Written By: Joe Kmetz
This quarantine has been making everyone a little bored, and for someone like me who is a sports nerd, especially a college football nerd, it got me thinking ahead to the 2020-2021 season. Now I’m writing this assuming that everything with the upcoming season will go forward as planned with Full stadiums and starting on time. Now, if there are not games with fans or the season does not start on time, the analysis of road games and home field advantage are thrown out the window.
Group of 5
American: UCF- Projected Record: 12-0 (8-0)
Everyone’s favorite “national champs” are looking like they’re going to be the class of the AAC once again. They're going to be returning all of their major offensive starters from 2019, where they went 10-3 and finished 24th in the AP poll. Benefiting from an average-at-best schedule where they host Cincinnati, the only AAC East team that can give them a run for their money. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them run the table and represent the group of 5 in the New Year’s Six.
C-USA: UAB- Projected Record: 9-3 (6-2)
With Lane Kiffin leaving Florida Atlantic for Ole Miss, the C-USA will be a wide open race this year and I believe UAB will be the team to take home the title. The Blazers are coming off of a 9-5 season with nothing to show for it. After getting smoked in the C-USA title game to the Lane Train at FAU 49-6 and then subsequently lost their bowl game to #20 Appalachian State 31-17. They have a soft schedule so they are looking like the safe bet to win the conference.
MAC: Central Michigan- Projected Record: 9-3 (7-1)
Jim McElwain is in the middle of a tremendous turnaround out in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He inherited a 1-11 Chippewa team that was a laughing stock in the conference, and in just his first season they finished 8-6, making appearances in the Conference Championship game and in the New Mexico Bowl. Although the team lost both games, the fact that they were even there in the first place was an amazing accomplishment. I expect Central Michigan to improve on last year and take home the MAC title this year.
Mountain West: Boise State- Projected Record: 11-1 (8-0)
The Broncos are completely reloading and seem to be the only threat in the Group of 5 to take UCF’s place in the New Year’s Six. Coming off a 12-2 season where they finished ranked 23rd in the AP poll, the only roadblock on the path to perfection this season is a unique home game where Florida State will make the journey across the country to Idaho. I have them losing this contest, but if they can defend their blue turf, there is a serious case to be made for the Broncos going undefeated and potentially making a New Year's Six appearance.
Sun Belt: Appalachian State- Projected Record: 9-3 (7-1)
The Mountaineers will overcome the coaching turnover yet again as almost their entire offense returns from a 2019 once-in-a-lifetime team that went 13-1 and finished 19th in the AP. For their 2020 campaign, this will be the last ride for senior QB Zac Thomas who will want to continue the Mountaineers dominance over the Sun Belt Conference. They have two tough road trips back to back where they have to play at Wake Forest and at Wisconsin. App St. also has to travel down to Georgia Southern, the only Sun Belt team to have beaten them over the last two seasons. Outside of these three games it should be smooth sailing for the Mountaineers who are hungry for a Sun Belt three-peat.
Power 5
ACC: Clemson- Projected Record: 12-0 (8-0)
The Tigers are the obvious choice to defend their ACC crown with star Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and star running back Travis Etienne returning for another year after coming up short in the National Championship game and finishing 14-1. The only thing that can be said about the 2020 campaign is that it won’t be as easy of a ride as it was this past season. The ACC is improving across the board and the league will definitely be more competitive than last year. The ACC schedule brings two road tests as the Tigers will have to travel to Tallahassee to take on FSU, and travel to Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. Outside of those two games, there are no real challenges in their conference schedule. The one thing that will stop the Tigers from getting through another regular season undefeated is the November 7th road trip to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This will be a terrific QB matchup between Ian Book and Trevor Lawrence, two QB's who will both be hearing their names called in the 2021 NFL draft. All in all, if the Tigers can survive South Bend, there’s no reason why they can’t go undefeated once again and roll into the College Football Playoff.
Big Ten: Ohio State- Projected Record: 11-1 (8-1)
The Bucks are coming off a Big Ten championship-winning season where they went 13-1, and they were one slipped receiver away from potentially being in the national title game. While Ohio State gets their star QB Justin Fields back, they have a gauntlet of a schedule for the 2020-2021 Season. Week two brings a huge road test at the Autzen Zoo as the Buckeyes take on Oregon. Although this will still be a tough matchup I expect Ohio State to win this game because the Ducks will be navigating this season without Justin Herbert. Week seven and eight bring back-to-back road trips to Michigan State and Penn State. Penn State’s whiteout game is arguably the most hostile environment in college football, and if there is any game where the Buckeyes could trip up, it would be against the Nittany Lions. Penn State is returning a ton of starters this season and will be a force in the Big Ten East, and they could give OSU a run for their money this season. OSU has a tendency to struggle on the road late in the season against inferior competition, and with back to back road trips looming late in the year, Ohio State should be on notice. Last time they played at Maryland, they needed overtime to hold off the Terps, but frankly Maryland should’ve won that game. The week after that they have to travel to Illinois for a rivalry game with the Fighting Illini. Last year Illinois knocked off #6 Wisconsin at home, and this year an improved team could shock the Buckeyes as they play for the Illibuck Trophy as they might be overlooking Illinois and looking ahead to Michigan. The Buckeyes end their season at Home against Michigan. The Wolverines are a team you can never overlook, as they are Ohio State’s biggest rival. Expect a great game as usual and a chance for Ohio State to once again win the division.
