Oh yeah, college football prediction time! How many people do you know actually try to predict where each team will finish??? I think this year will be my best one yet! But to make it more challenging, I will also predict the records (regular season, so it will not include conference championships or bowl games).
| Atlantic | Coastal |
| Clemson (11-1) | Pitt (9-3) |
| NC State (10-2) | Miami (8-4) |
| Wake Forest (9-3) | UNC (6-6) |
| Florida State (6-6) | Virginia Tech (7-5) |
| Boston College (6-6) | Virginia (6-6) |
| Louisville (2-10) | Duke (3-9) |
| Syracuse (2-10) | Georgia Tech (1-11) |
I think Clemson wins the conference. I do not think Pitt repeats the impressive season they pulled off last year, but I do think they win the Coastal division. Two teams to watch for are FSU and UNC. I could see either of them shocking people and maybe pulling off an upset or two.
| East | West |
| Ohio State (11-1) | Wisconsin (10-2) |
| Michigan (10-2) | Purdue (8-4) |
| Penn State (10-2) | Iowa (7-5) |
| Michigan State (7-5) | Illinois (6-6) |
| Maryland (6-6) | Minnesota (7-5) |
| Indiana (4-8) | Nebraska (5-7) |
| Rutgers (2-10) | Northwestern (3-9) |
I do not think I could pick against Ohio State. They are loaded every year and after last year, they will probably be looking to destroy everyone. I think Penn State and Michigan State are very similar. I could see the Spartans having a letdown year and the Nittany Lions being better than some people expect. The West is meh, as usual.
| Oklahoma (10-2) |
| Baylor (10-2) |
| Texas (9-3) |
| Oklahoma State (9-3) |
| Kansas State (8-4) |
| Texas Tech (6-6) |
| TCU (4-8) |
| West Virginia (3-9) |
| Iowa State (3-9) |
| Kansas (2-10) |
So okay, this is the final year of Texas and Oklahoma. Who knows how all of this realignment will shake out and which teams will end up where, but in the final year of this iteration of the Big XII, I think Oklahoma reclaims the crown.
| North | South |
| Oregon (10-2) | Utah (10-2) |
| Oregon State (8-4) | USC (9-3) |
| Washington (7-5) | UCLA (8-4) |
| Washington State (6-6) | Arizona State (7-5) |
| California (4-8) | Colorado (5-7) |
| Stanford (2-10) | Arizona (1-11) |
Speaking of conferences that are in for some big changes…who knows if this one will even exist when it is all said and done. Utah and Oregon are still the best two teams, but USC will be much better and could give Utah a run for their money.
| East | West |
| Georgia (12-0) | Alabama (12-0) |
| Tennessee (8-4) | Texas A&M (11-1) |
| Kentucky (8-4) | Arkansas (9-3) |
| Florida (6-6) | LSU (8-4) |
| South Carolina (5-7) | Ole Miss (7-5) |
| Missouri (6-6) | Mississippi State (5-7) |
| Vanderbilt (2-10) | Auburn (4-8) |
Alabama and Georgia will be in that national championship discussion all year, but do not count out Texas A&M. I like what Arkansas is doing and think they have another strong year, but this conference is so tough, who knows how things shake out. In the East, Kentucky could end up as the second place team if Levis has a big year.
| Cincinnati (11-1) |
| Houston (11-1) |
| SMU (10-2) |
| UCF (9-3) |
| East Carolina (7-5) |
| Tulsa (8-4) |
| Navy (5-7) |
| Tulane (4-8) |
| Memphis (3-9) |
| South Florida (2-10) |
| Temple (3-9) |
The Bearcats have a tough schedule to start the year, but they could have an easy way to another AAC title game since they do not play Houston. Naturally this conference could end up being all sorts of crazy. Knowing my luck with predictions, Temple will probably win it.
| East | West |
| Western Kentucky (11-2) | UAB (9-3) |
| Florida Atlantic (8-4) | UTSA (8-4) |
| Middle Tennessee (6-6) | North Texas (7-5) |
| Charlotte (5-7) | LA Tech (5-7) |
| FIU (5-7) | Rice (3-9) |
| UTEP (2-10) |
Who knows…
| East | West |
| Northern Illinois (8-4) | Miami OH (8-4) |
| Toledo (8-4) | Kent State (7-5) |
| Central Michigan (7-5) | Bowling Green (6-6) |
| Western Michigan (6-6) | Ohio (5-7) |
| Eastern Michigan (5-7) | Buffalo (4-8) |
| Ball State (4-8) | Akron (2-10) |
Sure. These teams will play each other and there will be some crazy games that end up like 62-58 on a Tuesday night (Ball State vs. Kent State–November 1st…circle that one!).
| West | Mountain |
| Fresno State (10-2) | Boise State (11-1) |
| San Diego State (8-4) | Air Force (8-4) |
| Nevada (7-5) | Utah State (8-4) |
| San Jose State (5-7) | Colorado State (6-6) |
| UNLV (3-9) | Wyoming (3-9) |
| Hawai’i (3-10) | New Mexico (3-9) |
This was an exciting conference last year, but I think it takes a step back. I think Boise State wins the conference championship, but no team goes undefeated past week ten.
| East | West |
| Coastal Carolina (10-2) | Louisiana (11-1) |
| Appalachian State (10-2) | Troy (7-5) |
| Georgia State (7-5) | South Alabama (7-5) |
| Marshall (6-6) | ULM (4-8) |
| Old Dominion (6-6) | Arkansas State (4-8) |
| James Madison (4-7) | Texas State (3-9) |
| Georgia Southern (2-10) | Southern Miss (1-11) |
My favorite conference (aside from the Big Ten). They have added four teams and continue to be one of the better smaller conferences. I think Coastal Carolina ends up winning the conference, but do not discount App State. Also, I am excited to see how JMU does in their first season in the FBS. Also also, the new logo is nice! Plus, they have a good looking map of the members…
| Notre Dame (10-2) |
| BYU (9-3) |
| Army (8-4) |
| Liberty (7-5) |
| UConn (3-9) |
| UMass (3-9) |
| New Mexico State (2-10) |
| Award | For | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Heisman Trophy | Outstanding Player | C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) |
| Maxwell Award | Outstanding Player | C.J. Stroud |
| Walter Camp Award | Player of the Year | Bryce Young (Alabama) |
| Home Depot Award | Coach of the Year | Ryan Day (Ohio State) |
| Doak Walker Award | Running Back | Bijan Robinson (Texas) |
| Davey O’Brien Award | Quarterback | C.J. Stroud |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm | Senior Quarterback | Will Levis (Kentucky) |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Wide Receiver | Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Ohio State) |
| John Mackey Award | Tight End | Brock Bowers (Georgia) |
| Outland Trophy | Interior Lineman | Andrew Vorhees (USC) |
| Lombardi Award | Top Player | Bryce Young |
| Rimington Trophy | Center | John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota) |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Defensive Player of the Year | Jalen Carter (Georgia) |
| Bronko Nagurski Award | Defensive Player of the Year | Will Anderson (Alabama) |
| Dick Butkus Award | Linebacker | Trenton Simpson (Clemson) |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Defensive Back | Joey Porter Jr. (PSU) |
| Lou Groza Award | Kicker | Ryan Coe (Cincinnati) |
| Ray Guy Award | Punter | Brad Robbins (Michigan) |
| Ted Hendricks Award | Defensive End | Will Anderson |
| Lott IMPACT Trophy | Outstanding Defensive Player | Will Anderson |
| Paul Hornung Award | Most Versatile Player | Blake Corum (Michigan) |
| Eddie Robinson Award | FCS Coach of the Year | Matt Entz (North Dakota State) |
Awards are hard to predict, but that does not mean I am too scared to try! Not sure why we have so many awards that are basically the same, but alas, here we are.
PLAYOFFS
Alabama defeats Georgia
Ohio State defeats Notre Dame
National Champion: Ohio State
I know, it is an uninspired pick going with those four in the playoffs. I could see Ohio State coming out on top of Alabama in a head to head. Who knows though. I would love to see a crazy playoffs where we have Michigan, Texas A&M, Utah, and Baylor. That would be cool AF.
