Early College Football Conference Projections

Today begins way too early College Football Previews. This is short blips on three conferences. The other BCS leagues will follow next week and the Non-BCS leagues will follow after that.

Pac-12

LaMichael James of Oregon runs away from the Stanford defense.

The North appears to be Oregon against Stanford though I think Stanford is overrated. I also think Oregon St. will bounce back a bit from last season's disappointment. Even with that, it division is Oregon's to lose. Cal will also be improved, but not enough to beat Oregon at Autzen Stadium and the Washington schools are not at a point to challenge for division titles at this point in either of their rebuilding processes. Expect Oregon to win this division fairly easily.

In the South, the best team last year was Arizona and that team seems to have all sorts of issues and baggage considering they carry a five game losing streak into the season and have to go to Oklahoma St. in week two, just a few months after getting clobbered by the Cowboys in a bowl game. Considering USC is ineligible to win the division and Colorado is starting over with a new coaching staff, that leaves underachiving UCLA, pinheaded (at least on defense with loose cannon Vontaze Burfict) Arizona St. and league newcomer Utah to compete with Arizona for the title. With how wide open it is, no outcome should be surprising here. I am picking UCLA to bounce back after last season's disaster on the basis that the near biblical plague level of injuries to quarterbacks and offensive linemen has to stop at some point and when it does this year, the offense will finally look competant for the first time under Rick Neuheisel.

Conference Title Game: Oregon over UCLA

Big Ten

Former NC State quarterback Russell Wilson may be the key
Wisconsin's season, if he enrolls there to lead the Badgers.

The other expanded league offers the idiocy of the Ohio St. situation. With players suspended and the coaching staff under siege, it won't matter this seasons. Ohio St. will still win its division, though with a loss or two thrown in. The reason being that they host Wisconsin and only two out of three out of the Nebraska, Michigan St., Michigan triumvarate will be needed to win it. To the rest other than quarterbackless Wisconsin (who becomes the favorite if NC State quarterback Russell Wilson enrolls there), good luck surviving, you will need it though I expect a better season out of Penn St.

In the other division (don't ask me the name, I still can't figure out which is the Leaders and which is the Legends), Nebraska appears to be the class of the division with Michigan St. trailing behind. Iowa is a possible threat, but I don't expect the Hawkeyes to challenge for the division title even if they do exceed expectations.

Conference Title Game: Ohio St overturns a regular season loss to Nebraska to send Jim Tressel out a winner.

SEC

The key to SEC West race lies above: Alabama hosts
LSU and Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium

In the West, Auburn loses everything after winning the National Title last season. The Tigers will be lucky to even win seven games against one of the more grueling schedules in all of college football. With the champs out of the way, it comes down to Arkansas, LSU and Alabama (Mississippi St. will be good and might even determine the division champ by beating one of the top three but they won't go the minimum 2-1 against those three while also winning every other game needed to win the division). All appear loaded and all have quarterback issues to fix. The ultimate tiebreaker here will be homefield. Alabama gets both LSU and Arkansas at home to see them through.

In the East, Georgia will be the best team by the end of the season, but South Carolina will beat the Bulldogs early and make it stand up to win the division for a second straight year. Tennessee is still a year or two away from being a real contender again (not that it mattered when average Tennessee teams won the east in 2004 and 2007) and Florida is just a mess offensively right now despite the overwhelming talent level there. The Gators will ultimately be fine under new coach Will Muschamp, but before another year of suffering.

Conference Title Game: Alabama over South Carolina