Pre-season thoughts

Today is the day - the beginning of college football 2012. It's like Christmas! As we prepare to unwrap the presents, beginning with SC-Vandy tonight, here are five quick hits...just some pre-season musings:

• Alabama. There is no doubt we are in a golden era, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 70s. It has been a fun ride. With the current coaching, strong recent recruiting classes, player development, I think they should be right in the thick of things this year. But the Tide has a young secondary and it takes time for that phase of the game to gel. Watch out for Michigan - they are talented, have alot of confidence, and maybe the most dangerous player in America. A big hurdle.

• The SEC. It's gonna be fun to watch how things develop with our two new members. Missouri has very talented skill players, but most analysts think they may be weak in the trenches. That's normally not good news in this physical conference. Texas A&M has one of the bright up-and-coming coaches in the country. I don't know how much of a threat they will be this year, but watch out of them over time.

• USC. Sorry, I think they're way overhyped. The country wants them to be good, so that someone can challenge the LSU's and Bama's of the world. They are extremely taltented, but Lane Kiffin is their coach. Can he coach a championship team? I'll have to see it to believe it.

• LSU. I don't think the departure of  Tyrann Matthieu (also called - way too often- the honey badger) will affect them as much as i'm hearing from others. He was a big play specialist, and those can come and go. What I do wonder about is how much stock they're putting in a brand new QB. Yes, Zack Mettenberger is talented. But untested. We'll see.

• BCS. I'm one of those who don't think the current system is so bad. Unlike some other sports, we are guaranteed to have two deserving teams play for the championship every year. Yes, sthere are usually other teams with good arguments, but the two that play are clearly elite. Unlike college basketball where two years ago the EIGHTH place team from a conference won the national championship! Well, we've got two more years and then it expnads to four teams. That's fine, because the top 4 are pretty elite too. Just don't keep expanding it beyond that.

That's about it, and it's almost time for kickoff. Enjoy the season - it'll be way too short.

And oh....

Roll Tide.