The 2011 college football season kicks off Thursday, and the games will be a welcome reprieve from the scandal-plagued offseason. Given the series of unseemly reports about Ohio State, North Carolina, and Miami, and the ongoing possibility of problems at LSU and Oregon, it's tempting to be jaded about the state of big-time college football. And yet the games themselves will bring a renewal of rivalries and traditions, which will remind many of what's so attractive about the sport in the first place. Sure, the 2011 season will be marred by scandal, but positive storylines will emerge, too. Here are the 10 most compelling:
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
Cameron Martin is a freelance writer and contributor to the New York Times, the Daily Beast, Yahoo! Sports, and Barnes & Noble Review.