College Football Roundtable: There's no consensus on which league race will be the best
At the College Football Roundtable, we occasionally ask members of the coverage staff for their opinion about a topic in college football.
This week's question: What conference race are you most interested in this season?
Mike Huguenin's answer: This is a tough question. I think the SEC East race is going to be fascinating, but for a league as a whole, I'm going with the Big 12. Newcomers TCU and West Virginia should be in the thick of things, which will add intrigue. And there is a lot of intrigue. What happens to Oklahoma State without first-round picks Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden? Can Texas play offense? Can Kansas State thrive by living on the edge again? What kind of season is Landry Jones going to have for Oklahoma? And is Mike Stoops' return going to mean that much for the Sooners' defense? Will Tommy Tuberville ever find a defensive coordinator he is comfortable with at Texas Tech? How far does Baylor fall in its first season without Robert Griffin? WVU certainly can move the ball, but can a rebuilt defense stop Big 12 offenses? Is the tougher week-to-week competition going to bother TCU? New commissioner Bob Bowlsby should have a fun time watching his league this fall.
Steve Megargee's answer: These days, I don't think it makes much sense to answer anything other than the SEC. That conference has produced the past six national champions and had both participants in last season's title game. When recent history tells us the national champion is expected to come from the SEC, that's obviously the conference I'm going to be following most closely. As for the rest of the major conferences, I'm interested in seeing how the Big Ten shakes out because it seems so wide open. Wisconsin has plenty of talent, but it must adjust to life without Russell Wilson. Michigan got so much good fortune last year, and it wouldn't surprise me if those breaks even themselves out this season. I still don't know what to expect from Michigan State and Nebraska because the Spartans must replace Kirk Cousins and Nebraska lost so much firepower on defense. And I'm eager to see how Penn State adapts to adversity in the first year of the post-Paterno era and how Ohio State fares in Urban Meyer's inaugural season, though the Buckeyes aren't eligible for the Big Ten title.
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