formality and he’s mainly just indulging the Big 12. Or, is he deliberately framing the narrative so, if George Kliavkoff comes back with an underwhelming number, he can say, “Well, we gave him his shot, and he blew it. Off we go.” Whatever the case, it seems like Brett Yormark — who vehemently insists he was not on Memphis’ campus last week — is now as interested in expanding east as he is west. In which case, he may not even have room for all four Pac-12 schools. But it’s also likely moot because I don’t get the sense either ASU or Utah is itching to join. What are the chances we get a Pitt vs. Colorado football game in the next two seasons? And can we as a society make sure it’s on in prime time???? (No pun intended.) — Jesse K., Nashua, N.H. Well, there are currently two Pac-12 vs. ACC bowl matchups — the Sun and Holiday bowls. Given Pitt was just in El Paso last year and twice in the last five years, that’s probably not viable. But I’d definitely be up for Deion vs. Narduzzi under the lights in San Diego. Although … if Colorado actually makes a bowl game this year, every Pac-12 bowl is going to want the Buffs. I wonder if the Pac-12 would make sure someone else gets them just to spite the Holiday Bowl. If Mario Cristobal doesn’t get it done in Miami, is it time to throw dirt on the idea of them ever being “back?” As we get further away from the Canes’ heyday, it seems their run was a product of an earlier time and their one great advantage, other teams unaware of or unwilling to recruit Black players from South Florida. — Matt in NYC It’s not just native son Cristobal whose performance may determine the modern-day ceiling for Miami football. It’s also the school’s unprecedented financial commitment to the program, facilities upgrades and the benefit of having arguably the most aggressive NIL benefactor in the country. “The U” did not have any of those things back when Howard Schellenberger, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson were winning national championships. Even in the Butch Davis/Larry Coker era, the unmatched talent on the field masked the lack of a big-time infrastructure behind the scenes. But a lot of other things have changed over the last 20 years as well. As Matt noted, nearly every program in the country recruits South Florida now. Also, the SEC wasn’t the juggernaut it is today back in the ‘80s/’90s/early 2000s. Some of Nick Saban’s biggest recruits at Alabama (Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, Patrick Surtain) have come from Miami’s backyard. In a previous era, most or all might have stayed home. And I don’t think you can emphasize enough how much the identity of that program suffered when the Orange Bowl got torn down. It was such a unique environment, the site of so many epic games — and much closer to Miami’s campus. If a five-star recruit takes a visit to a sold-out 100,000-seat Big Ten or SEC stadium one week, then sleepy, sterile Hard Rock Stadium the next, which school do you think is more likely to get him? But don’t go counting out Cristobal after one mostly disastrous season. It was always going to be a rebuilding job, one that likely got compounded by some bad fits with his original staff. His first full recruiting class was the program’s highest-ranked in five years. No one should expect to see the Canes contend for a Playoff berth this fall, but I’d like to see a more talented, cohesive squad that shows significant progress. But come Year 3, no excuses. With the portal, there’s no patience for four- or five-year rebuilding projects anymore, especially at a program that’s won five national championships. If Lincoln Riley can flip USC from afterthought to title contender overnight, certainly Cristobal should be able to do the same at Miami fairly quickly. The deal Mario Cristobal signed with Miami this morning is 10 years, $8 million per season with significant investments for support staff, assistant coaches, recruiting. Miami will have the highest assistant coaching pool in the ACC, a source said. @TheAthleticCFB — Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) December 6, 2021 Which would a Big Ten team rather do in November 2024: play a prime-time road game on NBC in a neighboring state or play a 3 p.m. ET road game in Los Angeles? — Karl T., Minneapolis Clearly, the neighboring state. Few people in football care less about cold weather than actual football coaches and players, but also, few people hate long flights after competing in an exhausting football game more than the coaches and players. With some conference