ESPN College Football

DawgNation
From Radi Nabulsi : Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has made a concerted effort to recruit South Georgia, and it's already paid dividends.

GatorNation
From Derek Tyson : ESPN 300 DE Trent Harris is down to a top six and is planning on making a decision in early July.

GeauxTigerNation
From Gary Laney : Quarterback Brandon Harris is the biggest mover in the new ESPN 300, going from unranked to No. 48.

GigEmNation
From Sam Khan Jr. : Versatility is key for ESPN 300 athlete Armani Watts.

TideNation
From Greg Ostendorf : Michigan currently has the nation's No. 1 recruiting class. What can Alabama do to overtake the Wolverines?

Texas A&M's most important game in 2013 is its Sept. 14 home game against Alabama.

Every year, players come and go in college football. With that teams can either grow or take steps back because of turnover.

It's time to check out Auburn's strongest position and weakest position heading into the 2013 season:

Strongest position: Running back

The Tigers didn't have too many bright spots at all on offense last year, but running back Tre Mason barreled his way to more than 1,000 yards, eight touchdowns and 5.9 yards per carry. Mason is back in 2013, and he should have even more space to move around in with Gus Malzahn's spread offense coming back to the Plains. Auburn lost Onterio McCalebb and Mike Blakely, but Mason will have quality help with junior Corey Grant returning and junior college transfer Cameron Artis-Payne on the roster. Grant is a big-bodied back who was once at Alabama and should help Mason stay fresh. Artis-Payne was the No. 2 juco running back last year, after rushing for 2,048 yards and 25 touchdowns last fall, and had a very strong spring for the Tigers. He was also named MVP of the Tigers' spring game with his 117 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns. Auburn could have quite the trio on its hands at running back.

Weakest position: Wide receiver

Auburn really struggled to throw the ball last year and doesn't return anyone who registered more than 136 yards -- and that was tight end C.J. Uzomah, who could have a big year in Malzahn's spread. But as for actual wide receivers, Auburn returns just two who went over 100 yards last year -- Trovon Reed (122 yards) and Sammie Coates (114). While there was some improvement made this spring, the Tigers don't have any true proven weapons at wide receiver right now. Reed and Quan Bray, who leads all current Tigers with his 14 returning receptions from last year, have all the potential and skill to be valuable options in the passing and rushing game, but they have fallen below expectations during their time at Auburn. That has to change if this passing game is going to go anywhere in 2013. Sophomore Ricardo Louis was a prize recruit for the Tigers last year, but caught just three passes as a freshman. He had a good spring and showed that he can be a true deep threat for Auburn, but it has to translate to the field this fall. It will help that three ESPN 300 receivers will be on campus this fall.

The first week of the SEC season has some real gems in it. You have a few quality nonconference opponents taking on SEC teams at neutral sites, and quite the opening SEC matchup in Nashville.

But which one is the best? Which one has you the most intrigued as we sit only a couple months away from the first weekend of the college football season?

Of course, you have Alabama's opener in Atlanta against Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Alabama should be a pretty decent favorite in this game, but the Hokies do return nine starters on a defense that finished the year ranking 18th nationally in total defense. And those four returning defensive linemen could test Alabama's offensive line early. The matchup between Alabama's offense and Virginia Tech's defense should be fun, but can the Hokies move the ball against the Tide's defense? Could be really tough, even with Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas returning.

LSU travels to Arlington, Texas, to take on TCU in the Horned Frogs' backyard. LSU has to replace a lot on defense, and is taking on a TCU offense that returns nine starters, along with quarterback Casey Pachall. This could be a really fun game to watch, because the Tigers could showoff what they are hoping is a more explosive passing game. LSU always plays big in these nonconference games, and has had success in Jerry's World.

You can't forget about Georgia's trip to Clemson to take on the Tigers from that other conference. This game has the makings of a real shootout with the offenses that will be on the field and the fact that both defenses still have questions. And this game could have national-title implications. Plus, it's Aaron Murray vs. Tajh Boyd. Sammy Watkins vs. Malcolm Mitchell. First team to 40 wins?

South Carolina hosts North Carolina on Aug. 29 in a game that should receive a lot of attention. The Tar Heels return 14 starters and are looking to prove that they can once again be a legitimate threat nationally. It's also a chance to bring back what used to be a fun border rivalry. South Carolina gets to test out it's relatively new-look defense against one of the ACC's top quarterbacks in Bryn Renner. Oh, and it's a chance to see Jadeveon Clowney right off the bat. Can he get some more Heisman love on national television?

