An INTRODUCTION to Ari
I have a special article to share on BigJeffsFootball.com, written by my friend Ari Wajnberg. Our friendship goes back to our two boys playing on their first tackle football team together in 4th grade. Then later we were part of the same Catholic Church weekend retreat.
Ari is a multi-talented guy who served as our football public address announcer and unbeknownst to me also has been writing an annual college football preview for 20 plus years. When Ari found out about my website/blog and Thursday night podcast on @TheBigTenHuddle on X, he asked if I would share his 2025 season writeup on my site.
Ari is unique as an Auburn graduate (SEC! SEC! War Eagle and all that stuff…) but also has his MBA from the Big Ten’s Northwestern University where “It Just Means Less”.
Ari gives his ruminations around all the changes in college football and conference realignment along with making some fun analogies in predicting the season, who will make bowl games in each conference and then finally predicting this season’s 12-team playoffs. Good stuff Ari. Thank you for sharing!
Special Note: Big Jeff is not responsible for any major disagreements with this content or positive comments and predictions about the SEC conference.
Big Jeff’s 2025 Big Ten Season Record Predictions – Big Jeff’s Football
Big Jeff’s Top 10 Storylines for 2025 Big Ten Football – Big Jeff’s Football
Follow me on X/twitter @bigjeffsftball and also follow/join @TheBigTenHuddle for comprehensive Big Ten coverage and analysis that includes my weekly Big Jeff’s Football Insights Podcast on Thursday nights @ 9 pm EST.
Welcome to the TWENTY-SECOND Annual Laage Aage’s College Football Collage.
By Ari Wajnberg
Each year I do the Collage; I’m reminded that this got started as a goof the year my daughter was born. And so now, just as she is getting ready to graduate and be productive, so it is with the Collage….and college football.
Despite all the cataclysm of the last two years, we saw minimal changes year over year in conference realignment, but yet another shock to the system happened: The House Settlement. Editorial note – as the father of a non-revenue sport athlete, it’s disheartening to see the unintended consequences of the lawsuit, particular for the kids in swim/dive, track, and pretty much everything that isn’t football or basketball.
A lot of talented athletes (literally in the thousands) lost spots in athletic programs because of it (or had their program outright shut down).
Conference Realignment
My last year’s theme of “Famous Disasters” is exactly what happened for a lot of teams. Yes, Oregon won the Big 10/18, but UCLA, Washington, and USC fell flat. SMU nearly won the ACC, but the two refugees from the Pacific Coast Conference (yes, that is a deliberate swipe) did not fare well in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Big 12 saw a refugee team from said Pacific Coast Conference (that won 3 games the year before) win it, a former stalwart (Oklahoma State) go Oh-fer in conference, and two former conference foes get shellacked in their new conference (Utah and Arizona).
And what of that juggernaut, the SEC? One newcomer shined, while one faceplanted (until they knocked another legendary perennial power out of the playoffs).
What does it all mean? Even the haves are having a tough time, and no one’s getting developed, but it makes for a true “Any given Saturday” scenario to happen EVERY GIVEN SATURDAY.
Now that the tectonic plates have been settled for a few months, let’s see where the other smaller aftershocks are:
- Conference USA: – Adds: Delaware Blue Hens, Missouri State Bears. What does it mean? No longer is Kennesaw State everyone’s favorite homecoming date.
- MAC – Adds: Massachusetts. What does it mean? Rust belt teams will now have access to the football recruiting hotbed that is Massachusetts, and UMass will now have access to way more money as everyone’s new favorite in-conference homecoming date. This is also clearly a way to make sure that the conference stays strong after Northern Illinois leaves in 2026 for the Mountain West, which makes sense since Dekalb, Illinois is so mountainous…and West.
- Independents – Now that UMass finds itself in its natural home in the Midwest, we are down to only TWO independent teams. Probably best for UConn, as it seems like independence agrees with them.
2026 will bring some smaller tremors and some new incarnations of older conferences (i.e., I don’t consider the soon to be “New PAC 12” a reincarnation of the old PAC 12). Now, much like blood will revive the ashes of a dead vampire (or so I thought from some old Peter Cushing movies), the PAC-12 is going to be somewhat reconstituted in 2026.
