We often hear of the Blue Blood programs when it comes to college basketball, but not so much with college football even though there clearly is a hierarchy in the sport. Below are the CFB Blue Bloods according to us (not in any particular order):
The Patriots are currently at the beginning of a full on rebuild so expectations are low. Hopefully last year was rock bottom and we see improvement this year. The biggest thing we need to see is improvement offensively. I don’t know how much Drake Maye will play, but we obviously want him to look good if he does. I think Maye will start playing around the mid season mark so the Pats can see what they have in him. The young wide receivers and offensive lineman we have ideally get experience and develop a lot this year too. The offense will likely start slow but gain momentum as the season goes on.
The defense has been a strength so we want them to keep playing well. Expect a great season from Christian Gonzalez who played well before a season ending injury last year. It will also be interesting to see if anyone can replace Matthew Judon as a premier pass rusher. The Pats defense should be at worst average and will be the strength of the team.
Finally, we want to see that Jerrod Mayo can coach. He is replacing the greatest coach of all time so it doesn’t get harder than that. As a part of the dynasty as a player, he knows what it takes to win here so I have belief that he can have a similar positive impact that DeMeco Ryans had on the Texans last year.
I think the Patriots go 6-11 and finish last in their division. In addition to rebuilding, they have the hardest schedule in the NFL, so they get no break whatsoever. This should net them a top 10 draft pick and allow them to get another great young player to help build their team up. This year might be tough at times, but unlike last year we should have some things that give us hope for a great future.
Curly Lambeau and George Halas had unheard of careers in the NFL that will never be replicated. Both of these men were players, coaches, and owners (sometimes all 3 at the same time) for their respective teams. Looking at the modern NFL and seeing how that would be absolutely impossible to do today makes these feats even more incredible.
Lambeau founded the Packers in 1919 in his hometown of Green Bay, WI. He played on the team from 1919-1929 and was named to the 1920s All-Decade NFL Team. The Packers joined the NFL in 1921 and he was a player-coach from 1921-1929, before retiring as a player.
He continued coaching the Packers until 1949, winning 209 games and 6 NFL titles. He is tied for being the longest tenured coach in NFL history with Tom Landry and is tied with George Halas and Bill Belichick for the most NFL championships by a coach.
Lambeau won 226 games total as a coach, was part of the first NFL Hall of Fame class in 1963, and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. The Packer’s stadium was named Lambeau Field in 1965 and bears the same name to this day.
George Halas co-founded the NFL and took ownership of the Chicago Bears in 1921. The Chicago native played for the Bears from 1920-1928 and was a member of 1920s All-Decade Team.
From 1920-1967, he coached the Bears 4 separate times for a total of 40 years. He was a 2-time AP Coach of the year, won 6 NFL titles as a coach (tied for an NFL record), and 318 games (3rd all-time). He won two additional NFL titles while owning the Bears.
Similar to Lambeau, he was part of the first NFL Hall of Fame class in 1963, and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is nicknamed “Papa Bear,” due to his everlasting connection with the team and the NFC championship trophy is named after him.
Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
The season kicks off with an awesome opening matchup. The Ravens look to get revenge on the team who eliminated them from last year’s playoffs. I don’t think that happens as the Chiefs will win, cover (-3), and the under (46.5) hits.
Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles (In Brazil)
A Friday night game to kick off the season in Brazil is unprecedented but I’m here for it. Both teams have huge expectations for the season. I think the Packers win, cover (+2.5), and the over (48.5) hits.
New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals
This season will not be fun for Patriots fans. The Bengals, meanwhile, are all in for a Super Bowl victory. That will be apparent as the Bengals win, cover (-7.5), and the under (41) hits. Note: Updated 9/7 to Bengals -7.5
New York Jets @ San Francisco 49ers
Both teams think they can win the Super Bowl this year. The Jets are delusional, while the Niners actually have a shot. The Niners will win, cover (-3.5), and the over (44) will hit.
College football is now fully back and had an awesome slate of games. My hope is that the 12 team playoff encourages teams to play tough non conference games like we saw this weekend.
Georgia struggled offensively for a lot of their game vs Clemson. They’re so good that they were still able to blow out Clemson. Clemson’s lack of adapting to the transfer portal and NIL may end up being the downfall of them being an elite program.
Quinn Ewers might be the most under appreciated QB in the country. He is a 5-Star recruit, led Texas to the playoff last year, and is projected to be a 1st round pick yet people talk more about his back up than him. Texas blew out Colorado St. 52-0 and the biggest story is that Arch Manning played in the game.
Nico Iamaleava looks like he is going to be a stud. He throws the ball so well and could be a top draft pick in a couple years.
Miami blew out Florida and looked great doing so. Florida could be in for a long season with such a tough schedule.
Colorado might not have a great record but Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will be must watch TV all year. They should both be top 5 draft picks in 2025 and I think Shedeur is the best QB and Hunter is the best player in the draft.
LSU and USC’s new QBs look good. Kyren Lacy looks like the next great LSU WR. USC’s Zachariah Branch is electric to watch and looks like Tyreek Hill out there. USC WR Kyron Ware-Hudson also looks great and made the potential catch of the year. All told this was the exact type of game you want to see Week 1 between two powerhouse programs. LSU has not won a Week 1 game since their 2019 season, but I respect the fact that they consistently play tough games Week 1 – unlike most other teams in the SEC.
FSU once again struggled against an inferior opponent. DJ U does not look like he can lead them to success and it could be a long season for FSU. Despite the 12 team Playoff their season is probably over. They’d need to win out to have a chance to even make it.
