The Raiders will be on Hard Knocks this summer, but which college football teams would make for must-see TV on a college version of the HBO series?
HBO picked the Raiders for this season of Hard Knocks. It promises to be must-see TV with no shortage of compelling storylines and subplots. The NFL has been great in allowing the behind the scenes look at what goes on at training camp for 18 seasons now. But what if Hard Knocks opened the doors to colleges? There has been some behind the scenes looks at various colleges, including the Amazon series All or Nothing that followed Michigan’s offseason last year.
This idea is inspired by SEC Network and XM’s Peter Burns who tweeted out his picks for a college version of Hard Knocks on Thursday morning. I couldn’t let Peter have all the fun so I got to thinking about the big personalities from coaches, which rosters are stacked with top-end talent, which programs are ready to win big, but also which programs are not in the spotlight and deserving of a spot in the limelight?
There is no wrong answer here. There are answers that are more right than others, however.
If I was HBO and I had the power to pick a college football team for a season of Hard Knocks, these would be the first ones on my list.
- Clemson – They’re the reigning national champions. Trevor Lawrence is a god in shoulder pads. Dabo Swinney is always great for some good quotes and sound.
- Alabama – Just as great as Clemson. Anything Nick Saban says would be headline-fodder the next few days. Tua Tagovailoa still feels like a great unknown.
- Ohio State – It’s Ryan Day’s show now. Will Urban Meyer lurking over his shoulder at all? How is Justin Fields adjusting to his new school? Plus, Fields is no stranger to cameras following him after appearing on Netflix’s QB1: Beyond the Lights.
- Oklahoma – Jalen Hurts is at Oklahoma, but can he repeat the success of previous OU transfers, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray? There’s a lot of expectations placed on him and I think he’s more than ready for the challenge.
- LSU – Coach O. That is all.
- Washington State – Mike Leach says and does some “out there” things and I find it fascinating.
- Oregon – Justin Herbert might be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft but he remains one of the biggest secrets in football outside of Eugene and the Pac-12.
- Miami – Manny Diaz is in his first year as the coach at The U and raided the transfer portal to reshape the roster. Ohio State transfer Tate Martell is one of those players. He was on QB1: Beyond the Lights too, so it would be neat to see if he’s the same ultra-cocky kid he was then. Plus, I’d think all the players will be wearing “Hello my name is” tags since half the roster is new.
- Kansas – Les Miles is back, baby!
- Mary Hardin-Baylor – Going outside the box with the pick of a Division III school. But this is a powerhouse that’s played for the national championship the last three years, winning in 2016 and 2018. They’re basically Clemson of the D3 level. It would be great to give the school, coaches and players some attention for all they’ve accomplished and yet to accomplish.