When we add back some water to this Lipton’s Onion Soup, the PAC-12 will gain Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State, and Texas State (with Washington State and Oregon State leftover), making the PAC-12 a league of 7, which, to me, makes about as much sense as Cal and Stanford playing in the ACC (but I digress…).
And then the Mountain West brings in Northern Illinois, which ensures that the MWC teams have access to Midwest recruits and deep-dish pizza. Speaking of food, the Sunbelt gets additional new food options by bringing La Tech in as well…
Alrighty then…..Given the fact that we’re talking about STUDENT ATHLETES and ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, perhaps we should focus on the ingenuity that comes from 4 years of academic endeavor at these pillars of knowledge…..creations of the mind that come from brilliance, necessity, or just getting really hammered and realizing there’s a need for a disposable barf bag or fizzy drinks that make your hangover go away. Necessity is the mother of invention, and as you’ll see, some of these inventions are real mothers.
DISCLAIMER – AS ALWAYS, I MUST DISCLOSE THAT I AM AN AUBURN HOMER, BUT DON’T HATE. I WILL CONTINUE TO BE AS DISPASSIONATE AS POSSIBLE,,,HA!
Conference Predictions
The conferences…
Because of the continuing mayhem, I’ll stick with the whole “go with the more relevant conferences first” order that I’ve utilized the past few years……
Pac 2 (The Ronco Pocket Fisherman and other Made for TV Trinkets)
Reeling things in was what the Pocket Fisherman promised would be anglers. Right now, the Pac 2 is working to reel in other programs. While this year’s 2 teams still won’t have a real “title,” next year’s 7 teams will actually qualify as a conference.
Will it be called the Pac 12? My guess is yes, given that the Big 12 and the Big 10 don’t reflect their actual conference numbers (besides it makes them look bigger on paper).
Overall Champ (The Pocket Fisherman) – Wazzu. Somehow, this team managed to have a good record 2 of the last 3 years and has also managed to land progressively better personnel. Still, their current catch won’t be enough to be more than the champion of a league of 2.
Second Place/First Loser (The Chia Pet) – Oregon State. The only things growing in Corvallis these days are indoor Chia Pets (and weed plants) and Scotch pines. The trends aren’t good, and the only thing that will keep them above water this year is the maturation of the talent that they were able to get while they were still in the PAC 12.
MAC (WD-40…and other Industrial Lubricants)
This comparison came very easily…the MAC IS the embodiment of the rust belt: Industrial, old, somewhat static. Frozen in time in many respects. Changes in conference makeup are few and far between.
In the last 2 decades. Marshall, Temple, and UCF came and went. And UMass came and went…and came back. But essentially, the league has been rusted solid since the late 1990’s, unlike the rest of college football which has been moving fluidly. Hence, the need to continue to apply WD-40 and other industrial grade lubricants to keep the football moving on the frozen fields of Toledo, Muncie, and Ypsilanti.
Champ (WD-40): Toledo – I picked Toledo last year, I’m picking them again – but only for coaching. Although they had the best recruiting class in 2024, their older guys were a little lower. That said, although they’re not head and shoulders above the next few teams, they’ll win the conference.
Second (Shell 10W-40): Ohio – 10W-40 is an old standby oil that keeps a TON of cars running in the good ole USA (and the world). Ohio’s been the most consistent team in the MAC for the last 3 years, have good coaching… but their dudes are sort of MEH when compared with what other teams have been able to bring in.
Bowling (Silicone grease): Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Miami – Kind of nasty, has to be re-applied a lot, but it works great on electrical equipment and it’s relatively inexpensive. Kind of like tickets to the bowl games that these teams will nonetheless attend. That said, Northern Illinois can use its silicone grease to easily transition to the Mountain West.
No Bowl (Vaseline): Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Kent State (GOOD LORD), Ball State, Akron. UMass – Much like the way you need to find something to ease a rectal thermometer in the right spot (or other things into similar places), these teams are going to need some help in dealing with other blunt object, namely opposing football teams. There are some teams here who COULD see their way out of the mess in the next few years (Western Michigan’s recruiting has improved), but with new coaches and a lot of new guys, it’s probably a good idea if they keep a tub of good ole petroleum jelly on hand.
