Sports Al Dente

After three straight seasons with nine losses, Stanford has bigger issues to address in coach Troy Taylor’s second year than just the new opponents and extra travel that come with joining the ACC.

The Cardinal are working to return to the level of play that made them one of the top teams on the West Coast for a decade under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw.

“Where we’re playing and who we’re playing, all those things are kind of secondary to our process and our preparation, what we do day in and day out,” Taylor said. “That’s how we live. Obviously, you got to travel across the country a couple times, three times to be exact. Our guys will adapt. There’s been harder things to overcome.”

The Cardinal have struggled in the past three seasons, finishing 3-9 each year.

Only UMass and Akron have lost more games than Stanford’s 27 among all FBS teams during that period.

This wasn’t always the case at Stanford, which was known for its “intellectual brutality” during a 10-year stretch when the Cardinal never won fewer than eight games in a season and had the sixth-most wins in FBS from 2009-18.

Taylor hopes that having players who are familiar with his system and having more depth after playing with only 75 scholarship players in 2023 will help the Cardinal make significant progress this season.

“I think knowing what they’re doing, the comfort level and the confidence,” he said of the difference this season. “When you’re first getting used to each other and you’re just trying to figure out exactly what you want, how to do it, and I think they got a great feel for that.”

New Boston College coach Bill O’Brien stood in the middle of the practice facility, surrounded by his players, and loudly reminded them that it’s time to believe they can beat anyone.

“That’s the kind of coach you want to play for,” quarterback Thomas Castellanos said. “It’s not like, ‘We can win it.’ It’s, ‘We’re gonna win it.’”

O’Brien’s players seem to have embraced his new leadership style, and he has brought energy to alumni and former players since he was hired in February. However, he knows that winning games is what really matters for a program that has mostly stayed the same for over a decade.

“I love the job. I love BC. I’ve said this a thousand times: My wife went to school here and I’ve got a lot of friends that played here when they won,” the 54-year-old O’Brien said. “In the end, I’ve been around long enough to know, we’ve got to win some ballgames.”

O’Brien comes to The Heights with a strong background that includes a seven-year term as head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans, two different stints as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, OC and QB coach under the recently retired Nick Saban at Alabama, and a two-year period at Penn State that helped revive the program after a sex-abuse scandal ended longtime coach Joe Paterno’s tenure.

“The energy has been amazing. With all the NFL experience he has, I feel like he’s brought it to us and that’s how we practice,” said receiver Jerand Bradley, who transferred from Texas Tech. “I feel like he’s implemented a lot of things that are done in the NFL and we’re doing here.”

The last time BC had ten or more wins was in 2007, during former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan’s senior year.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is fed up with the distractions caused by the new aspects of college football.

With the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness deals causing issues, Gundy has set clear boundaries.

“I told the players there’s no negotiating now,” he said. “The transfer portal is closed. All negotiations are done. Now it’s just about coaching and playing football.”

Gundy is focusing on the August 31 opener at home against South Dakota State.

“The business side of things is over for now,” he said. “Tell your agent to stop calling us and asking for more money. It’s non-negotiable. We’ll deal with that again in December.”

Gundy has reason to be excited about the season. Led by running back Ollie Gordon II, the Cowboys start the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25.

Gordon won the Doak Walker Award last season as the best running back and is the Big 12’s preseason offensive player of the year. Despite opportunities to leave, he decided to stay and play with a team that has a lot of returning talent.

Oklahoma State is expected to compete for the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“You can tell the team is really hungry,” Gordon said at media day. “We have many returners and we can’t be complacent. We haven’t shown any signs of complacency. We’ve all been practicing like we haven’t been here before, and it’s been great.”

Miller Moss has been named the starting quarterback at No. 23 Southern California, taking over from 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams.

Moss, a redshirt junior from Los Angeles, competed with UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava during training camp to replace Williams, who is now starting for the Chicago Bears.

Moss was the top choice after his impressive performance in the Holiday Bowl. With Williams sitting out to focus on the NFL draft, Moss threw for 372 yards and a Pac-12 bowl record of six touchdowns against one interception in the 42-28 win over Louisville, earning offensive MVP honors.

Moss was part of USC’s 2021 recruiting class, which was the last one under coach Clay Helton. Despite another highly ranked quarterback, Jaxson Dart, joining the team, Moss stayed with USC even after Lincoln Riley replaced Helton and brought Williams from Oklahoma.

Moss served as the backup for the last two seasons.

