"The Stack" 8-30-18
Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia all made it to the College Football Playoff last year. Who is making it this year? The college football season is about to officially kick off.
The college football season is here and The Stack is here on the official kickoff of the 2018-19 season (though some would say last week’s four games could be considered the beginning of the season) and I may be out there with a lot of what I’m about to say, but you know what, that’s okay. We’ll see how the season goes. It promises to be full of surprises. We’ll preview the power five conferences plus offer a few predictions on some other teams, the New Year’s Six, College Football Playoff Teams and a Heisman Trophy winner so let’s get right to the college football preview we hope you demand in “The stack” for today, Thursday, August 30th:
2018-19 College Football preview
It has not been a pretty month for college football not with what has happened at Ohio State and Maryland. You should know by know where I stand on the likes of Urban Meyer and that whole situation with Zach Smith. The investigation seemed phony. I hope nothing but for bad things to happen to Meyer and Ohio State going forward, but they no doubt will be a force this year and likely play for the Big Ten title and perhaps a playoff berth. We won't have to worry about that with Maryland. They stink, but how is it taking this long to dump head coach D.J. Durkin? The environment there is toxic and a player died! He should not have a job. The Big Ten is becoming quite the bad school conference. Will that conference get a playoff team or two in? Let's find out.
ACC
There may be no greater gap in college football between one and two in a power five conference (I think there may be a greater gap in Conference USA between Florida Atlantic and anyone else) than the ACC where Clemson is head and shoulders above everyone else. They will run away with the Atlantic Division. Florida State wasn’t good last year. Injuries to guys like Deondre Francois certainly had something to do with that, but I don’t trust head coach Willie Taggert to lead them back in year one. Louisville is going to be bad without Lamar Jackson I feel like. And maybe I’m a little too high on them despite losing defensive lineman like Bradley Chubb, but I think North Carolina State could be pretty good. Syracuse, Wake Forest and Boston College, no thank you.
The Coastal Division could be a little more interesting. If you don’t know me, I’m a huge Virginia Tech fan so I’m a little biased with my pick. Yes, they lost a lot of guys on the defensive side either to the draft or suspensions, but I like Josh Jackson back at quarterback for a second season, I believe in Bud Foster’s defense and I like the direction that they are going under head coach Justin Fuente. They have tough games against Notre Dame and Miami (FL), but both of those are at home at Lane Stadium. The Hurricanes are going to be good once again in year three under Mark Richt and they certainly have the chance to beat Virginia Tech, but I’ll hedge my bet that Tech beats them at home. Watch out for the other team too, Georgia Tech. They could be sneaky good. Or they could be bad. You never quite know what to make of them. In all seriousness though, I think Duke could really sneak up on people this year. They had to play a lot of guys earlier than they would have liked to due to injury the last year or two and that will pay dividends for them this year. Not enough to win the division, but still.
ACC Predicted Standings
Atlantic
1. Clemson
2. North Carolina State
3. Florida State
4. Louisville
5. Wake Forest
6. Boston College
7. Syracuse
Coastal
1. Virginia Tech
2. Miami (FL)
3. Duke
4. Georgia Tech
5. Virginia
6. UNC
7. Pittsburgh
Big 12
Texas is back. We say that on our Google Hangout chat “The Sports Lounge” every Sunday when there is an echo, but the truth of the matter is that Texas is legitimately back. Head coach Tom Herman is in year two and there is a lot of optimism surrounding the Longhorns and for good reason. They may just have the quarterback and running back to lead the offense and a defense that can do some things. Oklahoma is fascinating because with Baker Mayfield leaving, they are putting Kyler Murray, the number nine overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft under center (or in shotgun…he probably isn’t going to be under center very often if at all). I just don’t know if he can lead Oklahoma the way that Baker did last year and if Oklahoma can play at the same level. Speaking of guys leaving, Oklahoma State doesn’t have Mason Rudolph at quarterback or James Washington at wide receiver this year as they are both in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That is a big void to fill. I don’t see it happening. West Virginia could very well be the most entertaining team in the conference this year. With Will Grier at quarterback and David Sills V at wide receiver, their offense could be the most explosive in the conference. If there was ever a year for West Virginia to win the Big 12, it would be this year. TCU will be good as well. You can’t count Gary Patterson and his squad out of it at all. Iowa State may pull off an upset or two. Kansas State will be average. It’s going to be a long year for Texas Tech and Baylor. And then we have Kansas. Poor Kansas. The laughingstock of Big 12 football. Looking at another winless conference season for the Jayhawks.
