With so many teams ranked there will be at least 2 to 3 that will get knocked down once conference play begins. Even if every one of the 8 teams beats every one of the bottom 4 teams somebody is going to have to fall down.
Here are my picks:
Utah - I know this is a surprise but they have not been great so far. Florida and Baylor look like good wins on paper but both those teams are down. Florida may struggle to make a bowl game and Baylor lost to Texas State by 11 in the season opener. Utah was lucky to win the Baylor game. Cam Rising has been out and should return for league play but I think it will be hard for him to be fully recovered until later in the year and a knee injury is going hurt his running ability. They also have to play 6 of the other 7 ranked teams.
Colorado - The most interesting story in college football this year. Coach Sanders has backed up the talk and it has been fun to watch. But with 5 Pac 12 road games and a schedule that includes 6 of the other 7 ranked teams, it is going to be tough to keep the high level of emotion going for an entire season. At some point, there could be a let down. Regardless, if they finish 7-5 with a bowl game, it will be a job well done considering how bad Colorado was just one season ago.
OSU - They are only on this list due to schedule. They play 5 Pac 12 road games, 6 of the other 7 ranked teams, have had a very soft schedule so far, and they do not have the depth of some of the other teams in the conference so any level of injury will significantly hamper their ability to win games.
Of course I would love to see SC fall but the league schedule is favorable with 5 home games and they only have to play 5 of the other 8 ranked teams. If it does happen then it could occur at the end of the year when they play UW, OU, and UCLA three straight weeks.
Here are my picks:
Utah - I know this is a surprise but they have not been great so far. Florida and Baylor look like good wins on paper but both those teams are down. Florida may struggle to make a bowl game and Baylor lost to Texas State by 11 in the season opener. Utah was lucky to win the Baylor game. Cam Rising has been out and should return for league play but I think it will be hard for him to be fully recovered until later in the year and a knee injury is going hurt his running ability. They also have to play 6 of the other 7 ranked teams.
Colorado - The most interesting story in college football this year. Coach Sanders has backed up the talk and it has been fun to watch. But with 5 Pac 12 road games and a schedule that includes 6 of the other 7 ranked teams, it is going to be tough to keep the high level of emotion going for an entire season. At some point, there could be a let down. Regardless, if they finish 7-5 with a bowl game, it will be a job well done considering how bad Colorado was just one season ago.
OSU - They are only on this list due to schedule. They play 5 Pac 12 road games, 6 of the other 7 ranked teams, have had a very soft schedule so far, and they do not have the depth of some of the other teams in the conference so any level of injury will significantly hamper their ability to win games.
Of course I would love to see SC fall but the league schedule is favorable with 5 home games and they only have to play 5 of the other 8 ranked teams. If it does happen then it could occur at the end of the year when they play UW, OU, and UCLA three straight weeks.
Last edited:
