Fact or Fiction: College football will be played this season
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Games will be OK with no fans
1. There will be college football this fall.
Farrell’s take: FACT. When you see all the sports being eliminated at smaller to mid-level schools already and an estimated $4 billion in losses projected if there is no 2020 college football season you have to think there will be one this fall regardless of the COVID-19 situation. It could be without fans or with less fans or could be delayed or started early — who knows? But canceling or postponing until the spring will kill so many colleges this really isn’t an option. One season lost will set some programs athletic departments back permanently.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’m growing more confident there will be a college football season. More schools are talking about bringing back students in some capacity and I’m a big believer that college athletes are safer on campus, surrounded by world-class medical staff, instead of doing God knows what back at home. With some schools talking about getting on campus earlier and then being out by Thanksgiving, my bet is that there will be a season. There will be fits and starts and major logistical issues to work out, but I believe it’s going to happen.
2. Vols have become dangerous in North Carolina
Farrell’s take: FACT. Watch out North Carolina and Clemson and other schools who have recruited North Carolina well recently. Tennessee is charging in the state of North Carolina. With the addition of Kaemen Marley, the Vols have four commitments from the state of North Carolina in this class and a couple of cycles ago they landed three led by Quavarus Crouch. Jeremy Pruitt is hitting so many states and hurting a lot of programs with his out-of-state recruiting.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. It appears on the surface that Tennessee is dipping into North Carolina for lots of top players, but let’s dig a little deeper and it’s just not the case - yet. Yes, the Vols have four commitments from that state but they also have 23 in total, almost their entire recruiting class wrapped up. Only one of the top-five players in North Carolina is committed to Tennessee as North Carolina has nine pledges from the top 16. If Tennessee can get the state’s top player, four-star defensive tackle Payton Page, then that’s a different ballgame. The Vols, Tar Heels and Clemson are all involved there. Tennessee is doing a good job in North Carolina but dangerous? Not yet.
3. Miami has the best 1-2 defensive punch in the nation in Greg Rousseau and Quincy Roche.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This is a dynamic duo for sure and probably the best set of bookends in college football, but for overall defensive impact give me Christian Barmore and Dylan Moses at Alabama. Moses is coming back from injury, but he should be awesome this season and earn that first-round grade and Barmore is ready for a breakout season after a promising freshman year. LSU, Penn State and others could make a case as well, but give me these two from Bama.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Rousseau and Roche will be the most dominant 1-2 defensive punch in college football and it should make the Hurricanes’ defense even nastier than before.
Roche was dominant at Temple before transferring to Miami with 137 tackles and 26 sacks in three seasons with the Owls. Rousseau had a breakout campaign last year with 54 tackles and 15.5 sacks. Being on the field at the same time is going to overwhelm opponents as both defensive linemen should be living in the backfield.