College football season predictions

By Rick Morris

In a terrific example of “repurposing” content across the FDH media family, we created this college football team fantasy game in which owners select NCAA football teams and accrue points based on how they do in the polls and end up at the conclusion of the season. As such, our draft board also doubles as a prediction about how teams will finish in the final polls.

So here is our projected Top 25 at the end of the season:

1. Ohio State

2. Missouri

3. Georgia

4. West Virginia

5. USC

6. Florida

7. Oklahoma

8. Texas

9. LSU

10. Clemson

11. BYU

12. Virginia Tech

13. Illinois

14. Wisconsin

15. Kansas

16. Auburn

17. Wake Forest

18. Arizona State

19. Texas Tech

20. Oregon

21. Tennessee

22. South Florida

23. Fresno State

24. Boise State

25. Cincinnati

And here are the projected BCS games and outcomes, along with the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner:

BCS Title Game

Ohio State over Missouri

Rose Bowl

USC over Florida

Fiesta Bowl

West Virginia over BYU

Sugar Bowl

Georgia over Oklahoma

Orange Bowl

Clemson over Illinois

Heisman Trophy

Chris Wells

NOTES: Notwithstanding the personal feelings of many of us (Ohioans) in the FDH media family, the pick for national champion is completely objective and based mostly on schedule (indeed, I'm actually an alum of Ohio University and along with fellow FDH Lounge Dignitary Chris Galloway I will be rooting for the old alma mater in the Horseshoe next Saturday!). If Ohio State can escape USC with a win on September 13 (which we believe they can, based on their superlative senior-based defense and USC’s recent chaos due to various medical issues), they have by far the softest remaining schedule of the big contenders (notwithstanding some road mines in the form of Illinois and Wisconsin). Remember, we’re not ranking the best teams in our estimation; we’re ranking how they are likely to be slotted at the very end. Missouri’s got a relatively soft run themselves in the Big 12 North, though they’ll have a real lion waiting in Texas or (more likely) Oklahoma in the conference title game. We foresee the SEC run of national titles ending at two due to the fact that the conference will be a greater meat grinder this year than perhaps ever before. No team will emerge completely unscathed, and indeed, the eventual conference champion may have two losses just like LSU did last year and 99 times out of 100 that’s not going to get you in the national championship game. If indeed the BCS matchups play out as we anticipate above, there will be cries from many in the media that the Rose Bowl would be the “real national title game,” as the selection committee in Pasadena would likely deviate from their (preferred) Pac 10-Big 10 matchup to take a coveted Florida Gator team rather than an Ilini team that the Trojans ran off the field last January. We do see another mid-major crashing the party this year in the form of BYU, who should have their best team in years.