Oh man, here we go again

It felt like things were calm. We were all lulled into this. It was just the eye of the storm. Sure the wind wasn’t moving but about 200 metres away, a cow just went flying headlong into a barn.

What am I talking about? Realignment, of course! Another shoe has dropped…OK let me use a different analogy. Sorry Deion. We have another big move as Colorado will be going back to the Big XII starting next season. And that probably won’t be all. The rumours have at least one of Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon or Washington following the Buffaloes. Or, if no other schools leave the Pac-12, the Big XII is more than willing to dip into the American Conference (hello SMU, Memphis, Tulane) or even way out east…yes, UConn! And maybe once the Pac-12 (or more like Pac-9) gets their act together, they can start bringing in teams from the Group of Five. The same teams from the American would be in play, especially SMU. Also, the Mountain West would be watching closely as San Diego State, Boise State and perhaps Colorado State and UNLV could be looked at. There will be a lot of meetings in the next month or so to determine where this all leads.

For now let’s focus on what this post was supposed to be (and still will be). It’s time for the Power Five conference predictions. This will give a better indication on how I think things will go during this season. So let’s dive right in!

Changes are coming soon for the Ess Ee Cee. Texas and Oklahoma join the conference next season. Also, no more SEC on CBS after this year. Everything moves to ABC and ESPN. And finally, no divisions. Halle-fucking-lujah.

As for this year, all the talk is about Georgia and doing something no team has done (fully) in the AP Poll era: win three national championships in a row. It’s not like they will fall apart, despite the fact they lost their starting quarterback and a bunch of other players in the NFL Draft. Then again, I’m sure Kirby Smart has looked them all dead in the eye and told them “Everyone thinks you are going to go 5-7 and lose to Vanderbilt. Prove them wrong!” And they will believe it because college football head coaches are just a notch-and-a-half below cult leaders in the pecking order of how much they can make their “followers” drink their Kool-Aid.

Remember, though, there are other teams in the conference as well. Like those lovable underdogs from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the team that just reeks of success (in the classroom and on the baseball diamond), Vanderbilt. And eleven other teams. Want to find out how I think they will do? OK. I will do that. Just for you.

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Georgia	7	1	11	1
	Tennessee	6	2	10	2
	South Carolina	5	3	8	4
	Kentucky	3	5	6	6
	Missouri	2	6	5	7
	Florida	2	6	5	7
	Vanderbilt	1	7	4	8
	West
	Alabama	8	0	12	0
	LSU	6	2	9	3
	Ole Miss	4	4	8	4
	Texas A&M	4	4	8	4
	Arkansas	3	5	7	5
	Auburn	3	5	7	5
	Mississippi State	2	6	6	6

Just For You

• You might think I am crazy for having UGA not run the table. I do think they will lose a regular season game and it will be to those upstart Tennessee Volunteers. It won’t keep them from winning the division though as you can see I have those same Vols losing two conference games during the regular season.
• As for the SEC West, though, Bama will once again rule the roost….as long as they figure out their quarterback situation. I am thinking they will and will go undefeated and be #1 in the nation going into conference championship weekend. If they don’t get their QB situation settled…well, maybe they lose two games? Three? It’s not like they will fall to 6-6.
• I could see South Carolina or last year’s SEC West champs, LSU, making a bit of a run this time around. They have the top two quarterbacks in the SEC and could each put up piles of points. Watch for the Cocks’ game against Georgia early on in the season and LSU’s post-Halloween trip to Bryant-Denny to face the Tide. Upsets in either of those games will seriously upset the apple cart.
• Look, the Gators were barely .500 with who I think may be one of the most overhyped quarterbacks in recent memory. I don’t think Anthony Richardson was that great. And now they don’t even have him. Unless every other part of the roster improved (it didn’t), how do people expect this team to bounce back and all of a sudden become an eight or nine win team? Spoiler alert: they won’t.
• I have Mississippi State at 6-6. They will do just enough to get a bowl game. I wonder how tough it will be after the loss of Mike Leach but I can see them straightening things out just in time late in the season.
• As for the SEC Championship, SURPRISE! I have the Dawgs beating the Tide and creating a massive clusterfuck in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Fun times!
• Eleven bowl teams from the SEC with two juuuuuust on the outside. That’s insane and I don’t think I will be that far off with this prediction. Next year could be even crazier with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference that just means more.

Man have things really changed in terms of where you will see Big Ten games this season. Gone are ABC and ESPN. In is NBC and CBS. This is gonna feel weird the first time I see it. And maybe the next few times as well. I will get used to it at some point. Now if you want the opportunity to watch every Big Ten game, better find a way to get FOX Sports One and Peacock otherwise you will be shit out of luck to watch potential bangers like Northwestern-Purdue and Indiana-Rutgers (if they end up there and not the Big Ten Network).

Alright, let’s get into the final conference predictions before the B1G gives a big Fuck You to geography and brings in USC and UCLA.

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Michigan	8	1	11	1
	Penn State	8	1	11	1
	Ohio State	8	1	10	2
	Michigan State	5	4	7	5
	Maryland	5	4	8	4
	Indiana	1	8	3	9
	Rutgers	1	8	4	8
	West
	Minnesota	6	3	8	4
	Wisconsin	6	3	9	3
	Iowa	6	3	9	3
	Illinois	5	4	7	5
	Nebraska	2	7	5	7
	Purdue	2	7	5	7
	Northwestern	0	9	2	10

Geogpraphy, Go Eat a Dick

• Look, I know some might look at the Big Ten East standings and think I am a bit crazy. I am not. Although that is what a crazy person would tell you. Yep, a three-way tie at the top at 8-1 between Big Blue, tOSU and PSU. Because each team will be 1-1 against the other two, the CFP Rankings will decide the winner. I believe the Wolverines will somehow win that. And yes, I think Ohio State also loses to Notre Dame. O-H! I-No.
• If Sparty doesn’t make it to a bowl game, they may end up giving Mel Tucker the Herm Edwards treatment and fire him before he can leave the playing surface one game. I get they have a tough division but they should be able to do well enough against the rest of their schedule to get back in the postseason after last year’s debacle.
• No, I don’t have Wisconsin winning the West division. Meaning I am different than almost every expert out there. Also, there’s the fact I’m not an expert but I digress. Again I have a damn three-way tie but no need to look at the rankings for this one as I believe the Gophers will Row the Fucking Boat all the way to Indianapolis after beating both Wisky and the high-octane Iowa Hawkeyes. See what I did there? Yeah, I don’t care that the Hawkeyes have a new quarterback in town. Until Kirk tells his son to do better, Iowa will be pushing for some 7-6 victories. Sorry. 8-6. Two field goals and a late safety to win.
• Nebraska will be better but I think the Huskers are a season away from getting back to the top of the West…just in time for the West to just not exist anymore.
• As for Northwestern…man. What a shitshow. Look, I played a lot of sports earlier in my life and did so at the university level. Are there fun little pranks and stupid things the rookies have to do? Sometimes. But it’s usually harmless. Carrying bags, standing up during a team dinner to get embarrassed by singing some Mariah Carey song, dumb things like that. Not getting fucking dry humped in some cultish fashion by weirdos in robes. What the fuck is wrong with that school? And yes, it’s not just the football program. Sounds like at least half the teams there have serious issues. Ugh.
• Now let’s get crazy. Yeah! The Big Ten Championship will…OK who am I kidding. It won’t be close. I have Michigan plowing through Minny to clinch their spot, yet again, in the College Football Playoff.

Might as well call this the Stable Conference…for now. Just nothing happening here which is just fine for most of the teams in the ACC. Status quo isn’t a bad thing. There are some changes with where you will see games. The CW…yes, the C-Fucking-W, will have an ACC game during most of the weeks of the season. You can take the ACC out of Jefferson-Pilot (or Raycom) but you can’t take the Jefferson-Pilot (or Raycom) out of the ACC. Or something like that.

So before this conference possibly gets pillaged by the Big Ten and SEC, let’s get to the predictions followed by some deep tissue massage and/or analysis.

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Clemson	8	0	12	10
	Florida State	7	1	11	1
	North Carolina	6	2	9	3
	Pittsburgh	5	3	8	4
	Louisville	5	3	8	4
	Duke	4	4	8	4
	Wake Forest	4	4	7	5
	NC State	4	4	7	5
	Miami	4	4	7	5
	Syracuse	3	5	6	6
	Boston College	2	6	5	7
	Virginia	2	6	4	8
	Georgia Tech	2	6	4	8
	Virginia Tech	0	8	1	11

Deep Tissue Massage and/or Analysis

• I should book a massage. My back is in horrible shape.
• Some may scoff at me having Clemson going undefeated this season. They have the schedule to do it and if Cade Klubnik is as good as he can be this could relatively easily happen. If Klubnik struggles…well then this entire set of standings might need to be scrubbed from existence.
• Reader Gord will like where I have Florida State. This team could be scary good. And at the very least, they will be near the top of the ACC standings this season. Mike Norvell has done a great job getting this team back to what it was like during the Jimbo Fisher days. I had my doubts about him but I have to admit he has been the right guy to right the ship in Tallahassee.
• Hey did you notice? NO DIVISIONS! I love it.
• Don’t be surprised that if Clemson or FSU stumbles that there are no shortage of teams that could get one of the two ACC title game slots. A list of seven teams could pull off a couple of upsets and be at the top and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise. A slight surprise sure. Maybe a slightly bigger surprise if it was Miami or NC State. But not a massive surprise.
• Poor Virginia Tech. I think this will be their worst team since before Frank Beamer graced Blacksburg. It feels like it has been forever since the Hokies were contenders. It was only seven years ago when they were in the ACC Championship and almost upset the eventual national champions, Clemson. This team is pretty bad in almost every aspect of the game and the schedule will not be helpful to them. Other than Old Dominion I don’t see them winning any other game and the Monarchs have given VT all sorts of fits the past few years.
• Look for a tiny bit of a bounce back from Virginia. Just them taking the field after what happened last year is a win in my books.
• For that ACC title game, how about another game that will turn everything on its head. Yep, I think the Noles will get revenge for a regular season loss by inching out the Tigers. Chaos!

OK it’s about time the Big XII rebrands. They will have at least thirteen teams by the time the 2024 season starts and it may be as high as sixteen. So change the fucking name. They have the rights to the Big Fourteen and Big Sixteen so use one of those. It would be easy. Find a graphic design student at Kansas and have them do a new logo. Easy peasy. Why do I have to come up with everything?

Where was I? Oh that’s right, predictions. Let’s see if this conference will go all Pac-12 and cannibalize itself or if they can see a team get to the CFP once again. Also, Texas and Oklahoma will be trying their best to leave the conference on a high note much to the chagrin of the rest of the schools in the conference. So here are the Big XII standings predictions, followed by Belly Expansions.

