2014 Season Preview thread

[BoiseStateFan27]

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Preview: Mississippi State is on a pretty solid run, relative to how their program usually is, under Dan Mullen. Mississippi State was usually towards the bottom of the SEC, but now under Mullen they at least are consistently in bowl games, they had a few good years too. Last year was one of the more struggling seasons, Tyler Russell was a promising starter at the start of the year but he struggled and eventually lost the starting job to Dak Prescott, who enters this season as a promising QB for Mississippi State, and in all reality he may be the best QB Dan Mullen has had at Mississippi State. Mississippi State narrowly made it to a bowl last season, and I mean very narrowly, they went 6-6 and 4 of their wins were by less than a touchdown, 3 of the 4 being either within one point or in overtime. With Prescott as a full time starter as long as he progressed well in the offseason, Mississippi State should have a decent year, and make a bowl, they definitely won't be the Top 25 team that some media outlets are trying to make them out to be.

Predictions: Mississippi State opens the year with two of the worst opponents Conference Usa has to offer, Southern Miss and Uab, so Mississippi State will obviously win those, then Mississippi State has their toughest non-conference game, on the road against South Alabama, who is a decent team, Mississippi State is actually on upset alert in this one, but I do believe Mississippi State will win. Things get tougher in a hurry though for Mississippi State as they go on the road against LSU, and lose that one, along with road games against Texas A&M and Auburn. Mississippi State goes on the road against Kentucky, and they might struggle in this one, but I feel like they will still win, and then Mississippi State plays Arkansas at home, they got past them in overtime last year, so this might be a tough game, but I have Mississippi State winning it. Mississippi State continues this winning streak by beating Tennessee-Martin, Mississippi State then loses to Alabama on the road, before beating Vanderbilt at home in a tough game, Mississippi State loses the regular season finale to rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.


Predicted Record: 7-5(3-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Missouri Tigers

Preview: Last season Missouri surprised everyone and ended having a fantastic season, as they lost only one regular season game and played in the SEC Championship. It was a big statement for Gary Pinkel and the Missouri program as before the season a lot of people thought they would hover around the bottom of the SEC, but instead Missouri showed that they will indeed be a player in this conference. Now as for their surprise season, believe me it definitely surprised me, I had an embarrassing 2-10 prediction for this team that may be the worst prediction I ever made, boy did Missouri make me look stupid, I guess things happen when you take a chance. The thing about this year is that a lot of the key players from last year's team, QB James Franklin, RB Henry Josey, WR Dorial-Green Beckum, Michael Sam, and Kony Ealy among others. So it will be a bit of a year of transition, I still think Missouri will have a decent team, and have a solid season, but we'll see on this one, last season showed I know nothing about Missouri football.

Predictions: Missouri opens the season against South Dakota State, who is no North Dakota State, they will not threaten Missouri in any way, Missouri easily wins that one, Missouri then has an interesting road game against Toledo, which is an upset threat, after last season I refuse to pick upsets against Missouri this year so I have them winning. Missouri then has home games against UCF and Indiana, who are both solid opponents, I have Missouri winning both those games though. Missouri then suffers their first loss on the road against South Carolina, and then loses to Georgia at home as well. Missouri does rebound, beating Florida on the road and then winning home games over Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Missouri then has tough road games against Texas A&M and Tennessee, which they end up losing both, as both teams have younger players who start to play well late in the year. Missouri does end the regular season with a home win over Arkansas, I think it's a new rivalry, but I'm not sure.


Predicted Record: 8-4(4-4)

 

[bamabear82]

I like the full write up sir!

Him's silly, the trend continues...