In his career, Moss has thrown for 914 yards and nine touchdowns with one interception in 12 games.

Standing 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Moss is expected to be more of a pocket passer in Riley’s spread offense, which has typically favored mobile quarterbacks who can also run.

USC will play No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on September 1 for its season opener.

It’s time for coach Josh Heupel and No. 15 Tennessee to show they can keep up.

They need to compete not just with the stronger Southeastern Conference but also with other successful programs on campus.

The Vols recently won the SEC men’s basketball title with coach Rick Barnes and achieved their first national title in baseball since 2009 under Tony Vitello.

In Knoxville, football faces the most pressure and attention. Heupel has turned a struggling program into one with a long waiting list for season tickets at Neyland Stadium. He knows it’s his job to prove how good his program can be.

“I’m not sure that there’s ever been a better time to be a Vol,” Heupel said.

Heupel is starting his fourth season after a 9-4 record and a No. 17 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. He has led the Vols to 20 wins over the past two years, the best two-year stretch for the program since 2003-04.

However, Vols fans and supporters expect more, especially with significant investments in renovating Neyland and the SEC expanding with the additions of Texas and Heupel’s alma mater, Oklahoma.

Heupel won many games with Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III, both now in the NFL.

Now, star recruit Nico Iamaleava will run Heupel’s fast-paced offense, with guidance from Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle. College coaches can now communicate directly with quarterbacks through helmet electronics.

Heupel believes Iamaleava understands the offense better now.

“I think we are going to see his play go to an even higher level, which is a scary thing to think about because just his natural ability to step on a football field and go play well is elite,” Heupel said.

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is confident in his team, even if not many others are.

The Gamecocks’ fourth-year coach had been improving with two winning seasons and high hopes for a breakthrough year with quarterback Spencer Rattler and receiver Xavier Legette, who is expected to be a first-round NFL pick.

But things went wrong last season, from mistakes at crucial moments to six season-ending injuries on a struggling offensive line. Beamer even needed a boot for a broken foot after kicking a trash can in frustration following a crucial loss to Florida in a 5-7 season.

The Gamecocks are projected to finish 13th in the expanded 16-team Southeastern Conference this fall. But Beamer is ready for the challenge.

“I really, really, really like our football team going into 2024. Most of you don’t. That’s OK,” he said.

Beamer sees a lot to be excited about.

He has 20 fifth-year players, the most in his time at South Carolina. Even though Rattler and Legette are heading to the NFL after great seasons, redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers is expected to step up, and the receiving group is packed with talent.

South Carolina’s defense will feature nine upperclassmen as starters, led by tackles Alex Huntley and Tonka Hemingway.

Beamer believes that the struggles of last year will lead to better results this season.

“You’ve got to be uncomfortable in order to grow. We certainly had some uncomfortable moments last year as a team, but we also showed throughout the season how strong our culture is,” he said.

Beamer is confident that this strong culture will help the team bounce back from a tough year and improve in the SEC.

Georgia starts the season as No. 1, and anything less than winning a third national title in four years will be seen as a letdown.

Pressure? Not really.

Coach Kirby Smart has created a program that focuses on the present, not on big-picture concerns like championships and legacies. He learned this approach from his mentor, longtime Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“I’ve honestly never paid any attention to it, and we don’t talk about it as a team,” said Smart, the highest-paid coach in college football with a $13 million annual salary after signing an extension. “The expectation is we’re going to develop and worry about today’s day.”

The Bulldogs won back-to-back national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but fell short last year with a loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship, ending a 29-game winning streak and missing out on the four-team playoff.

They bounced back by demolishing a weaker Florida State team, winning 63-3 in the Orange Bowl, and are clearly No. 1 heading into 2024.

The playoff expands to 12 teams this season. Despite a tough schedule, it seems certain Georgia will be in the postseason mix.

With Saban retired at Alabama, it’s clear who the top team in college football is. Smart has built a program at Georgia that mirrors the success of Saban’s Crimson Tide.

But that’s for others to discuss.

“We still have the same standards that we’ve had here at Georgia for a long time,” senior defensive back Dan Jackson said. “We’re focused on this year, and right now.”

Hugh Freeze has improved Auburn’s offensive talent through recruiting and has taken back the play calling duties.

Known for his offensive skills, Freeze is hoping this will lead to much better results after a debut season where the offense struggled, particularly with the passing game.

Freeze believes the team’s culture and chemistry have also gotten better as he enters his second year.

