- Every week will bring new issues to deal with, says writer Brandon Marcello about this year’s collegiate football season
- Marcello predicts Alabama will win SEC championship game, earn spot in national playoff
- Host Jake Crain, Marcello touch on highlights of upcoming football season around the country
The JBoy Show, a top-ranked sports news podcast that takes an in-depth look at SEC Conference sports with a special focus on the SEC West, welcomed 247Sports national football writer Brandon Marcello to its June 29 episode. An award-winning journalist in both the print and online space, Marcello and JBoy Show host Jake Crain talked mostly SEC football, while also mentioning contenders for the national championship and calling out the “game of the year.”
“I’m ready to get a football season here,” said Marcello, with Crain agreeing — and then asking the veteran writer what he expected the season to look like.
“A lot different,” said Marcello. “And it’s going to be one that’s going to maybe change week to week. I think there will be a season of some sort. I think worst case scenario, there’s a season that’s delayed until the spring maybe. That’s worst case scenario in my mind.”
Marcello said both the stands and the fields would look different, noting that he expected under 50% capacity, probably closer to 30% capacity, in most stadiums, and games that might be rescheduled or cancelled as players test positive for COVID-19.
“This is going to be something that every week there’s going to be a new issue that pops up, even if we do start the season on time, and for anyone out there that can predict what actually is going to happen, that person is a time traveler, because no one is going to be able to tell you exactly what’s going to happen this year,” Marcello said. “It’s going to vary state to state, it’s going to vary college to college, it’s going to vary conference to conference, and no team is going to be the same in how they handle things.”
After establishing the uncertainty about how the season might look, Crain and Marcello chatted about the SEC conference outlook; both sports enthusiasts agreed that Alabama looks like the team to beat. “In fact,” Marcello said, “I think Alabama is going to smack people around this year. This is going to be a bit of a revenge tour for them; they’re deep everywhere.
“They’re deep everywhere, pretty much like always,” he continued. “Last year what really held them back — everyone talks about Tua getting hurt at the end of the year. That’s not really what held them back. What held them back was their injuries up front along the defensive line and especially at linebacker. That front seven was really just debilitated for a lot of the season. Now that those guys are healthy, and if they can stay healthy, that defense is going to be a lot better. . . . I think Alabama is going to run away with it in the West, and I think they also knock off Florida — not Georgia — in the SEC championship game and go to the playoff.”
The two spoke in depth about a shared football favorite — Auburn; before becoming part of 247’s national team, Marcello helped run the day-to-day operations at AuburnUndercover, the 247 site dedicated to the university, and Crain has been an avid Auburn fan since childhood.
“There’s a few questions for me with Auburn,” Marcello said. “Number one, the offensive line. I think that will come together — something will come together there. But the other big thing for me is Bo Nix’s receivers and that passing game have got to get a lot better this year for them to take the next step and be a championship-level program. It’s about time that, with all those talented receivers, that they play the part and look like a top-three bunch in the SEC.”
In addition to predictions about the SEC conference, Marcello and Crain touched on the importance of Florida’s recruiting efforts if they want to be a top contender in the conference, the strongest teams outside the SEC and what Marcello views as the “game of the year in the country” — Ohio State vs. Penn State. “I think the winner of that game could very well win the national championship,” he predicted.
This wide-ranging and far-reaching discussion between Crain and Marcello can be found, along with all the JBoy Show podcast episodes, on Anchor, iTunes/Apple, Spotify, Google, Breaker, Overcast, PocketCasts, RadioPublic or YouTube.
Hosted by Jake Crain, the JBoy Show burst on the podcast scene in April 2020, delivering an in-depth look at Southeastern Conference (“SEC”) sports with an emphasis on the SEC West. With topics ranging from recruiting and real-life athlete experiences to a multi-episode series honoring legendary Auburn football Coach Pat Dye, the JBoy Show has already been ranked as one of the top-10 sports news shows on Apple Podcasts.
For more information about the JBoy Show, please visit www.TheJBoyShow.com.
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