Independents (Depends…and Similar Independent Living Accoutrements)
Few things say independent living like a disposable diaper. Whether you’re an on-the-move adult that doesn’t want to wet the bed (or stop for a bathroom break if you’re a deranged astronaut stalker), or an infant or an impatient toddler who doesn’t have time to go potty, those miracles of fast wicking make sure you stay dry.
They also suit the independents in college football. Many have graduated to a full toilet, but Notre Dame doesn’t want to be tied down to a conference, and UConn hasn’t figured the conference thing out.
Another Great Bowl (Depends) – Notre Dame. I am not sold on ND being a playoff team again, but I do see them at least being in a solid bowl. Coaching solid, but not necessarily the dudes this year.
Probably A Bowl (Huggies) – UConn. They’ve been sinusoidal in performance over the last few years,
Mountain West (City Sanitation)
Civilization has often been plagued by disease, in part due to poor sanitation in cities. To combat the situation, we’ve developed a litany of piping and general garbology to deal with waste, making modern life possible.
To this day, though, a sewer backup or a garbage strike (or just day-to-day management being lax) can make things unlivable, causing people to flee for the suburbs. Such are things in the Mountain West, where just the name itself embodies clean, crisp air and bucolic environs such as Boise and Greeley….and Fresno.
The Mountain West built itself into a Group of 5 power, nearly into a Power conference. I guess the siren song of the PAC-12 has been heard, making for almost reverse sanitation (the teams are heading INTO a coastal heap). I guess the exiting teams will be riding out on garbage trucks.
Champ and a playoff berth (Water Treatment Plants): Boise State. The king of sanitation (keeps out the nasty stuff like cholera) is a good way to categorize Boise State. I called them a playoff team last year, and I’m doing the same this year. Their personnel are better than any other team’s in the conference, they had one slip-up in 2023 in an otherwise excellent string of seasons, and coaching is head and shoulders above the rest (although Dan Mullen showing up at UNLV and Bronco Mendenhall at Utah St makes this a slightly closer race).
Second and a good bowl (The Dipsy Dumpster): UNLV – The aforementioned Dan Mullen/Cousin Eddie brings success with him from the SEC. Given the dudes he has left over from the Barry Odom season, I expect the Rebels to make a run – just not this year.
OK Bowl (The Storm Sewer): Air Force, Utah State, Colorado St, San Jose St – Although one of these teams has had sustained success, the other 3 have only recently seen sunlight shining into their sewer. Bronco Mendenhall brings immediate credibility to Utah State, with a chance to build a conference contender. However, Colorado and San Jose St. need to keep figuring out how to bring in personnel, because if they ever revert to their means, it’s going to be a lot of nasty,wet, smelly days in those stadiums.
No Bowl (The Humble Garbage Can): New Mexico, Hawaii, Wyoming, San Diego St, Nevada, Fresno St. – Although all of these schools (except New Mexico) have had some recent success (i.e., in the last 10 years), it seems as if coaching and lack of talent has finally caught up. Essentially, these guys will need the aid of many trash cans to potentially clean house when this year is over.
ACC (The Airplane)
In the Old ACC, you could at least take a bus to games. Now, teams are having to pre-position game day kits across a continent. Given the first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, it’s only fitting that the Airplane be selected to represent the ACC. Based on New College Math, Clemson has the advantage in personnel, coaching (Dabo Swinney as the Dean of ACC coaches), and a 3 year body of work.
That stated, Rhett Lashlee at SMU showed that coaching, a smattering of talent, and good team play can trump all the measurables. The numbers say that the second place ACC team could be Syracuse, Louisville, Miami, or FSU. I’m not sold on any of them, simply because one year is not a trend (Syracuse), a down year gives me concern (Louisville), no one’s done less with more than Mario Cristobal (Miami), and FSU is flying standby after last year.
Not that any of these (and SMU isn’t capable), but my pick for a breakthrough this year is Georgia Tech. Disregard this year’s recruiting class – Brent Key can coach, he’s got guys with moxie, and they have momentum. As for the rest, Bill Belichick will make a difference over last year, but they need 2 years of recruiting to right the ship. Manny Diaz will have Duke respectable at least, and Pitt will be better simply because of some of the maturation of the freshman and sophomores from last year.
Champ and a playoff berth (Gulfstream G650) – Clemson. They have the dudes, they have the dean of ACC coaches, and they have a body of work. They’ll be traveling in style this year.
