Conference Predictions 2010

I should probably write an intro here. But I won't.

ACC

I hate trying to remember which divisions the ACC teams are in. But I expect that the Big Ten will be doing the same thing to me next year.

Atlantic Division

1. Boston College - They've been pretty solid every year, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
2. Florida State - For want of a better option.
3. Wake Forest - They've been decent over the last few years. I'm hoping they'll get themselves another bowl bid this year.
4. Clemson - I find them so overwhelmingly, aggravatingly inconsistent that I am just going to avoid saying anything.
5. Maryland - Example 1 as to why revolutionary offenses quickly get stale.
6. North Carolina State - Blech.

Coastal Division

1. Miami - There are a lot of good options in this division. I'll take a gamble on the 'Canes.
2. Virginia Tech - They are always in the race and I expect no less this year.
3. Georgia Tech - Not perfect, but they're pretty good. When their offense works, it's very good. It doesn't always work.
4. North Carolina - A trendy pick, but I'm not ready for that bandwagon yet.
5. Duke - Still terrible after all these years.
6. Virginia - And yet Virginia may actually be worse.

ACC Champion

Boston College - Because that is just the sort of oddness you would expect from the always-strange ACC.

Big XII

The last Big XII Championship Game, at least in its present incarnation, has arrived. Things will be different next year. But for now let's guess how things will be in the last year of the Big XII's current form.

Big XII North

1. Nebraska - The easiest pick on this entire conference prediction page. There is nobody else in the North I can see. You got any better choices?
2. Kansas State - They were better last year, but they were still far from good. That's the second best resume in the Big XII North.
3. Missouri - It was a rare alignment of forces and circumstances that put the Tigers on the map. Circumstances will cause National Geographic to look for their eraser.
4. Kansas - Circumstances are not looking good for Kansas either.
5. Colorado - Dan Hawkins better make sure he saves his paychecks from this season.
6. Iowa State - I miss you, Dan McCarney. But not as much as Iowa State does.

Big XII South

1. Texas - I'm still not sold on this one. But they are at least as good as anyone else in this division. They may lose the Oklahoma game, but still end up going to the Big XII championship game.
2. Oklahoma - Could be their year this year. But their offensive line troubles last season have me pessimistic on their chances.
3. Texas A&M - Yeah, I still think their coach is an idiot, but I got nothing else to get excited about in this division.
4. Oklahoma State - So let me get this straight, they had the best quarterback and wide receiver in their school's history two years ago and again last season (at least for part of it), but they still couldn't do much of anything nationally? I think T. Boone isn't getting much for his money.
5. Texas Tech - I think Tommy Tuberville is a great coach in the wrong place. I should probably write more about this. <Yawn>... later.
6. Baylor - Robert Griffin may lead Baylor all the way up to mediocrity. Hey, for Baylor that's a huge improvement!

Big XII Champion

Nebraska - I think Nebraska splits the season series with Texas, and I'll go with the Huskers to take the more important one.

Big East

Not the best league on earth. But they aren't entirely bad, so they deserve some attention. Talk about your left-handed compliments.

1. Cincinnati - They have been consistently good for the last few years and, for all the changes at the top, I think they should be good enough to make it work for one more year.
2. Pittsburgh - They made a big step forward last year, and I expect that they should have another good year this year. They will pounce if Cincinnati slips up this year. And I should note that I really like that season-ending rivalry between those two teams.
3. West Virginia - I have my concerns about this team, but I don't see anyone else to get fired up about.
4. Connecticut - The Huskies seem to be on the verge every year, but they never quite figure out how to get over the hump. Who am I to argue with a trend?
5. Rutgers - Remember when Rutgers was supposed to be a rising power on the East Coast? It's getting harder to do every year.
6. South Florida - Still playing fourth banana in the Sunshine State.
7. Syracuse - Actually a big improvement for the Orange. They may sniff a bowl game this year.
8. Louisville - Probably an overly pessimistic assessment, but I didn't see anything to get excited about last year. Did you?

Big Ten

The last season of status quo here, too. Next season will be a brave, strange new world.

