BoiseStateFan's 2016 College Football Predictions

[BoiseStateFan27]

Sorry Army and UMass you only get predictions


Army Scarlet Knights

Predictions:

Sept. 2 @ Temple: L
Sept. 10 Rice: W
Sept. 17 @ UTEP: L
Sept. 24 @ Buffalo: L
Oct. 8 @ Duke: L
Oct. 15 Lafayette: W
Oct. 22 North Texas: W
Oct. 29 @ Wake Forest: L
Nov. 5 Air Force: L
Nov. 12 Notre Dame (San Antonio): L
Nov. 19 Morgan State: W
Nov. 26 Navy (Baltimore): L

Predicted Record: 4-8

Massachusetts Minutemen

Predictions:

Sept. 3 @ Florida: L
Sept. 10 Boston College: L
Sept. 17 FIU: L
Sept. 24 Mississippi State: L
Oct. 1 Tulane: W
Oct. 8 @ Old Dominion: L
Oct. 15 Louisiana Tech: L
Oct. 22 @ South Carolina: L
Oct. 29 Wagner: W
Nov. 5 @ Troy: L
Nov. 19 @ BYU: L
Nov. 26 @ Hawai'i: L

Predicted Record: 2-10

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Brigham Young Cougars

Preview: Last year certainly was far from boring for BYU. In their season opener they lost QB Taysom Hill once again to an injury, only for their backup QB Tanner Mangum to come in and throw a hail mary to win the game. The amazing run continued the second week as BYU threw hail marys to start and take the lead for good against Boise State. BYU then went on the road against UCLA and nearly beat them, before they finally collapsed and were destroyed by Michigan. BYU won the next 4 games but the last of the 4 was where they struggled they nearly lost to San Jose State, and then followed it up by losing to a Missouri team that was threatening to not even play the game earlier in the week. BYU did end the regular season strong with 2 blowouts before going down 35-0 to rival Utah in their bowl game and nearly coming back. That game was Bronco Mendenhall's last game at BYU before leaving, now Kalani Sitake takes over as the head coach.

BYU's offense will be an interesting case, Taysom Hill got a 6th year of eligibility and now he's back and of course so is Tanner Mangum who impressed last year, now the question is how does BYU plan to make this work, if they do it right it could provide some great results, do it wrong and the dropoff will be massive think Ohio State's 2014 offense to Ohio State's 2015 offense, except BYU's offense was never good enough to put up 42 on Alabama. BYU gets RB Jamaal Williams back after he missed last season due to injury, the RB who took his place Algeron Brown is also back. BYU loses a lot of receivers including Mitch Matthews, but they spread the ball around a lot last year and some good experience is still here. The extremely tall Nick Kurtz is back and so is Mitchell Juergens, Moroni Laulu-Pututau could be a breakout player this year. BYU returns almost the entire 2 deep on the offensive line.

BYU should have a solid defense. The defensive line will sorely miss Bronson Kaufusi but just about every other experienced player is back. BYU has some good linebackers back but middle linebacker is a concern as their starter there as well as a lot of backups at linebacker in general are gone, depth is a concern in this unit. BYU's secondary was hit pretty hard by injuries last year and now only one player that played is gone so with all the added experience BYU should have a very strong secondary.

BYU has a ridiculous schedule this year, the first 8 games are all against teams that made an appearance at one point or another in the top 25 last year. It eases up right at the end, but even with that BYU has one of the toughest schedules in the nation. A rough start could be in store this year but BYU will still make a bowl, and hover just below 10 wins again.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 Arizona (Glendale): I have this game as pretty much a toss up, I went with Arizona winning this game. L

Sept. 10 @ Utah: Unfortunately for BYU, Utah takes them down once again. L

Sept. 17 UCLA: BYU puts up a tough fight in this game only to lose another close one. L

Sept. 24 West Virginia (Landover): This is yet another back and forth game, I've been flip flopping on this one all along, I decided on BYU in the end. W

Sept. 30 Toledo: This game is even tough for BYU, I'm sure they didn't plan on that, they still manage to win it tough. W

Oct. 8 @ Michigan State: I'm going with a rather surprising upset here, I think BYU's defense will keep Michigan State's offense from going anywhere, while BYU gets enough plays in the passing game to win. W

Oct. 14 Mississippi State: BYU gets on a roll as they beat Mississippi State to win another. W

Oct. 20 @ Boise State: They come falling down after the stretch of tough games, and this is BYU's 2nd straight short week. L

