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topicnews · August 27, 2024

Sam’s Section: Predicting College Football’s Power 4 Conference Champions

Sam’s Section: Predicting College Football’s Power 4 Conference Champions

College football is back! Week zero is over, including a thrilling game where Georgia Tech beat No. 10 Florida State in Dublin on Saturday. It was quite the start to a new era of college football. For those who don’t follow college sports, conference realignment has affected every part of the country. The Pac-12 Conference, my favorite football conference, was dissolved after all but Oregon State and Washington State moved to either the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12. Many of the divisions in the conferences were eliminated, allowing the two most deserving teams to play for their conference’s championship. Here are my personal picks for the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC.

Georgia Tech’s Eric Singleton controls the ball during the NCAA college football game between Georgia Tech and Florida State at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

ACC: Miami (FL) vs. Clemson

Miami is projected to finish third behind Florida State and Clemson according to the preseason poll. I’m a bigger fan of Miami because of their balanced attack on offense and defense. Cameron Ward, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, is projected to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football. His main target also made the preseason All-ACC team: wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who finished the season with stats of 85 receptions, 1,092 yards, and six touchdowns. On defense, the Hurricanes are led by linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. Head coach Mario Cristobal has arguably his best team since he started in Coral Gables in 2022. In my eyes, Clemson is the best defensive team in the league, with Barrett Carter being one of the best linebackers in the nation. However, they lack a reliable offense, which has been a trend for head coach Dabo Swinney in recent years after he lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to the NFL.

Big Ten: Ohio State beats Oregon

The only reason I was hesitant to pick Ohio State was the quarterback situation. Will Howard, who transferred from Kansas State, appears to be the starting quarterback, but I’m not convinced he would help the Buckeyes become a national title contender. I am confident in the rest of the team, though. I like the depth at running back, which includes TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who transferred from Ole Miss. While wide receiver Emeka Egbuka stands out as one of their best players, don’t discount Ohio State’s WR2 Jeremiah Smith, a freshman who was the best player of his high school class according to 247Sports. The team also has one of the best offensive lines in the country, led by first-teamer Donovan Jackson. The Buckeyes have arguably the best defensive line in the country with JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Jack Sawyer. They have a stellar secondary with Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Caleb Downs, who transferred from Alabama. Howard leaves me scratching my head because he’s under a lot of pressure after throwing for around 2,600 yards at Kansas State last season, but I’m excited about the rest of the team. There’s no reason they should lose two games this season despite their difficult schedule. Dillon Gabriel looks to be the best quarterback in the country this season, with a top-notch target in Tez Johnson as a WR1 and a secondary receiver in Evan Stewart. While linebacker Jeffrey Bassa leads the defense, there’s no one else on the preseason All-Big Ten team, according to USA Today.

Big 12: Oklahoma State vs. Utah

I was inclined to pick Utah, but I think Oklahoma State has a good chance to win the Big 12 with this group. Even though quarterback Alan Bowman isn’t on the same level as Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Utah’s Cameron Rising or Kansas’ Jalon Daniels, there’s still good reason to believe Bowman can become the league’s best quarterback, as he’s on the preseason watch list for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, awards given to the nation’s best quarterback. The Cowboys have the best running back in college football in Ollie Gordon II. However, the wide receiver duo of Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens can be lethal; both won the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best receiver. The Pokes have the Big 12’s best linebacker unit, with Nick Martin and Collin Oliver named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. Although the rest of the team’s defense didn’t win any awards, Oklahoma State stood out as the best team in the Big 12. Rising is a Big 12 Player of the Year caliber player assuming he stays healthy, but I don’t trust the lack of weapons compared to other teams in the conference. In my opinion, the Big 12 is the most wide open.

SEC: Georgia beats Texas

While it may be the safe choice, I believe Georgia is the best team in the SEC and has the best shot at the national championship. The first name that jumps out is quarterback Carson Beck, who is considered one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. While he doesn’t have Emeka Egbuka or Xavier Restrepo to throw to, he can rely on running back Trevor Etienne, wide receiver Dominic Lovett and tight end Oscar Delp. Delp is an interesting player to keep an eye on, as the Bulldogs have a long history of tight ends. The program has drafted a tight end in the last six NFL Drafts, including Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington in the two years prior to that. On defense, I’m a big fan of linebacker Mykel Williams and safety Malaki Starks. I consider those two to be arguably the best at their respective positions. Defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse looks to be one of the best defensive linemen in the SEC. While I believe Texas has a better offense, I can’t endorse the Longhorns’ defense. It would be great to see a head-to-head matchup between Beck and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in this SEC Championship.

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