Kiffin kept it close though.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I almost accidentally used a logo that would have taken the entire page LOL

South Carolina Gamecocks

Preview: Steve Spurrier is slowly having success at South Carolina, after starting out with six 5 or 6 loss seasons, South Carolina has now lost 2 games the last 3 seasons under Spurrier, got to be glad that something's consistent. South Carolina had their best ever final ranking last season finishing 4th in the polls, so it could be argued that it was the best season in school history last season, and the run South Carolina is on could be argued as the best ever for them. This season will be a little bit of a change, the biggest names from last year's team in Connor Shaw and Jadeveon Clowney are now gone, Dylan Thompson will be a capable replacement for Connor Shaw at QB, but the defensive line may drop off a bit, Clowney didn't have the greatest year last year but he still at least freed up the other Defensive linemen. With similar changes going on in the rest of the league South Carolina does stand a good chance at winning the conference. The best guess would be that South Carolina loses two games, one they probably should lose and another that they shouldn't.

Predictions: South Carolina opens the season at home against Texas A&M on a Thursday night, South Carolina has been good at these Thursday night openers, so I believe they will win this one. South Carolina then avoids a potential upset alert by beating East Carolina at home, before getting a big win over Georgia at home. South Carolina then goes on the road against Vanderbilt, I do believe this ends up being their upset loss, South Carolina comes out unfocused after the Georgia win, Dylan Thompson see's some struggles and Spurrier starts shuffling QBs during this game and South Carolina loses. South Carolina does recover with a home win over Missouri and a road win over Kentucky. South Carolina then takes on Furman, a very random game midway during the year but they win, before losing on the road to Auburn. South Carolina gets revenge for last season's upset loss to Tennessee by beating them, and then South Carolina wins on the road over Florida, and beats South Alabama at home. South Carolina then has the regular season finale against their rival Clemson who they have beaten 5 times in a row now, I'll ride this winning streak and pick South Carolina to win this one.

Predicted Record 10-2(6-2)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Him's silly, the trend continues...

View attachment 11691


Kiffin kept it close though.

perhaps Kiffin will keep it close again??

 

[bamabear82]

perhaps Kiffin will keep it close again??

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Tennessee Volunteers

Preview: Tennessee has definitely been struggling for nearly a decade now, things have been bad for them since 2008 when things fell apart as Fulmer lost the team, and Tennessee had what was back then an unbelievably bad 5-7 year where they even lost at home to Wyoming, then Lane Kiffin stepped in and just made things worse by leaving late in the offseason after his first year, forcing Tennessee to scramble and hire what was not the best candidate in Derek Dooley, things got even worse as not a single player from Kiffin's recruiting remained at Tennessee, so basically Dooley was left with a disaster, and he also likely wasn't the man for the rebuilding job ahead of him, he got some talented players but just not enough. Tennessee's situation is like that now, they have some talented players on this team, such as WRs Pig Howard and Jason Croom, and LB AJ Johnson, but there's some holes too, so Butch Jones is still rebuilding here, but his amazing recruiting class shows he could very well be the guy to finally bring Tennessee back towards the top. This season Tennessee will improve, they face a challenging schedule, and will probably need an upset or two to be bowl eligible.

Predictions: Tennessee opens the season with a tricky game against Utah State, and after how close Utah State has been to upsetting a big program I believe they finally pull one off here and upset Tennessee, Tennessee does beat Arkansas State at home the next game, before losing on the road to Oklahoma. Tennessee then has a bye week before going on the road against Georgia, I believe that with this still being early in the year, Tennessee fueled by this bye week upsets Georgia. Tennessee unfortunately see's their losing streak against Florida continue the following week despite the game being at home. Tennessee wins the next game against Chattanooga, before losing on the road against Ole Miss. Tennessee loses at home to Alabama, and loses on the road to South Carolina who they did upset last year. Tennessee then wins at home over Kentucky, and upsets Missouri at home as they start playing better, and then end the regular season with a road win over Vanderbilt to be bowl eligible.

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Texas A&M Aggies

Preview: Lots of changes going on at Texas A&M after some success so far in the SEC, last season was a solid but relatively disappointing year when you consider the expectations. Despite having Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans, Texas A&M ended up losing 4 games as the defense did let them down, and opposing defenses found ways to stop Johnny Manziel. Now things change as the craziness of the Johnny Manziel era is over, Manziel is now gone to the NFL draft and so is WR Mike Evans, they are going to be very difficult players to replace but now is the opportunity for Kevin Sumlin to show just how good of a coach he could be. The man who will replace Johnny Football will either be heralded freshman Kyle Allen or sophomore Kenny Hill, it will be interesting to see if Sumlin will take a shot with another freshman or go with Hill, either way I feel like Texas A&M will be alright at the QB position, especially with talented receivers especially the appropriately named freshman Speedy Noil. The offense as a whole will be very good, it's the defensive side that once again is a concern mainly against the run, as the secondary returns both starting corners and safeties, which includes talented corner Deshazor Everett. This season should be a solid but not great year unless Kyle Allen becomes the next freshman sensation.

Predictions: Texas A&M opens the season at South Carolina and loses that one, before home games against Lamar and Rice which will both be wins, as well as the road game against SMU. Texas A&M then plays Arkansas at Cowboys stadium and wins that one, as well as winning on the road against Mississippi State and at home over Ole Miss. Things get tougher fast as Texas A&M goes on the road against Alabama, and loses to them. Texas A&M then has a non-conference game against UL-Monroe, yet another weak opponent, this is where I'll insert the obligary statement that Texas A&M and Texas should resume their rivalry. Texas A&M loses on the road to Auburn but beats Missouri at home, and then Texas A&M hosts LSU on Thanksgiving, an interesting game, as it could feature two talented freshman QBs, but I see LSU winning this win.

Predicted Record: 8-4(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Vanderbilt Commordores

Preview: James Franklin did a fantastic job at Vanderbilt, consistently having winning seasons that included bowl wins, and even some finishes in the Top 25, it's amazing what he's accomplished here, but now he departs. In comes Derek Mason, the former defensive coordinator at Stanford, and when it comes to coaching he is a good one, as he schemed perfectly how to beat the fast Oregon offense the past two years. This season is a huge transition for Vanderbilt, a new coach with new schemes, and there will be new starters as well, starters such as WR Jordan Matthews are now gone, and Derek Mason will have a group of talented but very young players. How young this team is will probably prevent Vanderbilt from another 9 win season, especially with all the changes. The best is yet to come for Vanderbilt though, they will be very good next year and the year after, but for this year they will have to fight for bowl eligibility.

Predictions: Vanderbilt opens the year against Temple, and that should provide an easy victory for them, but Vanderbilt then loses at home against Ole Miss before an easy win at home over UMass. Vanderbilt then has a good game against South Carolina, frustrating Dylan Thompson and the Ole ball coach for a big upset win, unfortunately Vanderbilt has a hangover game and is upset themselves the following week at Kentucky. Vanderbilt then loses on the road to Georgia, before beating Charleston Southern, and then losing at Missouri. Vanderbilt gets a win over Old Dominion at home and then loses a close one to Florida at home. Vanderbilt loses at Mississippi State, and then loses at home to rival Tennessee in a battle for bowl eligibility.

Predicted Record: 5-7(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

with that, I have concluded my individual team predictions.

after I post this overview, I will list out the non-power 5 schools who did the best and then get all of you involved as a committee of our own, and make a thread to vote on which non-power 5 school makes the big bowls. The power-5 team with the most votes makes it

I will also list the candidates for the playoff, and make a vote thread for us to vote on who makes the playoff, the top 4 vote getters will be in.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

East

1. South Carolina Gamecocks 10-2(6-2) -wins tiebreaker head to head over Georgia
2. Georgia Bulldogs 10-2(6-2)
3. Tennessee Volunteers 6-6(4-4) - surprise! upset win over Missouri gives them this spot
4. Missouri Tigers 8-4(4-4)
5. Florida Gators 6-6(3-5)
6. Kentucky Wildcats 4-8(1-7)
7. Vanderbilt Commodores 5-7(1-7)- upset loss to Kentucky proves costly

West

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 12-0(8-0)
2. Auburn Tigers 10-2(6-2)
3. LSU Tigers 9-3(5-3)
4. Texas A&M Aggies 8-4(4-4)
5. Mississippi Rebels 8-4(4-4)
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs 7-5(3-5)
7. Arkansas Razorbacks 4-8(1-7)


SEC Championship: South Carolina over Alabama


the rest of this has seemed too easy, so surprise!!!

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

ACC overview​

ACC


Atlantic

1. Florida State Seminoles 12-0(8-0)
2. Clemson Tigers 8-4(6-2)
3. Syracuse Orange 7-5(5-3)
4. Louisville Cardinals 8-4(5-3)
5. NC State Wolfpack 6-6(2-6)
6. Boston College Eagles 3-9(1-7)
7. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 3-9(0-8)

Coastal

1. North Carolina Tar Heels 10-2(8-0)
2. Pittsburgh Panthers 8-4(5-3)
3. Virginia Tech Hokies 8-4(5-3)
4. Duke Blue Devils 8-4(4-4)
5. Miami-Florida Hurricanes 6-6(3-5)
6. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 6-6(3-5)
7. Virginia Cavaliers 2-10(0-8)


ACC Championship: Florida State over North Carolina

American Conference

1. Cincinnati Bearcats 9-3(7-1) - Cincinnati wins 3 way tie because they beat Houston and East Carolina
2. Houston Cougars 10-2(7-1) - Houston claims 2nd on better record and probably higher ranking
3. East Carolina Pirates 9-3(7-1)
4. Central Florida Knights 7-5(6-2)
5. South Florida Bulls 5-7(4-4)
6. SMU Mustangs 4-8(3-5)
7. Tulane Green Wave 4-8(3-5)
8. Memphis Tigers 5-7(3-5)
9. UConn Huskies 4-8(2-6)
10. Temple Owls 2-10(1-7)
11. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 3-9(1-7)

And now finally time for an overall look at the Big 10, feels like I've been on the Big 10 for a really long time. Big 12 previews start tomorrow!


Big 10


East

1. Michigan State Spartans 10-2(7-1)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes 11-1(7-1)
3. Michigan Wolverines 8-4(6-2)
4. Penn State Nittany Lions 9-3(5-3)
5. Maryland Terrapins 6-6(2-6)
6. Indiana Hoosiers 4-8(2-6)
7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2-10(0-8)

West

1. Iowa Hawkeyes 11-1(7-1)
2. Wisconsin Badgers 10-2(7-1)
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers 9-3(5-3)
4. Minnesota Golden Gophers 7-5(4-4)
5. Northwestern Wildcats 6-6(3-5)
6. Illinois Fighting Illini 5-7(2-6)
7. Purdue Boilermakers 3-9(0-8)


Big 10 Championship: Michigan State over Iowa

Big 12

1. Oklahoma Sooners 11-1(8-1)
2. Baylor Bears 11-1(8-1)
3. Kansas State Wildcats 9-3(7-2)
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-5(5-4)
5. Texas Tech Red Raiders 8-4(5-4)
6. TCU Horned Frogs 7-5(4-5)
7. Texas Longhorns 6-6(4-5)
8. Iowa State Cyclones 5-7(3-6)
9. West Virginia Mountaineers 2-10(1-8)
10. Kansas Jayhawks 2-10(0-9)

Tomorrow and Wednesday will be the independents, and then I'm going on vacation so no predictions for a bit. I timed this really well because finding the division alignment for Conference USA was near impossible before today.


Conference USA

EAST

1. Marshall Thundering Herd 12-0(8-0)
2. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 8-4(6-2)
3. Florida Atlantic Owls 4-8(4-4)
4. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 4-8(3-5)
5. Alabama- Birmingham Blazers 3-9(2-6)
6. Old Dominion Monarchs 3-9(1-7)
7. Florida International Golden Panthers 1-11(0-8)

WEST

1. Texas- San Antonio Roadrunners 8-4(7-1)
2. Rice Owls 7-5(5-3) - wins tiebreaker by beating La Tech and North Texas
3. North Texas Mean Green 6-6(5-3) - beat La Tech
4. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 6-6(5-3)
5. Texas- El Paso Miners 5-7(4-4)
6. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 3-9(1-7)


Conference-USA Championship: UTSA over Marshall(UPSET!!)

