College football is back and has begun a season like never before. The college football regular season is only halfway through, with all 134 Division I FBS teams having played six of their twelve regular season games. Yet this year has already been filled with far more storylines, excitement, and controversy than the entirety of most college football seasons. The popularity of college football among high schools is often underestimated as some tend to believe that high school students and teachers would only care about their high school team or their favorite NFL team. However, this could not be further from the truth as there is a huge audience of college football fans consisting of both students, and teachers all throughout Danbury High School.
“You know, there’s nothing better than when you don’t have anything to do on a Saturday …I’m gonna throw on ESPN…college football game, like Alabama-Vanderbilt, just threw it on Saturday night,” said beloved DHS history teacher of six years Matt Esposito. The highly anticipated matchup on October 5, 2024 featured the national powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide being shockingly upset by the up and coming Vanderbilt Commodores 40-35, one of the dozens of prophesied games so far this season then came right down to the wire. Leading off the Associated Press college football rankings are the Texas Longhorns at #1, followed by #2 Oregon, #3 Penn State, #4 Ohio State, #5 Georgia, #6 Miami, #7 Alabama, #8 LSU, #9 Iowa State, and the Clemson Tigers at #10. Nearly all of these top 10 teams are undefeated.
“My favorite team is Clemson and let me tell you why…one of my best friends went to Clemson and we weren’t into college football but he went there…we drove from Boston to Clemson…and it was one of the most unbelievable sporting events I’ve ever been to, and that’s why I’m a big Clemson fan,” explained Esposito. This testimony is one of the hundreds of varying stories that introduced students and teachers of DHS to their favorite college football team. Last season, Clemson failed to live up to the expectations set for them as a commonplace contender for a national championship. Finishing at an embarrassingly mediocre 4-4 in their conference, the Tigers struggling immensely. 
Many found this to be a direct result of skilled but controversial Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who takes a lot of pride in developing his own players who are not highly ranked, rather than signing great players from other schools. This led to a very young and inexperienced offense tossed together that never truly found their rhythm.
“Sometimes you gotta risk it for the biscuit,” Esposito joked, as fortunately for Clemson, their offense is beginning to come together with quarterback Cade Klubnick, running back Phil Mafah and wide receiver Antonio Williams, showing drastic improvement on offensive coupled with a strong defense led by upperclassmen TJ Parker and Barrett Carter. Despite being off to a 5-1 start and being ranked tenth in the nation, it would be incredibly difficult for the Tigers to genuinely compete with teams the likes of Texas, Georgia, or Alabama, which play at a level with minimal flaws in their team if there are any at all. However, the Tigers definitely can become the champions of their conference, the ACC, this year before having a real shot of winning their fourth national championship in the next year or two.
One of the largest controversies in the 155 years of college football occurred shortly after last year’s national championship. Last season, only four teams made the playoffs, to which the #1 and #4 seeds would face off, alongside to #2 and #3 seeds going against one another in the semifinals. The winners from these games would play in the coveted national championship. It was a very efficient, but what many believed, restricted format. This was especially true for the Florida State Seminoles, who were 13-0 heading into the selection process for the four teams to make the playoffs. Since the American Press were the voters for what teams would make the playoffs, one would assume that an undefeated team like Florida State could not possibly be cut for the playoffs, especially as there were only three undefeated teams in Michigan, Washington, and Florida State. Despite this logical conclusion, they would be wrong as the Seminoles were just barely cut from the playoffs in with the 12-1 Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide making the playoffs securing the #3 and #4 seeds despite their inferior records.