1. Ohio State - I would not be surprised to see them tie for first or second in the conference rather than win it outright. But I'm a pessimistic Ohio State fan, so I am probably not the best person to ask about this. November will be very interesting in Columbus.
2. Wisconsin - As a pessimistic Ohio State fan, Scott Tolzien scares the holy bejeezus out of me. Even more because he is teamed up with John Clay.
3. Penn State - Look out for the Lions. If the Alabama game toughens them up rather than grinds them down, they could be in Pasadena on January 1.
4. Iowa - There are great expectations for the Hawkeyes, but they also won't surprise anyone this year like they did last year. They are, in many ways, a wildcard for all their preseason expectations. This ranking is actually a worst-case scenario for Iowa, so I could quickly regret putting them this low.
5. Michigan State - They keep hanging on the periphery without quite breaking into the big time.
6. Michigan - Could finish second in the conference, could finish dead last. If the offense ever clicks, they will be dangerous. I expect another fast start, but their defense still looks hopelessly thin from where I'm standing.
7. Northwestern - I am kind of glad for Northwestern fans that they lost that heartbreaker in the bowl game last year—if they had won, they would have to acknowledge that the game ever happened. Anyway, I really like the way they looked last year, but I'm not ready to put them in the top quite yet. Of all the picks I have made so far, this is the one that I feel is likeliest to be a regret.
8. Indiana - It's probably wishful thinking for Indiana fans to even put them this high. But I was really impressed with their fight last year. They gave as good as they got in most of their games.
9. Illinois - They'll have a shot at a bowl game, then they'll look forward to next year with a new coach. Sorry, Ron.
10. Purdue - I cannot for the life of me figure them out. Against Ohio State, they were unstoppable and ruthless and you could see all of their potential on every level. Against everybody else they played like they were handcuffed to desks.
11. Minnesota - Tim Brewster lives up to every one of my expectations. Sorry to put it like that, but it's true. And I'm not really sorry.

Pac-10

Going to be an interesting year out West, and they haven't even realigned yet.

1. USC - As I said in the national predictions, the Trojans could be very good, they could be very bad, but whatever happens, it will likely be extreme. I expect them to be peeved enough this year to hold together and have a great season. And an extremely bad year for USC would be 8-5, so this wouldn't be an awful pick even if it does go wrong.
2. Oregon - All they needed to do was keep themselves out of trouble. They could not. They should still be pretty good, but I think that Duck Nation will rue this offseason for a few years.
3. Oregon State - The Beavers just keep sticking around. They have been consistently pretty good for the last few years, and I see no reason why that would change this year.
4. Stanford - Without Toby Gerhart, it will make for a tough year in Palo Alto. He was the axle about which the offense turned. But they should still be good enough to win at least 8 games.
5. Arizona - There's not much to be said about Arizona. The only thing I can truly note about them is the fact that Arizona is almost completely unremarkable.
6. UCLA - When Rick Neuheisel was first hired, I expected him to have a fast start, then slowly fade back into a perfectly unremarkable program. Aside from the fast start, things seem to be going according to plan.
7. Cal - Like I've said before, they had their chance, and now they don't. It seems that they have been guilty of one of the worst of all possible vices: bad timing.
8. Washington - Have you ever heard so much talk and excitement about a 3-year starter at quarterback who has never led his team to a bowl game?
9. Arizona State - I expected Dennis Erickson to be doing much better than this. Oops.
10. Washington State - If you don't have anything nice to say... and I've already said too much.

SEC

It was not the best season for the SEC last year, with very little to get excited about behind Alabama and Florida. Things don't look that much different this year. Except for the Florida part.

East

1. Florida - For all of their losses of vital players on both sides of the ball, I don't see anyone else to challenge them in the East.
2. Georgia - I am not all that fired up about the Bulldogs' chances, but I'm not excited about much of anybody else in this division.
3. Kentucky - They may be going bowling this year. I'd give them about a 50-50 shot at the postseason. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here.
4. Tennessee - New coach, new players, but at least everyone who is there wants to be there. Unfortunately, after the bar brawl, everybody who expected to be there won't be.
5. South Carolina - Somehow, they always find a way to fail to live up to expectations. It even happens when everyone expects them to stink. Explain that one to me.
6. Vanderbilt - There are never any expectations for them, therefore they can never fail to live up to them. Not that they don't try.

West

1. Alabama - This was the second easiest pick on this page. Their national outlook comes down to their ability to replace all those defensive starters. Even if they can't, they are more than good enough to win the West.
2. Arkansas - Dangerous, but not nearly as complete as Alabama.
3. Auburn - They should be better, but they have a long way to go before they are in Alabama territory. Not that I would say that to an Auburn fan's face.
4. LSU - I wasn't all that impressed when I watched them last year. They were kind of like a team trying to figure out which piece was missing in a puzzle they hadn't yet put together.
5. Mississippi - This is a riskier pick than you might think: they might actually be better off without Jevan Snead.
6. Mississippi State - For want of an offense, the season was lost.

Yes, I know I should probably do a Non-AQ section, but I don't know much about any of the teams past the frontrunners. So I'm not going to insult you by providing a lot of predictions that are completely groundless. But I do expect Utah to win the Mountain West. I'll give you that little nugget.