“I think we’re on the right track,” said Freeze, whose 6-7 first season was only the second losing season of his 11-year head coaching career. “But what does that mean in win-loss total this fall? I’m not sure yet.”

Quarterback Payton Thorne, leading rusher Jarquez Hunter, and tight end Rivaldo Fairweather are back.

However, most of the receiving group is new, including Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith and top freshman recruit Cam Coleman.

The Tigers are aiming to recover from a third consecutive losing season, though this one did include close losses to Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama.

Auburn ranked 11th in the SEC in scoring, averaging 26.2 points per game, and was last in passing offense (162.2 yards per game). Freeze fired offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and hired longtime Mississippi assistant Derrick Nix.

But Freeze is now the main playcaller and has more weapons to use.

The Sooners are finally joining the Southeastern Conference after years of dominating the Big 12. They have a new defensive coordinator, Zac Alley, and new co-offensive coordinators, Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley. They are also fully transitioning to Jackson Arnold as their quarterback.

These changes are important as No. 16 Oklahoma adjusts to the SEC. It’s expected to be challenging — the media has predicted the Sooners will finish eighth out of 16 teams, a big shift from the top positions they often held in the Big 12.

“We’re excited for the challenge,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “As competitors, as a football program, Oklahoma isn’t intimidated as a football program.

We’re running towards the SEC. I think that goes without saying. We’ve looked forward for the last several years for this partnership, to be a part of an amazing conference, the best conference in college football.”

Arnold was one of the top high school prospects and was named the 2022-23 National Gatorade Player of the Year. He became the starting quarterback at the end of last season after Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon.

Arnold threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in the Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona. He said he’s learned a lot since then.

“There was a lot of maturing and a lot of growing up that I had to do,” he said. “Stepping into that QB1 role, I had to be a real leader for us, for our team, and just stepping into that role, I know I need to mature as a person.

As a player too. And the person that I am now and the player that I am now has improved drastically from where I was in that bowl game.”

Kentucky faces a big challenge if it wants to rise above the middle of an expanded Southeastern Conference, now stronger with the addition of two major college football teams.

Coach Mark Stoops is hoping that having a strong defense and a faster offense under a new coordinator will help the Wildcats stay competitive against one of their toughest schedules in recent years.

Kentucky went 7-6 last year and 3-5 in the SEC. This season, they will face AP Top 25 preseason No. 1 Georgia and No. 6 Mississippi. The fourth-ranked Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma have joined the SEC, but the Wildcats will only play Texas in a demanding schedule that leaves little room for mistakes.

“We’ve got to get better,” Stoops said. “We’ve got to find a way to make those plays in critical moments to push us over the top. We’re not interested in just existing. …

We want to find a way to improve, use these rules, whatever it is, to make changes, to make that jump to get to the next level. It’s extremely challenging.”

The Wildcats benefit from the return of SEC interceptions co-leader Maxwell Hairston, among 10 defensive starters and 21 total returning players from a team that made a school-record eighth consecutive bowl appearance.

Return specialist Barion Brown, who was one of the league’s top all-purpose players, is expected to excel in a faster-paced offense under new coordinator Bush Hamdan.

Dane Key (636 yards receiving, six touchdowns) and Brown (539 yards, four touchdowns) lead a receiving group that has been working with former Georgia backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

Vandagriff is among 26 new transfers brought in to strengthen the roster, including a rushing defense that allowed 113.1 yards per game, second in the league behind Georgia.

The new conference logo is on the field. The summer campus party was a success. New chants of “S-E-C, S-E-C!” are spot on, and a historic rival is back on the schedule. Now it’s time for No. 4 Texas to get to work.

The Longhorns are now officially part of the Southeastern Conference and are entering the new league with confidence, like a new student who believes they can be the top player right away.

And why not?

Texas won the Big 12 last season, made its first College Football Playoff, and has a lot of talent returning from a 12-2 team that finished the year ranked No. 3.

In Coach Steve Sarkisian’s fourth year, Texas is not just hoping to win but is “obsessed” with it after coming close to playing for the national championship last year.

The offense could be very strong, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, a seasoned offensive line, and a receiving group strengthened by talented transfers.

“They got a taste of what it can taste like, of being a Big 12 champion, playing in a College Football Playoff, and we fell short,” Sarkisian said. “They couldn’t wait to get back to work. They couldn’t wait to get back in the weight room.

“When I took the job, I don’t know if I could have said that. It was almost like kind of prodding cattle to make sure that what they were doing day in and day out to get them to that point. Now we’ve got a team full of hungry players,” Sarkisian said.