It’s April, and that means we have 30 days of spring football to take in heading into the 2015 season. The first year of the College Football Playoff was off the charts, but don’t fear a sophomore slump. There are plenty of story lines across the FBS.
There are even more questions that need answered. Here are 30 questions we’re looking to answer. Don’t worry. September will be here before you know it.
1. Michigan’s spring game is Saturday. What’s the biggest story line in Ann Arbor aside from Jim Harbaugh? The Wolverines need to find a quarterback. Michigan quarterbacks combined for 30 TDs and 37 interceptions the last two seasons.
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2. Can Harbaugh fix that? Wolverines fans might tell you Harbaugh invented the Model T.
3. Well, did he? No, Henry Ford did. Tom Izzo helped.
4. Tom Izzo doesn’t coach football, does he? No, Mark Dantonio does in East Lansing, and he does it well. The Spartans have won 11 games four of the last five seasons and are a bigger threat to Ohio State in the present. Michigan State remains a legit College Football Playoff contender.
5. Speaking of Ohio State, who starts at quarterback? We won’t know until September, but Cardale Jones can force the issue with a strong spring given J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller are on the sideline.
6. Will all three quarterbacks stay? Yes. At least we think yes. Maybe? This is why Urban Meyer says the decision is "eating away at him."
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7. Who is the "it" team to watch this spring? UCLA. The Bruins are coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons and reeled in a top recruiting class that includes 5-star quarterback Josh Rosen and running back So-So Jamabo.
8. Who else? UCLA’s cross-town rival USC. Cody Kessler is back, and the Trojans also recruited well.
9. Can either of those teams challenge Oregon? They’ll have to show us first. The Ducks are 8-1 against USC and UCLA since 2009. The Trojans travel to Autzen Stadium on Nov. 21.
10. Who was that loss to? A Lane Kiffin-coached USC team.
11. Lane Kiffin stayed in Alabama. Is that a good idea? If Kiffin duplicates what he did with Blake Sims last season, then the Crimson Tide will be back in the College Football Playoff.
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12. Who starts for Alabama? Jacob Coker, though he’ll get a push from early enrollee Blake Barnett this spring. That’s a quarterback battle to zero in on.
13. Can I get a long-shot Heisman Trophy candidate? If Jeremy Johnson puts it together in Gus Malzahn’s offense at Auburn, there’s your guy.
14. Does that mean Auburn beats Alabama? Johnson doesn’t play defense. That’s why the Tigers hired new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Watch the defense closely this spring.
15. Is the Tennessee hype for real? Butch Jones has it going on in Knoxville, but we’ll believe it when the Vols beat Florida. That hasn’t happened since 2004.
16. Pick one: LSU’s Leonard Fournette or Georgia’s Nick Chubb? Slight edge to Chubb, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season.
17. The sleeper team in the SEC is who? Most people will say Arkansas. We’ll stick with Ole Miss. The Rebels still have Laremy Tunsil, Laquon Treadwell and Robert Nkemdiche. It’s time for that lauded recruiting class to show out.
18. Didn’t Ole Miss get throttled by TCU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl? TCU will be ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls next year. That’s an excellent football team.
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19. What about Baylor? The Bears already played their spring game, and they will be right there in the thick of the Big 12 race.
20. So, we’re not going to talk about Oklahoma or Texas? Watch the quarterback battles in both places. It’s on the Sooners and Longhorns to catch up with the Bears and Horned Frogs now.
21. Why do you say that? Baylor led the nation with 48.2 points per game last season. TCU finished second with 46.5 points per game. You gotta score points in the Big 12.
22. Florida State must adjust to life without Jameis Winston. Can the Seminoles do it? FSU did beat Clemson with Sean Maguire under center last season. It’s still a talented team.
23. Is Clemson better than Florida State? The Tigers are one of four schools with 10 or more wins the last four seasons. Alabama, Oregon and Northern Illinois are the others.
24. You didn’t answer the question. Is Clemson better? The Tigers are a dark-horse playoff contender if Deshaun Watson stays healthy. Watson, however, is still recovering this spring. We can't answer the question until we know Watson's status in September.
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25. Which coach is on the hot seat? Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes are just 26-25 the last four seasons.
26. What about Frank Beamer? Beamer will go out on his own terms, but the Hokies are just 22-17 the last three years. Oh, and by the way, Ohio State comes to Blacksburg on Labor Day.
27. Who starts at Notre Dame? Answer a question with a question: When is the last time Brian Kelly settled on one quarterback for a full season? Malik Zaire and Everett Golson both will have prominent roles for the Irish in 2015.
28. Which off-the-radar school could make a statement? How about BYU with the return of Taysom Hill? The Cougars play road games at Nebraska, UCLA, Michigan and Missouri next year. Who else can say that?
29. Can we get a ridiculously-early playoff prediction? I’d have a better shot at building a Model T in my basement, but here goes: Ohio State, Alabama, TCU and Oregon.
30. Can we hold you to that? Absolutely not. Let’s do spring ball before we lock in the predictions.