Second and a playoff berth (Citation Longitude): Georgia Tech – Another nice jet… and a somewhat of a wild card, but momentum is a thing. Whether it’s personnel, or coaching, or “good feelings” around the direction of a program, I like Georgia Tech this year.
Good Bowl (Airbus A340): Syracuse, Louisville, Miami, Duke, SMU, Florida State. A big plane for a large group of good but not great teams. SMU will be good but not playoff good. So are Miami and Louisville. Syracuse and Duke are taking steps forward. But I don’t see any of these guys making a run, even Miami (did you really think that having Napolean Dynamite with his stolen Lamborghini at quarterback would make the difference? Thought not. Is FSU better? Yes. Playoffs? Oh, hell no.
OK Bowl (MD-80): Boston College, Pitt, North Carolina, NC State, Va Tech. Much like the MD-80’s retirement, many of the coaches of these teams came out of retirement OR are being prepped for it depending on how they do this season. UNC has a couple of years under The Goat to take off, BC has some (repeat, SOME momentum), and NC State, Va Tech, and Pitt are on a knife edge.
No bowl (737MAX – Grounded): Stanford, Cal, Virginia, Wake Forest. Cal and Stanford are still finding it tough to take off. Wake Forest will have a lot of building to do. And Virginia is trending in all the wrong ways.
Sunbelt (The Refrigerator and other Appliances
About the Sunbelt, it serves as an accent piece in the back yard or the front porch. As we as a society have added better appliances to our houses, so has the Sunbelt added better teams over the years, to the point where coaches and players are starting to move not to other conferences, but to other Sunbelt teams as a promotion (See Charles Huff heading to Southern Miss from Marshall).
In essence, the Sunbelt is in an arms race, kind of like getting a new microwave vs. the old Litton that made granny’s hearing aids glow, or an air fryer instead of that toaster oven that smoked a little or sometimes shorts out the double wide.
I see Marshall and Southern Miss swapping places from last year, James Madison on a downward trend, and Texas State to try to make one last run before they leave for the Pac 12 (WHY?). And I see some once proud programs (Coastal Carolina, Troy, and Appalachian State) really start to slide this year.
Champ/East (The KitchenAide in wall fridge with rock-sized icemaker) – Georgia Southern. The trends are looking right; the coaching staff is right. The only thing that makes this a knee-knocker of a prediction is their personnel. But Clay Helton has them poised.
West (Hier dorm fridge) – South Alabama. I like their 3-year body of work and the trends on their personnel, all reflective of coaching.
A bowl (Electric Knife Sharpener): Texas State, JMU, Louisiana, Arkansas State, Southern Miss. Some are trending up, some trending down, but I think these are the ones that will manage to stay on the knife’s edge at least for this year.
No bowl (Pop up toaster that you need a knife to dig out the toast) – ULM, Georgia State (Dell McGee is starting to bring in some dudes, but it’s a long build), Marshall (after 1 year in the catbird seat), Troy, ODU, Appalachian State (last 2 coaching hires have left a lot to be desired)
Conference USA (The EpiPen and other Injectable Emergency Medicine)
I’ve often compared Conference USA to people, animals, fast changing nuclear disasters, and pretty much anything that is tough to kill or continues to rapidly change. Such as the existence of C-USA. Many conferences could learn from them (e.g., the PAC-12), but this mid-major continues to survive, much like those who use the EpiPen (or other critical injectable medicines).
The EpiPen ensures that those who have an allergic reaction to bee stings or tree nuts. In C-USA, many teams inoculate themselves by figuring out a way to still attract talent AND deal with others poaching theirs. That’s tough when you’re regularly a Power 4 homecoming date (except for Liberty), but similarly to these wonderful medicines, C-USA has adapted and are part of the college football medicine cabinet.
Champ (EpiPen): Liberty – There’s still nobody in the conference who will move the needle enough to challenge Liberty. Even if someone manages to slip them some almonds or peanuts, they’re able to jab that thigh with a good bit of coaching (Jamie Chadwell) and good talent (higher than anyone else in the conference) and they’ll be right as rain. They could actually be a Group of 5 rep in the playoffs.
Second Place (Ozempic): Western Kentucky – Obesity is something that happens over time, but if left untreated, it becomes an emergency. Enter Ozempic (and other semaglutides). Out of nowhere, you get slim and healthy and you keep slim and healthy, just like the Hilltoppers did last year and will continue this year.