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Texas	8	1	10	2
	Kansas State	7	2	10	2
	Baylor	6	3	8	4
	TCU	6	3	9	3
	Oklahoma	6	3	9	3
	Texas Tech	5	4	8	4
	Oklahoma State	5	4	8	4
	Kansas	4	5	7	5
	UCF	4	5	7	5
	BYU	3	6	5	7
	Cincinnati	3	6	5	7
	Houston	2	7	4	8
	Iowa State	2	7	4	8
	West Virginia	2	7	3	9

Belly Expansions

• No I don’t mean pregnancy. I mean eating a big meal and having to loosen the ol’ belt or just unbuckle the pants altogether. Funny enough, people in the restaurant don’t appreciate that.
• Let’s start at the bottom. There won’t be one truly bad team. There will be a bunch of below-average ones. West Virginia, Iowa State, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU could all finish last and I am sure no one would bat an eye.
• I see the Longhorns making their final Big XII season a special one. They have the team, the schedule and the head coach (I think) to be the top team in this conference this season. The only question will be can Quinn Ewers hold off Arch Manning. Will one of them transfer in the offseason? Remember, when you have two starting quarterbacks, you have none. I think.
• How about this lukewarm take: Kansas State will be good again. Yeah really going out on a limb there Bossman. This team has become so steady-as-she-goes it’s almost boring. The people in the Little Apple are fine with this.
• I do think one of the newcomers will make a bowl game and that team will be UCF. I think they are the most prepared of the newbies coming into this conference. But make no mistake about it: all four teams will be good at various points over the next few years.
• I can’t see Oklahoma taking enough of a leap to get to the Big XII Championship. Nor do I think the Horned Frogs of TCU have the, uh, toads? to make it back to the conference title game. Good seasons for both, yes, but not great.
• The Longhorns should win the conference title game in their final season in the Big XII. Will this get them into the CFP or will it “relegate” them to the New Year’s Six? I think you can tell from my predictions so far but you will know for sure in a different post.

So where are we going to be able to watch Pac-12 games in the future? Who the hell knows. My money is on PBS.

But seriously, the Pac-12 is quickly dropping from the Conference of Champions to almost a Group of Five conference. They are losing USC and UCLA next year to the Big Ten. They knew that already. The bombshell of Colorado leaving now has them at nine teams starting the 2024 season. And it may not end there. The only schools I haven’t heard potentially leaving are Oregon State and Washington State. That’s not to say all these rumours will be correct but I will be pretty surprised if no more teams leave for the Big XII before next season. It’s sad for a conference that really started their slide once Pete Carroll left USC for the NFL. Thanks a bunch, Peter.

Prediction time! No divisions which is one thing they are ahead of the game with, starting that last year. Let’s get to those divisionless predictions followed by some California Nightmarin’.

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	USC	8	1	10	2
	Utah	7	2	9	3
	Oregon	7	2	9	3
	Oregon State	7	2	10	2
	Washington State	6	3	8	4
	Washington	6	3	9	3
	UCLA	5	4	8	4
	Colorado	3	6	4	8
	California	2	7	4	8
	Arizona	2	7	4	8
	Arizona State	1	8	3	9
	Stanford	0	9	2	10

California Nightmarin’

• No state will have it better this year in the Pac-12 than the state of Oregon. Both the Ducks and the Beavers look to be serious contenders and only need the ball to bounce their way one extra time to maybe get to the Pac-12 Championship. And considering the way that title game has gone, who knows what may happen after that.
• The strongest team, though, should be USC. They have Caleb Williams coming back to try and do what no one other than some guy named Archie has ever done, and that’s win two Heisman Trophies. The hope there is that the sting of the two season-ending losses will motivate them to push themselves that final step into the CFP.
• OK look, I know you see Washington in sixth place and you are wondering what the fuck is wrong with me. This is another case where the schedule is just flat-out against them. A slightly easier schedule and I might put this team at eleven or even, dare I say it, twelve wins. It will be that close at the top of the conference.
• On the other hand, I am sure no will think I’m crazy for putting Stanford in last place. It’s been a long time since the Cardinal have been this bad and it doesn’t look like they will be ready for bowl action for another year at least.
• I think I was fair putting Colorado at 4-8 for this season and playing fairly meaningful football going into November. There seems to be two schools of thought with this team. One section thinks Coach Prime has done wonders and with all the fresh faces in the lineup it will push the team over the line and into bowl-eligibility territory. The other section thinks the entire program is overhyped and they will win maybe two games. I am in the middle on this. This team won’t go bowling this year. That would be too much of a leap. But they should win more games than they did last year. If not, what the hell was all this hoopla for?
• As for the Pac-12 title game, USC gets the Pac-12 Championship they probably should have won last year. Problem is that by this point there will be a lot of teams in the mix for those four College Football Playoff spots and in typical Pac-12 fashion, the league will have cannabilized itself again and missed out on the CFP again.

There you go! You now have a complete set of Bossman conference predictions. Next up, is kind of the wrap-up post where I put everything in a nice, neat little ball and let you know who I believe will win the whole damn deal. Have a great week everyone!

Alright let’s wrap this up in a nice, neat little package

Oh man did you actually believe that?  LITTLE?  Have you not noticed what I’ve been doing the last little while?  Oh this will not be a little package I assure you; but it will be an important package of information that you, the college football fan, would like to see (I hope).

So yes, you will see what I believe the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six will look like.  You will get bowl projections from yours truly.  You will also get my Heisman ballot which is usually a big steaming pile of horseshit.  And you will get my coaching hot seat list which, honestly, is usually pretty good if I say so myself.

Let’s get right to it with the top of the pyramid (scheme)…the College Football Playoff predictions.  You probably have a good idea from the conference predictions as to who will end up here and you also know that there is a good chance I will fail miserably with one of these picks:

December 31st	Fiesta Bowl	#2 Ohio State	#3 Georgia
December 31st	Peach Bowl	#1 Alabama	#4 Clemson

New Year’s Eve semi-finals.  Will they never learn?  Anyway, Bama is the easy call here as I see them running the table and then beating UGA in what may be the biggest SEC Championship ever (and that’s saying a lot).  This also means that Georgia is probably a fairly easy call as well.  Sure, they will lose to the Tide but if they go in at #2 (which I expect them to) and lose to #1 (which I assume Bama would be) then a drop to #3 is as far as they will go.  No way they are leaving out a one-loss Big Ten champ so tOSU gets in and takes advantage of one of Alabama or Georgia having to lose to get to the #2 spot.  OK take advantage is a strong phrase since being #2 means very little other than avoiding #1 until, potentially, the title game.  Clemson ends up beating out Texas A&M, Michigan and NC State, all one-loss teams who didn’t win their division, rather easily to grab the final semi-final spot.  Oregon would have their shot at the Pac-12 Championship but lose to Utah making The Committee’s job (at least for these two games) rather straightforward.

Now we will go to the New Year’s Six bowl games where, thanks to the NFL, none of them are on New Year’s Day.  Eat shit, Rose Bowl.

January 2nd	Rose Bowl	#6 Michigan	#10 Utah
January 2nd	Cotton Bowl	#11 Oregon	#8 Houston
December 31st	Sugar Bowl	#5 Texas A&M	#9 Baylor
December 30th	Orange Bowl	#7 NC State	#12 Notre Dame

As always, it’s debate time.  Every year which is fine as long as the debates devolve into some stupid Twitter spat.  Only one conference championship loser is getting in here and that’s Oregon.  They’ll be high enough in the rankings (potentially in the Top 4) going into Conference Championship weekend that there is no way they drop out of a NY6 bowl.  Houston won’t be this year’s Cincinnati but they will be this year’s Group of Five representative in the New Year’s Six and they will coast to get here.  Michigan is going to have another good year but they have the audacity to be in the same division as Ohio State.  Assholes.  This will be enough to keep them out of the CFP.  Same goes for TAMU and NC State.  What were they thinking being in a division with other good schools.  And you wonder why I hate divisions.  We could have a tOSU-UM rematch and a Clemson-NCST rematch for conference championships.  Talk about a lot more being on the line and a hell of a lot more intrigue.

Utah, with their win over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, gets the other Rose Bowl spot opposite Michigan.  Luckily, they should ascend to somewhere around the #10 ranking that I have them in so they will look like they belong.  Baylor also gets the benefit of a good bowl tie-in and I have them facing their old Southwest Conference foe, the Aggies of Texas A&M.  Just like Utah, the Bears will be good enough to belong here and not spark any crazy debate about bowl tie-ins.  The only debate will be for the final spot.  Look, it’s Notre Dame.  If the Irish go 10-2, they are not being left out of this group of bowl games.  As much as some of you want that to be the case, it never will be (until the CFP structure changes).  They beat out UCLA, Oklahoma and Marshall.  Very few, other than those schools’ fans, will be super upset they were left out.

Now it’s time for the rest of BOWL SZN.  At least I know these bowls won’t be cancelled…I hope.

January 2nd	Citrus Bowl	#17 Tennessee	#18 Michigan State
January 2nd	ReliaQuest Bowl	Florida	#20 Minnesota
December 31st	Music City Bowl	Ole Miss	#22 Purdue
December 30th	Gator Bowl	Arkansas	#19 Pittsburgh
December 30th	Arizona Bowl	Boise State	Northern Illinois
December 30th	Sun Bowl	Louisville	Oregon State
December 30th	Duke’s Mayo Bowl	Kentucky	Penn State
December 29th	Alamo Bowl	#15 Oklahoma	#13 UCLA
December 29th	Cheez-It Bowl	Iowa State	Miami
December 29th	Pinstripe Bowl	Iowa	Florida State
December 28th	Texas Bowl	LSU	#21 Texas
December 28th	Holiday Bowl	Virginia Tech	#24 USC
December 28th	Liberty Bowl	South Carolina	#23 Oklahoma State
December 28th	Military Bowl	Wake Forest	#16 UCF
December 27th	Guaranteed Rate Bowl	Nebraska	Kansas State
December 27th	Birmingham Bowl	Auburn	#25 Cincinnati
December 27th	First Responder Bowl	Colorado State	Troy
December 27th	Camellia Bowl	Coastal Carolina	UAB
December 26th	Quick Lane Bowl	Maryland	Miami-OH
December 24th	Hawaii Bowl	BYU	Fresno State
December 23rd	Independence Bowl	Memphis	Army
December 23rd	Gasparilla Bowl	Boston College	Tulsa
December 22nd	Armed Forces Bowl	TCU	UTEP
December 21st	New Orleans Bowl	#14 Marshall	UTSA
December 20th	Boca Raton Bowl	Appalachian State	Florida Atlantic
December 20th	Idaho Potato Bowl	San Diego State	Toledo
December 19th	Myrtle Beach Bowl	Georgia State	Liberty
December 17th	Frisco Bowl	San Jose State	South Alabama
December 17th	Las Vegas Bowl	Mississippi State	Arizona State
December 17th	LendingTree Bowl	Louisiana	Kent State
December 17th	LA Bowl	Washington	Air Force
December 17th	New Mexico Bowl	Utah State	Western Michigan
December 17th	Fenway Bowl	North Carolina	SMU
December 16th	Cure Bowl	East Carolina	UNLV
December 16th	Bahamas Bowl	WKU	Central Michigan