As for the lone conference game, you have Vanderbilt hosting Ole Miss on Aug. 29. This game means more now than it has in a while. There's more excitement around it because both teams are trending up in the SEC. Ole Miss hasn't beaten Vandy since 2009, and with the schedule the Rebels have, getting this win would be huge. Both teams also have nice firepower coming back on offense, which should make for good offense-defense matchups for both teams. This game could be another classic like last year's when the Dores stormed back in the fourth quarter to steal one in Oxford.

Kentucky is known for being a force in basketball recruiting. But football? Jared Shanker and Kentucky commit Mike Edwards join Phil Murphy to take a look at what’s behind the Wildcats' No. 11-ranked class, where they are recruiting the hardest and what it could mean for the Big Ten.

I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine/This little light of mine and I'm finna let it shine/I'm finna take yall back to them better times/I'm finna talk about my mama if yall don't mind -- #Yeezusweek

• Matt Hayes of The Sporting News writes that Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has only himself to blame for his troubles.
• Johnny Football was also very close to transferring before the 2012 season.
• Tennessee's response to Marcus Lattimore's devastating knee injury last year earns the SEC's annual sportsmanship award.
• Alabama, Auburn and Vanderbilt rank in the top 10 of CBS Sports' list of the softest non-conference schedules.
• Alabama commits JC Hassenauer and JK Scott join an exclusive geographic club at Alabama.
• Kevin Scarbinsky of Al.com writes that Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is already giving some other SEC coaches nightmares.
• Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace's mechanics are better after surgery.
• A fast set of twins transfers to Kentucky from Pittsburgh.

Alex Scarborough delivers a rough outline of prospective candidates for Nick Saban's job at Alabama in the event a coaching hire becomes necessary. Every athletic department has the same piece of paper with coaches names on it, and Alabama is no different.

Click here for Scarborough's story.

ESPN radio host Paul Finebaum talks about the perception of Johnny Manziel since winning the Heisman and how his comments have hurt his image.

The most important game for Tennessee in 2013 is the Nov. 2 trip to Missouri.

We're in the dog days of the offseason, where every little comment or development gets overanalyzed or takes on a life of its own. So why not overanalyze some comments Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman made in jest Thursday at the Brazos County A&M Club Coach's Night, an alumni event? He made a joke that went like this, according to the San Antonio Express-News: “What do the moon and Texas A&M have in common? They both control the Tide.”

The TideNation's Alex Scarborough and GigEmNation's Sam Khan discuss it here.

Every year, players come and go in college football. With that teams can either grow or take steps back because of turnover.

It's time to check out Arkansas' strongest position and weakest position heading into the 2013 season:

Strongest position: Defensive line

New coach Bret Bielema wants a powerful team and he'll have a pretty good unit to work with along the defensive line. Three starters are back in tackle Byran Jones and ends Chris Smith and Trey Flowers. They are all talented, they are all veterans and they all registered more than 50 tackles last year. Flowers and Smith might actually be one of the most underrated defensive end duos in the SEC, as they combined for 26 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 2012. This was the only duo to rank in the top five of the SEC in tackles for loss per game and in the top eight in sacks per game. Jones added five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. You also can't forget about Robert Thomas. He played in 12 games last year, registering 18 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. The Razorbacks will have a strong starting line and should be able to generate good pressure against opposing passing games, while still being able to clog holes against the run. The biggest thing this line needs is consistency

Weakest position: Running back

Inexperience is a major issue at this position. Jonathan Williams returns as the leading rusher for this team after rushing for 231 yards on 45 carries last season. He had a good spring and could be the workhorse back that Bielema needs for his offense, but the sophomore has limited experience. Sophomore Nate Holmes will have a chance to contribute, but only carried the ball three times last year, while redshirt sophomore Kody Walker has played in five career games, but has missed substantial time because of injuries. You could also see fullbacks Kiero Small and Morgan Linton get some carries with the style of offense Bielema likes to run. Help is definitely on the way with freshman Alex Collins coming in, but he'll have to grow up in a hurry during fall camp.

Gazing into the future can be a fun and dangerous thing. Just look at "Back to the Future Part II."

But when it comes to looking into our crystal balls to check out the sports we love, no one can get enough of it. So our expert team of college football insiders decided to put their heads together to create a new set of Future Power Rankings to see which programs will be successful over the next few years.

To no one's surprise Alabama tops the list, but there are plenty of SEC teams lurking. Where do the rest of the SEC teams rank within our experts' top 25? Click here to find out.

Alabama's 14-7 win against Penn State in the 1979 Sugar Bowl didn't come without quite the fight down in New Orleans.

After going 10-1 during the regular season, the No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide took on No. 1 Penn State down on Bourbon Street. Everything came down to what is still considered one of the the most historic plays in Alabama football history, when the Tide defense stopped Penn State on a goal-line stand on fourth down to secure the win over the Nittany Lions.

Grantland's Michael Weinreb takes an in-depth look at piece about the colossal stand -- and game -- that led to a split national championship:

Everything I know about college football I view through the prism of the 1979 Sugar Bowl. It is not my earliest memory, but it might as well be: In the pale yellow American Broadcasting Corporation graphics, in the fine-spun play-by-play of Keith Jackson, in the august pro-Dixie color analysis of longtime Arkansas coach Frank Broyles, in the stark clash of the two most elegant uniforms in college football with the lime sheen of the AstroTurf, in Bear Bryant's bold sartorial choices, in the futuristic electronic time clock of the Superdome … hell, I guess the 1979 Sugar Bowl is my own little hyperconcussive madeleine. It triggers memories of childhood anticipation and of childhood disappointment, of every fear and obstacle and potential triumph that lay ahead; even now, when I go back to the video, the whole thing just feels so incomprehensibly huge to me, so loaded with involuntary memory -- not to mention the dread of knowing how the whole thing ends -- that I have trouble watching more than a few minutes at a time before I find myself shutting it off.

I'm living in that 21st century doin' something mean to it/Do it better then anybody you ever seen do it/Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it/I guess every superhero need his theme music -- #Yeezusweek

Also, make sure you tune into "College Football Live" today at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 where Paul Finebaum will be talking all things Johnny Manziel.

• The rise of uptempo offenses prompts a widening divide among SEC coaches.
• Upgrades to Alabama's Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility will include a waterfall inside the locker room.
• Arkansas projects $80.6 million in revenue for 2013-14.
• Here are five freshmen at Florida who could emerge in 2013.
• Georgia's secondary is already being tested before the season even starts.
• Here's a look at a trio of key commitments for Kentucky.
• Linebacker Serderius Bryant checks in at No. 50 on The Jackson Clarion-Ledger's countdown of the 75 most important Rebels in 2013.
• ESPN 300 linebacker Gavin Bryant committed to Tennessee Monday.
• Kevin Sumlin's stint at Washington State under Mike Price gave Texas A&M's coach direction.

The key to success at the college level is a strong foundation. And that foundation comes from annual recruiting classes that fans and coaches obsess over each year.

Well, SEC teams are once again making sure their recruiting foundations are strong, as 10 of the 14 teams are among the top 30 of the ESPN class rankings, including five in the top 10.

Alabama moved up two spots to lead all the SEC teams, ranking second only to Michigan in the rankings. Alabama has 13 commitments, including six ESPN 150 members and nine ESPN 300 members. Right now, the Crimson Tide's class is highlighted by recent ESPN 150 quarterback commit David Cornwell (Norman, Okla./Norman North) and No. 2 athlete Bo Scarbrough (Tuscaloosa, Ala./Northridge).

Texas A&M fell one spot behind Alabama. The Aggies' class currently has 14 members with four ESPN 150 members and nine ESPN 300 members. Kevin Sumlin is having no problem recruiting in his second year in the SEC and as the Aggies' coach. He closed very well last year and has verbals from the No. 1 outside linebacker -- Hoza Scott (La Porte, Texas) -- and No. 3 pocket passing quarterback -- Kyle Allen (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain).

Kentucky and Tennessee have been very pleasant surprises in the recruiting world this year. Both are operating with new head coaches, yet both are ranked inside the top 15. Tennessee sits at No. 6 in the rankings, while Kentucky is 11th.

Here's a look at where all the SEC teams ranked in the top 30:

2. Alabama (13 commits) -- 6 ESPN 150, 9 ESPN 300
3. Texas A&M (14) -- 4 ESPN 150, 9 ESPN 300
6. Tennessee (17) -- 2 ESPN 150, 7 ESPN 300
7. LSU (10) -- 5 ESPN 150, 9 ESPN 300
9. Florida (10) -- 3 ESPN 150, 6 ESPN 300
11. Kentucky (18) -- 1 ESPN 150, 5 ESPN 300
13. Georgia (10) -- 4 ESPN 150, 5 ESPN 300
14. Auburn (9) -- 3 ESPN 150, 6 ESPN 300
15. Ole Miss (16) -- 1 ESPN 150, 3 ESPN 300
26. Vanderbilt (10) -- 0 ESPN 150, 1 ESPN 300

The 14 SEC teams also have combined to grab verbal commitments from 32 ESPN 150 members and 64 ESPN 300 members.