Another year, another impact transfer quarterback in
Norman. Baker Mayfield won the Heisman in 2017 after
coming to Oklahoma from Texas Tech, and Kyler Murray
took home the hardware for the Sooners in 2018 following
a short stint at Texas A&M. Jalen Hurts isn’t the favorite
to win the Heisman in 2019, but he has what it takes to lead a team to the
College Football Playoff. He guided Alabama to the national title game as a
freshman and sophomore. And though he lost his job to Tua Tagovailoa last
season, Hurts still has the talent—and experience—to keep the Sooners in the
national championship picture.
Oklahoma had to reload over the summer. Murray and his top target,
WR Marquise Brown, formed one of the most lethal deep-threat pairings in
college football last year. Both were first-round draft picks. Now junior CeeDee
Lamb, a 6' 2" receiver with blazing speed, will be the key outside weapon in
coach Lincoln Riley’s high-octane offense. Lamb had 1,158 receiving yards and
11 TDs last season. The ground game is solid thanks to RB Kennedy Brooks,
who led OU with 1,056 yards rushing as a freshman last year.
The characters are different, but the story should be the same: The
Sooners, who had the nation’s most prolific offense last year, will once again
light up scoreboards.Georgia was one of five schools last year to have
two 1,000-yard rushers: Elijah Holyfield and
D’Andre Swift. But Holyfield is now in the NFL
(with the Panthers), giving Swift the chance to
put up some really big numbers as the Bulldogs
seek their first national title since 1980. An explosive back with a penchant
for making defenders miss, the 5' 9", 215-pound Swift is a threat to score
every time he touches the ball. He had 13 TDs last year—10 rushing and three
of 77 and 83 yards.
Swift is joined in the backfield by QB Jake Fromm, and both are Heisman
candidates. The 6' 2" Fromm shone in 2018, tossing 30 TDs and just six picks.
He completed 67.4% of his attempts and averaged 9.0 yards per throw. In two
years, Fromm is already fourth on Georgia’s all-time passing TD list with 54—
three ahead of current Detroit Lions star Matthew Stafford.
Georgia’s 2018 national championship hopes went up in smoke when the
team lost a 14-point third-quarter lead against Alabama in the SEC title game.
The Tide will likely be in the Bulldogs’ way again this year. Stopping Bama’s
offense is close to impossible, so Georgia will need to win a shootout. Fromm
and Swift give the Dawgs the weapons to do that.
2018 RECORD: 11– 3
2018 RECORD: 12– 2
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