THE DRY SEASON IS OVER! BRING FORTH THE ORGY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL GLADIATORY FANFARE... or something.
Week 1 is already underway, with South Carolina and NC State clawing at each other in a battle of who could score less. Watching SEC-ACC intersectionals is like watching a baseball game. And nobody wants to see that.
Anyway, time to throw up some predictions for the year to see how far off the mark I am by December.
ACC: Who knows? Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech... maybe a Bowden-less Clemson? I expect the ACC to bring the confusing pain much as it did last year. Lots of 7-, 8-, and 9-win teams. I'll be shocked if anyone hits double-digits by the championship game.
Big East: Again, more of the same. USF will beat someone they shouldn't, then lose to Wofford or something. I expect Syracuse to show some improvement, maybe up to 5 wins. I expect the Kragthorpe era at Louisville to end. Too many obstacles to overcome (thanks, Petrino). West Virginia and Rutgers duke it out for the title on 12/5.
Big 12: See 2008, replace Texas Tech with Oklahoma State. I have think Texas goes the distance this year, with Kansas taking the north. Texas goes on to the MNC against Florida.
Big Ten: I think Ohio State will be better than it should be, Penn State worse than it should be, and Michigan State within spitting distance of the title. I'm starting to think Ohio State has lowered expectations enough that it could actually take USC down on 9/12. Ann Arbor may or may not burn to the ground.
Pac-10: This is the year USC is dethroned. Not sure who's going to do it. Cal...
Oregon... Jim Harbaugh's jaw. Remember when Pete Carroll said Mark "Dirty" Sanchez shouldn't leave early for the NFL? It's because Carroll knows he doesn't have a QB without him.
SEC: Ole Miss is overrated, Arkansas is underrated, and Florida might manage to lose one game, only to regain the #1 spot the following week after beating, say, FIU.
Non-AQ: Here's your three-horse race: Boise State, BYU, and TCU. I'm not confident about BYU's chances, but they do get Utah and TCU at home. Boise State will determine its fate later tonight. I'm pulling for TCU. Gary Patterson's been doing an amazing job in Fort Worth, and it's about time the Frogs got some national hype.
