The College Football Preview Post

College football season has now officially started... I meant to blog and post this earlier today, but I got kinda busy, then I meant to post this earlier this evening, then I got dragged to Buy Buy Baby to help with the baby registry and, holy crap, I'm not sure I even understand the purpose of what half the stuff we registered for is.  What the heck is a drop-in when it comes to baby bottles?  I'm sure I'll find out, but not tonight.

Lots of media have already given their picks for the titles, the conference championships, even the Heisman, but they did it weeks ago, which means they couldn't account for the brouhaha in the bar for LSU, or the Tressle Messle, or the Miami Booster Bust... but not me.  I waited until College Football Day One.  So I can be objective.

So, here is the first official Clouds in My Coffee College Football prediction post.  Your winners--bank on 'em--for each of the Division I-A FBS football conferences...

Let's kick off with the minor conferences...

Con-USA... Houston defeats East Carolina in the title game.  Houston has Case Keenum, who has been playing for what seems like 7 years.

Go Troy!  Go Troy!  Go Troy!  Go Troy!

The Sun Belt... Troy Trojans.  Duh.  8-4.

The MAC... The University of Ohio over Toledo.  I think Frank Solich is experienced enough to be huge at Ohio this year.

Mountain West... Tough one, as its the only season where Boise State (who just left the WAC) and TCU (who is going to the Big East in 2012) will play in the same conference.  Even if Boise State loses to Georgia this weekend (which won't happen), the Broncos will more than likely run the table afterwards, win the conference and at least be in the hunt for a BCS at-large berth

The WAC... The loss of both Brigham Young (went indie) and Boise State this season (and Fresno State, which I believe joins the Mountain West, next year) leaves this conference floundering.  It does open the door for someone besides the Broncs to win, though, and I'm guessing Nevada or Fresno, though I'll lean Nevada.

And now, the big boys...

The ACC... Everyone is hyping Florida State like crazy, like Jimbo Fisher has created a monster in the offseason. Personally, I think the whole "Miami & FSU become the ACC tentpoles" expirament has been a fiasco.  However, looking at the ACC as a whole, I can't argue too much with the FSU hype, as there aren't many other teams that are going to be worth much.  Still, I'm picking Virginia Tech over FSU in the ACC title game.

The Big Ten Eleven Twelve Ten... The new blood is Nebraska, giving us the 12 team Big 10, and I think out of all the offseason moves, the best one has been this Husker transition.  With Ohio State a shell (good), this is as good a season as any for Nebraska to dominate--and face it, don't you miss the days when Nebraska, Notre Dame and Penn State were always good enough to hate?  Anyway, I think Wisconsin will roll this season in the conference, and will knock off Nebraska in the Legends vs Leaders title game.

Landry Jones coming back for one more year

The Big XII... XI... X... IX... XII... As far as conferences that won't exist in three years go, Oklahoma is the national darling right now.  But Oklahoma has burned me before... aren't they always supposed to be good, and end up sorta kinda sucking a little when it matters?  But Texas is still solving their problems, teams from Iowa (which should go to the Big 10) or Kansas or Missouri just ain't gonna do it, and neither is Oklahoma State.  I think Texas A&M, in what will likely be their final season before a possible SEC union (cue frowny face) will contend, but due to lack of good competition, I say Oklahoma.

The Big East... If you can explain to me why this is still a BCS conference, and the Mountain West isn't, then you are a better man than I.  Sure, they've got UNLV, New Mexico and Wyoming, but you can't tell me those teams are any worse than The Big East's Syracuse or Rutgers, or Cincinnati in the post Brian Kelly years.  But, in 2012, TCU joins and makes this a much better list.  Oh, I dunno... West Virginia?  Louisville?  Nah.  South Florida, your Big East champs.

The Pac 12... I like this conference, because they went with "Pac" and not "Big", so they can change the numbers as needed.   I feel like this conference mirrors the SEC, only if the best teams are in one division--the North--like the SEC West.  That leaves the title game with only one of the two best teams playing in it, and the other team being the 3rd, maybe 4th best, but yet a division winner just due to how its lined up.  Anyway, Oregon... believe the hype.  Stanford... don't.  Watch the Ducks dominate Arizona State in the Pac 12 championship.

Go Gators!  Go Gators!  Go Gators!  Tim Tebow... come back.

The SEC... Ah, the Southeastern Conference.  How you can even come close to suggesting that there is any conference close to the SEC?  I don't say that as a homer... just a fact.  Heck, the state of Alabama alone has given us two national championships and two Heisman winners in two years.  Georgia is the media love this go round, at least in the East, though South Carolina is getting a lot of love.  However, I'm going Florida.  Why?  South Carolina always falls apart at the end of the year.  Always.  Georgia is... well, Georgia.  Good team, not great.  That doesn't mean Florida will be that great, but they'll be good enough to back into the SEC Championship Game only to get steamrolled by Alabama by about 38 points.  Does Tennessee still have a team?

LSU is going to suffer because of what they've gone through, Arkansas is good, but not great, and Mississippi State is almost good, nowhere near great.  Either way, I'm guessing Alabama will win the SEC, while Auburn gets to a 6-6 record.  Just too many losses in the offseason.

THE HEISMAN... Oh, who the heck knows.  If 364 days ago from today, you said Cam Newton would win the 2010 Heisman, you'd be laughed off the planet.  But, I'll go with the Kool-Aid and say Andrew Luck.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP... Another shot in the dark, because again, if you said 364 days ago that Auburn would win the BCS, again you'd be laughed out of town by all by the most diehard of Aubies.  However, it pains me to say it, but I'm picking Alabama over Oregon.  I don't think Oklahoma will have the BCS points to make it--if only because the Big XII is down, and Oklahoma's strength of schedule will take a big hit.

And here's my Top 25 to start the season...
1) Alabama
2) Oregon
3) Oklahoma
4) Boise State
5) Texas A&M
6) LSU
7) Wisconsin
8) Florida State
9) South Carolina
10) Troy
11) Oklahoma State
12) Nebraska
13) Stanford
14) TCU
15) Virginia Tech
16) Georgia
17) Mississippi State
18) Florida
19) West Virginia
20) Arkansas
21) Notre Dame
22) Texas
23) South Florida
24) Michigan State
25) Auburn

Bank on it.  Place your bets

The Summer of Blogging Day Sixty Seven