Fall is coming, and that means that the college football season is finally here.
Last year brought us a new national champion with the Clemson Tigers, but will they be able to maintain their title? Will Alabama win the SEC again? And which teams will excite and underwhelm fans? Many people are predicting who will win the national championship, however, the conference championships should not be excluded due to the fact that they help determine who will battle for the title. So, in order to divide these predictions up, each Power 5 conference will be represented on this list.
1. Big Ten
The Big Ten has three very prolific teams entering this season: Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State. Ohio State is currently the highest ranked, but Penn State will win the conference due to the double threat of quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley. A team that will underwhelm within the Big 10 will be Iowa. After success last year with quarterback C.J. Beathard, they will likely falter a little more this year due to increased competition within their division.
2. ACC
The ACC is home to the reigning champions, the Clemson Tigers. However, with the loss of Deshaun Watson, they are a little under the radar for this year. Florida State will win the ACC due to their fantastic defense and rising quarterback Deondre Francois. Clemson will likely underwhelm this season due to the fact that they lost so many key players after their national championship run.
3. SEC
The SEC is home to Alabama, who has won the SEC for the past three years, and they'll win again this year. They'll face some tough competition from rival LSU for the title, but with the coaching of Nick Saban and dynamic offense and defense, Alabama will win this conference yet again. One team that will underwhelm is Texas A&M, which has been in the conversation as a major program facing an impending coaching change in the future.
4. Big 12
The Big 12 is always a tough division to predict due to the fact that most of their teams rely more on offense than defense. With that being said, Oklahoma will win the Big 12 due to Heisman-hopeful Baker Mayfield, despite the fact that there was a head coaching change. However, be on the lookout for Oklahoma State, which also has a prolific quarterback in Mason Rudolph. A team that will underwhelm in the Big 12 is Texas Tech. With repeated inconsistency and the loss of quarterback Patrick Mahomes to the NFL, this team will be very interesting to watch when it comes to a future coaching change.
5. Pac-12
The Pac-12 is usually dominated by Oregon, but for the past couple of years, they have been diminishing as a football team. Washington will be great yet again after their playoff run, however, USC will win the conference title. Led by Heisman front-runner Sam Darnold, the Trojans will win some tough games and ultimately win the Pac-12. UCLA will likely underwhelm within the conference, even with quarterback Josh Rosen.