Nov. 5 @ Cincinnati: It's about time BYU got a bye week(I'm trying to be impartial here, I'm actually glad inside that BYU has a rough stretch before playing Boise State), they end up dominating Cincinnati in this game. W

Nov. 12 Southern Utah: Easy win W

Nov. 19 UMass: Another easy win. W

Nov. 26 Utah State: They dominate Utah State in this game as well. W

Predicted Record: 8-4

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Preview: Notre Dame endured a lot of injuries last year and yet still had one of the best teams they've had under Brian Kelly. They opened the season in impressive fashion as they embarrassed Texas, but concerns quickly arose as QB Malik Zaire got hurt against Virginia, Notre Dame then lost the lead and if not for a near hail mary at the end by the other QB DeShone Kizer, they would have lost to Virginia, they beat Georgia Tech worse than the 8 point win indicates, and after another blowout win, Notre Dame traveled to Clemson, and played them in what basically was a hurricane, Notre Dame was miserable in the first half turning the ball over constantly, still they came back and nearly brought it to overtime but they failed to convert the 2 point conversion. Notre Dame rolled past Navy and USC before going on the road against Temple, they fell behind late but drove down the field to win the game. They went back to winning easy dominating the next two games before playing terrible against Boston College and escaping with a win, they lost a thriller to Stanford in the regular season finale but then were pummeled by a woken up Ohio State team in the Fiesta bowl. Notre Dame truly looks like a playoff contender but there's a few things that could unravel this.

The offense was very impressive for Notre Dame, it almost didn't lose a beat when QB Malik Zaire went down, Notre Dame's only offensive issue was turnovers which has been a common theme under Brian Kelly. Both Zaire and Kizer return this year and here's where we get the first potential unraveling point. Two QBs is always a potentially awkward situation, Ohio State even struggled with it last year, both are excellent QBs two of the best in the nation. Brian Kelly with 2 QBs is a concern, he is an impatient coach and the first mistake will lead to a QB being suddenly pulled, and today it's been announced that both QBs will play in the opener. Notre Dame will miss C.J Prosise at RB but make no mistake they're loaded at RB. Tarean Folston is back from missing almost all of last year because of injury and Josh Adams who played a lot more late returns. Notre Dame has a lot of changes at receiver, their star Will Fuller is in the NFL now, their 2nd and 3rd leading receivers are gone as well. TE Alize Jones was lost due to academic issues and WR Corey Robinson's career looks to be over due to concussions. This is a lot to lose. The cupboard would be completely bare though Torii Hunter Jr looks set for a breakout year and another breakout candidate is sophomore receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, wow what a name that is. Notre Dame had a fantastic offensive line last year but now it loses 3 starters and that includes Tackle Ronnie Stanley who is now in the NFL.

Notre Dame's defense is the 2nd unraveling point, they had a lot of injuries in the secondary last year but it was the run defense that struggled most. Notre Dame loses two great players on the defensive line in Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara, still they return Jarron Jones from injury and just about everyone else in the 2 deep is back. The linebackers have some big losses with both Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt gone. Notre Dame returns a lot of the rest of the 2 deep there also but depth is a concern. Notre Dame's secondary was beat up last year and now it loses quite a bit, including safety Elijah Shumate and corner Keivarae Russell. There's a chance that this could be a very young secondary this year.

Notre Dame has the benefit of a much easier schedule this year, they draw a pretty easy slate of ACC teams, the hardest might be Miami of Florida, perhaps the craziest thing is thanks to some neutral site games, NOTRE DAME PLAYS THREE TRUE ROAD GAMES ALL YEAR!! No one else has that few road games. Notre Dame with this schedule could contend for the playoff, 9 wins quite honestly could be the worst case scenario.

Predictions:

Sept. 4 @ Texas: I've got to be honest I almost had Texas pulling the upset here but wimped out, this is a losable game for Notre Dame with 2 QBs playing and Texas will be bringing out a new offense, it's been a while since we didn't know what to expect for plays by a Texas offense, this will be a shootout though. W

Sept. 10 Nevada: Easy win. W

Sept. 17 Michigan State: Notre Dame hasn't lost to Michigan State since the fake field goal, and the last few meetings haven't even been close, I have Notre Dame. W

Sept. 24 Duke: Do you really think Notre Dame is going to lose to Duke? W

Oct. 1 Syracuse (East Rutherford): Syracuse for some reason proves to be a pest against Notre Dame, they could be again, but Notre Dame wins. W

