With the 2011 college football season just around the corner, I’m pretty excited about the prospect of the upcoming season. I’ve come up with 25 outlandish predictions for the upcoming season that likely will not come true. Remember though that it is college football, and both Cam Newton and Auburn came out of nowhere to dominate the sport’s headlines last year, so no matter how unlikely these predictions may seem, stranger things have happened.
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1. The Pac-12 will finish the year with three teams in the top 25…and none of them will be Oregon.
2. Dan Persa will be the nation’s best all around player…but he won’t be a Heisman finalist.
3. For the first time since 2006, the BCS national title game won’t involve a team from the SEC.
4. The year’s most underachieving team? That’s a tie between Oregon and Ohio State
5. The year’s most overachieving team? Air Force
6. Oklahoma will retain the number one ranking exactly three weeks before falling to Florida State 41-28.
7. The winner of the Backyard Brawl will not win the Big East Title…but the loser will.
8. The best non-AQ school that you won’t see coming? UCF
9. Boise State will win its “neutral site” game against Georgia, but will suffer a pair of losses in Mountain West play
10. Only two opening night games will be within one touchdown when the final whistle sounds: Bowling Green vs. Idaho and Wake Forest vs. Syracuse
11. Looking for a big upset on opening weekend? Look no further than Baylor who hosts non-AQ powerhouse TCU
12. Notre Dame’s path back to the BCS will be delayed by one more year…though don’t think Brian Kelly won’t get them close
13. Buckeye fans will be singing Carmen Ohandfiveoh after the Flaming Sweater Vests drop all five of their marquee games (Miami, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, and a bowl game)
14. The NCAA season will end with two winless teams at the FBS level: San Jose State and New Mexico
15. The NCAA season will also end with two unbeaten teams: UCF and the BCS title game winner
16. Your Mountain West champion? A tie between TCU and Air Force (won head to head by TCU)
17. Your Coach of the Year? Brady Hoke at Michigan
18. Your Heisman Trophy Winner? Wisconsin running back John Clay
19. Oklahoma State wins the first Big 12 title under the new schedule structure, defeating Oklahoma at home to capture the crown.
20. Pitt wins their first Big East championship since 2004, finishing 6-1 in the conference and edging out Louisville thanks to a head to head victory.
21. For the first time since 2006, a school from North Carolina wins the ACC title, as the Tar Heels knock off Florida State 28-21.
22. The SEC might be the strongest conference in the land, but an upset of then #1 LSU by Georgia in the conference title game keeps the Tigers out of the BCS championship.
23. Your Big Ten champion and #2 team heading into the BCS title game will be Wisconsin, who defeats Michigan in the title game 45-7.
24. Your Pac-12 champion and #1 team heading into the BCS title game will be Stanford, who defeats Arizona State 28-17.
25. Wisconsin defeats Stanford 35-17 to win the BCS National Championship
