The Great Zamboni’s 2017 College Football Season Preview
Who will win the Heisman Trophy? Will Alabama reclaim the National Championship? We delve into all that more in our 2017 season primer. By Vijay Singh, Mario Kalo, and RobertSample

College football fans have been yearning for the dawn of the new season since Deshaun Watson found Hunter Renfrow in the endzone for a game-winning, 2-yard touchdown pass in January’s National Championship game to give Clemson a thrilling 35–31 victory over Alabama.
Much has changed since then and the storylines are aplenty. Watson is now in the NFL and Clemson finds itself ranked fifth in the preseason AP Poll. Alabama occupies the top spot and looks poised for another national championship run. Sam Darnold looks to lead USC back to its glory days.
As the inception and anticipation of the 2017 season approaches, it’s time for The Great Zamboni’s team of writers to tackle a few predictions for the new season.
Who will win the Heisman Trophy?
Mario Kalo: Sam Darnold, QB, USC

Darnold had an impressive freshman season after bursting onto the scene and leading the Trojans to a thrilling Rose Bowl victory over Penn State. He threw 31 touchdowns and completed 67.2 percent of his passes last season. However, Darnold’s Heisman candidacy will depend largely on the Trojans’ legitimacy as a playoff contender. Since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the only Heisman winner who failed to lead his team to the playoff was Lamar Jackson from Louisville last season. But even Jackson and Louisville were in contention for a playoff berth for much of the season before fading in the waning weeks of the regular season. Helping Darnold’s case is that a quarterback has taken home Heisman honors in 10 out of the past 12 seasons. He will certainly have the stage and platform to turn heads this season. Darnold was a massive reason why USC turned their season around in 2016 and with a young and inexperienced receiving corps, he will again be relied upon heavily. I think this is Darnold’s award to lose.
RobertSample: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
There hasn’t been a repeat Heisman winner since the 1974–75 seasons when Archie Griffin accomplished such a task. For this reason, Lamar Jackson is off my board. Another piece of history worth paying attention to is that eight of the past ten Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. Even though the NCAA lost a good handful to the NFL draft this year, Oklahoma Sooners’ Baker Mayfield remains. Even with the loss of top wideout Dede Westbrook, Mayfield looks to be a solid choice for the 2017 Heisman award.

Vijay Singh: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
With two appearances to New York as a Heisman award finalist, could this finally be the year that Baker Mayfield hoists the trophy and joins this exclusive brotherhood? Although Dede Westbrook, Joe Mixon, and Semaje Perine have all left to pursue their NFL dreams, Baker Mayfield still has the ability to lead Oklahoma by lighting up scoreboards with their high-tempo offense. A game to watch Mayfield closely will be on Sept. 9 against J.T. Barrett and Ohio State. Mayfield can make a great first impression for Heisman voters early in the season if he can display confidence against Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes.
Which four teams will be in the College Football Playoff?

Mario Kalo: Alabama, USC, Oklahoma, Penn State
The selection committee will be licking its chops once again this season come playoff time. I foresee the playoff encompassing four powerhouse programs with large fan bases that will subsequently lead to massive TV ratings. Alabama is the best program in the nation, although what’s new there? Barring any major upsets, Bama should find itself in the playoff yet again. Oklahoma will be led by perennial Heisman candidate Baker Mayfield. The Sooners should be able to storm through their schedule after playing Ohio State in Week 2 and from there, they should be able to take advantage of a relatively weak Big 12 conference, although they have some potential stumbling blocks in away games against Texas in Dallas, at Baylor, at Kansas State and at Oklahoma State. As far as USC is concerned, I think this is the season they are back on the map in a major way. With sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold leading the way, the Trojans are poised for a breakthrough season leading them to a playoff berth.
Picking a representative from the Big Ten was difficult. The popular pick is Ohio State but Michigan and Penn State aren’t far behind the Buckeyes in the ultra-competitive Big Ten. The reason I give Penn State the upper hand? The Nittany Lions return Trace McSorley, Saquon Barkley and most of their top targets from the 2016 Big Ten championship squad. The veteran leadership will go a long way in helping Penn State. Michigan lost much of its core players from last season’s squad and it’s difficult to rely heavily on inexperienced players. Meanwhile, Ohio State was a year ahead of schedule last season en route to earning a playoff berth and they will be in playoff contention again this year. The Buckeyes’ Oct. 28 home matchup against Penn State could go a long way in determining who will represent the Big 10 in the playoff.
RobertSample: Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, USC
Very quickly: Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, and USC. There’s no denying the powerhouse nature of each of these teams, especially that of Alabama and Ohio State. The rich histories of these football programs are unprecedented. I am really hoping for Florida State to return to the dominate football we saw in the 2013 and 2014 seasons in which they lost one game (the trouncing by Oregon, 59–20, in the Rose Bowl). As for USC, I think sophomore QB Sam Darnold will look to build on a solid freshman year to lead the Trojans to a playoff appearance.
Disclaimer: yes, these four teams are the top four in the preseason rankings. No, that is not why I picked them. These programs are on my list because I believe in the levels of football each is capable of.
Vijay Singh: Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State
The CFB committee will be able to diversify the playoffs this year with historically driven teams that will help promote fan bases throughout the country come bowl season. As usual, the college football landscape will be decided by Alabama and it will be very hard for me to see them not make the playoffs even if they lose one game. Oklahoma does not face much competition in making the college football race unless the committee takes note of how weak the Big 12 is. USC began to catch fire near the end of the season, especially after winning a high scoring game against Penn State in the 2017 Rose Bowl, and I expect for them to follow the same rhythm all the way to playoff season, led by their quarterback and likely 2018 NFL first-round draft pick Sam Darnold. Ohio State still has their embarrassing loss to Clemson in last season’s Fiesta Bowl lingering in their minds and their berth into the playoffs ultimately depends on how they fare against Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines on Nov. 25, the last game of the regular season.
Who will win the College Football Playoff National Championship?
Mario Kalo: Alabama
I’m not stepping out on a limb here but it would be foolish to pick against Nick Saban and Alabama. Last season’s loss in the National Championship game to Clemson will probably serve as greater motivation for Alabama this season. After the season opening bout with Florida State, the Crimson Tide’s schedule eases up. They play Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU at home this season. Furthermore, if they do reach the SEC title game, they will be favored heavily against any team from the SEC East. In addition, Jalen Hurts returns as the starting quarterback. As a true freshman last season, Hurts threw for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns. With a year of experience, Hurts will be even more dangerous for opposing defenses. He can extend plays and make game-changing throws, which is a scary thought for the rest of college football. The Tide also return their top four rushers from 2016. The talent on both sides of the ball coupled with a fantastic coaching staff led by Saban should propel Alabama to a national title.
RobertSample: Alabama
I do not think the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban will be denied two years in a row. By no means will it be an easy journey to the top, but I firmly believe they shall find themselves as Champions yet again.

