Post by EvilVodka on Jun 20, 2018 21:35:25 GMT
Well, I finally got my college football mag, and here is my full assessment now. I'm only listing the teams that I think are going to have stellar seasons (due to several factors).
ACC
The ACC is loaded. There are many teams that will be dangerous.
Clemson - They are my favorite to win the Title. May have the best D-Line in college football. Year 2 of Kelly Bryant. Manageable schedule (watch out for Georgia Tech!).
Syracuse - Syracuse is very stingy, and returns Eric Dungey at QB with 7 other starters.
Florida State - Get ready for an explosive offense!
Boston College - BC returns almost their entire offense. Tricky Tricky Eagles, running behind Anthony Brown and AJ Dillon
Duke - Cutcliffe always has Duke sneaking around. They return 7 starters on offense and defense.
Georgia Tech - 9 starters return on Paul Johnson's offense. They could be 3-0 when Clemson comes to town 
Miami - Richt and the Hurricanes return a decent team. If they get past LSU the opening weekend, they have an easy schedule till Florida State comes to town. Miami on the rise! (No Clemson on the schedule)
American
UCF's conference to lose?
UCF - New Coach in Josh Heupel, but QB McKenzie back. They have enough returning pieces to win the AAC again. Could they go undefeated, again??
Temple - The Owls return enough players to challenge. Key game: Nov. 1 at UCF
Tulane - The Green Wave is rising and could end up in the top half of the league. No UCF on the schedule, but tough road games vs. UAB, Ohio State, Cincinnati, South Florida, Houston
Big XII
Mediocre year upcoming...not many teams I like here.
Iowa State - If there was ever a year for the Cyclones to win the Big XII, the time is NOW. They return an experienced junior-senior laden team along with QB Kyle Kempt; a team that beat both Oklahoma and TCU last year. They will know where they stand after week 3. If they beat both Iowa and Oklahoma at home, then they'll be ready for the Big XII slate. Key game could be Nov. 17 @ Texas.
Big 10
Same Ol Teams
Michigan - the death of the Wolverines is greatly exaggerated. They have a junior-senior laden D coming back, and Harbaugh likes his defense. They will be tough.
Michigan State - LOADED. LOADED. LOADED. My personal pick to win the Big 10 and go to the playoff. geez they are loaded, and coming off a 10-3 season. They host both Michigan and Ohio State. GEEZ
Rutgers - Time for the Scarlet Knights to climb the ladder. Will they compete for the Big 10 title? I doubt it, but they will be out of the cellar. They return a lot of starters. Essentially this year's Indiana.
Northwestern - They are the Big 10 version of Duke. Tricky Tricky Tricky. In fact they play Duke They also host Michigan, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. Expect one of those teams to be upset.
They also host Michigan, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. Expect one of those teams to be upset.Wisconsin - Back is Hornibrook along with 10 starters on offense. Gone is their defense. Road games at Iowa, Michigan, and Northwestern loom.
Ohio State - I wanted to leave them off this list, but I know this board has a lot of Buckeyes fans. As usual, the Buckeyes will be talented, but this team looks too green to me. They have tricky games against TCU, Rutgers and Tulane, the always bad road trip to Penn State, and end the season with two road games, one against Michigan State, and then Michigan at home. I yi yi Buckeyes, not this year.
C-USA
If you want to see a competitive conference race with teams that aren't big names, look no further than C-USA. It will be a dog fight.
Charlotte - ya they sucked last year, but they return their entire team pretty much. They'll be more competitive this year.
Florida Atlantic - Defending C-USA champs return a lot of starters, especially on Defense. Can they deliver again?
Marshall - They return enough starters to be dangerous. Tough OOC schedule. Key game: Oct. 20 vs. Florida Atlantic
Middle Tennessee State - Brent Stockstill back at QB is important. 3 road games at SEC opponents will be tough, but they could influence the C-USA East race.
Old Dominion - They return enough starters to be dangerous. They probably won't win the East, but they get Marshall, Middle Tennessee and North Texas at home.
Louisiana Tech - They return a really good team behind QB J'Mar Smith. They should be undefeated when they head to Baton Rouge in week 3. Expect an upset! They could be C-USA champs this year.
North Texas - They lost in the C-USA Championship game last year, but have the pieces to win this year. Key game: Sept. 29 vs. Louisiana Tech. Must win game! They also host Florida Atlantic.
UAB - UAB died and came back, kind of like comic book super heroes. They are loaded and ready to blaze a trail in the West. Can they beat North Texas at home? Also, interesting road trip to Aggieland Nov. 17. Upset alert for Jimbo Fisher?
MAC
When a problem comes along, you must MAC it
Buffalo - The Bills...I mean Bulls...return a lot of players. They have difficult road trips though, playing at Temple, Rutgers, Toledo, and Ohio
Miami OH - While mediocre last year, they return a pretty decent roster this year. Expect the RedHawks to rise.
Ohio - They have not won the MAC since 1968. Can QB Nathan Rourke lead them to a championship? They have a tough schedule, including a stretch of games at Northwestern, at Iowa State, Miami OH, at Buffalo.
Northern Illinois - They return a lot of key players, but have an atrocious OOC schedule vs. Iowa, Utah, FSU, and BYU (wth??). Nevertheless, they host Ohio and Miami OH and could win the MAC.
