Hey everybody, this post will focus on my Power 5 Conference
Predictions! I would like to state that I will again be completely biased with
my Huskers until my future job requires that I be unbiased. I am fully aware
that certain games are going to be tough for Nebraska to win, but I will
provide my reasons on why there is always that chance, and what they SHOULD do
in order to get back to championship status. Enjoy!
The Big XII
Last Year's Winner: Oklahoma
The first
Power 5 Conference I'll take a swing at is the Big XII. The dynamic has changed
within the conference this year as they're now implementing a conference
championship at the end of the season. This is somewhat odd because they are
only a 10 team conference, but an extra game to boost possible Playoff Rankings
never hurt right? The top two threats to take the crown are Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State. There's a lot of hype behind Texas with new Head Coach Tom
Herman in charge, but I'm not convinced they're going to jump right to the top
that quickly. The Longhorns do have the pleasure of hosting K-State, Oklahoma
and Oklahoma State... but they're all in 3 consecutive weeks of each other. The
Wildcats are always tough under Bill Snyder, and TCU will be looking to bounce
back from an odd 6-7 season in 2017 with 7 starters returning on defense and
lots of offensive firepower. West Virginia poses threats too, but most of that
weight lies on the shoulders of ex-Gator QB Will Grier. With all that being said,
I once again turn the focus to the Sooners and the Cowboys. Both teams return
two of the best QBs in College Football with Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph.
Mayfield will have a new, but familiar Head Coach in Lincoln Riley as Big Game
Bobby stepped down during the offseason. Although this is Riley's first head
coaching gig, he's helped guide OU's offense to back to back 40+ point averages
over the past two seasons. They have a lot of weapons to replace as RBs Joe
Mixon & Samaje Perine and WR Dede Westbrook have left for the NFL. However,
having a two time Heisman finalist come back for one more year is never a bad
thing. The only issue is that their rival, the Cowboys of OSU, can also put up
quite a few points. Stillwater is home to one of the better receiving corps in
the nation, lead by James Washington who caught 71 passes a year ago for 1380
yards and 10 TDs. They get TCU, K-State and OU at home, but if they have to
face the Sooners twice in the new Big XII Championship, it could get
interesting. I always say it's very bad to play a team twice, so the winner of
the first match up in Bedlam will likely lose the second one. It's a tough pick
right now, but I have a tough time trusting Mike Gundy's teams. I'll stick with
the Sooners this time, but this conference could honestly go in a number of
different directions. We'll see if the Conference Championship Game helps or
hurts teams!
PAC 12 Conference
Last Year's Winner: Washington
TROJANS!
TROJANS! TROJANS! After an incredible finish to last season's rocky start, all
anyone can talk about when speaking of the PAC-12 are the mighty Trojans of
USC. With star QB Sam Darnold fully into the Heisman race, USC looks to be one
of the top teams to beat this year. Colorado shocked most everyone (I said to watch
out for the Buffs!) last season by winning the South Division Crown, but they
lost a lot of starters on defense. QB Steven Montez has one of the better
receiving corps in the conference to throw to, so their offense should keep
them afloat. Utah is always a factor, and their defense looks tough yet again,
but the schedule could be an issue. Colorado has some tough road games at UCLA
and Utah, but get to host both Washington and USC. The Utes drew a very
unfavorable schedule and have to play USC on the road along with the top 4
teams in the North (Washington, Stanford, Oregon and Wazzu). When looking at
the South, it'll likely come down to the cross-city QB duel between UCLA and
USC. I was able to visit both Universities this past Spring Break, and trust
me, the rivalry is very real. Josh Rosen (and UCLA) lost most of 2016 to an
injury, so they're hoping for a more productive 2017. Looking at the overall
talent however, I'm giving the edge to USC in the South. As we move up North,
we see a lot of teams chasing after the Huskies in Seattle. Chris Petersen's
squad won the conference in 2016 and even found a birth into the College
Football Playoff. Oregon looks to bounce back from a disappointing 4-8 season
last year, and to do so, they've brought in new Head Coach Willie Taggart from
USF. The Ducks will need to improve drastically on defense after giving up an
average of 41.1 points per game last year, but their offense should be as high
powered as usual led by Senior RB Royce Freeman. The Cougars of Wazzu are
looking to finally break through behind Senior QB Luke Falk. They are probably
one of the most experienced teams in the conference, but also have the toughest
schedule to match. The Cougars play USC, Colorado and Utah from the South while
having to travel against Washington and Oregon. That leaves Stanford for the
best spot to challenge the Huskies. The Cardinal will be leaning on RB Bryce
Love to fill the big shoes left by Christian McCaffrey. I'd say he's doing a
fabulous job already as he carried the ball just 13 times for 180 yards and 1
TD against Rice this past Saturday. Stanford's defense will be tough as usual,
but I doubt anything can stop the 3rd year starting duo of QB Jake Browning and
RB Myles Gaskin. There will be some holes to fill, but I expect Washington to
win the North and meet USC in the Conference Championship. This is where things
get tricky for me. I think the talent of USC needs to be proven, so I'm going
to pick Washington to win the conference yet again. No matter what, we could see
one crazy game if these two met up!