More bowl games!  Honestly, I don’t care nearly as much as I used to.  It’s more football at this point.  Once the 12-team playoff (or whatever it ends up being) comes to fruition, I will be interested to see what happens to some of the lower-level bowl games.  Hey, as long as Canadians can see most of these games on TSN then there’s no real problem.  Let’s look at a few points from that long table of information I just posted:

• Only two games between ranked teams?  Good lord.  UT-MSU at the Citrus and Oklahoma-UCLA at the Alamo and that’s it.  Those two bowls are used to having fairly big matchups.  It would probably be more of a shock if the Bahamas Bowl had a Top 25 matchup (although it would definitely intrigue me that’s for sure).
• I’m not bothering with listing bowl tie-ins and or conferences that couldn’t fill their bowl quota or even 5-7 teams that I have in to fill the bowl games that don’t have two teams.
• Some of the other good matchups after the Citrus and Alamo:
  • Ole Miss-Purdue in Nashville
  • Arkansas-Pitt at the Gator
  • Iowa-Florida State playing in the cold of the Bronx
  • Wake-UCF in the Military Bowl
  • LSU going into Longhorn country (kind of) to play Texas
  • Marshall-UTSA in Nawlins
  • Nebraska-Kansas State in a Big Eight matchup in Tempe
• The Husker one is very interesting because they have the longest Big Ten bowl drought.  Can you fucking believe it?  I would have bet money that it was Rutgers or…Rutgers.  Nope.  The Huskers went to the Music City Bowl in late 2016 and haven’t gone back to a bowl game since.  Wow.

History states at least one of the CFP semi-final games will not be that good.  I hate to do this to the Tigers but sorry, Bama should win that one easy.  The Buckeyes will have big problems with the Dawgs but in the end, they will punch their ticket to the national title game to lose to the Tide who will be back on top once again.  No real surprises here.

So now that COVID is…well not behind us but it is not nearly as serious as it was, we can really get back to normality. That means that the college football head coaches are getting shorter leashes again, folks! The shitcanning season will be upon us at some point this Fall!

And when I mean short leashes I mean seriously short. Like maybe a foot long. Some athletic directors are now realizing that the college football world is pretty much fully back to normal and they have some time to make up. Some coaches received reprieves in the past two seasons thanks to the pandemic but that leeway is fucking gone now.

Look I don’t want to toot my own horn but I usually do fairly well with this list. So let’s just get right down to it, shall we? If you recall, the order is from most likely to be fired to most likely to keep their job. They are also categorized in a few different sections. Let’s go!

Almost Guaranteed Shitcanning

1. Geoff Collins (Georgia Tech) – This should be a surprise to absolutely no one.  The experiment to move away from the option to more of a pro-style offense has failed spectacularly in the ATL.  I honestly see no possible improvement here and a possible in-season firing.  Needed to keep his job – Get into the final few weeks of the season with at least a mathematical possibility of going bowling.  Prediction – He’s going to get shitcanned some time in November in the midst of a ten-loss season for the Rambling Wreck.
2. Karl Dorrell (Colorado) – Can we say that weird 2020 season was an aberration?  I think we can as the Buffaloes are dropping down the ladder once again in the Pac-12 as realignment goes wild everywhere.  Needed to keep his job – Have a shot at bowl eligibility going into the final two games.  Prediction – A whole lot of frustration for Dorrell, the Buffaloes, the other coaches, alumni and current students. And no job for Dorrell…he may end up not coaching the final game of the season.
3. Neal Brown (West Virginia) – Brown’s first year in Morgantown was considered a success.  Last year’s, not so much.  And with an improving Big XII around them, I see them falling even farther in Brown’s third year when he has most of his recruits in.  Not looking good for a guy who was a big up-and-comer not too long ago.  Needed to keep his job – Not continue the downward slide.  Prediction – I remember going to Wet n’ Wild as a kid. It doesn’t exist anymore. But it had some cool waterslides. That is how ol’ Neal is going to feel this season. He’ll end the season on the unemployment line.
4. Mike Bloomgren (Rice) – No one is really expecting Rice to be a power player in football.  Saying that, they had to the American Conference next season and I can’t see Bloomgren being the head coach.  Other than a couple of good seasons, he’s done very little in the Houston area and has fallen FAR behind their neighbour.  Needed to keep his job – Something more than what I feel they will do this year.  Prediction – The bloom has come off the rose (ha ha) and he will be looking for a new school to coach at for 2023.
5. Herm Edwards (Arizona State) – It feels inevitable that, at the very best, Herm will be done at the end of the season.  Their recruiting issues are well known and it may end up being the NCAA coming down hard on ASU (and, eventually, Herm himself).  It won’t help his cause that the Sun Devils won’t be as good as they were last year.  Needed to keep his job – I don’t know if there is anything short of a Pac-12 title that would save his job (and even then).  Prediction – Herm is shown the door before the last game of the season as the powers that be in Tempe decide it’s time to rebuild again.

Probable Shitcanning

6. Dino Babers (Syracuse) – How long has Dino been on the hot seat?  Everything was looking golden in 2018 for Babers but since then…yeesh.  I’m not saying Syracuse is a destination spot for coaching but you know things are getting tense within the athletic department with this.  Needed to keep his job – The Orange to recapture at least some of that 2018 magic.  Prediction – Dino will be a coordinator somewhere next year.
7. Scot Loeffler (Bowling Green) – I’m sure there are times where Scotty (Scoty?) would love to be back at any of the schools he used to be at.  This is his first head coaching gig and it has been a rough one to be honest.  Even though Bowling Green isn’t exactly a hotspot in college football, at some point the athletic director will be done with the team not performing.  7-22 isn’t exactly the type of record that keeps a job.  Needed to keep his job – 4 or 5 wins and look competitive inside the MAC.  Prediction – Double-digit losses and a pink slip.
8. Danny Gonzales (New Mexico) – Speaking of tough places to coach, here are the Lobos looking at potentially another coaching change on the horizon.  Definitely a spot a younger coach in the West would maybe take a shot at.  Beware though: the last time UNM won at least ten games was four decades ago.  Unfortunately between them and NMSU, the state is a dead spot for college football.  Needed to keep his job – Close to bowl eligibility.  Prediction – Three wins and a tough decision to be made from the higher ups.

Possible Shitcanning

9. Seth Littrell (North Texas) – Littrell hasn’t done bad in Denton.  Five bowls in his six seasons there is pretty darn good for a team in Conference USA.  Problem is he has lost every single one.  It truly does feel like they are kind of stuck in the middle of the conference and that’s getting some people antsy.  Needed to keep his job – At least 5 wins and competing for bowl eligibility near the end of the season.  Prediction – That’s exactly where I have the Mean Green. I think he probably survives the season but the leash will be extremely short going forward.
10. Bryan Harsin (Auburn) – This was considered a coup when the Tigers plucked him from Boise State.  His first season on the Plains was…rocky to put it mildly.  There was an attempt to get him ousted after last season ended.  Obviously it didn’t work but there are some thinking maybe he just doesn’t fit at Auburn (or the SEC for that matter).  Needed to keep his job – A winning record and better recruiting.  Prediction – I got the Tigers winning 7 to stay out of the basement of the SEC West. That should be enough to save him at least into ‘crootin season. That’s where he needs to improve or otherwise he may not see the 2023 season on the field at Jordan-Hare.
11. Ken Niumatalolo (Navy) – It is tough putting Ken on this list, I’m not going to lie.  Problem is, Navy has been pretty bad for three of the past four seasons.  That 2019 season where they won 11 games seems like a fluke, almost.  I’m sure it would take a lot to fire Niumatalolo but another season like the previous two and who knows.  Needed to keep his job – At least 6 wins.  Prediction – I have the Middies only winning three so this could be a very interesting offseason in Annapolis.
12. Terry Bowden (ULM) – I might get some flak for this one.  I know he’s only been in Monroe for a season.  I do think this year the Warhawks are going to be one of the worst teams in the FBS. Maybe there is someone on his staff who will take over for him next year so that ULM brass will feel OK to fire him? I don’t know but this doesn’t seem to be leading anywhere in a much-improved Sun Belt Conference.  Needed to keep his job – Improvement from the previous season.  Prediction – As I said, they won’t be good. I have them predicted at 1-11. I can see this being done relatively quietly in the offseason (Terry’s shitcanning that is).
13. Rick Stockstill (Middle Tennessee) – Stockstill has been at Middle for what seems like forever.  And it doesn’t feel like anything would happen because of that.  Saying that, the Blue Raiders need to do something since they have been mediocre most of the last few seasons. They also turned down a (possible?) invitation to the MAC so this is their chance to become the best of a not-so-good bunch. Will Rick lead them through that though?  Needed to keep his job – Got to be bowl eligibility really.  Prediction – I got MTSU winning 5 games which will make for some very interesting offseason chatter in Murfreesboro.
14. Greg Schiano (Rutgers) – This isn’t the Schiano that went 56-33 in his final seven seasons during his first run in Piscataway.  That was in the Big East and Rutgers is…well, they definitely aren’t in a conference like that anymore.  Still, fans were hoping for something a bit more from a guy who runs blitzes during kneel down plays.  Unfortunately, I think this won’t be that year.  Needed to keep his job – Real bowl eligibility, not the 5-7 you are a smart school kind.  Prediction – I have the Scarlet Knights regressing a bit this year. Whether Schiano returns has a lot to do with whether they think they’ve truly bottomed out and if they believe they can get a good coach in.
15. Jake Spavital (Texas State) – Has anyone ever expected the Bobcats to do anything of significance on the football field? Really, that lack of winning culture could be the one thing that gives Spavital one more season at the helm. Needed to keep his job – 5 wins and some meaningful November football. Prediction – 4 wins and a short leash into 2023.

