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Who will contend for a conference title first, Georgia or Penn State?
By Randy Capps
Published:
Georgia and Penn State will square off in the TaxSlayer Bowl (Jan. 2, noon, ESPN), and as is the case with some bowl games, there are plenty of questions about both teams.
How will Georgia handle a coaching staff in flux? Can the Georgia offense find a spark with tight ends coach John Lilly calling the plays? Will this be Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenburg’s final college game?
All good questions that will be sorted out one way or the other on Jan. 2.
All of those queries lead to another, however.
Which one of these teams will win a conference championship first?
THE CASE FOR PENN STATE
Former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin has found life difficult in the Big Ten, as he is 14-11 in his brief tenure. The Nittany Lions are, however, tearing it up so far in the 2016 recruiting cycle.
Franklin currently has a top-10 class nationally, featuring 10 four-star recruits and four players ranked in the top five at their respective positions.
This will help offset the loss of at least 10 starters from the team’s two-deep in the season finale against Michigan State.
Contending for a title next year, however, depends on Hackenburg. His draft stock has taken a significant hit this season, as he (and his offense) have looked awful at times. It’s not the best quarterback class this year, and he’ll likely be one of the first signal callers taken at the NFL Draft.
If he comes back for his senior season, he’ll not only get the chance to solidify his standing as a first-round talent, but he’ll give the Nittany Lions a shot at competing in the Big Ten.
Michigan State is losing 12 starters, including standout quarterback Connor Cook. Ohio State is losing eight seniors and a handful of underclassmen, led by running back Ezekiel Elliott, and Michigan is losing 15 starters from its 2015 team.
If Hackenburg sticks around, and new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead can fix what ails the Nittany Lion offense, 2016 could be bright.
THE CASE FOR GEORGIA
At most schools, a 9-3 season would be considered a successful one.
At Georgia, it was the last straw for longtime coach Mark Richt. After 15 years and 145 wins, Richt was dismissed, and is now taking his talents to the University of Miami.
He won’t be on the sidelines for the bowl game, but former Bulldog DB Kirby Smart is the man charged with breaking the cycle of 8, 9 or 10-win seasons and pushing the program forward (read: win more trophies).
The nation’s best prep quarterback is apparently on his way to Athens next fall.
Jacob Eason is a pro-style quarterback who stands 6-5 and as a senior, passed for 3,585 yards and 43 touchdowns.
With Greyson Lambert exhausting his eligibility and Faton Bauta taking his talents to Colorado State, Eason will get every chance to take the reins as a true freshman. And with running backs like Georgia’s, he won’t be called upon to put up savior-like numbers. At least, not right away.
With Eason in the fold, the incoming recruiting class is on the fringes of the top 10 nationally, which is impressive considering that Smart is spending most of his time right now devising Alabama’s defensive game plan for its game with Michigan State.
THE VERDICT
Both teams play in tough conferences. Georgia occupies the SEC East, while Penn State plays in the better half of the Big Ten, which means it has to beat out Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State to reach the conference championship game.
Neither has won its league lately. Georgia last won the SEC in 2005, while Penn State captured its most recent conference crown in 2008.
Though winning a league title will be tough for either school in the current climate, Georgia has a better chance.
There’s too much NFL talent coming through Athens for the Bulldogs not to win the SEC fairly soon.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
