It's been an exciting first half of the 2021 season that has seen some changes across the league. NCAA powers are beginning to separate themselves and division races are getting tighter by the week. Young players are starting to progress and there may be a a whole new crop of talent ready to take over. Here's some of the things that have caught my eye.....
Is Tennessee's window of dominance starting to close? Their offense is as explosive as ever but that defense is dreadful. Kentucky has turned the tide on the Vols but seem to be as inconsistent as they were last season when they missed the Bowl playoffs. Georgia is surprisingly playing well and have the talent to push for this division if Smitherman plays like he is capable of.Syracuse won the ACC last season and is not slowing down. Third year QB Douglas Hemphill is passing over 50 times a game and putting up insane numbers that have him on pace for over 8,000 passing yards. A once young team is loaded at key positions and may be in line for a deep bowl run in 2021. Miami's QB Paul Johnson is one of the most talented passers in the country and like Hemphill, is posting monster numbers despite Miami's porous start.Clemson, one of the more consistent powers in the Super Conference, is on a downward spiral so far. QB Neil O'Brien is having his worst season to date and the team just can't get out of their own way. After showing signs of regression a year ago, the team seems to be trending in the wrong direction.The SEC could have a team with winning record this season. LSU is playing better and might regain their Conference title if they can continue to play well. Auburn still has a shot but Alabama and Mississippi don't look ready to make a push.Oklahoma St. and Oklahoma are both setting themselves up for a showdown in the Big 12. Two consistent strong teams on a collision course like they seem to be every season. Kansas' amazing run last season may have been an illusion as they have yet to regain that momentum and don't look like a playoff team. I'm not sure what's happened to the league's most dominant force Keith Thomas but he has looked mortal so far this season for the first time in his career.Notre Dame have bounced back after a week 1 loss and seem to be poised for a deep Bowl run as long as injuries don't derail their team. Marshall is finally playing like they did back in 2017 and you can't understate how important DT Gregory Howard has been. His presence inside is a huge boost for an improved defense.Iowa and Rutgers have started off where they left off last season and are developing a fierce rivalry. Big offseason acquisition James Sherwood started off on fire for the Scarlet Knights but has since cooled down as he's been asked to throw more and more passes with the injury to Dynamite. Don't sleep on Ohio St. as they might have enough juice to contend for a Bowl birth.Both Pac-12 divisions are dog fights so far. The North has three teams all even with mediocre 4-4 records. Washington and Cal have been there before but Oregon is the darkhorse. True freshman QB Jefferson Gunn looks like the real deal and might be playing as well as any QB in the nation.The Pac-12 South saw UCLA compete last season with incumbent champ Arizona but the Bruins have fell off a cliff and look more poised for the top pick than a bowl game. The Wildcats are still the class of the division but the Utah Utes are proving to be contenders if they can find more consistency on offense over the second half of the season. USC has a ton of talent but will need second year QB Doug Mescow to perform more like he did last year than he has to this point. All three teams are neck and neck and should provide some entertaining competition down the stretch.Best freshman players so far: Alabama's Michael Moore has been incredible through eight games on a team that lacks any consistency on offense. Oregon's Jefferson Gunn and Iowa's Frank White have the makings of future stars at the QB position. Oklahoma St. DE Nathan Weiner has 10 sacks for the league's top scoring defense.My Heisman pick so far: I think we may have a QB win the Heisman for the 4th time in five years. Johnson, Gunn, Demartini, Williams and Sherwood are all worthy of recognition but my vote is for Syracuse's Douglas Hemphill. In his first year as the full time starter he has been amazing. Not only does he have the stat line but his team is playing as well as any team in the country.
Last edited at 5/13/2018 12:36 am
