Tiger's Projections and Prognostications
All BCS Conferences:
Tiger's Picks
August 12th: Preseason Polls and Beginning of a new season.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. UCLA
2. USC
3. Oregon State
4. Arizona
5. California
6. Arizona State
7. Washington State
8. Oregon
9. Washington
10. Stanford
I am known for picking out of the ordinary and being bold. It will be no different in several of the conferences this upcoming season. USC is a clear cut favorite, but here's the thing. USC's schedule is among one of the toughest in the conference. I see them slipping up somewhere along the road in the non-conference and that will lead to losses in the conference. UCLA has the potential, and they are under the radar yet again. Teams like Arizona and Oregon State should have breakout seasons, and its right on time considering those programs are finally in the right direction. All in all, the PAC-10 conference is on an upswing, and may surprise teams along the way. Heck, even if Washington upsets one of their non-conference foes, it is only good for the PAC-10. The PAC is more wide open than people give credit for.
Tiger's PAC-10 Champion projection:
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Projected Order of Finish:
North Division
1. Missouri
2. Nebraska
3. Kansas State
4. Kansas
5. Colorado
6. Iowa State
South Division
1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Oklahoma State
4. Texas Tech
5. Texas A&M
6. Baylor
Its a shame cause this happens every year it seems. Texas and Oklahoma are the two favorites again, and I cant see why thats going to be any different this season. Nebraska and Missouri should make for interesting draw in the North, but Nebraska will take the North cause of their easy schedule. Plus Nebraska doesn't have to play anyone big out of the South minus Texas. Kansas State will be interesting to see and the good marker of how their season will run will be their Sept. 1st trip down to the Plains of Auburn. All in all, it'll be the winner of the Red River Shootout that will determine the Big 12 Champion in the end, but make no mistake if the North sends a better Nebraska or Missouri team to the Big 12 Championship this year.
Tiger's Big 12 Projected Champion:
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Tiger's Projected Order of Finish:
1. Michigan
2. Wisconsin
3. Ohio State
4. Penn State
5. Purdue
6. Iowa
7. Illinois
8. Michigan State
9. Northwestern
10. Indiana
11. Minnesota
Again, another tough call with four potential teams that can win the conference. Michigan though boasts the most returning players out of anyone. Their schedule basically boils down to their last two games against Wisconsin and Ohio State. Make it through those two and they have the Big 10 title and a possible BCS Championship berth. Don't forget Wisconsin though. It will be interesting to see if they can bust through the spotlight and land a title. Teams like Penn State and Purdue can make some noise and determine who may end up the Big 10 Champion. Ohio State will be good, just not as good as last year's team. Overall, Michigan is just too good, has a relatively easy schedule, and are probably the most hungry of all teams in winning the title.
Tiger's projected Big 10 Champion:
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Projected Order of Finish:
1. Rutgers
2. West Virginia
3. Louisville
4. USF
5. Cincinnati
6. Pittsburgh
7. UConn
8. Syracuse
Here's something to chew on. Out of all the top contenders of the Big East, Rutgers does not have the "trap game" on their schedule at all. West Virginia has the worst schedule among them with a rough finish to their year. Louisville will do well under the new coaching staff, but wont be in the mix for long. South Florida may be the only other team from this conference that maybe bowl worthy, considering after the Bulls, the teams in quality drop off dramatically. West Virginia may have the team, and can be contenders, but I doubt they'll have it together come the end of the season.
Tiger's Projected Big East Champion:
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Projected Order of Finish:
Atlantic Division
1. Florida State
2. Boston College
3. Wake Forest
4. Maryland
5. Clemson
6. NC State
Coastal Division
1. Georgia Tech
2. Virginia Tech
3. Miami
4. Virginia
5. North Carolina
6. Duke
This is a tough call cause of all the happenings in the ACC. Virginia Tech has a lot to play for emotionally, and that may do the trick for them. However, the last part of their schedule is against 3 of 4 divisional teams. And in those 4 games, it will determine who wins the Coastal Division. Georgia Tech though plays hardly anybody from the other Division and the big game against VT is at Bobby Dodd. Florida State will turn heads, especially with new Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher. Boston College is a high risk, high reward team that may come out on top, but I dont think they will. Everyone will be pulling for VT this season, but there will be other teams hungry for wins and a championship. FSU and GT would make a great ACC title game, and picking a winner from that is a coin toss. If Florida State can stay healthy, they can pull out a win. But again, if they cant stay healthy, it could be a completely different story.
Tiger's Projected ACC Champion:
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Projected Order of Finish:
Eastern Division
1. Tennessee
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. South Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt
Western Division
1. Auburn
2. LSU
3. Arkansas
4. Alabama
5. Miss. State
6. Ole Miss
Call me a biased person in my Western Division pick if you wish, but listen to these facts. In 9 out of 11 tries, the pick to win the West has not done so. The fact that LSU is so overwhelmingly picked scares me to pick them. LSU does have the talent, and the schedule, but they are in the SEC. The fact LSU is so hyped up, they will have to win every game to win it all. Auburn yes does have a tough road schedule, but if they beat LSU and Arkansas, a 6-2 conference record may be enough to win the division. Tennessee has an easier conference schedule cause their three Western division opponents are Bama, MSU, and Arkansas. They could very well win the East with 7-1 or 6-2 as well cause of Florida having a tough SEC schedule as far as opponent wise. Arkansas can be a shocker if they can find a passing game, and Georgia can be too if their defense is not as bad as was seen in their spring game. Alabama maybe a bowl team, along with South Carolina and possibly Kentucky. Dont overlook Vanderbilt either as a bowl worthy team. I think that the SEC wont have a national title contender cause they will beat up on each other again. But mark this down, if any SEC team goes 13-0 or 12-1, and the loss is to an SEC team, how could someone deny them a shot.
One more thing... one team is being overlooked cause of happenings in-state with a certain rival, and the fact that LSU in three years has not dominated one certain team in its own division.
Again, call me a homer, but you cant deny that when Auburn is under the radar, and the odds are against them, thats when they strike and shock the most (see 2004 for the most recent example).
Tiger's Projected SEC Champion:
