What We Know We Know

By Adam Zimmerman

We are four weeks into the College Football season. Most teams have finished their warm ups against the likes of Faber College, South Central Louisiana State University and Harrison University and conference schedules are starting to heat up. There may not be as many days left on the calender as there were when we all thought our teams had a shot at the crystal football, but that fateful day in January has never felt so far off.
No one is more confident in their preseason predictions than they were four weeks ago but neither are they ready to completely give up on their prognostications (unless you had faith in Mack Brown). There is not a lot you can take to the bank after Week 4, we may even have more questions than we did in August, but then again, some things are as inevitable as death, taxes and Breaking Bad memes.

With that in mind, here is what we know we know:

• The SEC plays at a different level than the rest of the country

That applies to off the field activity more than on the field activity so far this season. Oklahoma State may be the target of Sports Illustrated's latest investigation, but it is the "news" that 5 SEC players received extra benefits that may have the longest lasting effects on the programs (but let's be clear, this isn't the NCAA saying they can prove any of the schools broke rules, it is Sports Illustrated and Yahoo!.

The NCAA has never gone after a school until a media outlet reports on it first). At this point, the NCAA has lost so much credibility and legitimacy that abiding by their rules (and penalties for breaking those rules) means less to athletic directors, coaches and players than the legal drinking age means to anyone reading this column. I've never bought into the old saying "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying" because I think that there are tons of scenarios and plenty of reasons where you should follow the rules and where the rules actually benefit competition. But in college sports, if you aren't skirting the NCAA rulebook at every chance, you are ripping off your fan base. And if you are a fan complaining about (usually) impoverished, extremely gifted, young men profiting off their own name or receiving extra benefits, you are just biting the hand that feeds you. Kudos to the SEC (and teams like Oregon and others) who have woken up to the fact that it is 2013, amateurism is an outdated aristocratic ideal, and recruits and college athletes can still receive educations if they are treated like the high priced, high value commodities that they are. 

• Oregon is fast

No Chip Kelly, no problem. For all the talk about Johnny Manziel (we'll get to that later) the most intriguing pro-prospect so far this season might be Marcus Mariota. He'll have to show that he can make plays from the pocket, but with the "Oregon offense" making waves in the NFL, Mariota is basically auditioning this whole year. Stanford may have a shot to slow them down but hopefully we get to see the Ducks face off against Alabama or Georgia in Pasadena for our first legit National Championship game in years.

• David Shaw can coach

I don't know if they've even played on TV yet, but the Stanford Cardinal are once again a force to be reckoned with. Much of the credit has to go to Coach Shaw who has yet to miss a beat after the departures of Jim Harbough and then Andrew Luck. This will most likely be his last year coaching in Palo Alto so if you are a fan of nerd football, catch it while you can, he'll be tough to replace. 

• So can Nick Saban

He tamed the beast (kinda) that had kept him up at nights for the past 10 months and he can coast on into Atlanta for the SEC Championship game. For most programs, their head coach coasting with 9 games left to play may be a worry, but when your coach's version of taking it easy and is spending only 18 hours in the office, you'll be okay. 

• Johnny Manziel can play

Johnny Football answered his critics. He may have lost but try finding anyone out there putting any of that loss on his shoulders. I have no idea if A&M's defense can get good enough during the season to put the Aggies in SEC contention (they'd need LSU to beat Alabama, lose to A&M and then lose to someone else while also having Bama lose said game to LSU plus one more) or if Johnny can play in the NFL (for more than a season at least, even RGIII made it 15 and half games before breaking in half). But I do know that he is the most exciting player to watch in 2013 and has to be in the driver's seat for a repeat Heisman. Do I want to be really good friends with him? No. Do I think he talks/dresses like a douche? Sure do. But would I like to play on a team with him or be the Turtle to his Vince for one night? Yes and yes. Too often we obsess over an athlete or actor or movie and wind up being disappointed by the product. Johnny Manziel is, for now, exceeding expectations. 

• Clowney will not be the #1 overall pick

That is not an indictment on his ability. He is still a freak. But what we are seeing so far through four games is that in 2013, a pass rushing defensive end does not have the type of impact on a game that deserves the #1 overall pick. There is too much offenses can do to neutralize the threat (screen passes, quick passes, draw plays, up-tempo, use a tight end to help block). Also, I feel confident in saying that we know either the aforementioned Mariota or Manziel or Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater will be the number one overall pick. 

Sorry, bro

• Changes are coming that will f*ck everything up

Anytime a coaching vacancy comes up from one of the top tier programs, there is likely to be huge ripples across the college football landscape. I know that Texas will be looking for a new coach after (hopefully they're working on it now) the season. And I know that unless Texas hires Jon Gruden (which, for the record, I'm not rooting for - he needs to take over the Cowboys) they will pluck a coach from a team that is a serious contender this season. And then that team will steal someone else's coach and on down the line. This situation alone would cause enough chaos, but with Lane Kiffin and Bo "Fuck the Fans" Pelini likely packing up their offices, prepare yourself for some drama come December and January. (By the way, a coaching staff headed up byMack, with Lane and Bo as his coordinators would probably be pretty amazing -- if it was 2004.)

Also, I know that this is the last year of the BCS and we have no idea what a season will look like when there is a playoff at the end. College football is currently the only sport where losing one game can seriously threaten a team's title hopes. With a playoff system in place, this will not necessarily be the case anymore. Hopefully we don't lose the tension that makes Saturdays so special.