College Football Preview Blog
If you know me, then you know I’m a big fan of college football. Absolutely love it. It is difficult to explain the hold it takes on me and most people in the Southeast. “College Football is King in the South” truly rings true. Living in a college town at the heart of the Southeastern Conference, we are blessed with the best product college football has to offer. This season, follow along as I share quick blogs on the week’s biggest matchups, reactions to outcomes, and general thoughts as the season unfolds.
Week 0 is in the books, and while the football was not “great,” it was fun and an excellent appetizer for the season. We saw the annual game across the pond with Iowa State defeating Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.
Other notable games included Hawaii defeating Stanford, Kansas beating Fresno State, and Dan Mullen winning his first game back on the sidelines as UNLV struggled at times but ultimately defeated Idaho State.
Week 1 is loaded with great games this year, and later this week, I’ll drop a blog discussing the biggest games being played. For now, I’d like to provide a brief preview of who I think will compete for conference championships and playoff berths.
The Southeastern Conference
The SEC is wide open this season. Texas is being tagged as the favorite, preseason #1, and I think they will be in the playoffs and ultimately play for the SEC Championship. After them, you can choose from the other teams that will be in Atlanta.
Alabama and Georgia are both breaking in new Quarterbacks and arguably have the most talented rosters in the league. Think both will stub their toe one too many times in conference play to make the trip to Atlanta.
LSU gets my pick for playing and ultimately winning the SEC this season, though. Garrett Nussmeier has the experience and the weapons to lead LSU to not only an SEC Title and maybe even a National Title. Interestingly, I think both Texas and LSU, breaking in new offensive lines, lose their Week 1 games.
The Big 10
This is the conference I struggled with the most to pick a second-place team. Penn State is the favorite and rightfully so. Andy Kotelnicki is one of my favorite offensive coordinators in the country. He instills a ton of pre-snap motion, tempting the defense to tip their coverages, and in return, it seems they have one play every other drive where a receiver is wide open. Pair that with an offensive and defensive line loaded with NFL talent, and you get a team that can dominate matchups. James Franklin finally wins a few big games and gets over the hump.
My Big 10 runner-up is Illinois. They return a ton of offensive production, including former Ole Miss Quarterback Luke Altmeyer. Their schedule is charmin soft, and they should cruise to at least ten wins. I don’t think they are good enough to take down a blue blood like Penn State at the end of the season.
Oregon, Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan could all play for a Big 10 title and make the playoff if things break their way. Indiana is my pick to take a step back this season. A super-soft schedule: their record will likely be better than their current team performance.
ACC
Clemson is loaded with talent. Dabo went into the portal for the first time and added three players: Jeremiah Alexander, Will Heldt, and Tristan Smith. They should have a top-five offensive and defensive line unit to go with my current Heisman favorite, Cade Klubnik; they should cruise through the ACC and win the title.
Second place is also tricky to predict in this conference. I think SMU and Miami both take a small step back, while Louisville advances to the title game. There is no real data to support this; they have been spending money on recruiting and are blessed with a relatively easy schedule.
Big 12
Easily the most wide-open conference. Last season, there was a four-way tie for first, and we could easily be looking at that again in 2025.
Texas Tech is spending NIL money as if it were going out of style and has arguably its most talented roster ever. It remains to be seen if they have a coach in place to manage that roster and win games.
ASU was last year’s surprise team, winning the conference after being picked to finish last by the media. They should take a step back with the departure of Cam Skattebo.
You can almost put the sixteen teams in a drawing and choose two, having a decent chance of getting the two teams that will play for a conference title.
Iowa State is already 1-0 after beating Kansas State in Dublin, so I’ll pick them to make the championship and play TCU. I fully expect this conference to end in another four-team (or more) tiebreaker for first.
Heisman Winner
When predicting a Heisman winner, historically, but not always, the winner comes from a team that is in the hunt for a National Championship. In the second year of a twelve-team playoff, more players than in the prior season become eligible to earn an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It is no shock that the top three favorites are all quarterbacks, on teams that should compete for a National Championship this season.
Arch Manning is the betting favorite in Vegas at 6/1 odds, followed by Nussmeier at 8/1 and Klubnik at 9/1.
Manning is getting hype for his last name more than his play in the field, in my opinion. He was solid in the few starts and backups while Ewers was injured last season, and a loaded roster should elevate his play. Winning at Ohio State in week 1 will go a long way towards getting the invite to New York at the end of the season.
Nussmeier has a stable of talented wide receivers, but not the elite O-line he had last season, at least not on paper. Last season, they struggled to run the ball, and I predict that will be the case again this season, at least in the early going. However, if LSU figures it out and makes it to Atlanta, as I predict, Nuss should at least get an invitation to New York for the Heisman ceremony.
My favorite is Cade Klubnik. I think Clemson beats LSU in week 1 and cruises through the weak conference to another ACC Championship. He should have ample time to throw all season behind what is predicted to be an elite offensive line. A QB of his talent level, surrounded by weapons, should post massive numbers.
12 Team Playoff Prediction
This season, the playoff format changes slightly from the 2024 format. The teams will be seeded 1-12 based on their standings determined by the selection committee. The four power conference champions will not automatically get the top 4 seeds, but will still receive automatic bids. The best group of five team will still receive a bid, along with seven at-large teams.
Top 4 Seeds
Clemson (ACC Champion)
Penn State (Big 10 Champion)
LSU (SEC Champion)
Texas (SEC Runner-up)
At Large Bids and G5 School
Last season, we saw teams like Arizona State and Indiana come from nowhere and soar all the way to playoff berths. You could essentially put every college football team on a dart board and throw blindfolded and get more teams correct than I’m about to.
Ohio State
Oregon
Iowa State
Notre Dame
Illinois
Boise State/Tulane (too close to call) (don’t be shocked in the green wave beat Ole Miss)
Alabama
Texas A&M
Dark Horse Teams to Watch / Best of the Rest
Georgia
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Iowa
Louisville
