I don’t wish time away. Not in this life. We can all admit that fall is the best time of year while also acknowledging that you only get so many summers on earth.
Having said that, cheers to the end of the offseason. Once that calendar turns to August, it’s over. And after the non-football discussions we’ve had about college football, I can’t wait to get back to … college football.
Sorry, but I could do without constant in-depth discussions about revenue sharing, fixing the transfer portal, the number of conference games that everyone should be playing, the expanded Playoff and blah, blah, blah. It’s been exhausting. Don’t get it twisted. I understand the importance of those things. I also understand the importance of paying taxes. Does that mean I want to attend a daily seminar on the tax system for 7 months? Nope.
Football, you’ve arrived to save us all.
We’re no longer at the point of the calendar where you have to slap “way-too-early” or “post-spring” on every rankings story. We can talk about Week 1 in a normal context. Injuries are now met with the question, “do you think they’ll be good to go for Week 1?” as opposed to “do you think they’ll be back for fall camp?” Thank goodness that’s the way the calendar works.
Perhaps I’m in the minority here, but after a heavy offseason wherein some have claimed this sport is doomed, I find myself saying, “yeah, but tell me how you feel in late-September.” Like, tell me you’re still bummed about college football after you watch Alabama and Georgia play in an iconic regular season game, wherein the takeaway wasn’t about whether we have the right number of teams in the Playoff, or if the transfer portal is going to be figured out.
That’s sacred. And in a year in which the national title picture looks completely wide open — FanDuel has Texas and Ohio State as the 2 preseason favorites at +600 — perhaps there’s never been a better time to have an expanded Playoff. (Here, you can find every team’s odds to win the national championship.)
Whoops. Sorry. That’s an offseason habit of making everything about the Playoff.
What that turn of the calendar signifies now is a chance for coaches to get to the podium and discuss why a first-year starting quarterback is coming on strong instead of why the sport’s calendar needs a complete overhaul.
As much as I love debating whether Arch Manning is overhyped or not, you know what I’d rather see? Him actually play football.
Don’t get it twisted. We’ll still overreact to Manning’s reps against Ohio State in that highly anticipated season opener, but I’d argue that’s a better barometer to evaluate him than anything we saw last year. Manning himself would admit that. You got the sense at SEC Media Days that after all the offseason hype, he’s as ready as anyone for games to start.
“I’m not in the business of, this is gonna sound mean, but caring about what other people think, but I’m grateful that y’all think that,” Manning said in Atlanta. “But I’ve only played what, 2 games? I’ve got a lot to prove. I’m ready to play, though.”
Preach, Mr. Manning.
I’m ready to watch. I’m ready to watch a crop of SEC quarterbacks that’s the most intriguing that I can ever remember. Go figure that the guy that’s most entertaining to listen to is … a Vandy quarterback? And he already beat Alabama?
Maybe Diego Pavia isn’t the most entertaining guy to watch on the field, but who’ll hold that title in 2025? LaNorris Sellers is the leader in the clubhouse there, but will it be a gunslinger like Garrett Nussmeier who makes that case after he puts up monster numbers? Or will it be a healthy (fingers crossed) version of DJ Lagway? Shoot, could a decorated, mobile SEC newcomer like John Mateer or Beau Pribula win that title? For all I know, an under-discussed returner like Marcel Reed or Taylen Green, who I dubbed “The Four Loko QB,” will become appointment viewing. All are possible.
(For what it’s worth, I’m calling dibs on Austin Simmons there. I own all the stock in the southpaw.)
And while I’m always fascinated by coach movement discussions, they do become more interesting once football is actually being played. The SEC hot-seat index is one of the most noteworthy offseason discussions on an annual basis, especially coming off a rare instance in which there weren’t any coaching changes in the conference. But discussing those potential decisions in the fall is much more topical.
With all due respect to Hugh Freeze, I’d rather see his new strategy to not puke on his shoes in the 4th quarter as opposed to just hearing him talk about it. That begs another question — does anyone want games to start more than Freeze? Like, talking about games is supposed to be better than talking about his golf game or a recruiting class that’s (*checks most recent rankings*) finally inside the top 70. Then again, if games play out the way that they have the last 2 years when Auburn had a 2-6 record in 1-score games and Jordan-Hare Stadium witnessed a 2-7 record vs. Power Conference competition, well, I suppose just fast forward to the introductory press conference for Freeze’s successor.
But the beauty of August is that hope is in full bloom. Improvement is imminent for all. A Playoff path? Sure, why not? At this time last year, even Kentucky fans believed they had a Playoff path. On the flip side, you could’ve gotten Shane Gillis-level laughs if you had explained at this time last year that Indiana was about to embark on a Playoff run.
It’s a joyful, glorious time of year for all. Football is coming.
Soon, it’ll arrive to save us all.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