This situation led to lots of outrage and disputes between teams, fans, and NCAA executives. This was one of the many reasons why only two weeks after last season’s national championship, the NCAA announced an expansion in the college football playoffs from four teams to twelve. This never actually resolved any of the disputes and commotion regarding the playoffs however, as now the college football community was at odds with each other about whether or not the expansion would allow undeserving teams to make the playoffs and have the potential to make a run for a championship. Those in favor of the change believe that teams who have an off game or two will rightfully be allowed to still be in the playoffs. On the other hand, many do not demonstrate this mercy towards lower ranked teams and believe the NCAA have other, less spoken reasons for the playoff expansion. “This is a money grab…add more weeks onto the season, and as for me personally, I don’t think it has to be twelve teams. I think that’s why we have a regular season, and I think that when you add a bunch of playoff spots, it waters down the regular season,” Esposito articulated.
This is an opinion that is relatable to millions of college football fans nationwide, and is especially apparent in the events of national frontrunner Alabama Crimson Tide’s shocking loss to the much lesser Vanderbilt Commodores 40-35. Alabama’s record dropped to 5-1 from a loss against a team that is not even ranked in the top 25 teams in the nation. 
Under the former playoff arrangements, Alabama would have stood no chance in making the playoffs because they had not only lost, but to a team that is nowhere as elite as themselves. However, for a team as great as Alabama in a setup where twelve teams make the playoffs, one bad night does not ruin things for them all that much. The Crimson Tide are led by Heisman trophy candidate Jalen Milroe as quarterback, 17 year old superstar wide receiver Ryan Williams, and senior running back Ryan Ortiz, as these three work hand in hand to light up the opposing defenses. Just as great as Alabama’s offense is their frightening defense, holding teams to under 19 points per game while led by veteran defensive backs Malachi Moore and Keon Sabb, who will mercilessly intercept any pass remotely near them. The Crimson Tide are a team that is highly unlikely to lose again in the regular season, and still remain a frontrunner for what would be their nineteenth national championship.
Arch Manning is the nephew of legendary NFL quarterback brothers Peyton and Eli Manning, who together have combined for four Super Bowl rings and three Super Bowl MVP awards. Arch was ranked the best college recruit in the high school class of 2023 and is one of the most anticipated college football players in recent history. He decided to take his talent to the storied Texas Longhorns, led by superstar senior quarterback Quinn Ewers. During the 2023-24 season, it was planned that Arch Manning would learn from Ewers and develop during his freshman year before finally taking the field. 
It was planned that the same would happen this year, with Ewers being one of the greatest quarterbacks in the nation and being a key piece in Alabama being undefeated and ranked first in the nation. This was until week three, when Ewers went down from an abdominal strain that would have him out for the rest of the game. The moment everyone was waiting for was finally happening, and Arch Manning did not disappoint. He put on a spectacle, throwing for 318 yards and five touchdowns while also running for another two touchdowns in a 56-7 win over UTSA. This amazing first performance captivated audiences nationwide. “He’s got the DNA, he’s got the prototype…he’s probably the greatest athlete. He’s got to wait his time, because Quinn Ewers is still the man, but once he gets his moment, I mean he’s a potential Heisman trophy winner…,” exclaimed Esposito very excitedly. While Arch Manning has returned to being the Longhorn’s backup, the energy and anticipation around Arch Manning can not be underestimated. Ranked #1 in the nation at 6-0, Texas is headlined by their two quarterbacks, but are an amazing all-around team. They are the most complete team in the nation, lacking any genuine liabilities for opposing teams to exploit. The Longhorns show no signs of slowing down and are hands down the team to beat nationwide.
The anticipation, drama, and energy of this year’s college football season can not go understated. There are so many absolutely incredible teams vying for it all, such as Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, LSU, Iowa State, and others. However it seems inevitable for the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide to face off in this year’s national championship. Both storied powerhouses are led by dual-threat quarterbacks, great players at the skill positions, and punishing defenses. Such a game would go down in college football history forever, but one would just have to give Texas the edge, as they demonstrate such an unbeatable presence to their opponents no matter how great they are. The greatest thing about the season though, is that no one truly knows what will happen until it is all said and done. So let’s all enjoy the rest of this legendary season and look ahead to its anticipated future.