Doubtful Shitcanning (although it still could happen)

16. Jeff Scott (USF) – Not a whole lot has gone well for the former Clemson coordinator down in Tampa.  Remember when the Bulls were #2 in the nation?  Not even Pepperidge Farms remembers that I don’t think.  What it does say, though, is that you can win at this school.  Now it’s just a matter of how long the USF athletic department will give Scott to truly turn things around.  Needed to keep his job – Stay out of the American Conference basement.  Prediction – They aren’t going to a bowl game but expect them to win around four games and be quite clear of the bottom rung of the AAC.
17. Scott Frost (Nebraska) – It has become a difficult job to recruit players to Lincoln.  I think Frost has finally figured it out and the Huskers, at the very least, should be back bowling this season. Now watch them completely tank.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl-eligibility at the very least.  Prediction – No Kool-Aid this time but I have the Huskers winning eight games. Don’t laugh.
18. David Shaw (Stanford) – I remember when Shaw was getting Stanford to bowl games and contending in the Pac-12 on a consistent basis.  Make no bones about it, he’s still a great head coach.  Give him time and he will have the Cardinal back on top of what will be the Pac-10 going forward.  Needed to keep his job –  Look better than the 2021 season.  Prediction – I have Stanford winning 4 games but the bottom of the Pac-12 North is crowded so an upset or two isn’t out of the realm of possibility for this team. Shaw is safe for another season at the very least.
19. Mike Norvell (Florida State) – Things are finally looking up in Tallahassee.  For real this time. It would have to get really bad for the Noles this season for Norvell to be let go.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl eligibility at the very least.  Prediction – Eight wins and a new lease on life. Teams won’t have it easy against this team this season.
20. Tom Allen (Indiana) – I would put Tom farther up this list as Indiana was BAD last year and won’t be a whole lot better this season.  Thing is, his buyout is huge so unless the Hoosiers absolutely have to fire him, he won’t be let go.  Needed to keep his job – Don’t do something illegal or unethical.  Prediction – Other than punching the coach of the opposing team, I can’t see Allen doing anything bad. Yes I only have them winning three games this season but that doesn’t really matter here in the grand scheme of things.

One of these days I have to go back and see how truly successful I have been at this hot seat list. I still think the numbers will back me up.

Now from a normally good section (for me) to a notoriously horrible section (for me). My Heisman ballot is back. And I don’t know if it can be any worse than what I have done for the past few years. But, I always give it my all so here’s another edition of Bossman’s Heisman Trophy Ballot If He Got a Vote (which he most certainly should not):

My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Heisman Ballot

1. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State – Last year’s ballot was horrifically bad but I did have Stroud in at #4 (and Bryce Young at #5).  So it wasn’t all bad (but mostly it was).  I have the Buckeyes getting to the National Championship and he will be the main reason why. It will be a close race this year, I believe, but Stroud will put up the numbers and get the big victories that put him over the top.
2. Bryce Young, Alabama – Yes, I do have the Tide winning the national title this year.  It still won’t be enough to not join the list of players who had a shot at pulling an Archie Griffin and came up short.  Unlike everyone else on the list, he won’t make it easy on the other contenders. The only thing holding him back is how many other Heisman candidates this team has. They are loaded.
3. Caleb Williams, USC – It was a huge coup for Lincoln Riley to convince Williams to follow him from Oklahoma to USC.  Among the contenders, Williams may have the toughest job helping turn around a 4-8 team so quickly.  This is one of the few instances where a team only being so good might end up costing a player during a Heisman campaign.
4. Will Anderson Jr., Alabama – I believe Anderson is the best defensive player in the country and it’s really not even close.  He’s also one small part of the reason that I think Bryce Young won’t win the Heisman.  He will take some of the votes that would have been thrown Young’s way.  It could work in reverse as well. Anderson could be primed to be the first defensive player in a long time to win the Heisman Trophy but all the good Bama players, including Young, makes it a bit more difficult for him.
5. D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson – Should we try this again? Why not.  *clears throat*  Ahem…Oo-ee-un-guh-luh-lay.  Just like last year.  And just like last year I have him #5 in my Heisman rankings.  He will have to show some serious improvement and I am betting he will.  It will help that he will have a better team around him that will be competing fort he College Football Playoff.  I think we will have a good idea what kind of season he will have once September ends.
6. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami – This guy looked like the real deal down the stretch last season and could have been considered the best ACC player the last few weeks of the regular season.  The Canes will be better but, as per usual, doing better will help a lot. If the Canes can somehow win the ACC title, Van Dyke’s chances might soar.
7. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma – A fantastic quarterback at UCF.  And thanks to TransferPortalMania, he ends up in Norman, replacing Caleb Williams (and, sure, Spencer Rattler).  Being the quarterback for the Sooners is always a pressure situation but the pressure should be a lot less this season which may allow Gabriel to thrive.
8. Bijan Robinson, Texas – Running backs still get shafted, to an extent, when it comes to Heisman voting.  It takes a phenomenal year for one to win it and you have to pair it with no outstanding quarterbacks.  An uphill battle for sure.  But if there’s one running back who could break through this season, it could be the new king of dijon mustard, Bijan Robinson. He will be the guy who makes the Texas offense go so if they win even 9 games this year, look for him to get a lot of attention from voters.
9. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State – Hey, how about the guy who had a breakout game for the ages at the Rose Bowl?  He will have arguably the best quarterback in the country throwing to him.  As we know, that’s a plus and a minus when it comes to the Heisman.  At the very least, he is the highest rated receiver coming into the season so that counts for something.
10. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee – This may feel to some like an out-of-nowhere kind of pick.  Hooker showed what he could do running a decent Vols offense.  With Tennessee having a lot more talent on that side of the ball this season, he may have some crazy stats. If Tennessee somehow gets to a New Year’s Six bowl, he will get a ton of hype.

Honourable Mention

• TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
• Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
• Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
• Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
• Quinn Ewers, Texas
• Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
• Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
• Jordan Addison, USC
• Devin Leary, NC State

I am going to wish the players on this list good luck since there is a chance the winner is nowhere to be found here. Because I am terrible at this.

All the predictions I have are now complete! In about five months or so I will find out how poorly I did.

Next up will be…hold on let me check my notes…yes….YES……YEEEEEES! College football is back! Week Zero! I mean it’s just Week Zero but still….WEEK ZERO! I will have the schedule up at some point early in the week. I’ve already been asked about the specialty packs as it pertains to this coming Saturday. My guess is they won’t show anything since normally they don’t because…who knows but I will chalk it up to some sort of incompetence since what they (Bell and Rogers) tell me makes no sense. I will keep everyone updated. Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Power Five….Power Four? Power THREE?

Really, who knows what we are looking at in the next few years. For sure, the two conferences on the left are the major players. I would be very shocked if neither conference went to 18 teams by 2025. As for the other three conferences, it’s a big game of conference chicken right now. I would say the Big XII has the slight upper hand at this point but that could change in an instant. So if you love realignment, ho boy, you must have a raging hard-on right now (and will for the next few years).

OK enough of that disgusting talk. Let’s get to the meat of this post. The Power Five conference predictions. All of them. Don’t lie, you liked all the Group of Five conference (and Independent) predictions in the last post, DIDN’T YOU? So one more time, I will cram as much information down your gullet I possibly can without choking you to death with college football information. Let’s begin.

Let’s start with the….well I can’t call them the undisputed king of conferences anymore because the Big Ten is making a big charge at them. Saying that, I can still call them #1…for now. Here are the predicted SEC standings followed by some grits and chitlins and other weird Southern “delicacies.”

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Georgia	8	0	12	0
	Tennessee	5	3	9	3
	Florida	5	3	8	4
	Kentucky	3	5	7	5
	South Carolina	3	5	6	6
	Missouri	1	7	4	8
	Vanderbilt	0	8	2	10
	West
	Alabama	8	0	12	0
	Texas A&M	7	1	11	1
	Ole Miss	4	4	8	4
	Arkansas	4	4	7	5
	Auburn	3	5	7	5
	LSU	3	5	7	5
	Mississippi State	2	6	6	6

Chitlins…GROSS!

• Who the fuck figured out to eat the large intestine of a hog?
• Yep, two undefeated teams coming from the SEC.  Bama and UGA don’t play each other during the regular season.  UGA has a relatively easy schedule (in an SEC sense).  Yes they have Oregon in a neutral-site game to start the season but they avoid the Tide, Aggies and Ole Miss out of the West.  Lucky Dawgs!
• As for the Fighting Nick Sabans, damn near everyone has them running the table, at least during the regular season, and I am going right along with that prediction.  Other than their matchup against TAMU (at home) and Ole Miss in Oxford, I can’t foresee any close games all season.
• As for the Aggies and their weird traditions (just watch a Midnight Yell practice…it’s fucking bizarre), I see them ending up one game short of getting to the SEC Championship.  Also one game short of the College Football Playoff.  Critics of Jimbo Fisher will find a way to make this sound like a failure of a season if they do comfortably make it to the New Year’s Six.
• As per usual, the SEC West is an absolute minefield.  The worst team is Mississippi State and they wouldn’t be last in any other conference…not by a long shot.  Unfortunately, Bama’s continued dominance and TAMU and Ole Miss not falling at all will mean the rest of the teams are playing for fourth.
• The Tennessee Volunteers are my Drinking The Kool-Aid pick of the year.  I’m buying that they will be improved enough to be on the precipice of a double-digit win season.  I can see them beating Pitt and South Carolina on the road and being perfect at home.  Now watch them go 5-7 and make me look like a dummy.
• Conference Championship prediction: Alabama 38 Georgia 30.  Closer than last year’s win by the Tide but still not enough for UGA.

When are they going to change the name of this conference? Just call it the BIG Conference now or something like that. Big Ten. For a conference with sixteen schools. Schools. Educational institutions. And they can’t count. Glorious. Anyway, here are the predictions followed by some BTN After Dark comments:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Ohio State	8	1	11	1
	Michigan	8	1	11	1
	Michigan State	6	3	9	3
	Penn State	6	3	8	4
	Maryland	4	5	7	5
	Indiana	1	8	3	9
	Rutgers	1	8	3	9
	West
	Wisconsin	6	3	9	3
	Minnesota	6	3	9	3
	Purdue	6	3	9	3
	Nebraska	5	4	8	4
	Iowa	5	4	8	4
	Northwestern	1	8	4	8
	Illinois	0	9	3	9

BTN After Dark Comments

• I am so looking forward to Rutgers travelling clear across the country to face UCLA on Big Ten Network starting at 10:30 at night.
• Can The Fighting Ann Arbor Khaki Warriors repeat as Big Ten champs?  To be honest, I don’t think they will even repeat as Big Ten East champs.  It will come down to their big matchup with tOSU two days after American Thanksgiving.  This one is in Columbus so I am giving the nod to the Buckeyes here which will be huge when it comes to what The Committee has to look at.
• You know, considering how good the Terps’ recruiting has been lately, do you think they kind of wish, money aside, that they were back in the ACC?  Not saying they could beat Clemson but man, they would look like a really good team there.
• The Big Ten West is going to be ridiculous.  I just have this feeling.  Five teams within one game of each other.  Yes, even Nebraska is in there.  In the end, Wisconsin will win some sort of game of Spin The Bottle, except using an ear of corn, and end up getting to the Big Ten Championship where they can scare the Buckeyes for a quarter-and-a-half.
• Conference Championship prediction: Ohio State 32 Wisconsin 10.  As I said in the previous point, this will be close well into the second quarter and then the Buckeyes will decide enough’s enough and do away with Wisky on their way to the CFP.