Oct. 8 @ NC State: NC State is a tricky place to play, but NC State loses a lot and haven't been able to pull any upsets under Doeren. W

Oct. 15 Stanford: These two are always in close battles, I decided to go with Stanford. L

Oct. 29 Miami of Florida: There really isn't much telling what Miami will do this year, but Notre Dame gets a bye week before this and has dominated Miami in their past few meetings. W

Nov. 5 Navy (Jacksonville): Let's take two teams from the north and have them play down south, Notre Dame wins easily. W

Nov. 12 Army West Point (San Antonio): Let's take two teams from the north and have them play down south Part II, Notre Dame wins easily Part II. W

Nov. 19 Virginia Tech: It is cool seeing these teams play each other, Virginia Tech is a bit away from winning a game like this though. W

Nov. 26 @ USC: Another toss up game, I think USC plays one of their best games of the year to beat Notre Dame. L

Predicted Record: 10-2

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Well looks like I have to do full conference previews for the rest of the conferences, sorry folks.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Big 12 Conference
​

Overview: The Big 12 is once again an interesting league. The favorite to win it is Oklahoma, who brings loads of talent back from a team that made the college football playoff and was mostly dominate except for a random loss to Texas and getting dominated by Clemson in the playoff. Oklahoma has some concerns though, the schedule is a lot tougher, they've had trouble living up to high expectations recently and their QB Baker Mayfield is key to it all, if he gets hurt Oklahoma is probably done for.

Their rivals Oklahoma State are another strong contender, Oklahoma State was a championship contender until the collapsed late, nearly losing to Iowa State, losing at home to Baylor and their converted WR quarterback, then getting destroyed by Oklahoma and then Ole Miss in their New Years 6 bowl. Oklahoma State will only have one QB this year in Mason Rudolph, he was excellent last year but gave redzone plays to the now graduated JW Walsh. Oklahoma State's biggest weakness was running the ball, transfer RB Barry Sanders Jr could help with that as he seems to be a better fit for Oklahoma State's offense than Stanford's offense.

TCU put together a very gritty year last year as they were hit harder than anyone in the nation by injuries, they survived some close games while others didn't go as well, they collapsed against Oklahoma State and were being dominated by Oklahoma until Baker Mayfield got hurt and TCU very well just about took the game away, TCU wound up taking down Baylor in a weird monsoon game, and they won their bowl against Oregon after going down 31-0 at halftime. TCU will miss Trevone Boykin but could resurrect the career of Kenny Hill, TCU is loaded at RB, they will miss Doctson at receive, TCU will likely have the best defense in the league as a lot of players got experience last year thanks to all the injuries.

Baylor meanwhile collapsed late as they were incredibly unlucky with injuries at QB, they collapsed down the stretch having to use converted WRs at QB, though they changed the offense and destroyed North Carolina in their bowl to the tune of 645 rushing yards. The big story on Baylor is their disaster of an offseason, controversy led to Art Briles being fired and loads of players transferred out of the program. Baylor's starting lineup mostly stayed but it's their depth that has taken a major hit, that starts at the QB position where Seth Russell is back, but if he gets hurt Baylor could be in a lot of trouble. Jim Grobe takes over as the coach and he's good enough to somewhat hold the team together but Baylor certainly will drop off this year. West Virginia started out last season 3-0 and they were dominant but they had to play the top 4 in the Big 12 in the following 4 games and they lost all 4 of them,

West Virginia rebounded somewhat but then laid an egg to end the regular season against Kansas State, they did beat Arizona State in their bowl. Holgerson is likely on the hot seat this year so he needs a big one, they bring back a lot on offense and if QB Skyler Howard can improve this offense should be really good, the defense is a concern though they lose lot of key pieces there and then one of the returning starters Dravon Askew-Henry got hurt for the year, West Virginia has a tough OOC schedule this year but they do draw a lot of top teams from the league at home.

Texas meanwhile will have a different offense and all indications are they will have a new QB in freshman Shane Buechele, Texas will finally have a better year under Strong but it will be interesting to see just how good. Texas Tech meanwhile may have reached their peak under Kliff Kingsbury if they can't improve their defense, Texas Tech's offense was one of the best in the nation and it can't possibly get much better so the only way for Texas Tech to improve in terms of wins is a better defense. Kansas State was hit brutally hard by injuries last year and I personally think Snyder will get them competitive in the league again this year and will pull at least one ridiculous upset. Iowa State has a new coach, they have some good pieces, especially on offense but their schedule is tough. Kansas is still very bad but they should win a game finally.