Predicted Big 12 Standings
1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. TCU (win a three way tie with Oklahoma State and WVU)
4. Oklahoma State
5. West Virginia
6. Iowa State
7. Kansas State
8. Texas Tech
9. Baylor
10. Kansas
B1G Ten
'
There is likely no more difficult division in college football than the Big Ten East. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State are all really good and very difficult to beat. With all due respect to Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers, they have no shot at winning this division. I really hope that with all of the turmoil that is going on at Ohio State that it will cause the Buckeyes to trip up and lose another game or two they probably shouldn’t. Hopefully they go down to TCU and then lose to Penn State or someone else and end any playoff hopes they have. Speaking of Penn State, no Saquon Barkley, but they have another good running back ready to fill the void partially at least and they have Trace McSorely, one of the best quarterbacks in the game. I like Penn State a lot. Having said all that, this may be the best Michigan team head coach Jim Harbaugh has had going into year four. He has his quarterback, Shea Patterson, and one of, if not the best defenses in the country. If not now, when? Well he could get fired if Michigan underachieves. Michigan State is right up there as well, but I don’t see them factoring in.
As for the Big Ten West, it all begins and ends with Wisconsin. They are going to run away with the division. Speaking of running, they have one of the best running backs in the game in Johnathan Taylor. About all I can say that is interesting in the Big Ten West is that maybe Iowa becomes a sneaky surprise and maybe P.J. Fleck makes the Minnesota Golden Gophers an exciting watch. Scott Frost is in year one at Nebraska too and fans are hoping he is the answer to the Cornhuskers’ recent struggles. I have both Minnesota and Nebraska with eight wins. Not enough to take down Wisconsin though.
Predicted B1G Ten Standings
East
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Michigan
4. Michigan State
5. Maryland
6. Rutgers
7. Indiana
West
1.Wisconsin
2. Nebraska (three way tie with Iowa and Minnesota)
3. Iowa
4. Minnesota
5. Purdue
6. Northwestern
7. Illinois
Pac-12
Normally USC is the team to beat, but not this year. This year all eyes are on Washington in the Pac-12. With a stud quarterback, Jake Browning, coming back plus their starting running back from a year ago, Washington seems poised to be a significant threat to make it back to the College Football Playoff. Their defense shouldn’t be too bad either. Oregon will be interesting. Can they get back to form? Justin Herbert is a good quarterback and never discount Stanford with the best running back in the game in Bryce Love. Stanford has a fairly difficult schedule, but they will be a factor in the division no question about it. Washington State’s quarterback questions are a concern so Mike Leach isn’t going to have as great of a year as he perhaps had last year. Cal and Oregon State are non-factors.
In the South division, do not be surprised when Khalil Tate and Arizona head to San Francisco for the Pac-12 Championship (I believe it is still in San Fran anyway). Tate is a special player. While Arizona may not have the team that USC has in terms of all the skill players, Tate’s ability can make up for a lot of that and with head coach Kevin Sumlin in his first year, the possibilities are almost endless. Utah will be tough. I’m excited to see what Chip Kelly will do in year one at UCLA. Herm Edwards is back in coaching at Arizona State. Um, what? My thoughts exactly. As much as Arizona is exciting, I don’t think I can quite pencil them in for the division title.