Big 12: Texas 10-2 (8-1)
Texas will win the Big 12 this year, yeah I said it. Coming off of a down year where they started the season at number nine in the rankings, but finished at an underwhelming 8-5 and finished 25th in the AP poll. They return Sam Ehlinger for his final year of eligibility, along with a lot of offensive starters. Week two the Longhorns travel to Death Valley to take on the defending national champs in what should be a fantastic game. Expect this to be the first loss for the Longhorns.. The Red River Rivalry should be a fantastic game per usual, but it is a game I expect the Longhorns to win. This is the first time in Lincoln Riley’s career that he has to develop talent at the Quarterback position and I am skeptical. This will be the year where Lincoln Riley will prove if he is a good head coach, or if he has just been bailed out by transfers. I don’t expect Oklahoma to be able to continue their regular season dominance, and I believe this is the year Texas can take advantage and win the Big 12 Title Game.
Pac 12: UCLA 10-2 (7-2)
The Pac 12 is going to be wide open this season due to all the turnover in the conference. Mike Leach leaving for Mississippi State, Justin Herbert and Jacob Eason leaving for the NFL, and Utah losing their offensive Trio, which leads me to believe that UCLA will win the conference this year. This will be Chip Kelly’s third year at the program and he has been beginning to turn it around. Going 3-9 in his first year and 4-8 in his second year, but this season I see the Bruins having a great season and to make a run. They benefit from a soft schedule and being in one of, if not the weakest, divisions in the Power 5. That schedule gets even softer with the fact that a few days ago, the starting QB for the USC Trojans, JT Daniels, entered the transfer portal. A schedule where they don’t have to play Washington or Oregon, and a schedule where USC is starting a new QB, it wouldn’t shock me to see Chip Kelly break through and win the Conference.
SEC: Auburn 12-0 (8-0)
Burrow is leaving LSU, Tua is leaving Bama, Fromm is leaving Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are getting new coaches. All of this turnover really opens up the SEC race and Auburn stands to get the most benefit. The Tigers are returning Bo Nix after finishing 9-4 and 14th in the AP poll. That coupled with a soft non-conference schedule on top of the star QB’s leaving for the NFL. I expect the Tigers to roll through their non-conference and I believe that they will make it through the season unscathed. The Iron Bowl matchup vs Bama and a road trip to Georgia are the two biggest tests for Auburn in 2020. I’m curious to see what the Bulldogs will look like this season losing Jake Fromm who's been their starter for the past three seasons, and D’Andre Swift, who has been another star running back for the Bulldogs over the past three seasons. I’m also curious to see how this season will shape up for Alabama. After losing Tua Tagovailoa and their top receivers, the Tide have to reload once again. And after Tua went down this season, it became apparent that they needed him to carry on. They played in a non BCS/New Year’s Six Bowl last season for the first time since 2010 and the team is losing a lot of the talent they had from last season. After all of this I have Auburn winning the SEC with a perfect record, but don’t be shocked if they drop a game in the SEC West gauntlet.
Notre Dame: 11-1
Although Notre Dame isn’t in a conference, they are still considered a Power 5 team and, with a good enough record, could make the College Football Playoff. The Irish are coming off of an 11-2 season where they finished 12th in the polls. This season the Fighting Irish have 4 neutral site games this season: VS Navy in Dublin, Ireland, VS Wake Forest in Charlotte, NC at Bank of America Stadium, VS Wisconsin in Green Bay at Lambeau Field, and VS Georgia Tech in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. These games should be a lot of fun and should provide the Irish with some great experience going forward for any potential postseason games. The only two true road games on Notre Dame’s schedule are at Pitt and at USC. Notre Dame should watch out at Pittsburgh because at least once a year, Pat Narduzzi leads the Panthers to a huge win over a ranked opponent, and in a rivalry game like this one, the Irish can’t afford to overlook the Panthers. USC should be interesting, especially now that JT Daniels has entered the transfer portal, regardless I don’t see the Trojans winning this contest. ND’s home schedule provides some unique games, but no game compares to the November 7th contest against Clemson. I already touched upon this game when talking about Clemson and the ACC, so what I will say is that I expect this to be an amazing game. I don’t expect Notre Dame to be able to keep up with the firepower of the Tigers, but if they can find a way to win the game, Notre Dame will go undefeated and go back to the College Football Playoff.
College Football Playoff
Sugar Bowl: (1)Auburn vs (4)Notre Dame
Rose Bowl: (2)Clemson vs (3)Ohio State
National Title Game (Miami, FL): (1)Auburn vs (2) Clemson
National Champion: Clemson
*ALL STATS VIA ESPN.COM*
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