The calm before the storm... (2024 CFB Preview thread)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Casualties of conference realignment, Pac-12 officials detail hope, devastation in search of new opportunities

Amid the Pac-12's dissolution, it's easy to overlook those who proudly carry the conference's lasting legacies

www.cbssports.com

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Air Force

The last preview segment for the Mountain West: The Air Force Falcons

Last season: It started out so well for the Falcons, as they went 8-0 and had dreams of winning the Mountain West title. But then something happened, and Air Force went winless in the month of November. And even though they recovered to win their bowl game, I wonder what could have been if the Falcons had kept it together.

Bad news: And now, Air Force faces a BIG rebuilding effort; only 7 starters from last year's team returns. This includes an entirely new O-line, which is not good for an unproven QB like John Busha and the famed Falcon run game.

Good news: With the amount of good recruiting classes Air Force had accumulated over the years, finding new guys could be easier than I thought. The coaching staff has remained intact for a while, which should be good news for a rebuilding defense.

Key games:
9/28 @ Wyoming (A low-scoring battle in the Mountain West is expected here.)
10/5 vs. Navy (No doubt, Air Force is thinking about getting back that damn "Commander-in-Chief" trophy this year. And here is the first step to doing it.)
11/2 @ Army (And here's the other big step. That great 8-0 start Air Force was on died against Army. In the state of Colorado. By a score of 23-3!)
11/9 vs. Fresno State (If Air Force wants to compete for the Mountain West title in 2024, they NEED to win this bout against the Bulldogs.)
Asked to help: Oregon State (11/16)

Bottom line: Troy Calhoun has dealt with massive rebuilds at Air Force before, so maybe it'll be the same thing here. Will they compete for the Mountain West in 2024? Maybe not. But if all of their new players catch on quick, they should at least take back the "CIC" trophy and go bowling again.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Mountain West predictions

Now I'm off to sort out my preview schedule for the "Power 4" conferences (which will come out tomorrow). But until then, here are my picks for the Mountain West in 2024:

1. Boise State (Conference champs)
2. Fresno State
3. UNLV
4. Air Force
5. Colorado State
6. Wyoming
7. Utah State
8. Hawaii
9. San Diego State
10. San Jose State
11. New Mexico
12. Nevada

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Now this is my final post on this thread before I move on to the new "Power 4" conferences. Here is my revised schedule for these leagues (to be done on separate threads):

Big 12: Done in alphabetical order for your convenience!
ACC: Syracuse has to travel 2,779 miles just to play a conference game in California. That's the new world we live in.
Big 10: ...I still say this whole thing with USC and Oregon playing conference games in Indiana is just wrong.
SEC: Okay, how many teams are the SEC gonna put in the new 12-team playoff? Three? Four? Or maybe Five?

And again, thank you for reading.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Playoff and national title Picks

I'm back on this thread one more time... to give you my "big-boy" picks for the playoff and national title. First, my 12 playoff teams:

Notre Dame
Georgia (as SEC champs)
Ole Miss
Texas
Alabama
Ohio State (as Big 10 champs)
Oregon
Michigan
Florida State (as ACC champs)
Clemson
Kansas State (as Big 12 champs)
Appalachian State (if they qualify) or Penn State (if they don't)

And finally, my national title pick is Ole Miss over Ohio State! The toughened Rebels will make it through the playoff, then shock the bratty Buckeyes to win it all!

Of course, I would like to hear what YOU guys think!

 

[Xeliou66]

I’ll give playoff and national title picks a try, I’m sure I’ll be wrong on most of it, I don’t get predictions right often and it’s impossible to tell how a season will play out especially with a new playoff format, but here we go

My playoff teams

Georgia
Texas
Ole Miss
Oregon
Ohio St
Missouri
Alabama
Notre Dame
Penn St
Kansas St
Clemson
Memphis

National Title

Georgia over Ohio St