I think that right there tells you all you need to know about what’s going on with the rest of the Power Five. The ACC, at this point, might as well chill since their contract with ESPN lasts for more than another decade and any change would require a hell of a lot more money to leave than what USC and UCLA will have to deal with.

Now, there are rumblings that ESPN is stepping in and trying to broker an ACC/Pac-12 merger of sorts but I can’t see that happening to be perfectly honest with you. As long as the Big Ten or SEC doesn’t decide to poach any of their members (which is still a possibility), they should be fine for the time being. Alright, let’s get to the predictions, followed by a bong hit or five:

		Conference		Overall
	Atlantic	W	L	W	L
	Clemson	8	0	11	1
	NC State	7	1	11	1
	Florida State	5	3	8	4
	Louisville	5	3	7	5
	Wake Forest	4	4	8	4
	Boston College	3	5	6	6
	Syracuse	1	7	3	9
	Coastal
	Miami	6	2	9	3
	Pittsburgh	6	2	9	3
	Virginia Tech	4	4	6	6
	North Carolina	4	4	6	6
	Virginia	2	6	5	7
	Georgia Tech	1	7	2	10
	Duke	0	8	2	10

Hey Dude

• I’ve honestly thought of going to one of those cannabis shops to see what’s there.  It’s basically punishable by death here (in this condo area) to have anything weed-related so I’d have to be super sneaky about it.
• Hey, is Clemson back on top?  Sure looks like it although NC State is going to give them a serious run for their money.  Both teams look like they are a tier above the rest (sorry Miami and Pitt) and their game on October 1st will probably be for the division title.  High stakes for sure.
• Coastal Chaos is…not back.  Speaking of the Canes and Panthers, they are also a step above all the other teams in that division.  They will battle it out in another important ACC game on American Thanksgiving weekend which might just decide who gets their shit pushed in by the Tigers or Wolfpack.
• I don’t consider this a Kool-Aid pick.  Florida State will be better.  No stupid upset losses to FCS schools.  Just the slow ascent back to, potentially, the top of the ACC.  Same goes for Louisville (without the FCS issue).
• I did have Wake also in the ACC title hunt but the news that Sam Hartman will be out for at least a bit is a massive worry in Winston-Salem.  He steers the ship and without him, sorry Deacs fans, the offense just doesn’t go like it normally does.
• Remember last year when I had North Carolina bullying their way into the College Football Playoff?  Yeah, not falling for that this time, Mack.
• Conference Championship prediction: Clemson 47 Miami 14.  Yeah this won’t be close.

OK now we get to the first of the quasi-feuding brothers (sisters? cousins?). The Big XII is adding four teams next season and is pushing hard to get the rest of the Pac-12 teams to join them. It’s almost a certainty Oregon and Washington would rather drop football than join this conference but the rest of the schools remaining could very well be up for grabs, especially the two Arizona schools and the Mountain region schools. Until the next shoe drops, though, it’s another year of the Big XII with X schools. Here are my predictions followed by musings from a pissed off Count Von Count:

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Baylor	8	1	10	2
	Oklahoma	8	1	10	2
	Texas	7	2	9	3
	Oklahoma State	7	2	9	3
	TCU	4	5	6	6
	Iowa State	4	5	6	6
	Kansas State	3	6	6	6
	West Virginia	2	7	4	8
	Texas Tech	2	7	3	9
	Kansas	0	9	2	10

ZERO!  ZERO FUCKS GIVEN!  AH AH AH!

• Funny that if things stay as they are, the Big XII will actually get back to twelve teams so at least one conference understands preschool math.
• The bottom of the Big XII looks to be the same.  Kansas at the bottom.  Texas Tech not far from them.  And it always feels like one of West Virginia, Kansas State or TCU ending up in eighth.  Will this change with the newcomers?  I’m gonna say no.
• Not quite their swan song in the conference but I see the Sooners, despite all the defections, getting back to the Big XII Championship.  They are just too deep a team to not contend for, at the very least, a NY6 spot.  I expect Baylor to continue to do well under Dave Aranda and join OU at JerryWorld.
• Conference Championship prediction: Baylor 25 Oklahoma 23.  Yeah I am predicting the Bears to finish the Big XII Championship State of Oklahoma sweep by beating the Sooners in a very close game.

I remember doing a post eight years ago on my Pac-12 predictions. Here is what I said in that post:

The Pac-12 has become the de facto second best conference in the land and it’s by a long shot as well.

Wow. I mean eight years is a long time but the fall off the cliff of the Pac-12 started not long after this post. It has been a near-disastrous eight years for the Conference of Champions in football and with USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten things are looking even worse for the soon-to-be Pac-10.

Look, let’s just get to the predictions before I make Bill Walton cry:

		Conference		Overall
	North	W	L	W	L
	Oregon	9	0	11	1
	Oregon State	4	5	7	5
	Washington	4	5	6	6
	California	3	6	5	7
	Washington State	3	6	5	7
	Stanford	3	6	4	8
	South
	Utah	8	1	10	2
	UCLA	7	2	10	2
	USC	6	3	9	3
	Arizona State	4	5	6	6
	Arizona	2	7	3	9
	Colorado	1	8	1	11

Bill Walton’s Tears

• Hey remember I had U of A being terrible last year and I was right?  Well, this year I am doubling down with the Colorado Buffaloes.  I have a feeling Karl Dorrell is going to be taking a lot of ibuprofen this season.  And may start drinking if he doesn’t already do so.
• I see a lot of experts saying USC is going to win the Pac-12 South.  They will be better, there’s no doubt about it.  But win the division after going 4-8 last year?  Let’s pump the brakes a bit.  I think Lincoln Riley is still a season away from really pushing USC to the heights they were at during the Pete Carroll era.
• So who will win the South Division?  I think Utah repeats as South Division champions but it will be UCLA that will give them the toughest time.  The Bruins should be really good…like New Year’s Six good.  Now watch them go 4-8 and Chip Kelly get fired.
• As for the North Division, Oregon should clinch by Thanksgiving…our Thanksgiving.  There is no one close to them.
• Conference Championship prediction: Utah 32 Oregon 20.  Closer than last year but this time the Utes will destroy the Ducks’ dreams of the CFP.

There you go!  All conference standings predictions complete!  Next up I will put it all together and tell you who I think will win the whole thing.  Have a great week everyone!

Group of Five Conference Predictions. All of them.

“Oh god, not again. Look the last post was…”

“HERE ARE THE PREDICTIONS FOR EVERY SINGLE DAMN GROUP OF FIVE TEAM! PLUS THE INDEPENDENTS!!!!!!!”

That’s right! Back at it again with the predictions. Remember what I said…less is more. Meaning less posts. Not less information.

Annnnnyway, this means I will be putting all my predictions for the G-5 conference standings right here. Hell, I’ll include the Independents as well as a treat since they don’t really belong anywhere and some of them know it. So let’s get started!

We begin with what is still the best Group of Five conference in the land. And next year…looks like they still will probably be in that spot despite all the realignment. Here are my predicted standings followed by musings and other nonsense:

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Houston	8	0	12	0
	UCF	7	1	11	1
	Cincinnati	7	1	10	2
	Memphis	5	3	8	4
	SMU	5	3	8	4
	Tulsa	3	5	5	7
	East Carolina	3	5	5	7
	USF	3	5	4	8
	Navy	2	6	3	9
	Tulane	1	7	4	8
	Temple	0	8	2	10

Musings and Other Nonsense

• Remember what Cincinnati was like last year?  That is Houston this season…almost.  They almost have too easy of a schedule and now that we know what the ceiling is (for now) for the Group of Five, that could come back to haunt them.  Realistically, their opening contest of the season could be their most difficult.  They travel to the Alamodome to face the Roadrunners of UTSA in a great Group of Five battle.  Win that one and I can’t see how they don’t run the table.
• UCF and Cincinnati will tie for second but the Bearcats’ lone loss, I believe, will be to the Knights.  It seems since the American went to no divisions, at least two of the top few teams don’t play each other in a season.  One of the few perils of having no divisions in a big conference, I guess.  I don’t mind though since I hate divisions (if you didn’t already know).
• Memphis should see a lot of improvement.  As should USF.  For the Bulls it won’t be enough to be bowl-eligible but anything is better than what they have seen the past few years.
• I think Tulsa and East Carolina will slip below .500.  Both teams don’t exactly have nice schedules and it could cost them down the stretch when they need victories and they have to play some of the better teams in the conference.
• Conference Championship prediction: Houston 41 UCF 13.  I can’t see it being close to be perfectly honest.  Uncle Dana is going to be so hopped up on Red Bull his head might explode.

Hey, number two ain’t bad.

The Mountain West is still firmly in the number two spot among Group of Five conferences and were left alone during this round of realignment. Will they do something in the near future to bolster their ranks? There is always rumblings of them bringing in some Dakota schools or Montana/Montana State (or both) or even bringing UTEP and perhaps…ugh….New Mexico State along for the ride. But for now, it’s status quo. Well…almost.

		Conference		Overall
	Mountain	W	L	W	L
	Air Force	7	1	10	2
	Boise State	7	1	10	2
	Colorado State	4	4	6	6
	Utah State	4	4	6	6
	Wyoming	3	5	5	7
	New Mexico	1	7	3	9
	West
	Fresno State	7	1	9	3
	San Diego State	6	2	9	3
	San Jose State	3	5	6	6
	UNLV	3	5	5	7
	Nevada	2	6	5	7
	Hawaii	1	7	3	10

Status Quo?

• Yes…for a few more months.  Then…no divisions!  Fuck yeah!  So now we might finally get two teams from what were the same division playing each other for the right to win the Mountain West title and, perhaps, the Group of Five spot in the New Year’s Six.  Glad to see the conference doing it and look forward to the rest of the conferences abolishing their shitty divisions.  I’m Bossman and I approve this message (of hating divisions).
• I think it’s finally time we see Air Force truly soar.  The Falcons are the most complete team in the entire conference.  Yes, I get that they run the option but they are actually somewhat dangerous in the passing game.  And their defense should be pretty tough to beat this season.  I think they can pull out that one victory they need, over Boise State, to clinch the division.
• Remember my last place prediction for Fresno State last season?  Ah, good times.  I’m not falling for that again.  I think they have enough to outlast perennial contender SDSU for the West Division crown.  Now watch Hawaii win it and make me look like an idiot again.
• Speaking of the Fighting Rainbow Warriors, I do have them sinking to the bottom of the West Division.  The program is a bit of a gongshow at this point.  They’re basically the Arizona Coyotes of the Mountain West, playing in a smallish high school stadium for another few years until Aloha Stadium is renovated or a new stadium is built or something.  They can’t keep recruits on the island anymore and being on that island is becoming very difficult for the football program as a whole.  I hope it turns around again and not just for a single season but this will not be that year (despite what I said in the previous point).
• Conference Championship prediction: Air Force 38 Fresno State 14.  Air Force will finally win their first Mountain West title.  They haven’t won a conference championship since the WAC so it’s a long time coming for Troy Calhoun’s squad.