MAC


East

1. Bowling Green Falcons 10-2(7-1)
2. Akron Zips 7-5(6-2)
3. Buffalo Bulls 8-4(5-3)
4. Ohio Bobcats 6-6(4-4)
5. Miami of Ohio Redhawks 4-8(3-5)
6. Kent State Golden Flashes 2-10(2-6)
7. Massachusetts Minutemen 0-12(0-8)


West

1. Northern Illinois Huskies 9-3(7-1) (Beat Toledo head to head)
2. Toledo Rockets 8-4(7-1)
3. Ball State Cardinals 9-3(6-2)
4. Central Michigan Chippewas 5-7(4-4)
5. Western Michigan Broncos 3-9(1-7)
6. Eastern Michigan Eagles 2-10(1-7)


Mac Championship: Bowling Green over Northern Illinois

MWC
Mountain

1. Boise State Broncos 10-2(7-1) -Tie broke by win over Utah State
2. Utah State Aggies 12-1(7-1)
3. Colorado State Rams 8-4(5-3)
4. Wyoming Cowboys 5-7(3-5)
5. Air Force Falcons 4-8(1-7)
6. New Mexico Lobos 3-9(1-7)


West

1. Fresno State Bulldogs 8-4(7-1) - Tie broke by win over San Diego State
2. San Diego State Aztecs 9-3(7-1)
3. Nevada Wolfpack 6-6(5-3)
4. UNLV Runnin Rebels 5-8(3-5)
5. San Jose State Spartans 2-10(1-7)
6. Hawai'i Warriors 1-12(0-8)


MWC Championship: Boise State over Fresno State

North

1. Oregon Ducks 11-1(8-1)
2. Stanford Cardinal 10-2(7-2)
3. Washington Huskies 10-3(6-3)
4. Oregon State Beavers 7-5(4-5)
5. Washington State Cougars 6-6(3-6)
6. California Golden Bears 2-10(0-9)

South

1. UCLA Bruins 10-2(8-1)
2. USC Trojans 8-4(5-4)
3. Arizona State Sun Devils 8-4(5-4)
4. Arizona Wildcats 7-5(4-5)
5. Utah Utes 6-6(3-6)
6. Colorado Buffaloes 3-9(1-8)


Pac-12 Championship: Oregon over UCLA

1. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns 10-2(8-0)
2. Arkansas State Red Wolves 8-4(7-1)
3. South Alabama Jaguars 7-5(6-2)
4. Troy Trojans 8-4(6-2)
5. Texas State Bobcats 6-6(5-3)
6. UL-Monroe Warhawks 4-8(4-4)
7. Georgia State Panthers 3-9(2-6)
8. Georgia Southern Eagles 3-9(2-6)
9. Appalachian State Mountaineers 3-9(1-7)
10. Idaho Vandals 1-11(1-7)
11. New Mexico State Aggies 2-10(1-7)

East

1. South Carolina Gamecocks 10-2(6-2) -wins tiebreaker head to head over Georgia
2. Georgia Bulldogs 10-2(6-2)
3. Tennessee Volunteers 6-6(4-4) - surprise! upset win over Missouri gives them this spot
4. Missouri Tigers 8-4(4-4)
5. Florida Gators 6-6(3-5)
6. Kentucky Wildcats 4-8(1-7)
7. Vanderbilt Commodores 5-7(1-7)- upset loss to Kentucky proves costly

West

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 12-0(8-0)
2. Auburn Tigers 10-2(6-2)
3. LSU Tigers 9-3(5-3)
4. Texas A&M Aggies 8-4(4-4)
5. Mississippi Rebels 8-4(4-4)
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs 7-5(3-5)
7. Arkansas Razorbacks 4-8(1-7)


SEC Championship: South Carolina over Alabama


the rest of this has seemed too easy, so surprise!!!

well here's the overview of all the conferences

it took 17 pages and just over 2 months for these

you're on your own if you want to look back at the independents, they're on page 9 I think

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

The Mid major contenders for the non-power 5 slot

Cincinnati Bearcats 9-3(7-1)

Good wins: Houston, East Carolina

Bad Losses: @ SMU

Other losses: @ Ohio State, @ Miami-Florida

Notes: American conference champions


Houston Cougars 10-2(7-1)

Good wins: UTSA, UCF

Other losses: @ BYU, @ Cincinnati

Notes: Lost American conference on tiebreaker to Cincinnati, who they lost to.