Vijay Singh: Alabama
Deshaun Watson found revenge against the Crimson Tide when winning last year with a Vince Young-esque moment. Nick Saban coaches for a legacy, and his team will be sure to not let this one slip.
Which conference is the deepest/best?

Mario Kalo: SEC
Again, this seems like a safe choice, but contrary to what Big Ten or Pac 12 enthusiasts may believe, the SEC still reigns supreme. Alabama will probably continue its dynastic run to the playoff once again. There are five SEC teams ranked in the top 25 of the preseason Coaches poll. Alabama (1) is joined by LSU (12), Auburn (13), Georgia (15) and Florida (16) in the top 25. All those programs have a legitimate shot of finishing the season ranked in the top 10. SEC haters will argue that outside of Alabama, the conference has been inconsistent the past few season with teams such as LSU underperforming. But the truth is every conference is top heavy when it concerns playoff contenders. The depth in the conference should be much improved this season. Brent Bielema has the Arkansas program on the rise while South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt all hope to build on bowl appearances this fall.
Even the SEC’s bottom feeders last season had some impressive wins on their respective resumes. Ole Miss finished 2–6 in the SEC last season, but one of those wins came against Texas A&M which was ranked tenth at the time the two teams linked up.
RobertSample: SEC
In my opinion, the SEC offers the deepest collection of teams worth a damn. Teams in both the East and West play fast, hard hitting football. Good football is just about guaranteed each and every weekend. SEC teams have appeared in the College Football Playoffs three times thus far and have played in seven New Year’s games since 2014.
Vijay Singh: SEC
The SEC is a complete and utter bloodbath from start to finish. The fate of every team in this conference goes through the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. The key teams to watch outside of Alabama is LSU and Auburn. Still, as I have said, I find it hard to believe that Alabama will not make the playoffs even with one loss from any team. Maybe this could be a year where we see two SEC teams in the playoffs.
Which conference is the worst?
Mario Kalo: Big 12
Assuming we’re only dealing with the “Big Five” conferences, the Big 12 certainly ranks dead last. No conference has lost more luster over the past few season than the Big 12. Outside of Oklahoma, the conference has lacked elite teams and consistency. Oklahoma State is probably the next closest team to Oklahoma in terms of consistency, but even OSU has not been in the National Championship conversation in the past few seasons the way their rivals have been. Furthermore, until Texas regains its status as a powerhouse contender, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the conference is considered “elite”.
RobertSample: Mountain West Conferfence

My answer to this question is 100% bias. I’m not picking here based on statistics or records or bowl game appearances. My choice here is the Mountain West conference. Don’t get me wrong, I love football probably more so than the average human being, yet I cannot stand watching Mountain West games, it doesn’t matter who is playing. Games within this conference bore me and often result in me falling asleep or changing the channel. Sorry, not sorry.
Vijay Singh: Big 12
From top to bottom, the Big 12 is the exact antithesis of what SEC strives for. The only teams in the Big 12 that could even have a chance of making real noise in the college football landscape are Oklahoma and Texas. Even with that being said, teams at the bottom such as Kansas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and even Baylor show little to no competition, and this can very well influence the playoff committee’s choice as to who makes the final four come bowl season.
Which under the radar team has the best chance to end the season in a major bowl game?
Mario Kalo: Boise State

Boise State finished last season 10–3 and is currently unranked but is on the cusp of breaking into the rankings. The Brocnos lost several key performers from last season’s team but considering they will probably dominate the Mountain West conference, the Broncos should find themselves ranked in the top 25 and playing in a major bowl game at season’s end. Quarterback Brett Rypien returns to lead the way after throwing for 6,999 yards over the past two seasons. There is enough offensive talent to keep Rypien effective again this season. One cause for concern for Boise State is their defense, which only generated nine turnovers last season, the fewest in program history.
RobertSample: Western Michigan

There always seems to be so much fluidity in the preseason rankings, especially towards the bottom of the list. However, one team that I believe will slowly make the climb towards a major bowl game is Western Michigan. The Broncos were one of two teams entering bowl season last year undefeated (the other being Alabama). Surely they should be able to make some effort to get a bowl appearance again.
Vijay Singh: Florida Atlantic University

A misconception that must be noted with the preseason top 25 rankings is that many of the teams on there will have their rankings change drastically after the first week’s slate of games. A key example of this was Notre Dame vs. Texas last season, when Notre Dame lost in a shootout during OT and ended the season losing 8 games. With that being said, Lane Kiffin is back to his head coaching days after a three-year stint as the offensive coordinator at Alabama. I can very well see him bring the Florida Atlantic Owls into the top-25 as the season progresses.

