College Football is Back!

            You can call it laziness or a lack of determination, either way, I feel awful that I have not posted ONCE since the end of May. It’s not like nothing has been happening in the world of sports. For the Indianapolis Colts, Andrew Luck’s talent is threatening to make Peyton Manning a second class citizen in Indy. The Pacers have shook up the lineup for their 2012 campaign with the addition of two rookies and some veteran players. The Indianapolis Indians have won their division and are looking to make some noise in the playoffs next week. Last weekend, the Moto GP boys were in town and this weekend is the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

            Oh, and don’t forgot about the kickoff of COLLEGE FOOTBALL!! Yes, it is finally back! It’s a whole new season with new players, new teams, and new conferences. Obviously, college football is one of my favorite sports to watch and to write about. Here’s a breakdown of all the major conferences and my prediction of who will win each.

ACC

Atlantic Division: Boston College, #14 Clemson, #7 Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina State, Wake Forest

Coastal Division: Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia, #16 Virginia Tech

Rundown: The ACC is typically a basketball conference powerhouse, but it enters 2012 with several great football teams that have a lot of talent. Obviously, Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech are primed to make a run for a national championship. You should also keep an eye on North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. Virginia impressed me last year with a couple big wins. I’m anxious to see if they can have success this year too.

My pick: Florida State and Virginia Tech win their division and Florida State wins the conference championship.

Big 12

Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, #22 Kansas State, #4 Oklahoma, #19 Oklahoma State, #20 TCU, #15 Texas, Texas Tech, #11 West Virginia

Rundown: For all the long time college football fans, it’s a bit shocking to see new members TCU and West Virginia. Those two really bolster the strength of this conference. This is a conference long dominated by Texas and Oklahoma so it will be interesting to see if the two new kids on the block can hold their own against the big boys.

My pick: Oklahoma will lose a few games but it will come out on top. Texas, TCU, and West Virginia are good teams, but they don’t have as much talent as Oklahoma does. Underdog Kansas State comes in a close second.

Big East

Cincinnati, Connecticut, #25 Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, Temple

Rundown: Enjoy this easy to understand conference while you can, because next year it gets crazy as it grows to a 12-team, cross country jumble of mediocre teams. (You know your conference is in trouble when you don’t have and state universities).

My pick: This is without a doubt the hardest conference to predict because the teams are so equal. I’ll go with South Florida just because I’m feeling crazy.

Big Ten

Legends Division: Iowa, #8 Michigan, #13 Michigan State, Minnesota, #17 Nebraska, Northwestern

Leaders Division: Illinois, Indiana, #18 Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, #12 Wisconsin

Rundown: This is a conference that has to be ready for the season to begin. Penn State is starting brand new after the scandal that encompassed the entire school led to the firing of Joe Paterno. Ohio State and Illinois are beginning the season with new coaches. It will be interesting how Ohio State and Penn State play this season, because neither are eligible to win the conference and play in any bowl games after the season. That leaves the door open to Illinois and Purdue to chase Wisconsin for the Leaders Division title. The Legends Division is wide open with four teams that all have the potential to win.

My picks: Iowa and Michigan will be the top two in the Legends Division but Michigan beats them in the head to head matchup. Wisconsin wins their division and Purdue finishes a surprising second.  Michigan defeats Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game and goes on to play in the Rose Bowl.

Pac- 12

North Division: California, #5 Oregon, Oregon State, #21 Stanford, Washington, Washington State

South Division: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, #1 USC, Utah

Rundown: This is a two-horse show. USC and Oregon are two of the best teams in the country and the only two in this conference that have a shot at a national championship. The biggest concern for USC is depth. Since they were penalized by the NCAA a few years ago, they still don’t have the same number of scholarship athletes that other teams have. If any of their starters gets injured, there may not be a reliable replacement.

My pick: Oregon and USC win their divisions. In their head to head matchup in the regular season, Oregon wins a very close game. In the conference championship game, Oregon wins again.

SEC

East Division: #23 Florida, #6 Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, #9 South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

West Division: #2 Alabama, #10 Arkansas, Auburn, #3 LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Rundown: The ego of SEC fans grows more and more every year. Last year, Alabama defeated LSU in the national championship game to win the conference’s sixth straight title. Those two teams are back and have more than enough talent to go for a seventh title. Arkansas will also look to make some noise, but a coaching change during the offseason may hurt them. In the East, Georgia and South Carolina return as the favorites. Their game in early October will likely determine the winner of the East.

My pick: Alabama finishes undefeated with Arkansas finishing second in the West. I’m going with South Carolina to win the East, but it’ll be close. Alabama wins the conference championship and will play for the national championship.

Non-AQ’s

Don’t expect Boise State to climb the rankings and shock the world this year. The team that has the best shot at that is the Ohio Bobcats from the MAC. The won the MAC Championship last year, won a bowl game, and finished 10-4.