Ty's Preview of the 2021 College Football Season

To close out my 2021 football preview I come to you today with my college football picks and predictions.

I love college football. It is my favorite sport to watch. Even with Michigan being mediocre for a decade plus, I will watch every game every Saturday, plus a ton of other matchups. Where we sit today, the college football season officially kicks off tomorrow at 11am eastern time. I cannot wait to watch. I will go over the big conferences, some group of five schools I like, pick my Heisman winner, playoff teams, championship matchup and winner. Let's get to it.

I will start with the major conference I feel is the weakest, the ACC. Clemson is far and away the team to beat. They have to replace Trevor Lawrence, but the kid that stepped in last year when Lawrence got COVID was great. Clemson is now a team that just reloads. They do not rebuild. They will be a top five team all year and they will run roughshod over the rest of the league. UNC will be a tough out though. They have a great offense led by a very good QB. Their defense is better too. UNC is on the up and up. Florida State will be better. I do want to see how well Mackenzie Milton plays after his two year recovery. Louisville will be explosive offensively. NC State is always tough. Boston College can slow games down with their running game. Miami has a real good QB and a great season opener with Alabama. Virginia and Virginia Tech are formidable. UNC will make it tough, but this conference is all about Clemson. They own the ACC.

The Pac 12 is better than the ACC, but not by much. They are always overrated to begin the season and come crashing to Earth by week two or three. Oregon is the cream of the crop and they should win the league. They have a very tough week two game, at the university of Ohio State, and how they fare in that game will be very telling for them this season. USC has pretty much everyone back from a team that closed out the pandemic shortened season on a higher note. Their coach is under pressure to win and win big though this season. Washington is young, but good and has a very good, very sound defense. Stanford is always a tough opponent. Arizona State has a very good QB and offense, but they have some off the field stuff that needs sorting out. UCLA has a good run game and defense, but Chip Kelly is not the dominant coach he once was. Utah is always good. They are worthy of a perennial top 25 spot. The Pac 12 is better, but this should be Oregon's conference to win. USC, ASU and Washington will be tough hurdles, but Oregon is the best Pac 12 team on paper.

The Big 12 will have one of their last season's with all of its current members. Oklahoma and Texas will be moving to the SEC by 2025. But, while they are still there, Oklahoma is the team to beat. They have one of the best offenses in all of college football. Spencer Rattler is the real deal. Their defense is better, although they will be able to outscore every team in the Big 12. Oklahoma is legit. Texas is overrated, I do not think Steve Sarkisian is their savior and I feel like they will tumble. But if they get their legs under them sooner rather than later, they could be a threat. Baylor is not as dominant as they were in the early 2010's. The fact they are still allowed to field a team is an abomination. Iowa State will most likely be Oklahoma's biggest threat. They have a solid QB, a great run game and a very good defense. They are also very well coached. Oklahoma State is rebuilding. Texas Tech will score in bunches, but give up a ton of points also. And West Virginia is mediocre. Oklahoma is going to bury every other Big 12 team this year. They are totally loaded and they will show as much on the field. I expect big things from Oklahoma this season.

The Big 10, my conference, is going to go through the university of Ohio State yet again. Sure they lost a bunch of critical guys, but just like Clemson and Alabama, the university of Ohio State just reloads. They have a new stud QB, great wideouts, running backs with experience and an incredibly good defense. They are loaded as well. Michigan is going to be a very interesting watch not only for me, but for a ton of people. They have a bunch of returning starters, but almost an entirely new coaching staff. They have a very tough schedule, but good players on both sides of the ball. They have a stable of running backs, but the O line is a mystery. The receivers have speed, and now height, but they have yet to produce any real numbers. And the defense has to pressure the ball and play much better in the secondary. Again, I will watch every game, but it is going to be gut wrenching. Penn State returns a ton of offensive starters. They could look like seasons past on that side of the ball. They have to replace some good defensive players, but they always recruit well. Wisconsin is back, they have a real legitimate QB and they can still run the ball. They also play very sound defense. They will be a problem. Minnesota returns their starting QB and he has weapons. They will be a tough out. Northwestern may have lost a good amount of starters, but this team is up to play anyone at any time. Nebraska has the guys to be a very potent offense. They need to limit turnovers though. They are also not the best on defense. Michigan State is rebuilding, but they can still be nasty, Rutgers is no longer a pushover. Iowa is still really good and really consistent. I think the matchup with Iowa State is going to be a hell of a game. And Indiana is definitely trending up. They return a great QB and some really good wideouts. They will be potent yet again. But all these teams are chasing the university of Ohio State. Until someone beats them, I will continue to pick them to win the Big 10.