Mountain West
Old WAC teams own the Mountain West now, and Boise State could find themselves in the College Football Playoff bowls.
Boise State - Here come the Broncos again with an experienced QB, a stacked D, and a manageable schedule. I think they win the Mountain West and will likely emerge as the G5 candidate to play in the Peach? Sugar?
Wyoming - They are surprisingly loaded, although missing key QB component in Josh Allen. Furthermore, they host both Boise State and Utah State. Could make waves in the Mountain West this year.
Utah State - Also loaded, but they need to step it up. They open at Michigan State (ow), and close @ Boise State.
Fresno State - They return a decent team behind veteran QB McMaryion. Key game: Nov. 10 @ Boise State.
Nevada - While they were awful a year ago, they return key positions and could make waves this year. They host both Fresno State and Boise State.
UNLV - Much like their instate rival, they also return enough players to be dangerous. No Boise State on the schedule helps. Interesting opening data @ USC. Upset alert?
PAC 12
Very odd looking season ahead for the PAC 12. Washington is clearly the favorite. Where are the LA teams?? Tough conference to win in. No easy wins.
California - LOADED LOADED LOADED. ya, they went 5-7 last year, but beat both North Carolina and Ole Miss. Expect them to rise in the PAC 12 and be a player.
Oregon - The Ducks return a decent team, but have a new coach. Can they return to glory? Their OOC schedule is easy cheese. The conference schedule is daunting though.
Washington - Also LOADED, and Jake Browning is a senior. This is a very dangerous team, and the opening game against Auburn will be epic. They also have road game at Oregon and California. I think they can win the PAC 12, but will it be enough to make the playoff?
Arizona - Coach Kevin Sumlin? huh?? Arizona brings back a loaded team, with Junior QB Khalil Tate. There is no Washington on the schedule either. Mark them down as a PAC 12 darkhorse.
Utah - The Utes are always stingy, and they return enough key players to be dangerous. They host Washington for week 3. They also get Arizona and Oregon at home.
Stanford - The Cardinal TREE is always dangerous looking. They look a little meek on defense this year though, and have a tough road schedule with games at Oregon, Notre Dame, Washington, and California.
SEC
This is the first year in quite awhile where the SEC East might be better than the SEC West.
Florida - New coach in Mullen. New Attitude. And a fairly loaded team. Expect Florida to rise in the SEC East and compete. Key Game: The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Georgia - They will return key players and be MAD MAD. Where is Alabama? Who wants Bama? They do. Watch out for tricky road game vs. Mizzou
Missouri - A very quiet talented team that could upset and spoil plans for other SEC East foes. They get Georgia at home week 4, and then travel to Alabama 2 weeks later. Who is Drew Lock?
South Carolina - They also are quietly good, and return key starters from a team that went 9-4 last year and beat Michigan What is with the SEC East all of the sudden?
What is with the SEC East all of the sudden?Auburn - The Tigers will be in the hunt, but will definitely have a target on their back. First four games include Washington, LSU, and Arkansas. They also have road trips @ Miss St., @ Georgia, and @ Alabama. Hmmm...outlook doubtful
Alabama - They are on this list by name and reputation alone. However, they have lost A LOT of their team from last year. The QB situation is bizarre...will it be a strength, or point of contention? Their schedule is tailor-made for another run. Who can beat them? Their toughest opponents are Mizzou and Auburn. Can they get over the Auburn bug? I think they can win the SEC West, but the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta is NOT a lock, and they might run back into that red and black team that wants to beat in their Crimson heads.
Miss State - Pencil them in as darkhorse for the SEC West. Why? They return a good chunk of the team that had Bama on the ropes last year, including QB Nick Fitzgerald.
Sun Belt
Time for ULM to take over.
ULM - They are loaded, and Troy lost their QB. They travel to Aggieland for Week 3. Another upset alert for Jimbo Fisher?? They host Troy the week after. Key game could end up being Nov. 17 @ Arkansas State. Could be for the Sun Belt Championship!
Arkansas State - They bring back a decent team and could contend for the Sun Belt Championship. If they can stay the course after a thrashing at Alabama, they might set themselves up for a showdown with ULM late in the season.
Georgia Southern - While they were awful last season, they return enough players to be competitive this year in the Sun Belt. They host both Arkansas State and Troy and could influence the race for the conference title.
And lastly.....
wait for it.....
Notre Dame - The Irish are ALWAYS on the verge of a magical season. They invented magical seasons. They could have another one this year. Key game and CRUCIAL they win to get off on the right foot. Beat Michigan!!! Week 1!!!! If they can find a way behind QB Brandon Wimbush to crack the Wolverine D, the schedule doesn't look half bad. Stanford is weak on D. Virginia Tech could be tricky in Blacksburg, but they have a young QB. A road game at Northwestern could be tricky, especially right before they host Florida State. Syracuse might be tough, but USC will be down. Hopefully. It's a lot to ask for, but a 1-loss Notre Dame WILL be in the playoff. Or they could wind up 5-6 
. I agree with Doc and I'll go a step further if this team loses more than 1 game and it's not because of health I'll be surprised, as I've got them pegged as the national champs. Urban is one of the best at motivating young teams, and teams that get disrespected....he'll use the people saying the Buckeyes are "to young" as motivation.....and his teams are always at their best when angry and motivated