Tailgate Debate: Why Arizona State-Texas A&M is Saturday's biggest game
With the 2015 season underway, we'll be getting answers to some burning questions. The season's first Saturday offers a number of intriguing matchups, some of which may set the tone in year two of the College Football Playoff era.
Paste BN Sports' Dan Uthman and Jesse Yomtov reprise their weekly conversation, trying to sort out the most pressing topics on gameday:
Jesse Yomtov: After eight painful months without college football, our withdrawal has finally come to an end. Dan, pleasure to be back with you.
Let's start off in Houston, where No. 16 Arizona takes on Texas A&M. The Sun Devils won 10 games last season and are a trendy pick in the Pac-12 South. What are you looking forward to most in this one?
Dan Uthman: I'm looking forward to a lot of things in this one. Points, for one. College football's Week 1 tends to feature more low-scoring games than normal, but this game should buck the trend.
But more than that, I want to see how Arizona State can protect against Texas A&M's Myles Garrett-inspired pass rush with two new starters at tackle for the Sun Devils, and I want to see if the Aggies have more than Garrett on defense, too.
As we discussed on The Football Four Podcast this week, this is a huge game for Arizona State, a potentially critical assessment for Texas A&M and one that — fairly or not — will be used as a conference measuring stick. These two teams hail from college football's best two divisions, and their respective conference fan bases are certain to draw conclusions on their status based on the result of this one game.
The Pac-12 has a winning record (13-12) vs. the SEC since 2000, but the SEC is 7-3 in the past 10 meetings. Whether analytics ultimately support this notion or not, the winner of this game and their respective division and conference is going to have a strength advantage in public opinion and eventually perhaps in the minds of the College Football Playoff committee.
Jesse, I think one of the more unpredictable and potentially pivotal games long term on Saturday is Louisville vs. No. 7 Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff. Am I crazy to say Louisville might be more trouble for Auburn than people realize?
JY: I don't think you're crazy, but I don't exactly see this being a nail-biter.
The potential is there for Auburn to be one of the highest scoring offenses in the conference, but as excited I am to watch Gus Malzahn's offense in action, you have to wonder if the Tigers are going to have everything together in Week 1.
In his limited duty last season, quarterback Jeremy Johnson looked extremely polished and he's widely considered a Heisman candidate. Auburn is returning plenty of starters out wide, good news for the first-year starting quarterback.
Ultimately it comes down the defense and new coordinator Will Muschamp. In three of Auburn's five losses in 2014, the team scored 31, 44 and 31 points. If the ex-Florida coach can provide even a tiny improvement, some of those losses turn into wins with this prolific offense.
For Louisville, I liked what I saw from Will Gardner last year, but he's in for a difficult season with a new receiving corps and a young offensive line. The Cardinals' front seven is strong, and if they can disrupt Auburn's new rushing tandem of Johnson and Roc Thomas, we might have ourselves a ballgame.
Let's head up to South Bend. Notre Dame starts the season at No. 11 and begins its tough schedule by hosting Texas. Do you see the Irish as a team that can make a Playoff push in 2015?
DU: Yes I can, because Notre Dame is capable of winning and could even be favored in every game on its schedule. Not that the schedule is week. Texas and USC in South Bend won't be easy. The ACC teams that Notre Dame draws this year are a difficult bunch, led by Georgia Tech and Clemson. Stanford is the best team on the Irish's schedule, and I already could see ESPN having a tough decision of staging College GameDay in Palo Alto or Auburn that week.
There are a number of reasons I believe in the Irish's chances this season: As good of a receiving corps as they've had in 25 years. An excellent offensive line. Talent through the middle of the defense. Freshmen such as OL Tristen Hoge, DL Jerry Tillery and TE Alize Jones who appear ready to contribute. The fact that Jones gives Notre Dame the chance to run two-tight end sets should not be underestimated.
And then there is Malik Zaire, a talented runner who is an underrated passer with an unquenchable thirst to learn the quarterback position. Zaire gives Notre Dame a physical talent as good or better than Everett Golson but with leadership baked in, too. He's so enthusiastic and such a strong leader that coach Brian Kelly finds himself having to dial him back at times. That is a good problem to have in a player who is still growing into the position and role.
OK, Jesse, one more: Who should be more concerned tonight in Arlington, Texas — Alabama that it is still unsettled at quarterback, or Wisconsin that half of its defense is new starters?
JY: I'm not particularly worried about Alabama's quarterback situation, so it's got to be Wisconsin. There are so many question marks for the Badgers as Paul Chryst begins his first year, and the new defense is just one of them.
Wisconsin has one of the easiest schedules in the Power Five — avoiding all the strong teams from the Big Ten East — so there's a ton of pressure to go out there and get what may be the team's only chance at a signature win until the conference title game.
There is plenty of turnover on defense as you mentioned, but the Badgers bring back both outside linebackers and the majority of the secondary, which finished 18th nationally in passing defense last year.
For Alabama, we've seen Saban have great succcess with first-year starting quarterbacks before: two national titles and the No. 1 Playoff seed last year. Whether it's Jake Coker, Cooper Bateman or Alec Morris under center in 2015, Kirby Smart's defense is what's going to keep this team together.
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