Podcaster Poll

         The Pod Poll’s representative from Penn State, Locked On Nittany Lions, scored a 24.7 on the Irregularity Index. The median score was a 29.4 putting Locked On Nittany Lions comfortably on the more regular side and more close to the aggregated poll’s final decisions. For more information on the Irregularity Index you can read about it here.

The SEC

          Coming in at number one on Locked On Nittany Lions’ ballot is Georgia. Georgia is the Pod Poll’s clear favorite going into 2023, receiving 64 of the 69 first place votes. Are there any question marks surrounding Georgia at all? They do lose quarterback Stetson Bennett, but the depth at quarterback the Bulldogs have is staggering to say the least. But LONL doesn’t believe that the quarterback made, or will make, the team’s success a reality,”Stetson Bennett wasn’t even what made these past two teams so good. Bennett was a good college QB, but Georgia could have had a tackling dummy back there and they still would have won at least 10 games. The Bulldogs can simply rely on the defense to help whichever first year starter they trot out.”

          LONL ranked Tennessee at number eleven. There are some questions very apparent in the Vols’ lineup as Hendon Hooker is out and Joe Milton comes in. But the problems aren’t limited to one side of the ball as a battered defense will be faced with tough offenses week in and week out,’Joe Milton is a good QB, but he is no spark plug like Hendon Hooker was. Tennessee’s defense is not good (enough) to bail them out of tight spots. A little regression here because the SEC is unforgiving.” It stands to reason that Tennessee will have a tough time repeating its 2022 success without defensive strength and replacing key pieces on the offense. Vols fans are still intent on standing up to rival Alabama for consecutive years for the first time since 2003/04, a run which included a 51-43 thriller that went into five overtimes in 2003.

          In 2022, Alabama had what commentators around the country referred to as a ‘down year’. A down season which included double digit wins. For any other program that would be considered a good to home run season. But they follow up 2022 with losing Heisman caliber quarterback Bryce Young, can they really replace a talent such as him? LONL holds fast that Alabama had anything but a down year and have championship capability no matter who’s taking snaps,”When you think about it, Alabama only lost its 2 games by a last second field goal and a 2-point conversion in overtime. They never left behind the “winning ways.” Alabama will be in the 4-team CFP again. Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson will be fine QB’s, but not to the level of Bryce Young. Remember, they won a title with Jake Coker of all people.”

          Another question in the SEC is LSU. They’re on the rise undeniably, but can the do it in 2023 or is their success still on the horizon. Some voters have been making the claim that ‘LSU is back’ for this coming season, but Locked On Nittany Lions goes one step further,”LSU is already back. I hate Brian Kelly as a person, but man, can he coach a football team. They aren’t top 4 this year, however, they will compete.”

          Another rising star in the SEC may be South Carolina. The Gamecocks faithful are prepared for one of the most competitive South Carolina teams in memory. The Spurs Up Show, South Carolina’s Pod Poll voter, has said that,”I try to keep it real, I try to lower people’s expectations, but this team is different.” So the question is, is this the best South Carolina team in recent history? “The bar is pretty low, but yes this is the case. I still think they are a feisty (8-4) team at best given the nature of the SEC. Shane Beamer is good for what South Carolina will be in this decade and the foreseeable future.”

          Dark horses in the SEC this year are improbable, but never impossible. But Locked On Nittany Lions questions Ole Miss’ ability to be that dark horse, contrary to the Locked On Ole Miss assessment of the situation,”It depends on who the QB is right? Jaxson Dart did not impress me last season. Spencer Sanders can be the guy, but I am not sure how much better he makes them.” The Ole Miss podcast voter, Locked On Ole Miss also points out the strength of Ole Miss’ running back room, contending it may be the best in the nation.

The Big 10

          Standing atop the Big 10 in LONL’s rankings are the Michigan Wolverines. Are there any holes at all in this Michigan team who sits as the reigning Big 10 champions? Locked On Nittany Lions commented on whether or not they thought Michigan lacked anything going into the 2023 season,”I hate to say it as a Penn State guy, but not much. They filled every need through the transfer portal. Michigan also has veteran continuity at quarterback, outstanding coaching, and will hang its hat on ground-n-pound football like they always do.” 

          The other titan of the conference lacks that same continuity. The Buckeyes had a heartbreaking loss to Michigan in 2022 and lost a close game to Georgia in the playoff semifinal. Can they replace Stroud and, most importantly, can they beat Michigan,”Yes, but only if the defense is better than it was last year. Michigan put up 45 points against them, and then Georgia scored 42. Kyle McCord is a veteran, but can’t take over games like CJ Stroud could. The Buckeyes’ defense can’t let them down again.”

