Jan 15, 20167 min read

CFB: 2015-16 Season in Review

The 2015 college football season was one to remember forever. In a season that saw upsets, game winning kicks, walk off fumbled punts, (another) kick six, an eight-lateral kick off return touchdown, multiple quadruple overtimes on the same day, a 31 point comeback, and the crowing of a deserving champion, 2015 will never be forgotten. I will cover the top 10 storylines of the season, and give a quick prediction for next season.

#10: Leonard Fournette's magical season for LSU.

The enormous sophomore running back was a lock for the Heisman back in October. His first six games were something we have never seen before. He was running for 20 yards in what seemed like every week. Saturday after Saturday, we would tune in to see one of his oh so famous 80 yard touchdown runs. The game seemed like it was beneath him, until he met Alabama's front seven. He rushed for 32 yards against the Crimson Tide and his Heisman chances were all but done on that evening in Tuscaloosa. Since then we have seemingly forgotten about him. His 1,953 yards were good for third in the country. Which is already quite amazing, but if you dive deeper into the numbers then his statistics become even more impressive. He was only 66 yards behind Stanford's Christian McCaffrey for second. He was only 266 yards behind Alabama's Derrick Henry for the rushing crown. Henry played 15 games. McCaffrey played 14 games. Fournette? 12. If you give him three more games, or even two more games then he would have easily surpassed the rest of the country. At 162.75 rushing yards per game, he led the country. Fournette struggled in November but his season was one for the books.

#9: TCU comeback win vs Oregon.

Vernon Adams Jr. and the Ducks were absolutely destroying TCU in every way possible. It was like the Horned Frogs had no business even being on the same field as Oregon. Then something magical happened. TCU head coach Gary Patterson changed his shirt at halftime, as him team trailed 31-0. Now I am not saying Patterson changing his shirt is the reason his team came back and won in overtime, but I am saying that his personality, belief, and ability to energize and inspire his football team is what grabbed the huge win. It was a hard season for the Horned Frogs as they were expected to compete for a playoff spot, but injuries and suspensions made that nearly impossible. Gary Patterson somehow led this team to an 11-2 record, including one of the best games of the bowl season.

#8: Christian McCaffrey, the new Barry Sanders.

The speedy running back (and much more) from Stanford, captured all of the country with his spectacular season. McCaffrey had a respectable freshman season but was not expected to break out like he did this past season. He went for over 3,520 all-purpose yards which was the former record by Barry Sanders. McCaffrey broke that record in his 13th game, but his 14th game might have been his most memorable. On one of the biggest stages in college football, McCaffrey broke out for 348 yards in the Rose Bowl. His huge game broke two Rose Bowl records as his blew past #5 Iowa. The sophomore will be returning for his junior season, with the Heisman Trophy within his grasp.

#7: The 2015 Heisman Winner is ...

Derrick Henry. The Alabama running back was remarkable from the first game of the season. He showed the country that this was his year, in Arlington against Wisconsin way back in September. He followed that up with one of the best rushing seasons in SEC history. 2,219 rushing yards (SEC record). 28 touchdowns (led the nation). 395 attempts (led the nation). His statistics were just part of the reason he won the coveted trophy. He also had one of his best games against #2 LSU when he ran for over 200 yards, showing the country that his Alabama team was going to be heard from. Part of the Heisman trophy always comes with team success, and Derrick Henry had that along with powerful runs that led to a record breaking season.

#6: Michigan State's miracle in Ann Arbor.

The Spartans battled with the Wolverines back in mid-October. Both teams were coming in riding big winning streaks, and most picks were favoring Michigan and first year head coach Jim Harbaugh. Even though MSU played better throughout the game, Michigan seemingly had the game won. With 10 seconds to go, all the Wolverines needed to do was get a clean punt away and the Paul Bunyan Trophy would return to Ann Arbor. Oh, if only it were that easy. A fumble by punter Blake O'Neill, fell right into the opportune hands of Jalen Watts-Jackson. The freshman stumbled 38 yards to the endzone as the clock hit all zeroes. It was one of the best games in recent memory, seeing a great rivalry being decided with no time remaining.

#5: Ohio State falls at the last second.

