HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT

RP-NO. What has long been college football’s (and, increasingly, the NFL’s) secret offensive weapon is about to lose its luster. College defenses, which often trail far behind offenses in terms of innovation and explosiveness, are finally prepared to thwart the run-pass option, a play design that lets the quarterback either run the ball, pass the ball or hand it off. Across the SEC, defenses are planning to harass the quarterback early and often, while officials are beginning to crack down on tricky and illegal uses of option plays.

Snacking on quarterbacks. Ohio State defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones knows he’ll have to give up Cheetos and improve his diet if he wants to become a quarterback-sacking machine this season. But it’s more than cheesy snacks that will challenge Jones this year. His Buckeyes are in turmoil, with head coach Urban Meyer suspended for the first three games of the season due to his failure to escalate domestic abuse allegations against an assistant coach. Ohio State also saw a core of its defensive leadership leave for the NFL. But Jones is poised to assume that role not only on the field but also in the locker room, as long as he can increase his discipline and decrease his penalties.

Bullish on the Dawgs. Anyone can rank college football’s preseason contenders. But we’re prognosticating the players in this year’s championship with an eye toward underreported storylines and underestimated sleepers. Our top five picks to seize your TV screen in January: Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State, Washington. Click on for the rest of the top 10, with a few bonus picks.

Seven figures for these six figures. It pays to be defensive. If you follow the money in college football, you’ll often see offensive coordinators charting their courses to the pros. But this offseason, six defensive coordinators signed contracts for more than $1 million per year, including the highest-total-value contract for a college assistant. Now, their schemes have to back up their paychecks.

WHAT TO READ

The Next Great USC QB Shouldn’t Even Be in College, by Mike Piellucci at The Ringer
"Only two college football players, former USC quarterback John David Booty and current South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley, are believed to have attempted what Daniels is now trying to do: go directly from playing as a high school junior to starting as a college freshman."

The Saban effect: How one coach’s unrelenting process has sculpted college football, by Alex Scarborough at ESPN
"Piece by piece, fallen rival by fallen rival, the tendrils of Saban’s ‘process’ span college football, his blueprint reshaping an entire sport."

WHAT TO WATCH

2018 National Championship Game "Relive Alabama’s epic overtime triumph in January, for its fifth national title in nine seasons, with every snap compressed into 36 minutes."	Watch on CFBin30
No. 6 Auburn vs. No. 5 Washington "Sat., Sept. 1, 3:30 p.m. EST, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Line: Auburn -1.5. Over/Under: 48. A delicious top-10 matchup to open the season tests whether the high-octane attack of Huskies QB Jake Browning and RB Myles Gaskin will travel well to the heart of SEC country."	Watch on YouTube