With only one week until the college football season kicks off, it's hard not to get excited for the new season of college football. ESPN already had a College Gameday special air this afternoon, with Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso making their preseason, conference champion selections. So it got me thinking, who are my early favorites to win each of the six major conferences? Here they are.
SEC: Usually the winner of this conference is one of the participants in the BCS National Championship game. This year will prove to be no different. I like Alabama to be the SEC representative out of the Western Division. The #2 ranked team in the preseason polls have question marks at quarterback, but remember two years ago when they won the national title with a first-year starting QB in Greg McIlroy and ran the football hard with Mark Ingram. This year will be no different with the QB position up in the air, but running back Trent Richardson will lead the Tide this season and maybe even take home the Heisman in the process. Coming out of the East division, I like the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Old Ballcoach, Steve Spurrier, is blessed with easily the best QB-RB-WR combo in the NCAA. Plug in senior QB Steven Garcia under center and you have the experience needed to do well. Compliment that with a great wide receiver in Alshon Jeffery and running back Marcus Lattimore and you have one of the best three player combos in the entire nation.
Prediction: Alabama over South Carolina
Alabama running back Trent Richardson
BIG 12: This may be one of the easiest decisions to make. The #1 ranked team in the nation plays out of this conference and there just doesn't seem to be much competition coming from any of the other members. Of course I'm talking about the Oklahoma Sooners. An early test in Tallahassee against #6 Florida State could prove to be their biggest test, but it will be a good gauge to see how QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles will handle the pressure of being the top dog. The trip to FSU on Sept. 17th will be their toughest road test of the season, while getting rival Texas at a neutral site and a tough Texas A&M squad at home in Norman.
Prediction: Oklahoma
Oklahoma QB Landry Jones
BIG 10: The new look Big 10 (with 12 teams) will have their first conference championship game played this year. The two divisions, Legends and Leaders. Sure the names are cheesy, but the competition is fierce. I like the new members of the Big 10, Nebraska, coming out of the Legends division. Taylor Martinez is an athletic quarterback and the defense in Lincoln always proves to be one of the best in the nation. The Leaders division isn't as clear cut, with Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin all members in the division. Penn State doesn't seem to have the power to do it this year, leaving Ohio State and Wisconsin to duke it out. If Ohio State can find a reliable quarterback to fill in for Terrelle Pryor, they have the athleticism to be competitive once again. As for Wisconsin, oh what a difference a solid QB can make. Before Russell Wilson picked Wisconsin as his transfer school, Wisconsin was viewed as a middle of the pack team. Now with Wilson at the helm, they look to win the Big 10. I like the winner of this division to be decided when Ohio State and Wisconsin play each other. Fortunately for Ohio State, they get Wisconsin at home, giving them the edge and my vote to win the Leaders division.
Prediction: Nebraska over Ohio State
Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez
PAC 12: This one really has only two choices: Oregon and Stanford. Unfortunately, they are in the same division, so only one of them can represent the PAC 12 in their title game. If Oregon gets by LSU in the first week of the season, look for them to have smooth sailing until they have to travel to Palo Alto to take on Heisman favorite Andrew Luck and Stanford. I think Stanford will tame the Ducks this year and will win the PAC 12 North. In the South, we have a bit of a dilemma. I like USC in this division, but since they are still on probation, they can't win the conference. Therefore, the second place team, in my opinion Arizona State, will represent the South division. The defense is returning nine starters and defense is a key component in being a solid college football team.
Prediction: Stanford over Arizona State
Stanford QB and Heisman favorite Andrew Luck
Big East: Over the past few seasons, the Big East has always been dominated by two or three teams: West Virginia, Cincinnati, and UConn. Well this year, add South Florida to that list. The Bulls are a strong team and are slowly and quietly becoming a top-tier state of Florida team to watch out for. B.J. Daniels is an athletic quarterback. Many are making them a strong favorite to knock off Notre Dame in the first weekend of the season. The Big East, easily the weakest of the "Big 6" conferences, doesn't have a lot of depth in it this year. Expect another average record of 9-3 or 8-4 to win the Big East this year, only this time, expect South Florida to be making it to a BCS bowl game.
Prediction: South Florida
The explosive QB from South Florida, BJ Daniels
ACC: Finally, we arrive to the ACC. Florida State is the highest ranked team to start the season out of the ACC at #6, but will be tested early in the season when top-ranked Oklahoma visits Tallahassee on Sept. 17th. Even if the 'Noles lose, many are expecting them to still take care of business in the ACC, avoiding Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina. But, if they beat the Sooners, the experts are strong to believe that that could vault Florida State into the national title picture. Their two toughest tasks are out of conference, the Oklahoma game and the finale at Florida. Even if they lose two games, they should still handle business in the ACC Atlantic and represent that half of the conference in the ACC title game. As for the Coastal division, not much going on there. There isn't a ton of hype coming out of that half of the conference, but Virginia Tech is always a strong favorite to make it to the ACC Championship game. So don't expect anything different this year. I'm expecting an FSU vs. Virginia Tech ACC Championship showdown.
Prediction: Florida State over Virginia Tech
Defensive back and return man threat, Greg Reid
This should once again shape out to be a very competitive year in college football. Even with uncertainties at the top of the rankings and the smaller schools like Boise State always ready to crash the BCS party, expect a lot of chaos over the next several months.
*Images Courtesy of Google Images*
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