Marshall Thundering Herd 12-1(8-1)

Good wins: none

Losses: UTSA

Notes: Was upset by UTSA in C-USA title game




Bowling Green Falcons 11-2(8-1)

Good wins: Indiana, Ball State, Northern Illinois

Losses: @ Wisconsin, @ Toledo

Notes: Won the Mac Championship over Northern Illinois

Boise State Broncos 11-2(8-1)

Good wins: Colorado State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Fresno Statex2, BYU, Utah State

Losses: Ole Miss @ Georgia Dome, San Diego State

Notes: Won MWC championship over Fresno State

Utah State Aggies 12-1(7-1)

Good wins: @ Tennessee, @ BYU, @ Colorado State

Losses: @ Boise State

Notes: Didn't win division as a result of upset loss to Boise State in the last regular season game

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns 10-2(8-0)

Good wins: Arkansas State

Losses: @ Ole Miss, @ Boise State

Notes: Won Sun Belt championship, only team on this list to go unbeaten in their conference.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

An extra thread will be made for this too

Playoff Contenders:


Florida State Seminoles 13-0(9-0)

Good wins: Clemson, Notre Dame, @ Louisville, North Carolina

Losses: None

Notes: Won ACC Championship over North Carolina

Michigan State Spartans 11-2(8-1)

Good wins: Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa

Losses: @ Oregon, @ Penn State

Notes: Won Big 10 Championship over Iowa

Ohio State Buckeyes 11-1(7-1)

Good wins: Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Navy, @ Penn State, Michigan

Losses: @ Michigan State

Notes: Didn't win division because of loss at Michigan State


Oklahoma Sooners 11-1(7-1)

Good wins: Kansas State, Baylor

Losses: @ Texas Tech

Notes: Big 12 Champions


Baylor Bears 11-1(7-1)

Good wins: Texas Tech, Kansas State

Losses: @ Oklahoma

Notes: Didn't win Big 12 as a result of loss @ Oklahoma

Oregon Ducks 12-1(9-1)

Good wins: Michigan State, Washington, Stanford, UCLA

Losses: @ UCLA

Notes: Won Pac-12 Championship over UCLA who they lost to in the regular season

Alabama Crimson Tide 12-1(8-1)

Good wins: @ Ole Miss, Texas A&M, @ LSU, Auburn

Losses: South Carolina

Notes: Lost SEC Championship in upset to South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks 11-2(7-2)

Good wins: Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Missouri, @ Clemson

Bad Losses: @ Vanderbilt

Other Losses: @ Auburn

Notes: Upset Alabama to win the SEC Championship


Auburn Tigers 10-2(6-2)

Good wins: @ Kansas State, LSU, South Carolina, @ Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Losses: @ Georgia, @ Alabama

Notes: Didn't win division

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Houston Cougars

Preview: Last season ended up being a highly resurgent season under a freshman quarterback, Houston got off to a strong start and while they didn't finish extremely strong it was still a very successful season for Houston. Houston doesn't lose much from last year's team and will remain aggressive at getting turnovers, this combination should lead to an even more successful year.

Predictions: Houston opens with Texas-San Antonio who should be pretty good but Houston will win the game, Houston then plays Grambling State which could get really ugly, Grambling State is struggling in the subdivision. Houston then loses at BYU and beats another FCS team in Tennessee Tech(really Houston?) Houston wins at home over UCF and then beats Memphis, Temple, USF, Tulane, Tulsa and SMU to complete an 8 game winning streak. This winning streak will end on the road against Cincinnati.