Key Games: (Winner in bold)

Sept. 2
Kansas State @ Stanford

Sept. 3
Oklahoma @ Houston(NRG Stadium)
West Virginia vs Missouri

Sept. 4
Texas vs Notre Dame

Sept. 10
Iowa State @ Iowa
TCU vs Arkansas
Texas Tech @ Arizona State

Sept. 17
Oklahoma vs Ohio State
Oklahoma State vs Pitt
Texas @ Cal

Sept. 24
Oklahoma State @ Baylor
West Virginia vs BYU(Landover, MD)

Oct. 1
Baylor @ Iowa State - This is where the Baylor collapse really begins
Kansas State @ West Virginia
Oklahoma @ TCU
Texas @ Oklahoma State

Oct. 8
Texas vs Oklahoma (Dallas)

Oct. 15
Kansas State @ Oklahoma - Here's that ridiculous upset
West Virginia @ Texas Tech

Oct. 22
Texas @ Kansas State
Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
TCU @ West Virginia

Oct. 29
Baylor @ Texas
Kansas State @ Iowa State -Kansas State's amazing run comes to an end
West Virginia @ Oklahoma State

Nov. 5
TCU @ Baylor - Baylor is motivated in this one and plays their best game
Oklahoma State @ Kansas State
Texas @ Texas Tech

Nov. 12
Baylor @ Oklahoma
West Virginia @ Texas

Nov. 19
Kansas State @ Baylor
Oklahoma @ West Virginia
Oklahoma State @ TCU - Oklahoma State's first loss

Nov. 25
TCU @Texas

Dec. 3
Baylor @ West Virginia
Kansas State @ TCU
Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma

Standings
​

1. Oklahoma Sooners 10-2(7-2)
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys 10-2(7-2)
3. TCU Horned Frogs 9-3(6-3)
4. Texas Longhorns 7-5(5-4)
5. West Virginia Mountaineers 7-5(5-4)
6. Kansas State Wildcats 7-5(5-4) - all 3 went 1-1 against each other so I just did it by bowl selection
7. Iowa State Cyclones 6-6(4-5)
8. Baylor Bears 6-6(3-6)
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders 6-6(3-6)
10. Kansas Jayhawks 1-11(0-9)

​

 

[7Samurai13]

Well looks like I have to do full conference previews for the rest of the conferences, sorry folks.

Wasted too much time on the mid majors. No one cares about mid majors

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Wasted too much time on the mid majors. No one cares about mid majors

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I got started on this way too late, tried to get predictions in with knowledge of suspensions and season ending injuries that happen throughout the offseason

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Big 10
AAC
and finally the ACC conference previews to be posted this week

I will try to do Playoff and NY6 bowl projections as well

 

[BoiseMike19]

Leach is a bad coach is why he hasn't strung together good seasons in a row. But even with him at the helm having an experienced QB should get at about 8 wins. He flopped Tuel and Halliday, Conners junior year we went Bowling then Halliday broke his leg. Falk very well may get hurt this year and it will flush the season down the toilet. We were like what 20 points front going 11-1, but on the same token the other way but generally when a team returns basically 17 of 22 starters tend to trend upwards from the previous year. Just as UW, we get our tough games at ideal times but UCLA on the backend will be tough. Either it's semantics I just don't agree with getting upset in every game as predicted. Maybe 1 but not everyone, the offensive guys are way too competitive to allow that to happen, unless of course injuries happen which it did that killed Bender having any prayer during the AC.

Wazzu, you are way too hard on this guy. Don't get me wrong I think he is a doosh that acts and looks like he suffered from down syndrome. But you (believe it or not us guys) are for the first time in a decade are on the map. I'll be at the game and I think this will be the pace setter for both teams this year.

 

[TigerBait1971]

Reported this thread as SPAM.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Reported this thread as SPAM.

Also you have been Reported!

