Florida Gators
Florida announced that starting OL Chaz Green is out for the season with a torn labrum. Green, a junior, had 10 starts last year after receiving First Team Freshman All-American Honors in his first season. Green was one of the anchors of the offensive line, and his injury makes two sidelined starting offensive lineman for the Gators (RG Jon Halapio). This will greatly hamper the offense already hurt with starting RB Matt Jones fighting a viral infection. With a hurt offense and a tough schedule, this could be a long year for the players in Gainesville.
Kansas State Wildcats
Head Coach Bill Snyder has named Junior QB Jake Waters the starting QB and the successor to Colin Klein. Waters was a junior college recruit coming into the season for the Wildcats, after he led Iowa Western to a National Championship and won NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year. Sophomore Daniel Sams lost the battle to Waters, but he will most likely see time throughout the season alongside Waters.
Louisville Cardinals
In a crowded backfield full of talent, the Cardinals announced that Senior RB Senorise Perry has emerged as the starter over Junior Dominique Brown and Michael Dyer, former Auburn player that won MVP of the 2010 National Championship. Perry's story is truly remarkable as he has overcome an ACL tear from last season to achieve this honor. Perry had 136 rushes for 705 yards and 11 touchdowns last season before his injury. However, don't be surprised to see a three-headed monster coming out of that backfield throughout the season.
Michigan Wolverines
Starting Safety Senior Courtney Avery could miss the first two games of the season (vs. Central Michigan, vs. Notre Dame) after getting minor arthroscopic knee surgery. Avery compiled 19 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss last season. His absence will not put a major dent into the defensive back corps of Michigan with so much depth. I expect either Sophomore Jarrod Wilson, Freshman Dymonte Thomas, or Junior Josh Furman to take Avery's spot for the time being or even against a heavy weight in Notre Dame.
Oklahoma Sooners
After the news from yesterday, three Sooners players just look like a train wreck; just another headache for Head Coach Bob Stoops along with all the critics and alumni calling him out. Junior CB Cortez Johnson and DE Chuka Ndulue both were given one game suspensions (Johnson for possession of a controlled substance and Ndulue for DUI), and to make matters worse for Oklahoma, it was released that Offensive Lineman Senior Jake Reed was suspended indefinitely for being charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend and breaking into her apartment over the weekend. Reed's situation is just bad and will probably only lead to one thing…a dismissal from the team; however, for the other two players, Ndulue and Johnson, it is a different story because they will only be missing the season opener against Louisiana Monroe and will receive a second chance. This also opens up playing time for backups to show what they have to the coaches. Replacing Johnson will be redshirt Freshman Zack Sanchez who showed a great deal of talent in preseason camp. At DE, the Sooners could have junior college transfer Quincy Russell or redshirt Freshman Jordan Wade. Luckily for Oklahoma, these incidents are not occurring during the season and these two suspensions can happen against an opponent the team should defeat quite handily.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Starting LT Sophomore Devin Davis will be out for the entire season with an ACL tear. Davis had two starts and appeared in eight games for the Cowboys as a redshirt Freshman. The LT is said to have a very bright and promising future, but it will be put on hold with this injury as Oklahoma State loses a very proven player on their offense which thrives off the passing attack and its blockers up front.
Oregon State Beavers
Head Coach Mike Reilly has announced a starter at QB for this season in the closest quarterback race in the country. He chose Junior Sean Mannion, who started the first eight games of the season until he was injured, over Senior Cody Vaz. Reilly indicated that Vaz would also get some playing time in the season opener against Eastern Washington which means that Reilly more than likely made the announcement with Mannion as the starter just to get the media to stop bugging him about the quarterback situation. Vaz proved himself at the end of the year after Mannion got hurt with a 2-3 record against teams including at Stanford, Oregon, and Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. So, either of these quarterbacks could still take the job in Week 3 when conference play starts for the Beavers at Utah.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Sources inside Texas Tech say that starting QB Michael Brewer's injury may be worse than originally thought. Doctors think that Brewer may have a stress fracture of the vertebrae which would sideline him for many weeks. The quarterback situation continues to get worse for Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury in his first season, and he now must choose a starter between true Freshmen Davis Webb and Baker Mayfield and redshirt Freshman Clayton Nicholas. The battle is tight heading into the first week of college football, but Kingsbury has much time to make is decision considering that Texas Tech plays at SMU on Friday night and then vs. Stephen F. Austin before conference play begins Week 3 against TCU, a team picked by many to win the Big 12, on a Thursday night.