The SEC is still as dominant as ever. I have been down on them for the past couple years and I have been wrong. They are the best conference in college football. Alabama lost pretty much everyone from their title team last season, yet here they are as the preseason number one overall team. They are the best at reloading. They have top notch talent all over the field. They have pros. They are playing on a whole other level. Georgia looks to be their biggest threat. They have a good QB, good run game, great O line and a stout defense. Kirby Smart has proven he is the best of the Saban disciples in college football. Florida is back to being a perennial top 25 team. Missouri has some solid playmakers and a new QB. Kentucky is tough. Texas A&M has a legitimate shot at crashing the SEC title game and playoff this season. Auburn returns their QB and looks to be an eight or nine win team. Ole Miss will sling the ball all over the field. And LSU is going to rebound from a tough 2020. The SEC is pretty stacked. They have the most talent in the country. I would not be shocked if they get two teams in the playoffs. But, just like the Big 10, until proven otherwise, I am going with Alabama.

As far as some non power 5 teams I like, Notre Dame is back to being great again, annoyingly. I despise that team, but they can play. Coastal Carolina will be fun. Cincinnati is really, really good. They have some good games early to prove how good they truly are. And Louisiana is going to score lots and lots and lots of points. Boise State will also be good yet again. Cincinnati has the best shot to bust into the playoff. They have the schedule to prove it, and if they go undefeated, they will easily find themselves in the playoff. I do not see any other team outside the power 5 besides Cincinnati that could make any major noise. I also do not have many "upsets" with my conference winners. College football is becoming pretty chalk. I hope the NIL changes all that, but time will tell.

As far as my Heisman pick, I am going with Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma. He is going to put up absolutely insane numbers this year. That kid is going to feast. I think Sam Howell could push and Bryce Young from Alabama will make a ton of noise. But Rattler is too primed to not be the favorite.

I also think a ton of freshmen are going to be thrust into the spotlight this year for a ton of teams. Michigan has a few freshmen that I think will get major playing time. The university of Ohio State will be playing a freshman at QB. I'm sure Clemson has some 5 star studs just waiting to hit the field. Freshmen are getting more and more playing time nowadays, and that will continue.

As for the playoff, this was tricky for me. My two locks are Oklahoma and Alabama. I think they will be 1 and 2 all season long. I was going to pick the university of Ohio State, and I think a win over Oregon will be a major push, but I could see them blowing a game or two (I would love it if one of those was against Michigan). I also think Oregon will choke away two games it has no business losing because that is what they do. USC could sneakily make their way into the conversation, but they have a tough schedule. And UNC will push Clemson real hard this year. With all that though, I already have Alabama and Oklahoma and I am going to add Clemson and Georgia. I think the SEC will get two teams while the Big 10 and Pac 12 are left out. I did want to throw Cincinnati in there, but I despise their coach and their schedule is brutal. I think Alabama will easily handle Georgia and I think Oklahoma will light up Clemson.

That leaves me with Alabama and Oklahoma in the title game and I will take Oklahoma. Spencer Rattler is that good. I also think this will be a sendoff for Lincoln Riley. He will get his ring and head to the pros to test out his coaching ability at the highest level.

Okay, there is my 2021 college football preview. I will check in midway through to see how wrong I am, but this is how I see it one day before the season kicks off. I can't wait. Go Blue

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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