The College Football Season is right around the corner so I figured I would make some predictions and see how they would turn out. I actually usually get pretty into college football and after a couple weeks end up plopping in front of my TV just like I do on Sundays and watch wall to wall coverage of the games. It’s pretty wide open this year with the preseason #1 LSU losing their top player in Tyrann Mathieu so really it’s anybody’s game. I am going to give my game-by-game predictions for UMD tomorrow but as for today I will give my predictions on all the major conferences, bowls, and obviously heisman.
ACC
So it seems like Florida St is the class of the ACC this year and much like many of the years in the past, it’s not a particularly strong conference. FL St is ranked 7th while the other 2 ranked ACC teams (Vtech and Clemson are ranked 14th and 16th respectively) and other than Clemson there is really no one to challenge them in the Atlantic division as it’s really weak other than those 2. Normally I like Georgia Tech because of their unique offense but their 2 toughest games this year (Clemson and VT) are on the road and the play VT the first game of the year which means they have had a ton of time to prepare for that option O. Really the coastal division could pretty much be decided this time next week.
So basically what I am saying is that it’s a two team race in each division between FL St./Clemson and VTech/GTech. There will probably be a surprise team in there somewhere but I don’t have any sleepers in this conference so they will even surprise the great Edwin. In the end though I am picking Florida St vs Virginia Tech for the conference championship with Florida St taking it down and representing the ACC in the Orange Bowl. I do expect them to lose once however ruining their chances at the title.
Big 12
Oklahoma would be the prohibitive favorite in this conference if it wasn’t for WVU and their explosive offense coming to the Big 12 this season. This is a really deep conference though with teams like Kansas St, TCU, Oklahoma St, and Texas all fielding solid teams this year so it should be a great year in the Big 12. The sexy pick here definitely seems like WVU as they have that super explosive offense that put up 70 in their last game. No doubt Geno Smith and Co. will put up numbers but it’s also no doubt that they will find sledding a bit tougher in the Big 12 than the Big Least.
I am going to take Oklahoma in this one as I just think WVU will be overcome physically by some of these big boys out in the midwest and that will help the Sooners take another crown. I have no idea if they are going to do a title game for this league and I don’t feel like looking it up but I got Oklahoma as the top team in this league with WVU as a fairly close second. But watch for Kansas St as the sleeper.
SEC
All these teams are basically going to beat up on each other in my opinion. Like I said while LSU and Bama are still the favorites of the conference, the gap has closed a bit this year and I actually got a somewhat sleeper winning this league as I think Arkansas is going to be the SEC conference champ when the year is over. They get the 2 favorites at home and while South Carolina is going to be very good as well this year, I just think Arkansas will have the best offense by far in the league and the other teams won’t be able keep up with them in the points column..which is the only column that really matters.
Also a lot of people might be thinking how is the #10th ranked team in the country a sleeper? Well while they are highly ranked, they are the 5th highest ranked team in the SEC behind Bama (2), LSU (3), Georgia (6), and South Carolina (9). Either way it should be a great season in the SEC for sure. On the other side of the league I have South Carolina winning the East over a game Georgia squad. SC should have a pretty great D and along Spurriers offensive mind I really like their chances. So in the SEC Championship game I have Arkansas beating South Carolina and going undefeated to the national championship game.
Big 10
This is where I have my shocker of the year as I have Wisconsin taking this conference and going undefeated in the process. While the Big 10 is actually pretty solid and deep this year, the Badgers only play 3 ranked opponents and 2 of them are at home. I just think that Danny O’Brien is way underrated and pairing him with Montee Ball will make a lethal offensive combination along with the massive O-line they always have and a stout defense. Danny O’Brien was good as a freshman at UMD with an average o-line I just think 2 years later he is going to be really good with more talent around him.
I got Wisconsin playing Michigan in the Big 10 championship. Even though the Wolverines have a really tough schedule starting this Saturday night against Alabama, I just think with Denard Robinson and Brady Hoke they are the class of their division. Michigan State will be solid as always but Michigan is just so explosive. In the end though I got Wisconsin going undefeated and winning the conference and going on to the National Championship game. Championship Game: Michigan vs Wisconsin Champion: Wisconsin ends season undefeated but doesn’t make National Champion.
PAC12
So according to the Edsters calculations the Pac12 is a two team race this season between the USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks. I like both teams but the Ducks are always just a little bit undersized and I think all of USC’s talent and size will overcome them on the lines and at the skill positioned and I just think they are the better team. It also helps that when those 2 play, it will be at USC so that also helps their cause. Like I said though its pretty much a two team race and unless Stanford beats Oregon (doubtful) than it will be those 2 matching up for alll the roses. I think USC beats them twice and goes on to win the Pac 12, go to the National Championship game undefeated, and defeat Arkansas in the NC to become the champs.
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Wisconsin
Sugar Bowl: South Carolina vs Louisville
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs Alabama
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs West Virginia
National Championship: Arkansas vs USC
USC National Champs, Matt Barkely wins Heisman and goes #1 in the NFL draft