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Big 10 Conference

​

Overview: The Big 10 has certainly stepped it up the past few years as a league and it will certainly be right up there again. Ohio State is the league's gold standard and this year will be very interesting as they lose more starters than anyone, yet one of the returning starters is QB JT Barrett who has the job all to himself. With Barrett back it's clear Ohio State won't drop far, and they still could win the Big 10 and make the playoff. They will have some challengers in the East again though. Michigan State has been the team to beat Ohio State in 2 of the 3 years that Ohio State was eligible for the division, including last year. Michigan State certainly enters with questions this year as they escaped with close wins in a lot of games, they ran out of luck against Nebraska though and Alabama exposed them in the playoff. Michigan State loses a lot of starters on both sides of the ball now so a down year could be in order, which in the case of Michigan State under Dantonio means 8-10 wins and falling short of division title contention. The loudest contender for the East is Michigan who over the offseason has suddenly received hype for a playoff birth. There's reasons for the hype but also reasons on why we need to pump the brakes on this. Michigan definitely returns a pretty talented team, especially on defense but the offense has a lot of questions, they still haven't figured out their QB yet and they struggled to run the ball last year. The good news for Michigan is the schedule is incredibly easy they play no one good OOC and very few tough road games. Penn State is a bit of a wildcard, they have struggled so far under Franklin, they had a talented QB in Christian Hackenburg but Franklin refused to adapt to his strengths so now Franklin put himself on the hot seat as a result, still Penn State could be in for a better year with a QB that fits better. Indiana should still be good on offense, possibly good enough for another bowl, but will the defense be better? Maryland was a team primed for a better year this year but the coaching change lowers that, DJ Durkin could still squeeze out a bowl appearance with the defense they should have. Rutgers meanwhile is in rebuilding mode.

The West is pretty much wide open, the winner may not even be the best team in the division, but the one with the easier schedule. Iowa was a surprise unbeaten team last year but they were lucky to have won as many close games as they did, a slight step back is in the cards, especially with a tougher schedule. Iowa is still a strong division contender. Northwestern was another team that was extremely lucky to win as many close games as they did, it's hard to see them repeating what they did last year especially with Ohio State and Michigan State on the schedule, but Northwestern should still be solid. Nebraska was on the complete opposite of the coin, they were incredibly unlucky last year and with one of the more talented teams Nebraska should take a big step up this year. Wisconsin meanwhile lost their defensive coordinator and they weren't great last year losing 3 games against a pretty easy schedule, now Wisconsin is faced with a very hard schedule, they could be better and lose twice as many games. Minnesota meanwhile is the team in the division that draws the easy schedule, and with a solid team returning they're a division contender as a result. Illinois had a late coaching change as they hired a head coach twice this offseason, hiring Cubit, then firing him like 2 weeks later for Lovie Smith. It's tough to see Illinois making a bowl. Then there's Purdue, they simply just suck.

Key Games: (Winner in bold)

Sept. 3
Northwestern vs Western Michigan
Wisconsin vs LSU(Green Bay)

Sept. 10
Illinois vs North Carolina
Iowa vs Iowa State
Penn State @ Pitt

Sept. 17
Illinois vs Western Michigan
Iowa vs North Dakota State - might regret not picking the upset
Michigan State @ Notre Dame
Nebraska vs Oregon
Northwestern vs Duke
Ohio State @ Oklahoma - this would be Ohio State's first true road loss under Meyer
Penn State vs Temple

Sept. 24
Penn State @ Michigan
Wisconsin @ Michigan State
Nebraska @ Northwestern

Oct. 1
Northwestern @ Iowa
Wisconsin @ Michigan
Minnesota @ Penn State

Oct. 8
Iowa @ Minnesota
Michigan State vs BYU

Oct. 15
Minnesota @ Maryland
Northwestern @ Michigan State
Ohio State @ Wisconsin

Oct. 22
Wisconsin @ Iowa
Ohio State @ Penn State

Oct. 29
Michigan @ Michigan State
Nebraska @ Wisconsin
Northwestern @ Ohio State

Nov. 5
Iowa @ Penn State
Nebraska @ Ohio State
Wisconsin @ Northwestern

Nov. 12
Michigan @ Iowa
Minnesota @ Nebraska

Nov. 19
Ohio State @ Michigan State
Northwestern @ Minnesota

Nov. 25
Nebraska @ Iowa

Nov. 26
Michigan @ Ohio State
Michigan State @ Penn State
Minnesota @ Wisconsin

Standings
​

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

West

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

Big 10 Championship: Ohio State over Nebraska- hard to bet against Meyer in this one

​

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

American Athletic Conference
​

Overview: Yes I did the American before the ACC, completely because I felt like it. This conference looks to be the best of the non-power conferences again this year and there will be a lot of fun teams within it.

