National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.

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MORE FACT OR FICTION: Dabo Swinney will go to NFL with Trevor Lawrence | Ja'Marr Chase will be No. 1 receiver taken in 2021 draft

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series

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Farrell’s take: FICTION. But it could be close. I see 7-3 for the defending champs with all of its roster losses and breaking in a new quarterback in Myles Brennan. Florida, Auburn and Alabama will be the losses and Texas A&M is a toss-up. The roster has been decimated by players off to the pros and opting out, but there is a lot of young talent ready to emerge. Just not enough to avoid three losses.

Gorney’s take: FACT. With all those departures and opt-outs, LSU could definitely go 6-4. Florida and Auburn are toss-up games and with such an outstanding secondary, the Tigers are not going to give up many – if any – chunk plays downfield. Perhaps no elite team in the SEC has more question marks heading into the season, but there is so much young and hungry talent there that LSU will be fine.

Farrell’s take: FACT. What other choice does Mike Norvell have with no spring and newcomers behind James Blackman? He’s not the best solution as shown by his record but this is a guy who has thrown 41 touchdowns against 23 picks despite being sacked on nearly 10% of his drops. With a bit more protection, he can be very good but time will tell if we ever get to see that in his FSU career. I like Chubba Purdy and he’s the future, but with his broken collarbone, that isn’t possible now.

Gorney’s take: FACT. If there was a normal offseason, maybe the argument could be made to give freshman Tate Rodemaker a shot since Blackman has been largely underwhelming and Purdy is hurt, but that’s not the case. Norvell can maximize Blackman’s abilities better than the previous staff. After all, Blackman was a Rivals250 prospect who has a lot of skill and Norvell knows how to operate an offense, de-emphasize weaknesses and move the ball down the field. Blackman is the best choice among very limited options right now.

Farrell’s take: FACT. The latest rumor, and of course it’s just a rumor, is that there is talk of the Big Ten starting in the second week of October after a call from President Trump to commissioner Kevin Warren.

Now let’s be clear. I’m not naive. Trump’s call won’t do much and this appears to be a decision that won’t be reversed, but I’ve talked to numerous coaches in the Big Ten who said they could be ready in five weeks or even sooner. And there was no hesitation. The Big Ten coaches and players are ready to play, but it’s doubtful the university presidents, who voted 11-3 for postponing the season, will acquiesce.

Gorney’s take: FACT. There is no telling what the Big Ten is going to do or how it could justify getting back on the field in early October after saying it wasn’t safe to play its normal schedule only a month sooner. If Kevin Warren admits to a hasty decision and upon further consideration the conference should play, I could buy that. But there needs to be a lot of convincing among university presidents and we all know that will not come quickly.

Still, the football teams could be ready to play in five weeks. They could be ready to play in a shorter period than that. But this isn’t up to the players, coaches or families involved, and that’s what makes me think it might be difficult to pull off.