About a month after the Michigan miracle, the Spartans traveled to Ohio State. The defending champions were #3 in the country at the time, but did not look nearly as dominant as the season before. Michigan State smelled blood and they took their chance at snatching an enormous Big Ten road victory. The Spartans defense stiffled Ohio State in every way of the word. The Buckeyes only totaled 132 yards, compared to Michigan State's 294. The weather had a factor on the Ohio State offense, as well as the play-calling (later noted by Ezekiel Elliott in a postgame interview). But just as much as those factored in, so did the MSU defense. Michigan State kept the ball away from the Buckeyes, with a possession advantage of almost 17 minutes. The Spartans also had 12 more first downs. Michigan State showed how legit their defense was, which would later lead them to a Big Ten West division title, followed up by a Big Ten Championship win, and then a birth in the College Football Playoff Semi Finals.

#4: The NY6 Bowl Games.

The main six bowls did not live up to the hype, but they still have a huge impact on the college football world. An average margin of victory in the six games were over 20 points, making for some not so exciting games but there is something about watching a team absolutely dominate their opponent. Houston beating Florida State by 14 was the closest game of the six. Clemson pulled away from Oklahoma, winning by 20. Alabama rocked Michigan State 38-0. Then on the next day, Ohio State beat Notre Dame as Ezekiel Elliott showed off every aspect of his game. #6 Stanford beat #5 Iowa in the Rose Bowl. Followed by Ole Miss beating down Oklahoma State. The games were blowouts but the individual performances were amazing to watch. As well as the spring board that a big bowl victory can give to a team the following year. Those six teams will be going into 2016 with a chip on their shoulder, knowing that they are the best out there.

#3: Deshaun Watson outdoes Vince Young.

The most total yards in a National Championship game was 467 by Vince Young of Texas in 2005. Was Vince Young. Now, the record is held by Clemson's Deshaun Watson. His performance was downright breath taking. He nearly won the National Championship, carrying his team on his back. Statistical comparison (Watson-Young): 405-267 passing yards, 4-0 TD passes, 73-200 rushing yards, 0-3 TD runs, and 8.6-6.7 yards per pass. Both quarterbacks had games for the all time books, but Watson still has a chance at an encore next year as he will return to the Tigers for his junior season.

#2: Paul "Bear" Bryant has some competition.

Nick Saban is the greatest head coach in the history of college football. With his fifth National Championship (4 with Alabama, 1 with LSU), he surpasses the great Bear Bryant in my opinion. While Bryant's 323 victories is still far more than Saban, he did it over four decades. Saban has been in the game for less than three, and with Alabama for not even a whole decade. He took over before the 2008 season and was able to capture a title following his second year. The amount of wins, #1 recruiting classes, and National Championships, Saban has taken down Bryant. Not to take anything away from what the Bear did, he won at least apart of six titles in 37 years. Saban has been able to muster up just as much success in a shorter and more difficult amount of time. The greater competition, along with more games, and more recruiting restrictions, Saban has still been able to dominate the college football world. It is remarkable what he was done at Alabama, and he is not quite done yet. Saban still has time to add on to his legacy, and the Crimson Tide are not going away anytime soon.

#1: The National Championship Game.

The undefeated and #1 Clemson Tigers vs the dynasty of #2 Alabama. This game produced the best game of the bowl season, and one of the best championship games of the 2010's. The scoring started with a 50 yard touchdown run by the Heisman winner, Derrick Henry. Clemson came back and took a 14-7 lead into the second quarter before Alabama tied it up at the break. A high scoring and entertaining final 30 minutes, gave us a game to remember. A great call for Nick Saban to attempt an onside kick with 10 minutes to go, was the turning point in the game. The recovery led to a touchdown and a 31-24 lead for Alabama. OJ Howard, a little used tight end for Alabama was able to come out of hiding for the best game of his career. The big man had 394 yards on the season coming into the game, before breaking out for 208 yards and two scores from 50+ yards. Clemson battled until the last possible second, as Deshaun Watson gave it everything he could. His effort combined with that of the defense came up just short. The Crimson Tide won 45-40 to capture their fourth championship in seven seasons.

2015 was a year to remember, but it is never too early to look at 2016.

My projected 2016 preseason rankings:

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Ohio State

4. Oklahoma

5. Stanford

6. Florida State

7. Notre Dame

8. Baylor

9. Ole Miss

10. Michigan