ACC
Last Year's Winner: Clemson
After a
stellar 2016, the ACC looks to bring a lot of power houses back again in 2017.
Florida State leads the way with a star QB in Deondre Francois and one of the
nation's best defenses that returns 9 starters including S Derwin James. The
'Noles have a tough schedule as they open with Bama this coming Saturday and
have two tough road games in November to Clemson and Florida. Speaking of the
Tigers, they must now move into the post-Deshaun Watson era. There are lots of
holes to replace on offense, but Dabo's defense looks to be quite formidable
yet again. Don't count the Tigers out of Championship status right away.
Louisville also poses a threat in the Atlantic Division, primarily because of
Heisman Winning QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson was incredible last season, but needs
a lot of help from his friends if the Cardinals are going to compete with the
likes of the Tigers and the Seminoles. He lost a lot of weapons on offense, but
their defense returns 7 starters and have a new coordinator calling the shots,
so watch out for the team from Louisville. Although they're not likely to win,
I always like to point out how NC State often pulls an upset or two. With
Louisville and Clemson at home for the Wolfpack, things could get interesting
in the Atlantic Division. Switching over to the Coastal Division, Miami and
Virginia Tech are the top two threats to win. The teams are very similar as
both squads have to replace their QBs and have new offensive play makers to mix
in. Defenses should be solid as Miami gave up 18.5 points per game last season
and VA Tech gave up an average of 22.8. If I were to pick a Dark Horse in that
division, it would be Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets pulled some big upsets
last year to finish 9-4, and they return 17 starters from a year ago! Star RB
Dedrick Mills will be the focus of that team, so watch for them to sting a few
opponents this fall. It's hard to pick the Coastal Division, but since Virginia
Tech is on the road for both Miami and GT, I'll give the nod to the Hurricanes.
Watch GT for my sleeper in the Coastal, but no matter what I think FSU has the
talent to win the ACC Championship this year.
SEC
Last Year's Winner: Alabama
Okay, we
already know Bama is going to win. So let's look at the potential threats and
hope one of them helps us all and beats the Tide! LSU and Auburn are neck and
neck for that number 2 spot in the West, but I think Auburn has the edge. Both
teams have terrific ground games and tough defenses, but Auburn has less
change. LSU is still getting used to Head Coach Ed Orgeron, and have to break
in new OC Matt Canada. Plus, Auburn will have ex-Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham at
QB, providing an extra spark to an offense that averaged 31.2 points per game
last year. They will have a very tough schedule, having to travel to LSU,
Arkansas and Texas A&M. Speaking of the Hogs, they're always good for an
upset or two, so be careful when playing in Fayetteville. Junior stud QB Nick
Fitzgerald also leads a Bulldog team that has a favorable schedule with LSU and
Bama at home, so watch out! Moving over to the East, we look for the team that
will more than likely get demolished by Bama yet again in the SEC Championship.
Georgia looks to have the edge as they return 11 starters on defense and a trio
of play-makers on offense in QB Jacob Eason and RBs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
The Gators acquired ex-Notre Dame QB Malik Zaire over the summer, but with only
3 returning starters on defense, they will have a lot of work to do. I'm giving
the nod to the Bulldogs and Kirby Smart. I'd like to see what he can do against
his former team in the Conference Championship, but I've still got the Tide
Rolling like usual. Maybe we'll get a miracle in 2017 and a new team will break
out! Watch out for the Wildcats up in Kentucky, they've got a good offensive
attack lead by RB Benny Snell.