The East division favorite will be the South Florida Bulls who definitely had a tale of two seasons. To start the year South Florida struggled they lost to Maryland and their only highlight was staying close with Florida State in the first half, Taggert looked to be on his way out, suddenly South Florida blew out Syracuse and played a lot better the rest of the year especially late when they blew out Temple, absolutely destroyed Cincinnati and their rival UCF, they lost their bowl but still it was a great year for South Florida. Now with just about everyone back South Florida is quietly a contender to win the American and make a New Years 6 bowl, if they even play better than they did late last year and upset Florida State making the playoff is certainly on the table for this team. There of course is the concern that maybe they peaked too early and may perform about the same this year, if so some other teams will be ready to pounce. Temple won the division last year in what was probably one of the best years for Temple ever, they were undefeated late and nearly kept that undefeated record going but lost a close game to Notre Dame. Temple somehow kept head coach Matt Rhule, but loses a lot from an amazing defense, Temple brings back a lot on an offense that needs to play better this year since it doesn't have the defense to carry it anymore. Cincinnati is a bit of a wildcard in the division, they looked to have the most talented team in the league entering last year and they were a major disappointment going 7-6 and looking absolutely terrible at times. They now lose most of a talented receiving core and now Gunner Kiel the biggest name on the team has lost the starting job to Hayden Moore for better or worse. Cincinnati has the talent they could easily rebound and win the division or they could fall even farther and Tuberville would likely get shown the door. UConn made a bowl last year with an amazing coaching job by Bob Diaco, their offense was horrible last year and it will need to not suck for UConn to take another step up this year. East Carolina was hit brutally hard by injuries last year which led to a bad season, but they hurt the continuity by suddenly firing Ruffin McNeil, had they not fired him they could have been a good rebound candidate this year. UCF completely collapsed last year, and as they will learn it's hard to build a program up but it sure is easy for it to be torn back down, Scott Frost is completely starting from scratch.

The West division has the big name of the conference in Houston who had an incredible year losing only one game(where they were in a horrible situation due to QB injuries) and winning a New Years 6 bowl by 2 TDs over Florida State, Houston brings almost everyone back from the offense but does have some losses on defense, still them even losing a single conference game would be a major surprise. It's not like the road will be easy though, Memphis also had an incredible year dominating eventual New Years 6 bowl winner Ole Miss early in the year and rose to 13th in the polls before a sudden late season regression as they fell apart late in the year, Memphis loses their star QB Paxton Lynch as well as their head coach but they bring back almost all their running backs and should still be a solid team. Navy will sorely miss Keenan Reynolds and they won't be as good this year as they were last year but expect Navy to remain solid as well. Tulsa is most fit to improve this year they bring a lot back from a very exciting offense, but they had a defense that was awful and probably can't get much worse. Of course if Tulsa's defense was worse it would be SMU's defense, SMU will have an amazing offense that will keep them in most games until late, they will lose most of their games still but they will sure make it fun to watch! Tulane meanwhile made an exciting hire in Willie Fritz, I can't see them doing well this year but that program should be on the upswing soon.

Key Games:

Sept. 3
Houston vs Oklahoma (NRG Stadium)

Sept. 10
Cincinnati @ Purdue
UConn @ Navy
East Carolina vs NC State - They made a living winning these games under McNeil, not sure if that continues
South Florida vs Northern Illinois

Sept. 15
Houston @ Cincinnati

Sept. 17
UConn vs Virginia
ECU @ South Carolina
South Florida @ Syracuse
Temple @ Penn State

Sept. 24
UConn vs Syracuse
ECU @ Virginia Tech
Memphis vs Bowling Green
South Florida vs Florida State

Sept. 29
UConn @ Houston

Oct. 1
South Florida @ Cincinnati
Memphis @ Ole Miss
Navy @ Air Force

Oct. 6
Temple @ Memphis

Oct. 7
SMU @ Tulsa - because first to 70 wins

Oct. 8
Cincinnati @ UConn
Houston @ Navy

Oct. 13
Navy @ East Carolina

Oct. 15
UConn @ South Florida
Tulsa @ Houston

Oct. 21
South Florida @ Temple

Oct. 22
East Carolina @ Cincinnati
Memphis @ Navy

Oct. 28
Navy @ South Florida

Oct. 29
Cincinnati @ Temple
UConn @ East Carolina
Tulsa @ Memphis

Nov. 4
Temple @ UConn

Nov. 5
Cincinnati vs BYU
Navy vs Notre Dame (Jacksonville)

Nov. 12
South Florida @ Memphis
Tulsa @ Navy

Nov. 17
Houston vs Louisville

Nov. 18
Memphis @ Cincinnati

Nov. 19
UConn @ Boston College - what an ugly game this will be
South Florida @ SMU