Predicted Record: 10-2(7-1)

I should mention, this logo apparently moves, I didn't notice it until I was scrolling for my American conference overview, kind of scared me for a moment, thought I was seeing things

 

[The Crimson King]

Bama lost 2 straight to lsu under Nick Saban

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Now Ill do my potential sleepers and busts
sleepers being teams that have a very good chance of exceeding my prediction
like Auburn last year.
Busts are teams that could potentially fail to live up to my prediction

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

ACC

Sleeper: Virginia Tech, the issue the past few seasons for Virginia Tech has been the offense mainly at Qb. If they can find an answer at QB then they will return to the Acc championship game.

Bust: North Carolina, if some of the issues that happened last year reoccur, North Carolina won't win 10 games like predicted

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

American conference

Sleeper: Ucf, I only had them winning 7 games, but if last years team really was more than Bortles then they're contending for a big bowl bid.

Bust: East Carolina, if they're not ready for this step up this season will be a disappointment

 

[Tin Man]

Tennessee Volunteers

Preview: Tennessee has definitely been struggling for nearly a decade now, things have been bad for them since 2008 when things fell apart as Fulmer lost the team, and Tennessee had what was back then an unbelievably bad 5-7 year where they even lost at home to Wyoming, then Lane Kiffin stepped in and just made things worse by leaving late in the offseason after his first year, forcing Tennessee to scramble and hire what was not the best candidate in Derek Dooley, things got even worse as not a single player from Kiffin's recruiting remained at Tennessee, so basically Dooley was left with a disaster, and he also likely wasn't the man for the rebuilding job ahead of him, he got some talented players but just not enough. Tennessee's situation is like that now, they have some talented players on this team, such as WRs Pig Howard and Jason Croom, and LB AJ Johnson, but there's some holes too, so Butch Jones is still rebuilding here, but his amazing recruiting class shows he could very well be the guy to finally bring Tennessee back towards the top. This season Tennessee will improve, they face a challenging schedule, and will probably need an upset or two to be bowl eligible.

Predictions: Tennessee opens the season with a tricky game against Utah State. Utah State has been close to upsetting a big 5 program and they deserve to upset Tennessee, however, in the first of a pattern of blessed luck for the Volunteers, Tennessee escapes with a home victory. Tennessee defeats Arkansas State, before putting a scare in Oklahoma. The Vols get the breaks early, but Oklahoma does win the fourth quarter and the game. Tennessee then has a bye week before going on the road against Georgia. Early in the game, the Dawgs pull back the curtain on the Vols, revealing how young they truly are. In the 2nd quarter, Tennessee puts together a couple of successful drives and end the half still behind but playing toe to toe with UGA. The favor of the Fates is with the Vols in the second half. Tennessee coverts two unbelievable breaks into 14 points and gain the lead late in the 4th quarter. The Dawgs appear unstoppable driving for the winning score when a desperate strip gives Tennessee possession. The Vols successfully run out the clock to upset the Dawgs in Athens. Next, Tennessee looks hapless against the Gators, until Florida mistakes let them back into the game. A last second field goal ends Florida's winning streak against Tennessee, and Vols fans shut down Cumberland Avenue in celebration. Tennessee defeats Chattanooga, but it's not pretty. Analysts uniformly opine that Tennessee is not as good as their record. Pollsters agree, and UTK remains absent from the top 25. Reality comes a calling on the road against Ole Miss, and the Vols' weaknesses show in their loss. The Fates shower Tennessee with more gifts when they host Alabama. Despite being off their game, the Tide dominate the field of play and the stats. Yet, this is not reflected in the score. Tennessee turns break after break after break into points. Stupid penalties by Bama give the Vols additional chances. The last of these provides the Vols the chance to steal victory, and they do. The unthinkable happens, and its spread through the mediasphere is compared to the Spanish flue pandemic of 1918. That Saturday night, Cumberland Avenue is once again a massive, wild street party. The hangover is wicked, as South Carolina soundly defeats the Vols. Tennessee follows by eking out a win over Kentucky and losing a heart breaker to Missouri. Tennessee ends the regular season by thieving a road win over Vanderbilt.

Predicted Record: a suspect 8-4(5-3)