Look, I know Notre Dame doesn’t belong here but it’s not my fault they are an Independent still and they are grouped with a few teams that barely qualify as FCS programs. Let’s just get to the standings before I start swearing too much.

		Overall
		W	L
	Notre Dame	10	2
	Army	10	2
	BYU	9	3
	Liberty	8	4
	New Mexico State	2	10
	UConn	2	10
	UMass	1	11

No Profanity Notes

• • No profanity?  Let’s see how long this lasts.
  • Let’s start with the kings of the group: the Fighting Irish.  The question is always “Will they make the College Football Playoff this season?”  I honestly can’t see it this season.  Their schedule is brutal with trips to Columbus and the LA Coliseum along with home dates against Clemson and BYU.  I have them losing two of those four and it wouldn’t shock me if they dropped all four of those.  They always have a shot at the New Year’s Six and I see them sneaking in but it won’t be easy.
  • I have, yet again, got Army winning ten games.  They are a good team with a breeze of a schedule.  One year, they might enter that Army-Navy Game at 11-0 and at least will have some people wondering if they deserve that one spot in the NY6.
  • BYU is finally joining a conference again.  The Cougs are headed for the Big XII next year so this is their final season as an Independent.  And once again they are hoping to do enough to get into the Top 20 and make the College Football Playoff Committee really take a hard look at what they’ve done.  Their schedule is, once again, quite difficult.  Not Notre Dame difficult but not easy at all.  They won’t come out of it unscathed and I don’t think they have enough in the tank to be ranked.  Expect another trip to a mediocre bowl game…but at least the Provo faithful can be done with that after this year.
  • Hey, speaking of teams leaving the Independent world, it’s the fighting Hugh Freezes of Liberty.  They head to whatever the hell Conference USA is going to be next season.  I can’t see this being the end goal for them as they have a lot of resources to move up even more.  I know most people hate to hear that but it’s the truth.  This year, expect them in another low-level bowl before next year when they will have a chance to win one of Conference USA’s bowl slots to go to…yet another low-level bowl.
  • And yet another team moving to a conference.  The Aggies join Liberty in going to Conference USA.  Someone invited them to a party!  Yay for them!  They are still light years away from competing in any sense and when other teams from FCS join them there (like Sam Houston State) they will be blown by in no time flat.  It’s not easy recruiting for Las Cruces but something has to change there.
  • Just a reminder…UConn has their own contract with CBS Sports Network.  Say that again in your head.  Yeah I don’t get it either.  I mean if it was football AND basketball then sure, it makes a ton of sense since UConn basketball is a huge brand.  But just UConn football.  CBS can’t be making any money off this deal.  Anyway, you can watch them get their ass kicked (at least at home) if you so choose.
  • I don’t know what UMass will be able to do with three teams leaving the Independent ranks for conferences next season.  It means we will be back down to four teams for next season.  Sure, they can get their ass kicked by Notre Dame and Army, if they choose to play the Huskies.  They can be competitive with UConn.  Other than that?  It’s two FCS opponents and find at least seven other FBS teams to play them.  Not an easy task.  Honestly, unless the American wants to take them on at some point (which I can’t see happening), it may be best for them to head back to FCS.  I’ve said it before and I’m not wavering from that.
  • See?  Didn’t swear!  I am fuuuuuuuuuuny and smart.  Yeah.  Phew!  That was a close one.

One of the winners of realignment is the Sun Belt. Four new members! Good additions to a conference that has solidified itself as the number three conference in the Group of Five. Now let’s get to some of these sunny predictions and I will discuss some of the changes going on here:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Marshall	8	0	11	1
	Coastal Carolina	7	1	10	2
	Appalachian State	6	2	9	3
	Georgia State	5	3	6	6
	Old Dominion	3	5	3	9
	Georgia Southern	2	6	4	8
	James Madison	2	6	3	8
	West
	Louisiana	7	1	10	2
	Troy	5	3	6	6
	South Alabama	4	4	6	6
	Southern Miss	4	4	5	7
	Texas State	2	6	4	8
	Arkansas State	1	7	3	9
	ULM	0	8	1	11

Sunny Predictions (see what I did there)

• I’m going to say it again…this conference, like all conferences, need to go to no divisions.  One year it will bite them in the ass.  Guaranteed.  And they better hope it’s not the year when they have a legitimate shot to put a team in the New Year’s Six.
• It won’t be the normal cakewalk for Louisiana to win the West Division this season.  Saying that, it’s not like they have real good competition like the East.  The best bet to dethrone the Ragin’ Cajuns are Troy and South Alabama and they have a ways to go to be considered conference title contenders.  So chances are, we will see this team, yet again, in the Sun Belt title game.
• Coastal and App State can’t be happy to have Marshall in their division now.  The Thundering Herd are a very dangerous team and I believe they have enough to sneak up the middle in their first year of Sun Belt competition and take the East crown.  And yes, I know I have James Madison at 3-8 or 11 games played.  That’s how many they’re playing.  I guess they couldn’t get another non-conference game quickly enough so don’t think I am having issues with counting.
• Conference Championship prediction: Marshall 33 Louisiana 30.  Louisiana will not repeat as champ.  I think Marshall is going to make good on their move to a new conference by winning the Sun Belt.

I’m not going to put them last. I could. This conference has just irritated me for a long time. They have had the worst TV contracts in recent memory for an FBS conference, constantly allow the better schools to leave and backfill with worse options and had the audacity to turn down the Sun Belt when discussion of making geographically better conferences came up. Stupidity. Alright, let’s just get to the conference standings before I blow a gasket:

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	UTSA	8	0	9	3
	WKU	6	2	9	4
	UAB	6	2	9	3
	UTEP	6	2	8	4
	Florida Atlantic	4	4	6	6
	Louisiana Tech	4	4	5	7
	North Texas	4	4	5	7
	Middle Tennessee	3	5	5	7
	Charlotte	3	5	4	8
	FIU	0	8	3	9
	Rice	0	8	1	11

Alright Let’s Just Get This Over With

• No divisions so at least that’s a plus even though it happened because teams left.
• Many are discounting UTSA but I think they have it in them to run the table in the conference this season, something they didn’t do last year during their glorious run to a C-USA title.  Second place, on the other hand, I see being a complete dogfight.  WKU, UAB and UTEP are all good teams and because of scheduling quirks, I have the Hilltoppers getting the opportunity to travel to San Antonio for the conference championship.
• It is going to be a long season for Rice and FIU, two programs who honestly really don’t understand success in the first place so maybe it won’t hit them so hard.
• Conference Championship prediction: UTSA 45 WKU 38.  I think this may actually end up being one of the more fun conference championship games.  Both teams can score and even without Bailey Zappe, I’m sure WKU will be tossing the ball all over the field.

And finally….IT’S MACTION TIME, BABY! I know we don’t get much MACtion before late October but I always look forward to it. And yes, the attendance figures for these games, for the most part, aren’t exactly stellar. But to be able to watch these games when I would have had absolutely no opportunity to otherwise? Love it! Here are your 2022 MAC predicted standings:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Miami-OH	7	1	8	4
	Kent State	5	3	6	6
	Ohio	3	5	4	8
	Buffalo	3	5	5	7
	Bowling Green	1	7	2	10
	Akron	0	8	1	11
	West
	Northern Illinois	7	1	9	3
	Toledo	7	1	9	3
	Central Michigan	6	2	9	3
	Western Michigan	5	3	6	6
	Eastern Michigan	3	5	5	7
	Ball State	1	7	3	9

MACtion Magic

• Look I’m going to level with you.  The MAC East is a terrible division.  Realistically, none of the teams deserve to be in the MAC Championship and I am sure I could make a case for none of them to go bowling either.  Alas, the rules state otherwise.  The Redhawks should be the best of a not-that-good bunch with Kent State giving them a bit of a run.
• The West, on the other hand, will be a lot of fun.  Three good teams at the top with very little to separate them.  The schedule favours Northern Illinois to pull out a squeaker to win the West but you could put them, Toledo or CMU in the conference championship and they would all make sense and you could make strong arguments for them.
• Ball State.  Bowling Green.  Akron.  All bad.
• Conference Championship prediction: Miami-OH 27 Northern Illinois 26.  Because of course this is the way it would work out in this crazy conference.

We made it! The Group of Five is done! Who out of this group will make it to the New Year’s Six? Seriously? You couldn’t figure it out from all the info I gave you? Well, I will be doing bowl predictions later this month so no need to worry if you can’t put this puzzle together.

Next up is the Power Five. When will that happen? Who fucking knows?!!!! Have a great rest of the week everybody!

Could things get any worse for the Big XII?

Bob Bowlsby is trying his best but it’s like bringing a gummy worm to a bazooka fight.

The Big XII is having a bad month.  OK that’s an understatement.  The Big XII is having the worst month any conference has had in years.  First, it comes to light that Texas and Oklahoma are wanting to get into the SEC.  We also find out that the talks have been going on for potentially upwards of six months.  And now Bob Bowlsby sends a cease and desist letter to ESPN as he has proof that the four-letter network is trying to coerce the rest of the Big XII teams to look into going into the American Conference, of all places, before things get tougher and they may have no conference to go to.  And it does kind of all make sense.  ESPN has the entirety of the SEC contract starting in a couple years.  And they hold almost the entirety of the AAC TV contract as well.  The Big XII?  Of course they have some games on ESPN but also are in bed with FOX (you network-jumping whore).  This makes things tougher for ESPN to control everything.  But if most (or all) of the Big XII teams move to the AAC, they have more control over more teams and can move more games to ESPN+ meaning more people have to purchase a subscription.  The other reason this is important?  ESPN would then get out from having to pay the Big XII almost $1 BILLION for the remainder of the TV deal and the Longhorns and Sooners would save on exit fees because the Big XII wouldn’t exist so there’s no conference to take those fees.  Fuck, college football is wild.

