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What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to support your team? Think about it. I’ll explain why later.
First, allow me to introduce you to The Athletic’s preseason All-America teams.
Preseason All-Americans
Ohio State is leading
The athleteThe preseason All-America teams are here. Fifty players from 30 schools are represented on the first and second teams. Ohio State with four selections at the topOther schools with multiple representatives are:
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was named first team quarterback, while Carson Beck from Georgia got the nod for the second team. The teams were chosen by a panel of editors after collecting nominations from all of The Athletic’s college football staff. I reached out to members of the selection committee yesterday to find out which decisions were the hardest to make. Here’s what they told me:
“The most difficult position to select was defensive end, which seems to be a common occurrence when selecting All-America teams. We passed over a handful of players who easily could have made the team, from Georgia’s Mykel Williams to Florida State’s Patrick Payton to Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton to Virginia Tech’s Antwaun Powell-Ryland to Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. It would have been fair to swap all four positions.
“Speaking of Ohio State, figuring out which Buckeyes could be left out proved difficult. Four of them made the All-America teams – Emeka Egbuka, Caleb Downs, Donovan Jackson and Tyleik Williams – leading the way among all schools, but Denzel Burke, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson also have good chances. There’s no doubt that Ohio State is well-positioned.”
Read all about our All-America teams here.
Sam Houston State coach KC Keeler’s Bearkats finished 3-9 in 2023. (Maria Lysaker / USA Today)
Mandel’s Mailbag
The team with the greatest progress?
Which team do you think will have the most wins from last year to this year? — Reggie C., San Diego
It will probably be a Group 5 team that no one saw coming, like UNLV (from 5-7 to 9-5) and Texas State (from 4-8 to 8-5) last season, but let’s try to make a guess anyway.
- An obvious reason is Sam Houston. The Bearkats had a rough first season in the FBS at 3-9, but KC Keeler was a national championship FCS coach. They won’t stay down long. Sam Houston had no offense at all in the first half of the season, but got significantly better as the Bearkats won three of their last four games. The defense was strong enough to hold BYU to 14 points, Air Force to 13 and Liberty, which is heading to Fiesta, to 21. I wouldn’t be surprised if Keeler’s team goes from three wins to eight or nine.
- State of Colorado was 5-7 last season but took Colorado to overtime, beat eventual Mountain West champion Boise State and came within a last-second field goal at UNLV. Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was impressive as a true freshman (he reportedly turned down a $600,000 offer from NIL elsewhere) and the program gets All-MWC receiver Tory Horton back. The Rams could contend for the conference championship.
- And finally: Why not State of Washington? Jake Dickert’s program fell short of expectations at 5-7 last season, but will have a much easier schedule than in the Pac-12, with eight games against FCS or Group of 5 opponents. And while the loss of quarterback Cam Ward hurts, the Cougars haven’t had as many losses as Oregon State. They have an experienced offensive line. Based on schedule alone, Wazzu should win at least eight games.
You can read the entire mailbag here.
Auburn fans roll the oaks at Toomer’s Corner after victories. (Jake Crandall / USA Today)
Die-hard fans
Keep ashes in the stadium?
Stewart’s mailbag included another question for us to ponder here at Until Saturday. Thanks to Jordan H. of Lincoln, Nebraska, for sending it in:
I see many fans and/or media refer to certain fans as diehard fans. What defines this level of fan for college teams?
Stewart says the basic requirement is 1) someone who wears at least one piece of school gear approximately 150 days a year; 2) someone who watches every game or goes out of their way to find out the score only when an inevitable conflict occurs; and 3) someone who The athlete every day. These are all valid points, and For criterion number 3, I would add a “until Saturday” subscription. But it also got me thinking about the craziest fandom stories in college football. Here are a few examples, and coincidentally, the first story comes from Jordan’s hometown.
1. I couldn’t believe this story out of Nebraska in June, in which a university regent proposed a way fans could take their allegiance to the Cornhuskers with them into the afterlife — literally. Regent Barbara Weitz proposed building a columbarium beneath the football field as part of the next renovation of Memorial Stadium, where fans could have their ashes interred in urns. “We really love our sports teams and follow them everywhere,” Weitz said, according to the Associated Press. “Why wouldn’t a burial beneath the field be a great way to be close to your team forever?” Weitz said the proposal could help close the school’s $58 million budget deficit because the price of niches (where urns are kept) varies by location … and seats at the 50-yard line and in the end zone sell for a premium.
2. In an even more extreme example from 2011, Alabama fan Harvey Updyke called into Paul Finebaum’s radio show and made a confession not soon to be forgotten. Why was it important? Tigers fans traditionally decorated these trees with toilet paper after victories. After the confession, Updyke was arrested and pleaded guilty in 2013 to treating the trees with herbicides after Auburn’s victory over Alabama in the 2010 Iron Bowl.
He was convicted of criminal damage to a farm facility and after serving his sentence, he explained his motive on the podcast “Mobituaries with Mo Rocca”: “I wanted the people of Auburn to hate me as much as I hated them.” Updyke died in 2020.
What are your favorite die-hard fan stories? Email them to [email protected].
Quick snapshots
Plans for former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh to return as honorary captain for the Wolverines’ opening game against Fresno State on August 31 will not happen. Harbaugh cited his commitments to the Los Angeles Chargers as the reason for his absence.
Stewart Mandel predicts the win-loss record of each team in the 16-team SECRead his ACC Predictions here.
Are Penn State Are explosive plays getting better? Audrey Snyder gives an update on the Nittany Lions’ progress in correcting last season’s biggest mistake.
Speaking of attacks to keep an eye on, Seth Emerson delves into Georgia’s running game and why the Bulldogs don’t want to lose their physicality on offense.
What can we expect from the Top 25 teams of the preseason? Manny Navarro got specific, really specific, today about his expectations for this season.
Here you can buy tickets for any college football game.
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(Top photo of Ryan Day: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