NFC East
The Eagles are the clear cut favorite to win the division. They have a more talented roster and the Cowboys have had way too much drama this offseason and it still isn’t over yet. The Commanders are getting some hype that I’m not buying at all. The Giants are in rebuild mode and may get the #1 pick.
NFC North
This division got competitive fast. I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these teams made the playoffs. The Lions have the most talented and experienced team so they get the edge for me. The Packers have such a talented young roster and will get a Wild Card. The Bears are still a year away from making it to the playoffs and contending for the division. The Vikings won’t have the QB play to go with such a great roster and coach.
NFC South
This is the worst division in football. Kirk Cousins is a great regular season QB and has talented young roster just like in Minnesota. That should be enough to win it the division. Tampa could contend, but they are getting old. The Saints are old like the Bucs, but with less talent. The Panthers have no shot.
NFC West
The 49ers have the best roster in the league and now have the Aiyuk situation figured out. They need to win this year before they have to start paying Purdy so there’s urgency. The Rams have the ideal mix of a great offensive head coach, a great veteran QB who has won a Super Bowl, and a talented group of young players. They will just miss out on the division. The Seahawks will be very average. The Cardinals have hope and talent, but it is too soon for them.
Wild Card Round
Divisional Round
NFC Championship Game
Final NFC Thoughts:
The NFC is by far the more inferior conference. That being said, there are some young teams with a ton of talent and potential that could emerge this year. I think the Rams come out on top and make it to the Super Bowl.
LAR vs CIN: CIN wins the Super Bowl
For the 2nd year in a row, there will be a recent rematch in the Super Bowl – but with two different teams. I think Cincinnati gets revenge from Super Bowl LVI and bring Cincinnati their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Note: All predictions as of 8/29/2024
AFC East
The AFC East is up for grabs right now. The Bills have the best QB in the division, but Josh Allen will have to contend with some unproven playmakers around him. The Jets have all the talent in the world, but need to prove they can stay healthy and keep it together for an entire year. The Dolphins have a great coach and a track team on offense, they just feel limited by their quarterback. The Pats are currently at ground zero of a rebuild, so expectations are low – to put it nicely. Ultimately, I think the top 3 teams are so even that I’m going to give the Bills the tiebreaker due to having the best player in the division at the most important position.
AFC North
This is the deepest division in the whole league. This will be a close race, but the Ravens will just edge out the Bengals for the division title. They have a more talented team than the Bengals and they have a better coach. The Bengals have also been a little more loud than I would like a team to be in the offseason and I don’t think they’ll be focused to start the year. The Browns boast a great roster and coach, but Deshaun Watson has been absolutely terrible and often injured while in Cleveland. The Steelers have a great defense and coach, but no answer at QB. Russ or Fields limits them in such a stacked division and conference.
AFC South
Similar to the AFC East, three teams could potentially win this division and it’ll be close at the top. The Texans have such a great blend of veterans and young player that I think it propels them to the top. The Colts have a potentially lethal combo of Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen that should start paying dividends this year. The Jags had a terrible collapse last year that their psyche might be off this year. The Titans are by far the worst team in the division.
AFC West
The Chiefs should easily runaway with the division. The Chargers with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert will be a force to reckon with and will make the playoffs. The Broncos have potential but don’t have the talent to compete with the Chiefs or Chargers. The Raiders have good offensive skill players but QB will be an issue.
Wild Card Round
Divisional Round
AFC Championship Game
The AFC is the most stacked we have ever seen an NFL conference in recent memory. There are so many teams who could get an a hot streak and win the conference. I think Cincinnati ends up being the team this year. They are the one team that has proven they can consistently knock off the Chiefs and I see it happening again this year.
Note: All predictions as of 8/29/2024
Having real football back is the best. This time of year is awesome because we get to have football but the weather is still great. It only last around a month, so enjoy it.
Florida State vs Georgia Tech was as good an opening game as you can have. Two Power 5 schools, including a Top 10 team, playing each other and ending in a last second field goal to produce the first upset of the year is storybook. The whole game was basically a marketing campaign to visit Ireland and now I wanna go there.
This game also highlights why the 12 team expansion is good. FSU would likely have to kiss their season goodbye, but now they are still alive in the playoff race. They probably won’t get there because they do not look very good, but they still have hope.
Another positive consequence of the 12 team playoff is that elite teams will be more likely to play tough non-conference/early season games. Week 1 starts off hot with UNC @ Minnesota on Thursday night; TCU @ Stanford Friday night; 14 Clemson @ 1 Georgia; 8 Penn State @ West Virginia; 19 Miami @ Florida; 7 Notre Dame @ 20 Texas A&M; 23 USC vs 13 LSU Sunday night, and BC @ 10 FSU Monday night.
We are back.
With the NFL heavily contemplating an 18 game season, here I changes to the schedule I hope to see the NFL make:
These changes should make the NFL even better than it already is and I’m all for it.
I’m not sure what is crazier, the season that Darrelle Revis had in 2009, or the fact that one of the greatest defensive seasons ever did not lead to a DPOY.
Part of what makes Revis’s season so great is that he matched up with a Hall of Famer or All-Pro 9 different times and shut them all down. He had an NFL Record 31 passes defended and allowed a 32.2 passer rating. Below are the pathetic numbers he allowed:
Despite those performances and the Jets being the number 1 defense in the league, Revis lost out to Charles Woodson for DPOY. Woodson had a great year, but nowhere near what Revis did. Despite not winning any major awards, this season rightly has gone down in history, and it’s good to see that people still talk about it 15 years later.
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