Predicted Pac-12 Standings
North
1. Washington
2. Stanford
3. Oregon
4. Washington State
5. Oregon State
6. California
South
1. USC
2. Arizona
3. UCLA
4. Utah
5. Colorado
6. Arizona State
SEC
Every year I try and pick against Alabama. I’m not doing it this year. I don’t care who starts at quarterback, Tua or Jalen, Alabama is just too good. They do have to go to Death Valley this year, but LSU has shown no signs lately of being able to hang with the Tide. Auburn will be okay with Jared Stidham at quarterback, but the team I am most fascinated by in the SEC West is Mississippi State with quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. This dude is phenomenal. He just needs to stay healthy. Jimbo Fisher is in for a tough opening year at Texas A&M in large part based on the schedule. Clemson at home and at Alabama just to name a couple of them. Gross. They are in trouble.
In the East, a lot of people really seem to like South Carolina. I can’t go that far. Georgia may have lost linebacker Roquan Smith and running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to the NFL, but they have more good running backs thanks to all of the depth they have an they have Jake Fromm at quarterback. Plus a good defense and recruiting class will keep Georgia right at the top. Florida is going to be better in year one under former Mississippi State head coach and former Florida offensive coordinator now turned head coach Mullen. The best quarterback in college football may reside in this division as well with Drew Lock.
Predicted SEC Standings
East
1.Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. Florida
4. Missouri
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt
7. Tennessee
West
1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. Mississippi State
4. Texas A&M
5. LSU
6. Arkansas
7. Ole Miss
As for some other teams of note, look out for Florida Atlantic in year two under Lane Kiffin. They have a big game with UCF this season, another team that I think is going to do really well. Florida Atlantic was dominant in Conference USA conference play and I see no reason why that will change. This is a ten win team.
So too is UCF. A new coaching staff is going to be difficult for the defending “national champions” and perhaps the hunger and motivation won’t be quite as great, but that is still not going to stop me from saying they win the AAC (American Athletic Association), but they are a team to definitely keep an eye on.
How can you not count out Notre Dame? Big test with Michigan right away, but if they can win that one, they have a pretty good shot to go 10-2 or better. Road contests at Virginia Tech and USC will be difficult this go around. Notre Dame though should have a good year.
The non-power five team that will be receiving an invite to the New Year’s Six bowl game is Boise State. They are just too good across the board and offense and defense and they have a fairly easy road towards a one loss season. They are my team to beat.
As for the MAC and the Sun Belt, I don’t have much on those divisions at all. Sorry. I’ll make it up by making some picks for the New Year’s Six bowl games plus the College Football Playoff teams and a Heisman Trophy pick.
Sugar Bowl
Georgia VS Texas
Rose Bowl
Stanford VS Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl
Penn State VS Boise State
Peach Bowl
Miami (FL) VS Notre Dame
CFP
Clemson VS Washington
Alabama VS Wisconsin
National Championship
Clemson VS Alabama
National Champion
Clemson
I felt really bad leaving Georgia out of the playoff, because I truly think they have the capability of being undefeated going into the SEC Championship game, but road games at South Carolina and LSU will prove to be daunting. Penn State could certainly make a run in there and I'm just praying/keeping my fingers crossed that Ohio State doesn't make it. Clemson and Alabama were easy picks. Wisconsin is not, but here's hoping that they won't disappoint despite the recent string of suspensions. As for Washington, a win over Auburn this week would certainly do wonders. If they lose, they will have to run the table the rest of the way.
Heisman Trophy Winner
RB Bryce Love, Stanford
I really wanted to put Johnathan Taylor, the running back from Wisconsin here since I have them in them in the College Football Playoff, but Bryce Love is just too good. There are plenty of good quarterbacks in the mix as well, but Love is my pick. He is that good and he is yet another Heisman candidate that Stanford will churn out.
The college football season is here. It should be a good one. Enjoy the season everyone!
Coming up either Friday or next week: Reaction to top stories and headlines in the sports world.