Minor Bowling (Lanoxin…the stuff you use to increase heartbeat strength): Jacksonville State, Sam Houston, New Mexico State. These guys will go bowling only because they have a heartbeat and the remaining teams are putting not so good stuff in their bodies to kill the pain of bad football. See below.
No bowl (Narcan): FIU, La Tech, UTEP, Delaware, Kennesaw State, Missouri State, MTSU – The only thing that keeps these teams and fan bases alive is to try to ease the suffering inflicted by bad football. The newcomers to FBS (Delaware and Missouri State) will enable relative newcomers (Kennesaw State) to have some shining moments (and not a flashlight in their eye to check their pupils). And as for the other three, I just don’t see any movements to getting to watchability any time soon.
AAC (The Smoke Alarm and other Safety Equipment)
Smoke alarms anger my spouse. The new ones are so sensitive that they go off when the oven gets a little hot. Nevertheless, the one in the kitchen has saved us when the cat managed to turn on the cook top TWICE with plastic sitting on top.
The AAC has been similar to all those safety products out there: A safe place for teams to settle into big boy football and, in some cases, actually thrive. For instance, Army was looking like a potential playoff team last year… until they got too hot and had their fire put out by Notre Dame.
Champ (The Kidde Smoke Alarm): Tulane. I wasn’t off on this one last year, so much as Army was more “on” through the whole year. Tulane is still ahead on personnel, and coaching isn’t an issue. I don’t look for Army to repeat.
Second (The Ring Doorbell): Memphis – The Ring doorbell takes the guesswork out of who’s outside your house. As much as I would like to discount Memphis and put Army or Navy here, I’ve got to combine my gut with the analysis to take the guesswork out of this pick. Memphis has reasonably good coaching, better talent by the numbers than the rest of the conference (except Tulane), and their trend is up.
Decent Bowl (Toddler Safety Gate): ECU, UTSA, USF, Army, Navy –Although each of these teams has proven worthy of playing big boy football, they’re still not ready to play with REALLY big boys in the playoffs. Hence the need for the toddler gate…but perhaps they’ll get closer this year to have free range of the house.
In particular, both Army and Navy both made a run, and then ran into Notre Dame. ECU and USF are on the way up and UTSA has the jury out.
No bowl (The Seatbelt): Temple, North Texas, Tulsa, Charlotte, UAB, Rice. A useful device that saves the wearer in the case of a car crash. These guys are all going to need seatbelts, ‘cause they’re gonna be getting hit by bigger, better teams for a while. In particular, UAB’s got the worst trend on performance, and Rice has by far the least amount of talent.
Big 12 (The Automobile)
Post World War II, everyone had a dream of a large automobile…with tail fins. And now that the Big 12 stretches from West Virginia to Arizona, what better way to see the US of A (or at least a lot of the middle part of it) than in your automobile?
Champion and automatic berth (’57 Chevy) – Texas Tech. I picked Oklahoma State last year. HA! Shows you what happens when you don’t base your analysis on…analysis. OK State was the obvious pick, until ASU said no thanks. This year, based on analysis and gut, my gas money looks to be on Texas Tech. They’ve recruited well, their trend is slow but steadily up, and their coaching is trending positively.
Second, and a good bowl…for the Big 12 (’72 Challenger) – Utah. Not a bad car for second, but would I pick a bad team for second? Possibly… but I will say that last year’s performance by Utah was a blip. Expect them to have a better season, and with one of the deans of Big 12 coaching still in place, expect better results.
Good Bowl (Any Ford F150): WVU, K State, Colorado, Iowa State, BYU. Solid, reliable….and not going to wow anyone with a conference championship. Rich Rodriguez will bring some oomph back to WVU, Colorado will continue to climb in a post-Hunter/Sanders world, and Iowa St/K State/BYU will continue to truck along with good coaching.
OK Bowl (Honda Fit): Arizona State, Kansas, Baylor, TCU – A Fit will get you to where you want to go, but again, it’s basic transportation. You’re just going to have to cram everyone in… kind of like we’re cramming these teams into the bowl category. ASU lost a lot from their playoff team. Kansas is looking to bounce back after the debacle last year. TCU has recruited too well not to be improved. And Baylor was on a hot streak at the end of last year.