Alright let’s get to why you’re here (I think): the Big XII conference predictions.  I will follow that with some Escape Plans:

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Oklahoma	9	0	12	0
	Iowa State	8	1	11	1
	Texas	6	3	9	3
	TCU	6	3	9	3
	Oklahoma State	5	4	8	4
	West Virginia	3	6	6	6
	Kansas State	3	6	4	8
	Baylor	3	6	6	6
	Texas Tech	2	7	4	8
	Kansas	0	9	1	11

Escape Plans

• The Sooners might have it difficult (in possibly their final year in the conference).  Not saying their schedule is easy but the Cyclones could be the best they’ve ever been and Texas and TCU aren’t far off.  But they still do enough to win the conference regular season crown by running the table.
• The Les Miles era didn’t last long in Lawrence.  It felt like things were going well and then it turned into an unmitigated disaster.  Sounds like The Hat has an affinity for the young female student population as there were issues with him at LSU.  I’m sure there were issues at Kansas as well.  They made a great hire in Lance Leipold but man does he have a tough road ahead of him.  Give him time though.  And if it doesn’t work….MARK…..FUCKING….MANGINO.  Make the god damn call, Jayhawks!
• I can see the Big XII staying at 8 even if the lawyers can get Texas and Oklahoma out before the 2025 season.  It’s the only way they get that money from the two programs and the TV money from ESPN.  If they are smart, they either move to pull in as many teams as possible or have the other eight teams wait to announce their intentions to go to other conferences.  Would be hilarious to see ESPN pay a billion for a conference that is essentially dead.
• For this year’s title game, the Sooners will once again vanquish the upstart Iowa State Cyclones.  It will be a close one, yet again.  And honestly, these two teams are far and away the best two teams in the conference (as it currently stands).
• I got seven Big XII teams going bowling this season.  Kansas State and Texas Tech will struggle unless they can sweep their non-conference schedule which won’t be easy for either squad.  And Kansas will be Kansas.
• This shouldn’t be rocket science but yes, I do have Oklahoma getting to the College Football Playoff.  13-0 in a Power Five conference will do that.  As for ISU, you’ll have to wait and see if I have them in a New Year’s Six bowl.

Guess what?  We are almost home!  Two more conferences to go.  Next up is the conference that always keeps me up at night…literally…because their games are always on late…………it’s the Mountain West.  Have a great rest of the week everyone!

1. Bring in Texas and Oklahoma. 2. Make even a pissed off Texas A&M comply. 3. ????? 4. Profit!

We are not just inching towards super conferences now.  If Texas and Oklahoma are admitted to the SEC then college football is on a bullet train to super conference land!  We may be witnessing the biggest and possibly last huge realignment spree for a while.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  If you are happy with the potential of super conferences and these teams breaking off from the NCAA (or at the very least, FBS), you can thank Greg Sankey, the current commissioner of the SEC.  He is a guy that sees the future for what it is and plans to put the Southeastern Conference in front of it all.  This post could look entirely different starting as early as next season if he gets his way (and UT and OU gets theirs and TAMU really doesn’t get theirs at all).

How about we get right down to the predictions that Just Means More (teams) followed by Texas Barbecue Thoughts (and whatever the fuck they eat in Oklahoma):

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Georgia	7	1	10	2
	Florida	5	3	9	3
	Kentucky	4	4	8	4
	Missouri	4	4	7	5
	Tennessee	2	6	5	7
	South Carolina	1	7	3	9
	Vanderbilt	0	8	2	10
	West
	Alabama	7	1	11	1
	Texas A&M	6	2	10	2
	LSU	5	3	9	3
	Ole Miss	5	3	9	3
	Auburn	5	3	8	4
	Arkansas	3	5	6	6
	Mississippi State	2	6	6	6

Texas Barbecue Thoughts

• Wait, they will eat barbecue as well in Oklahoma…slathered in Jim Ross’s BBQ sauce.
• I’ve done this before with not-so-great results.  But I don’t learn from my mistakes so I’m doing it again.  Bama does not have an easy schedule (which is par for the course in the SEC West) and I can’t see them going unscathed.  I have them losing to Texas A&M but still winning the division.  This would mean not being #1 and you’ll have to wait to see where I have them after the conference championships in another post.  Again, don’t be pissed.  It’s not like I have them going 6-6 and heading to the Independence Bowl.
• I have Georgia winning the East division by a healthy margin.  Again, it all comes down to the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between the Dawgs and Gators and I have UGA winning that one and then winning the title going away.  Kentucky and Missouri will be good once again but good isn’t good enough to win the SEC East.
• Yes, I said the Aggies would beat Bama.  Problem is they have a brutal schedule and I see them losing two other games, conceding the division to the Tide.  How dare they be in the SEC West!
• LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn are all potential Top 25 teams (or just outside the Top 25) with Arkansas improving under Sam Pittman.  And Mike Leach will have an exciting brand of ball down in Starkville.  Damn, the SEC West is a minefield.
• When is Tennessee going to turn it around?  Be back, as you will.  It won’t be this season and I don’t know when that will happen.  UT (the one in Knoxville) routinely falls behind most of the SEC teams when it comes to recruiting and they can’t seem to get any traction or a really good head coach (or a head coach who becomes really good) to move them up the conference ladder.  Would it surprise me to see them make a bowl game?  No but it’s not going to be exactly a New Year’s Six game or a bowl game in the state of Florida.
• Auburn is an interesting case.  They finally shitcanned Gus Malzahn despite the fact he’s done pretty good work on the Plains since he arrived.  But it wasn’t enough even with beating Bama a few times.  Now they have Bryan Harsin, previously of Boise State, to try and push the Tigers to that next level.  The only way that happens is if Bo Nix can become the quarterback he was supposed to be and the rest of the offense follows his lead.  Otherwise I may even be generous giving them eight wins.
• Eleven bowl teams!  And maybe even twelve if they need Tennessee for some reason.
• Alabama-Georgia again?  Yep.  Crimson Tide winning a close one again?  Yep.  Does this put Bama in the CFP?  You’ll have to see.  But you can probably make a good guess at the answer.

We are down to four conferences left in the prediction posts.  Next up is a conference that really doesn’t know what to do although with a new commissioner hopefully they will be better…the Pac-12.

Still 33 days to go until the first college football game of the season.  Why the hell does it feel like it’s taking so long to get there?  Considering the season we came off of, I am thinking a lot of fans will be seriously pumped for this season  Have a great week everyone!

It’s pronounced SHONTZ. SHONTZ.

SHON-TUH-CLEERZ.  Say it with me.  SHON-TUH-CLEERZ.  Repeat it.  Learn it.

Learn it because this could end up being the next big thing in underdog college football.  Coastal Carolina was amazing last year and came within a hair of running the table even through bowl season.  Add Louisiana and Appalachian State and you have a Top 3 that rivals any Group of Five conference.  Really, other than Texas State, this conference is full of teams that have had at least one successful season over the past decade.  And the Bobcats are expected to be not too bad.

Let’s get to those Fun Belt conference predictions!  I will follow that with some Sun Belt Midweek Musings and Such:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Coastal Carolina	8	0	12	0
	Appalachian State	6	2	9	3
	Georgia State	3	5	4	8
	Troy	3	5	4	8
	Georgia Southern	2	6	3	9
	West
	Louisiana	8	0	10	2
	Texas State	4	4	6	6
	South Alabama	2	6	4	8
	ULM	2	6	2	10
	Arkansas State	2	6	3	9

Sun Belt Midweek Musings and Such

• If there’s ever a conference that needs to go back to no divisions, it’s this one.  The Sun Belt has been lucky that the first couple of years of the conference championship the best two teams have been in opposite divisions.  But at some point that won’t happen and it might cause an undefeated team to miss out on a College Football Playoff spot in the future.  So Sun Belt?  Don’t be stupid.  Abolish divisions.  Make the right move.
• The West Division this year…well, it may be a cakewalk.  Louisiana might clinch the division at the beginning of November.  They are that far in front of everyone else.  The only team that looks like they’d be relatively close is, somehow, Texas State!  Jake Spavital, I believe, will get the Bobcats into bowl season for the first time ever.  And yes, Arkansas State will drop off that much from last season.  Doesn’t help they have a tough schedule.
• The East is at least a bit more competitive.  Coastal is still the team to beat and should be just as good, if not better, than last year’s breakout season.  Appalachian State will try to keep things close and they luckily get their game against the Chanticleers at home in mid-October.  Win that and they have the inside step to the division title.  The rest of teams are OK but will struggle to make a bowl game.
• The Sun Belt Championship we should have got last year should happen again.  It could low-key be the best conference championship game this season.  Should be an awesome one but I don’t think the Chants are going to be denied the Sun Belt championship belt this time around.
• At this point, only four teams would be bowl-eligible.  Yikes!  But hey, Texas State would be going to a bowl game with my predictions.  Start the parade in San Marcos!
• Is this the year?  Does the Sun Belt finally have a representative in the New Year’s Six?  I’m…not going to tell you until the bowl predictions.  I think it will be closer than people want to believe this season.

Let’s keep the conference prediction train going!  Next up will be the soon-to-be-expanding SEC!  Have a great weekend everyone!  Oh and remember…35 days.  Exactly five weeks.

I am so amped up for college football especially MACtion!

Yes that’s a real t-shirt.  How do I know?  Because I own one.  That’s right, I own a MACtion t-shirt!  I’m honestly very happy and proud of myself for having that shirt.  The other interesting part?  No one has a god damned clue what it means.  Like no one.  My son asked me what MACtion was.  So I explained it to him.  He looked at me like I had been talking to him in Cantonese.  But you know what?  I don’t care.  I’m a massive college football fan and I’m not ashamed of it.  Honestly, more people should show what they are truly all about.  Like nothing is really nerdy anymore.  Almost everything is somewhat mainstream now so the chances you would be embarrassed by what you like is a lot less.  I mean unless you’re into some really crazy shit involving cult-like behaviour.  Then maybe still keep that info close to the chest.

Let’s just get right down to the first conference predictions for the 2021 college football season from yours truly followed by things (and perhaps stuff):

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Buffalo	6	2	8	4
	Ohio	6	2	8	4
	Kent State	5	3	6	6
	Miami-OH	3	5	4	8
	Akron	1	7	3	9
	Bowling Green	0	8	0	12
	West
	Ball State	7	1	9	3
	Toledo	6	2	9	3
	Western Michigan	5	3	6	6
	Central Michigan	4	4	6	6
	Northern Illinois	2	6	3	9
	Eastern Michigan	2	6	4	8

Things (Watch out for Stuff as well)

• Buffalo’s MAC schedule is pretty darn easy.  Ball State is the one tough game although I see them losing a road game against Kent State.  They will beat Ohio though which is the most important thing as that would give them the nod in the East.  Could they get to 10 wins?  Probably not.  I don’t see them beating Coastal Carolina but man that should be a good game.  Same with Nebraska but it’s the Huskers so who knows what the hell will be going on with them.
• The West is definitely not a two-team race like the East.  Ball State is the most talented team in the conference but Toledo, WMU and even CMU won’t make it easy for them.  I make the Cardinals my selection to win the division with a bit of hesitation, not gonna lie.
• Hey remember bowl games?  They are back in full with even a couple of added ones.  That is likely to change starting next season.  For now though, along with the Bulls and Cards, I expect Ohio, Kent State, WMU and CMU to get to bowl games as well.  Surely we will see a heavy dose of these teams during MACTION in the Fall.
• I see the Falcons of Bowling Green University being the only winless team on the season.  For all of FBS.  Poor BGSU fans.
• Ball State will…NOT repeat as MAC champs.  I think Buffalo gets their revenge, even without Jaret Patterson, and wins the MAC title and a spot in…the Motor City Bowl?  I don’t know.  It’s dumb.  They should get a set bowl with a shot against a Power Five team.  Otherwise, they should lobby for the Bahamas.
• No New Year’s Six possibilities out of this conference yet again this season.