schedule uncertainty (among other factors), we’re seeing fewer marquee out-of-conference games. What can be done to generate better OOC matchups? — Larry C. We’re definitely seeing fewer this season, but that’s going to very quickly prove to be a blip. Here are a few notable 2024 intersectional matchups: • Clemson vs. Georgia (Aug. 31) • Miami at Florida (Aug. 31) • Notre Dame at Texas A&M (Aug. 31) • USC vs. LSU (Sept. 1) • Texas at Michigan (Sept. 7) • Alabama at Wisconsin (Sept. 14) • UCLA at LSU (Sept. 21) • Florida State at Notre Dame (Nov. 9) Pretty good, right? You’ll notice seven of those eight matchups involve an SEC team. For all of the energy wasted on the eight vs. nine-game thing, most of the league’s major programs have already been upgrading their future nonconference schedules. Alabama and Georgia (after that Clemson game in Atlanta) are moving away from neutral sites. Attendance declines coupled with the increased margin for error in the expanded CFP are motivating schools to play “up” more frequently, and it’s only going to benefit the viewing public going forward. You’ve just got to wait a year. Emerson: It's on Greg Sankey to make the SEC's 9-game schedule happen Stewart, I know it was a tough day for a lot of you at The Athletic on Monday. I’ve come to appreciate many of the writers here, and the uniqueness of the comments section is a fun way to generate conversation and build a small bit of community. I’m sure I speak for many of us when I say we would just like to know what the plan is for this site and college football going forward. Would you share with us the vision (even if that vision is “the same thing we’ve been doing”)? — Andy J. Thanks, Andy. I, too, love that there’s a community of readers at The Athletic. I also realize I was much more transparent about our goings-on back in the early, tiny-startup days. We’re now a big major media company, part of an even bigger publicly traded company. I hope people understand why I can’t come on here and talk specifics about the business of The Athletic. That’s got to come from the folks up high. But I’m happy to discuss our vision for college football specifically. In many ways, it’s largely unchanged from when this was a modest eight-person band in 2017. We want to produce the most insightful, most deeply-reported stories across the sport. We want to drive the conversation around important subjects like realignment, the portal, the coaching carousel, Jimbo Fisher’s future at Texas A&M, Ryan Day’s “Michigan problem,” Nick Saban’s QB conundrum — you name it. We are not aggregators, we are reporters, and as such we want our readers to be the most informed college football fans on the planet. It’s true, there are certain programs that no longer have a dedicated writer. But our coverage of the sport as a whole has only grown. The Athletic circa 2017/18 barely covered recruiting. Now, we have a team of dedicated writers producing popular features like our Recruiting Confidential pieces and ongoing Recruiting Rewinds. We take on ambitious enterprise projects like the unique tale of Jaden Rashada’s broken NIL promises and the FOIA-driven recreation of Arch Manning’s lavish Texas visit. When USC abruptly ousted AD Mike Bohn last month, we had a story within days that included previously unreported allegations against him at Cincinnati. We wrote the definitive stories on Paul Chryst’s stunning dismissal at Wisconsin, David Shaw’s downfall at Stanford and Nebraska’s search that led to Matt Rhule’s hire. And I feel confident in saying no outlet has produced more unique content over the past six months about Deion Sanders’ unprecedented overhaul at Colorado. I’m especially proud of just how much original content we produce even in the dead of the offseason. Just in the last week, we flooded the zone on the Big Ten’s new scheduling model; Max Olson went deep on Mike Gundy and the offseason turbulence at Oklahoma State; Jesse Temple took us behind the scenes of Luke Fickell’s reinvention of Wisconsin; and Chris Vannini delved into Navy football’s new era. I get that some of you may read this and say, that’s nice, but I came here for daily coverage of Team X. We’re not pretending that shift hasn’t occurred. But time and again, you have reaffirmed my strong hunch from six years ago — back at the height of “pivot to video” — that there’s an insatiable appetite for deeply reported coverage of the nation’s second-most popular sport. We have a team of 30-plus writers and editors dedicated to delivering that to you 365 days a year. And I work here, too.