          There is an argument to be had that Penn State deserves a seat at the table when it comes to any talk of the Big 10’s titans. After consistent success and being defeated only by the elite pair of teams out of Michigan and Ohio State, Penn State finds itself on the verge of something great,”A College Football Playoff is the ceiling, a (9-3) record is the basement. I know everyone will harp on a first year starter in Drew Allar, but they have the O-line and running game to lean on. That is the formula that Michigan used last season with JJ McCarthy, and it will work for the Nittany Lions.”

          With the ceiling set at the highest stage of college football, the question stands as to whether or not this is the best Penn State team in recent memory,”To expand on the previous answer, they have the deepest O-line in memory, the best 1-2 punch at running back in awhile, a quarterback with the extremely high potential, future first round picks on defense including Kalen King, Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson, and Dani Dennis-Sutton, and most importantly, continuity at both coordinator positions for the first time under Franklin since they won the Big Ten championship.” The final prediction for the Nittany Lions was an (11-1) run with a loss to Michigan. On James Franklin as a coach, hopes were high as the podcast remarked,”He is the best coach for Penn State. There is no one else that I would want. Franklin fits in Happy Valley, and made Penn State football fun again.”

          What of the rest of the conference, in particular, the other division. We asked if they can even put up a fight,”No, and it’s honestly sad at this point how lowly the Big Ten West is.” With that being said, we asked what the podcast thought about the current state of the conference,”Relegate the Big 10 West, and it would be better! All joking aside, the Big Ten and SEC are the powers that be in college football. With USC and UCLA joining, and other schools begging to come, this is the best scenario for the conference.”

The PAC 12

          Washington fans, like our Washington voter Neighbor-Hood Husky, believe that 2023 is their year, that it is the year of the Husky. We asked if that’s the case in LONL’s opinion,”Yes, I like this Washington team and Kalen DeBoer a lot. He is a modern day, offensive genius.”

It’s often said that defense wins championships. Locked On Nittany Lions ranked USC below its eventual placement at number seven despite returning a Heisman winning quarterback and having one of the best offenses in the NCAA,”Its defense. They had to bring in how many transfers? Maybe Alex Grinch just is not that good of a coordinator”

          With LONL’s ballot including Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah, UCLA, and Oregon State, it’s clear that this year is special for the conference. It has had a rough patch in overall strength for years and seems poised to finally reach the playoff again. Despite teams like Stanford and Cal finding themselves stuck in the gutters of the FBS, this may be the best PAC 12 in recent memory,”You could say that. Outside of Oregon, what Pac-12 team has made the CFP? Exactly. So unless multiple Pac-12 schools can breakthrough in the final year of the 4-team CFP, they are no different than previous seasons.”

          With the strength of this year’s PAC 12, what’s the end result? Who can separate themselves, if anyone? LONL has a grim outlook for the conference,”A bunch of really good top 15 teams eliminate one another from CFP contention.”

The Big 12

          LONL believes that Oklahoma firmly holds the keys to its conference. When we asked what team wins the league the answer was simple,”Oklahoma.” But where does everyone else stand? Texas finds itself back on the high end of the rankings, are they back?”If you mean to the level of Vince Young and national championships? Absolutely not.” Locked On Nittany Lions sees a very simple outcome to the conference as it sits at its largest size of playing field. An Oklahoma victory. The reigning cinderella of the conference, TCU may possibly be a contender, but on that LONL said,”[…] They were also one of the luckiest teams in 2022. I expect some regression, but TCU is still a solid top 20 team.”

The ACC & ND

          At the top of the ACC, two teams stand alone in a field of bottomfeeders in the eyes of Locked On Nittany Lions. With them standing alone we asked what the outcome will be or, more specifically, will the pair be playing twice,”Yes, and I’ll take FSU the first time, Clemson the second time […] The rest of the ACC shouldn’t even bother showing up.” The outcome then, is a split series, in this case, it would be interesting to watch the rest of the FBS decide for the ACC whether the conference gets two teams in or two teams left on the wings.

          In the edges of the top ten sits ND rounding it out. Marcus Freeman enters his second year as head coach of the Irish which ended with a 9-2 stretch including a victory over a strong South Carolina team,”Notre Dame figured it out down the stretch of 2022. Marcus Freeman just had to get through some growing pains.” In the gauntlet of Notre Dame’s schedule bringing them through (11) Clemson, (5) USC, and (4) Ohio State, the LONL expects a favorable outcome for the Irish,”L vs. Ohio State, W vs. USC, W vs. Clemson,” they closed off with a remark on what they saw in the Irish holding them back at ten,”They are a really veteran team, but I would say the wide receiver room could be a little better.”

Closing Thoughts

          To close, the podcast made a comment on the state of the sport and what should be done to improve the game,”On the whole I think 2023 can be more wide open for college football unique teams than usual, but 2024 and the expanded CFP cannot come soon enough. And honestly, the playoff system should include 24 teams. Why the FCS, DII, and DIII can pull it off, but DI cannot is beyond me.”

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