No bowl (Any 1970’s Ford Pinto): Houston, Cincinnati, Arizona, UCF – Everyone remembers the Ford Pinto for exploding on contact AND the fact that Ford said it was too expensive to fix the problem. Similarly, it would seem for these 4 that things are trending badly, although Cincinnati may have some dudes to improve their lot, and UCF has the return of Scott Frost to celebrate and possibly turn things. Houston may have gotten some decent transfers, but it’s gonna be a minute before they’re back. And Arizona…bad trends all around.
Big 10 (GPS…..and other Related Directional Gizmos)
You need a GPS to get here, there, everywhere. And you pretty much need a GPS to keep from getting lost in finding all the new Big10/18 destinations from the last 5 years. But GPS’s glitch… like, how did Bloomington, IN suddenly become a football destination? And speaking of football destinations, when did Madison, Wisconsin suddenly cease to become one? That said, there are certain roads through which the College Football Playoff winds, and you don’t necessarily need a GPS (or map, Tom-Tom, or other device) to get there…
Champion and an automatic Playoff berth (The GPS they put in a Tomahawk missile): Penn State – It will not surprise me in the least if Ohio State wins the whole thing again. However, given their performance last year, the fact that they’ve got a lot of returning talent, and James Franklin as a head coach (despite what Paul Feinbaum says), makes me think this is Penn State’s year to win the Big 10.
Second, and an at large playoff berth (The Sextant): Oregon. The sextant has helped sailors navigate the sea and astronauts navigate space. This is just like Oregon navigating from the Pac12 (effectively killing the conference) and then winning the thing in their first year. Oregon’s got the dudes and the coaching to be able to win again, but I still like Penn State’s returning personnel just a hair better.
Good enough for another at large bid (The Compass) – Ohio State. The compass has been the go-to navigational aid since its invention. Similar to the way that the needle points north unless there’s a change in the magnetic field, the Big 10 points generally points north through Columbus. Although Penn St and Oregon are placed higher this year, OSU is the defending national champions, so it will not shock me if they end up at the top of the heap.
Good Bowl (The Spyglass): Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota. These teams are getting closer (or were already close and are now drifting away) to a playoff spot. However, the only way they’ll experience one this year is through a telescope or binoculars. I didn’t have IU as a playoff team on my bingo card, but neither did anyone else. They won’t sneak up on anyone, but they will not drift to their mean.
Iowa has dudes and the dean of Big 10 coaching, Minnesota is getting better dudes every year with a coach who gets the max out of min talent, and Michigan… well, despite sanctions, they’re either setting up for another long term run or heading for long, slow decline.
Ok Bowl (A globe with topography scaled on it): Nebraska, Washington, USC, Illinois, Wisconsin, Rutgers – Some interesting names here, kind of like points of interest on a globe. Nebraska and Illinois appear to be heading up the Hindu Kush. Washington, USC, and Wisconsin appear to be heading to the Grand Canyon despite a pot of resources and big-name coaches. And Rutgers appears to be stuck on the coastal plain – no up or down.
No bowl (A map of Bangkok….when you’re needing to get to Indianapolis): UCLA, Purdue, Michigan State, Maryland, Northwestern (Are you guys really sure losing Pat Fitzgerald was the right call?). None of these teams are going to be in Indianapolis any time soon. Purdue has a new coach with a hit or miss record, Michigan State’s trajectory is all wrong except for recruiting, UCLA is trending badly on all metrics, and Maryland is inexorably heading back to its normal mean.
SEC (The PC…..)
Much like the way that Jobs, Wozniak, and Gates (and Babbage and Thacker – the guy at Xerox who made real first PC) revolutionized the way we live, the SEC became part of everyone’s home, especially on Saturday afternoons….and then broke new ground with the conference championship, then became dominant through the late 90’s into the 21st century.
And then the Smart Phone started to make inroads, and like the Big 10 winning the last 2 national championships, seems to be supplanting our friend the PC (and the SEC). Fear not, denizens of the south……the SEC is still relevant and powerful, just not as all powerful, as the transfer portal and NIL (and don’t get me started on the House Settlement) has made things, shall we say, more fluid.