BIG 10
Last Year's Winner: Penn State
The BIG 10
got extremely messy (mostly in the East) last season as Penn State won the Conference,
but Ohio State got the College Football Playoff bid. The East Division will
again be complicated as the Buckeyes will be looking for revenge against a
surprising and scary Nittany Lion team. Michigan will be rebuilding a bit this
year as they only return 6 starters, but hosting Ohio State will be a fun one
to watch. The Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions are easily the top two teams, and
it's hard to say who will win. Ohio State does get home field advantage around,
and has plenty of talent. Senior QB J.T. Barrett will be leading an offense
that has a new coordinator in ex-Hoosier Head Coach Kevin Wilson. Wilson's high
powered offense could be quite deadly with Barrett running the show. On
defense, the Buckeyes have some work to do in the secondary, but it could be
hard for opponents to even get a pass off with how scary the defensive line is
at Ohio State. Switching over to Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions look to repeat
their success from 2016. However, they wont be able to surprise everyone this
year. The exciting duo of Trace McSorely and Saquon Barkley are back, and they
will be fun to watch. I want to give the nod to Penn State, but it feels more
like a heart over head pick. I'll stick with the Buckeyes in the East.
Looking
over to the West Division, this is where I get to have my fun. Most people will
say Wisconsin has another trip to Indianapolis wrapped up, but I beg to differ.
I'll at least point out why Nebraska has a shot at winning the Division, then
it's up to them to actually make it happen for me! We'll start with the
Badgers, who are always tough to beat. They return 17 starters from a year ago,
and Sophomore QB Alex Hornibrook will have lots of weapons to use on offense.
Northwestern poses a big threat to the West this year as Junior QB Clayton
Thorson is a Dark Horse for QB of the Year in the conference. He'll have the
do-it-all back Justin Jackson returning with him along with 4 starters on the
o-line and 7 on defense. Watch out for the Wildcats this year, they get Iowa,
Penn State, Michigan State and Minnesota all at home. Speaking of Iowa, they
have a great rushing attack returning in Akrum Wadley, so let's just hope they
lose to Wyoming early on and their season crashes from there (sorry not sorry).
The Hawkeyes have to travel to all their divisional foes like NW, Wiscy and
Nebraska, but do get Penn State and Ohio State at home... that could be rough.
Finally, we look to the best team of all (again, I am biased until I'm paid not
to be), Nebraska! The Cornhuskers have a lot of question marks heading into
2017, but in my opinion, that keeps everyone else guessing. Coach Riley has
hired a new Defensive Coordinator in Bob Diaco, and he'll be helping the
Blackshirts flex between a 4-3 and a 3-4. The defense is experienced, but took
a hit by losing top DB Chris Jones for a majority if not all of the season to a
knee injury. Luckily the Secondary has good depth, and the new system will help
a lot with rotations. There's a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but
there is not a ton of experience. Not many of these new Huskers have played
together before, so finding chemistry early on will be key for success in
Lincoln. New QB Tanner Lee looks to impress and fits the Riley/Langsdorf system
quite well. Be sure to watch for lots of 50 yard bombs from Lee to Spielman,
that's going to be a deadly duo. Although Nebraska lost a great deal of
wideouts, the cupboards are not bare. The Huskers return stars Stanley Morgan
and De'Mornay Pierson-El. Bryan Reimers and JD Spielman will also be names to watch.
Improvement on the O-line is easily the biggest issue between mediocrity and a
BIG 10 Championship birth for the Huskers. My biggest factor to consider is the
schedule. Nebraska gets Wisconsin, Ohio State, Northwestern and Iowa all at
home. If Nebraska can hold their own in Memorial and win at least the
divisional games, they'll have a trip to Indianapolis booked no problem. Ohio
State would be tough to beat in the Conference Championship, but you never know
with my Huskers! Personally I pick Nebraska, but realistically I'll say the
Buckeyes win the BIG 10 in 2017.
Be sure to tune in tonight at 7pm to hear The Second String, my College Football Radio Show with my friend Nate! Click on KRNU2 after you follow the link! Thanks for reading and GO BIG RED!
http://krnu.unl.edu/
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