Nov. 25
Cincinnati @ Tulsa - because nothing says rivalry week like Cincinnati facing Tulsa
Houston @ Memphis

Standings
​

East

1. South Florida Bulls 8-4(5-3) - South Florida wins by beating both Temple and UConn
2. Connecticut Huskies 6-6(5-3)
3. Temple Owls 8-4(5-3)
4. Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5(4-4)
5. East Carolina Pirates 4-8(3-5)
6. Central Florida Knights 2-10(1-7)

West

1. Houston Cougars 11-1(8-0)
2. Navy Midshipmen 8-4(6-2)
3. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 8-4(5-3)
4. Memphis Tigers 7-5(4-4)
5. SMU Mustangs 4-8(2-6)
6. Tulane Green Wave 1-11(0-8)

Conference Championship: Houston over South Florida - in this scenario South Florida ended the year struggling plus it's hard seeing Herman falling short in a big game like this.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

ACC
​

Overview: Well here goes the final league for these predictions. The ACC has basically been a two horse race for years, and for the most part Florida State and Clemson have won each conference game except for the ones against each other, only Georgia Tech has upset the balance recently.

The Atlantic division will almost certainly come down to one game and that's on October 29th when Clemson visits Florida State, the winner of that game is basically guaranteed a conference championship birth. Clemson is the conference's overall favorite, and it's easy to see why. They return the best QB in college football in Deshaun Watson, have a great RB in Wayne Gallman, the only receiver they lose is Charon Peake and replacing him is Mike Williams who got hurt in the first game last year and missed the entire season, this really strong receiving corps actually will be better. An Offensive line that entered last season as a questionable one is now a seasoned line. Clemson's defense is where they take most of their losses and it's a lot of talent they lose there but Venables has proven he can field a good defense each year, and in all reality it only has to be decent. Then there's Florida State, they bring back one of the nation's best RBs in Dalvin Cook, the fact that he's only one of the best shows just how many great RBs there are in college football right now. Florida State is expecting to see better receiver and offensive line play this year, but there's one massive question mark, the quarterback. Sean Maguire hasn't proven to be any better than mediocre at the position and now he's hurt to start the year, Florida State might find themselves starting a freshman this year. Florida State loses some on defense but is still loaded. Louisville is hoping to pose a challenge in the coastal and they're getting a lot of hype to do so. There's some reasons that we need to cool down on the Louisville hype, sure they ended the season strong last year, but that was to be expected, Louisville played a front loaded schedule with all their toughest games early, I in fact predicted they would surge late. Louisville beat Texas A&M in their bowl by 6, considering that Texas A&M was worse than Auburn it's tough to tell if Louisville improved at all. At the same time there is some good reasons for the hype, they bring back a good RB, some great receivers and a loaded defense, if QB Lamar Jackson has the breakout year everyone is predicting him to Louisville could live up to it after all. The rest of the division gets real murky, NC State has been about as mediocre as ever under Dave Doeren and that was with a good QB, Syracuse has a new head coach in Dino Babers and the new exciting offense could spring Syracuse to a decent year. Wake Forest is under Dave Clawson's 3rd year, they will see some progress but probably fall short of a bowl. Boston College meanwhile managed to have the nation's best defense and probably the nation's worse offense. It's hard to see Boston College doing any better defensively or doing any worse offensively.

The Coastal division is as wide open as ever, rejuvenated with several new head coaches, it's possible for any team to win this division. The hot name is Miami-Florida with Mark Richt as their new head coach, they bring back an excellent QB, still Miami was under some poor coaching the last few years and they definitely have a lot of holes on the team. They could be improved and possibly pull a surprising upset. North Carolina is the returning champ and while they will have a new QB, that QB will be surrounded by a lot of talent, especially at receiver. North Carolina should see more strides defensively too, now that they finally lived up to the hype last year they're ready to be a contender again. Then there's Pitt who perhaps is underrated as a possible division contender as they have James Conner back finally, and they should have a strong defense as well. Virginia Tech used to win this division every year but have faded lately, it's tough to tell how they will do this year, with an offensive coach like Fuente taking over they could find solutions on offense and win the division, or struggle with it again, either way expect the defense to remain strong. Georgia Tech meanwhile was a huge disappointment last year as they collapsed to a 3-9 record, their only conference win was oddly enough against Florida State, because that makes sense of course. With Justin Thomas back Georgia Tech could surge again, but it's tough to tell what to expect from them after last year. Duke has been a coastal contender lately, they still have a good defense and their offense should be decent too, Duke will at least make a bowl. Then there's Virginia, they recruited extremely well under London so now we find out, were the players busts? Or was London simply a terrible gameday coach?