The MAC is locked in for quite a long time with ESPN.  2027 to be exact.  So MACTION!!!! is not going anywhere.  But a lot of conference TV contracts are coming up in the next few years.  Not saying the MAC would leave ESPN but do they split their contract to get some games on a different network?  They are quite a ways down the pecking order but you never know, especially with a huge domino falling to start this whole thing…that domino being the SEC on CBS being no more soon enough.  For now, enjoy the MACTION!

Next up is the MAC’s Midwest buddies, the Big Ten.  Man does it ever feel good to start these conference predictions.  It means the season is kinda, sorta, maybe just around a few corners.  43 days to go to be exact!  Hope you all have a happy Friday!

Time for another conference network!

It’s time to welcome the SEC Network’s younger, less successful brother, the ACC Network!

This seems to be the future of college sports.  And I am fine with this.  It means there are more options to watch college football and you might see some sports you never see up here like…oh wait, this is Canada so no we don’t get that.

I am assuming this will be dealt with the same way the SEC Network was dealt with by Rogers and Bell…poorly.  Bell couldn’t seem to figure it out right off the bat but eventually got the games up for Canadian viewers.  As for Rogers (and, I believe, Eastlink), they had to wait a couple seasons to even get these games.  Why?  Who the fuck knows.  I always chalk these types of things up to one of two things: either the ongoing pissing match between Rogers and Bell and/or incompetence.

Well let’s get right to the ACC predictions and then I can follow that up with some Statements of the South (but not that far south):

		Conference		Overall
	Atlantic	W	L	W	L
	Clemson	8	0	12	0
	Syracuse	6	2	10	2
	Florida State	5	3	9	3
	NC State	5	3	9	3
	Wake Forest	2	6	5	7
	Boston College	2	6	5	7
	Louisville	0	8	2	10
	Coastal
	Miami	7	1	10	2
	Virginia Tech	6	2	9	3
	Virginia	5	3	8	4
	Pittsburgh	4	4	6	6
	Georgia Tech	2	6	4	8
	Duke	2	6	4	8
	North Carolina	1	7	3	9

Statements of the South

• But not too far South.  I think that people in this conference forget that the word ‘Atlantic’ is in the conference name.  Not Southern.
• Clemson is EASILY the best team in the conference, despite their defensive line all going to the NFL.  Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and the offense should be even better than last season.  The defense is still seriously good, even with the replacements along the line.  This is about as easy a choice as their is for a team to run the table (especially inside the conference).
• Again I have Miami and Virginia Tech battling for the *checks notes* Coastal Division title.  I did that last year and neither team stepped up.  For this reason, don’t be surprised if Virginia or even Pitt is playing for the division title in late November.
• Florida State SHOULD be good this year.  I mean not back to 1990s Noles standards but still, they should be in the New Year’s Six mix at least into November which should make Seminoles fans very, very happy (or more like relieved that the nightmare of the past few years is over).
• Georgia Tech is going to have a difficult season in 2019.  Not because of Geoff Collins.  Well, actually it is.  They are converting from the triple option to a pro-style attack and since Collins has had one recruiting cycle, they are at least a season away from having the players needed to make such a system work.  But at least the media and fans seem to be OK with this.  If this was done in Alabama, say moving to the triple option, Tuscaloosa might burn down if the media said the Tide would have a 5-7 season while transitioning to the new style.
• Steve Addazio might be at the end of the line in Chestnut Hill which I don’t think would upset many Boston College fans and alumni.
• I’ve got eight bowl teams coming out of the ACC with two others on the cusp.  Don’t be surprised if the bowls have to dip into the 5-7 teams yet again (after getting away from this for a couple years) and take either Boston College or Wake Forest to fill a spot.
• In the end, I have Clemson (like everyone else) winning the ACC Championship over a decent Miami squad (who won’t be starting Tate Martell) which will undoubtedly put them in the College Football Playoff.

That’s it.  All the conferences are complete!  Next up is the bowl game projections which I am sure everyone will agree with.  Have a great hump day everyone!  Remember, we are 10 days away from college football!  Tomorrow we fall to single digits.  WOOHOO!

Did you hear this news about Halloween? (Also the MAC predictions)

So I’m listening to morning radio which, for the most part, is complete dogshit.  But an interesting story came up with one of the way-too-happy morning crews.  There is a push to move Halloween to the last Saturday in October.  To top that off, Snickers will give like a million chocolate bars to someone if this happens.  I know what you are thinking now.  “That’s nice Bossman.  What in the holy hell does this have to do with the MAC?”  Let me explain.  For a few years now I have not had to go out with my kids to trick-or-treat because they are too old for that and Dad is uncool.  So I would be at home giving out candy to the nine kids that come to my door.  While I wait for the doorbell to ring, I watch TV in the living room that’s right near the front door.  So what do I watch?  Starting at 7:00, I watch MACtion!  MACtion is on during the week, remember, and folks, it is great to have on when waiting for trick-or-treaters.  You get to watch a decent game attended by not a whole lot of fans in shitty weather (probably) with someone who shouldn’t be in the booth doing commentary (the Teddy Atlas night comes to mind).  It’s good entertainment and keeps you from falling asleep and missing some nine-year-old ringing the doorbell and getting pissed off that the light is on but no one is home.

Alright, let’s just get to the MAC predictions followed by some fun-sized statements:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Ohio	7	1	9	3
	Buffalo	6	2	7	5
	Miami-OH	4	4	5	7
	Kent State	4	4	5	7
	Bowling Green	2	6	3	9
	Akron	0	8	1	11
	West
	Toledo	7	1	9	3
	Northern Illinois	5	3	6	6
	Western Michigan	5	3	7	5
	Eastern Michigan	4	4	6	6
	Central Michigan	2	6	4	8
	Ball State	2	6	3	9

Fun-Sized Statements

• Let’s take a quick look at Ohio’s schedule.  Conference schedule…pretty nice.  They play Buffalo in Western New York but other than that they have a damn easy conference schedule.  So 7-1 seems to be the absolute floor in conference.  Non-conference is a little different.  Rhode Island, Pitt, Marshall and Louisiana.  They should win at least two of those.  So ten wins isn’t out of the realm of possibility but they seem to be fairly close to a lock in the East.
• In the West, it will be even more of a separation between the top team and the rest of the bunch.  Toledo will get back to the MAC Championship and should have a two-game lead on the field by the end of the season.  Northern Illinois and Western Michigan will give chase but won’t have the talent to approach the Rockets.
• Beyond the teams discussed above, there are a few other teams that should be good enough to go bowling.  Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, I believe, will go bowling and Miami-OH and Kent State (yes Kent State) will be close.  Other than those programs there will be a lot of teams that fill the middle and bottom of the standings, providing fodder for some of those mid-week MACtion games.
• Akron is rebuilding so they will be the bottom of the barrel this year.  Oh well.
• I have Toledo beating Ohio to win the MAC Championship and continue the half-century-plus streak of the Bobcats not winning a conference championship.  No New Year’s Six candidates in this conference though.
• Six bowl teams from the MAC with a possibility of two more.  The same thing I predicted last year.

With a couple of conferences looking at ways to get more games on Saturdays for attendance purposes, it makes me wonder how this will affect MACtion in the future.  I know in the immediate future, there will be no change.  MACtion is here to stay for now.  But even the MAC has some fans and media pundits wondering if they should try and get more games on Saturdays and put them on different platforms.  Stadium puts games on Facebook.  The NFL Network is dipping their toes in with Conference USA.  Who else knows what might happen.  With the AAC out of CBS Sports Network soon enough, the MAC should get more games there which will definitely help.  So there is that for sure.

Next up is the conference of conferences (according to some), the SEC!  We are down to three sets of conference predictions and then we get into the final sets of predictions before the season begins.  And we are only 18 days away!  Have a great week everyone!

Let me tell you something about the Sun Belt, BROTHER!

I love the fact they have a championship belt in the Sun Belt.  They really should get a wrestler to present it to the conference champion.  I’m sure Hulk Hogan can do it: he loves that kind of shit.

Again, the Sun Belt is the bottom of the conference chain but not by much anymore.  The MAC and Conference USA aren’t exactly that far ahead of the Sun Belt now.  What helps is having good teams every year.  Troy and Appalachian State have provided the conference with some good teams the past few years.  Just like I said in the Conference USA preview, getting a team into the New Year’s Six would be huge and give the conference some much needed publicity.

Look let’s just get to the Sun Belt predictions.  I will follow that with some Fun Time Fun Belt Musings and Such:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Appalachian State	8	0	10	2
	Troy	7	1	9	3
	Georgia Southern	5	3	7	5
	Coastal Carolina	2	6	4	8
	Georgia State	1	7	2	10
	West
	Louisiana	5	3	7	5
	Arkansas State	5	3	8	4
	Texas State	4	4	5	7
	ULM	2	6	3	9
	South Alabama	1	7	2	10

Fun-time Fun Belt Musings and Such

• It’s the second year of having a Sun Belt Championship Game.  Unless it’s a good game it will buried, once again, by other more important conference championship games.  But at least the conference is aligned with everyone else now.  Consistency: something college football never craves.  Ever.
• No one will have an easy time in the West.  It’s not that the West Division is great because it’s not.  There’s just no dominant team.  So Arkansas State, Louisiana and, yes, Texas State will be competing for the Sun Belt West Division title this season.  I kind of hope Texas State somehow wins it going 6-6.
• The East is still where the strength lies.  Appalachian State and Troy (and to a lesser extent, Georgia Southern) are a level above the rest of the teams in the conference.  There is an even a slight chance the regular season finale between App State and Troy will appear on a network we can watch (it’s on Black Friday).  Honestly that may be the only truly important game on the entire conference schedule this season.
• I still believe the Sun Belt Championship should be sponsored by Mountain Dew…or maybe Funyons or Cracker Barrel.  I think App State survives Troy and ends up beating Louisiana into a pulp for the second consecutive year for another Sun Belt championship (and that sweet Sun Belt championship belt WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!).
• At this point, five teams would be bowl-eligible.  This means all the tie-ins are satisfied!  And if the academics in San Marcos are up to par, maybe Texas State can sneak in under the “Under-.500 but smart school” bowl game provision.
• Look I have gone over this before but the Sun Belt champ receives a banner and a whole batch of fucking nothing for winning the conference.  They don’t even have a set bowl to go to.  Ridiculous.  If you want to see what I would do about this, go on a tour of my blog.  I’ve referenced it a few times.

Alright we keep chugging along with the conference predictions.  Next up will be the conference that can’t seem to get their shit together, the Pac-12!  Have a great Monday everyone!  Oh and remember…26 days.