And what’s more, the once omnipotent (Alabama, Texas, and Georgia) are no longer monopolies on talent/coaching (or, in the case of PC’s, chipsets or operating systems), as EVERYONE’s getting better… even Vandy. So now it’s time to see who wins the battle of the Silicon Trailer Park this year…
SEC Champ and Automatic Playoff Berth (Broadberry Supermicro 751GE) – Georgia: In case you haven’t heard, Artificial Intelligence (or AI) is a thing. However, it requires a significant amount of power. Such as it is also with the SEC. Georgia is up to that task and continues to be up to that task. Arguably the best coach in the country, the best talent, and really the best track record of anyone in the conference in the last few years. And their new quarterback – let’s just say that he was under appreciated last year. All of this to say that if that powerful machine they’ve built falters…
Second and an at large berth (Alienware Area-51 gaming desktop) – Texas: …yes, the Longhorns are lurking, and not quietly, like my 17-year-old while he’s playing games on his system. And Texas is playing the game well. Steve Sarkesian has built his team to dominate… and he was close last year. And the Longhorns will be a threat this year…with a Manning at QB.
At large berths (MSI Raider 18 HX AI) – Alabama, LSU. Both of these teams will play at a high level, and they’re positioned to contend…..yet just like the MSI gaming computerbeing really good, it’s not top line. These teams have their flaws (jury’s still out on both coaches at their current schools, talent great but maybe just a stitch off), but most teams would LOVE to be these two….
Good Bowl but no playoff berth (Apple MacBook M4 Max/Pro): Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, South Carolina, Ole Miss. Apple makes a really good computer, but I am still trying to figure out the MAC OS…much like I’m still trying to figure these teams out. Plenty of talent or good (or good-ish) coaching, but each has got flaws that are keeping them from making the playoffs.
Ole Miss and Tennessee now rebuild without a tier 1 QB, A&M tries not to have a late season collapse, South Carolina tries to win with a fullback at QB (kinda worked for Bama), and Auburn… well, they’ve got head cases at QB and head coach. All to say that if I can figure out the MacBook, maybe these guys will figure out how to win the big ones.
Ok Bowl (ASUS – Vivobook Go 15″ Laptop) – Mizzou, Vandy, Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky. The ASUS serves as an OK computer for doing high school composition work, but it certainly isn’t high powered. Same with these teams. Too many holes, but just enough processing power to make a bowl.
No bowl (My old TRS 80 Micro Computer): Mississippi State, Arkansas. I feel for both of these programs. Any other conference, and they’d be dominating. And if my old TRS-80 had newer processor, it would be…well, slightly more fun to play Polaris on. But that’s not going to happen. And I don’t expect it to happen for these two programs, either.
College Football Playoff LAST YEAR Predictions
I got SHELLACKED last year in my first crack at a 12-team playoff. This is who I picked last year:
Round 1 (At Large Bids):
Ole Miss vs Clemson Texas vs Boise Oregon vs Penn State Alabama vs Utah
Round 2:
Georgia vs Ole Miss Ohio State vs Texas Oklahoma St (last in the Big 12!) vs Oregon
FSU (last in the ACC!) vs Alabama
Semi-Finals:
Georgia vs Oregon Ohio State vs Alabama
Finals: Georgia vs Ohio State, with Georgia winning
In fairness, no one picked IU to be in the playoff, or Bama to lose to Vandy AND Oklahoma, or OK State AND FSU to crater historically. That’s why the college game is so unpredictable, and with 12 teams AND NIL AND the transfer portal AND the House Settlement, it’s even more wide open….and that’s why we love college football. So, here’s hoping that this new-fangled invention of the College Football Playoff delivers again:
College Football Playoff THIS YEAR Predictions
First Round:
Alabama vs Georgia Tech Clemson vs LSU
Ohio State vs Ole Miss Oregon vs Texas
Quarterfinals:
Alabama vs Boise State Georgia vs Ohio State
Texas Tech vs LSU Penn State vs Texas
Semifinals:
Alabama vs LSU Ohio State vs Texas
Finals:
LSU vs Texas
Champion:
Texas
Note: Not a SINGLE team that had a first-round bye won a game. Rest is one thing, rust is another. Hence, we’ll see a Manning win a national championship, along with the full power of a coach’s full redemption on display. Talk about re-invention.
Welp, that’s all folks! HAPPY FOOTBALL SEASON, EVERYONE!