Key Games:

Sept. 3
Clemson @ Auburn
North Carolina vs Georgia (Atlanta)

Sept. 5
Florida State vs Ole Miss(Orlando)

Sept. 9
Louisville @ Syracuse

Sept. 10
Pitt vs Penn State
Virginia @ Oregon
Virginia Tech vs Tennessee(Bristol)

Sept. 17
Florida State @ Louisville
Miami (fl) @ Appalachian State
Pitt @ Oklahoma State
Syracuse vs South Florida

Sept. 22
Clemson @ Georgia Tech

Sept. 24
Florida State @ South Florida
Pitt @ North Carolina

Oct. 1
Louisville @ Clemson
North Carolina @ Florida State
Miami @ Georgia Tech

Oct. 8
Florida State @ Miami
Virginia Tech @ North Carolina
Georgia Tech @ Pitt

Oct. 15
Georgia Southern @ Georgia Tech
North Carolina @ Miami
Pitt @ Virginia

Oct.20
Miami @ Virginia Tech

Oct. 22
North Carolina @ Virginia

Oct. 27
Virginia Tech @ Pitt

Oct. 29
CLEMSON @ FLORIDA STATE
Duke @ Georgia Tech
Louisville @ Virginia
Miami @ Notre Dame

Nov. 5
Florida State @ NC State
Georgia Tech @ North Carolina
Pitt @ Miami
Virginia Tech @ Duke

Nov. 10
North Carolina @ Duke

Nov. 12
Pitt @ Clemson
Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech
Miami @ Virginia

Nov. 17
Louisville @ Houston

Nov. 19
Virginia @ Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame

Nov. 26
Duke @ Miami
Florida State vs Florida
Georgia Tech @ Georgia
Louisville vs Kentucky
Virginia @ Virginia Tech

Standings
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Coastal
1. Pittsburgh Panthers 9-3(6-2)
2. Miami Hurricanes 8-4(5-3)
3. North Carolina Tar Heels 9-3(5-3)
4. Duke Blue Devils 6-6(4-4)
5. Virginia Tech Hokies 6-6(4-4)
6. Virginia Cavaliers 6-6(3-5)
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 6-6(3-5)

Atlantic

1. Clemson Tigers 12-0(8-0)
2. Florida State Seminoles 10-2(6-2)
3. Syracuse Orange 6-6(4-4)
4. Louisville Cardinals 7-5(4-4)
5. NC State Wolfpack 5-7(2-6) beat WF & BC head to head
6. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 5-7(2-6) Beat BC
7. Boston College Eagles 5-7(2-6)

Acc Championship: Clemson over Pitt - do you really think Clemson will go all this way, just to lose to Pitt?

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Tomorrow we look at the playoff and NY6 bowls

This is chaos

Alabama and Clemson are unbeaten and in easily.

Only one loss team is Houston

2 loss teams include: (Conf champs in italics)

Oklahoma
Ohio State
Oregon
LSU
Florida State
Oklahoma State

Oklahoma would certainly get in thanks to wins over both Ohio State and Houston

huge question on who the last one is

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

So here's what they would most likely look like in this scenario

It goes down to Oregon vs Ohio State, Ohio State is tempting but Oregon avenged one of their 2 losses in the title game so they get in - in all reality in real life it would go down to the eye test of who looks good at the time, but there's no telling who that will be. I will follow one real life thing, and to avoid the controversy all together the committee jumps Oregon to 3rd to avoid the Oregon vs Ohio State comparisons as well as avoid Oklahoma and Clemson playing each other for the 3rd year in a row.


Peach Bowl: 1) Alabama vs 4) Oklahoma

Fiesta Bowl: 2) Clemson vs 3) Oregon


Other New Years 6 bowls

Orange Bowl: Florida State vs Michigan

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Stanford

Sugar Bowl: TCU vs LSU

Cotton Bowl: Tennessee vs Houston

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oklahoma State is left out as they lost their last two regular season games and Tennessee is in the SEC

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Peach Bowl: 1) Alabama vs 4) Oklahoma

Fiesta Bowl: 2) Clemson vs 3) Oregon


Other New Years 6 bowls

Orange Bowl: Florida State vs Michigan

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Stanford

Sugar Bowl: TCU vs LSU

Cotton Bowl: Tennessee vs Houston

Winners in bold

National championship is Oklahoma vs Clemson

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

and the national champion is.....