Every year the world of college football throws up some big surprises as highly ranked teams pre-season slip just seven or eight win seasons as well as under-rated teams coming from nowhere to challenge for the national title. We also see shocking results that almost nobody would have predicted at the time, Indiana’s win at Missouri for example is still hard to explain given that the Tigers still went on to win the SEC East. So let’s try to get ahead on this and predict where many pre-season predictions will go wrong with some bold predictions:
Bold Predictions for the 2015 College Football Season
TCU will lose at Minnesota
The Horned Frogs are probably the most hyped team going into 2015 behind Ohio State after finishing so strongly last season. Plus they return one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Trevone Boykin. The pressure will be on them from week one to prove themselves as playoff contenders after controversially missing out on the playoff last year.
But Minnesota are a strong Big Ten team and with home field advantage could spring an upset over the more favoured TCU who have to replace some key players on defense. We know Gary Patterson will put together a strong defense for 2015 but it might take a game or two for everything to click and Minnesota are capable of taking advantage of that.
USC will disappoint again
After another impressive recruiting class, the Trojans continue to dig themselves out of the hole created by the NCAA sanctions. Lot of talk of USC winning the PAC-12 and going to the playoff just seem premature for a team that is still young in many areas. Cody Kessler is an elite quarterback who gives them the ability to beat any team in the country but the front seven of the defense is unproven. Last year Leonard Williams was such a game changer on the defensive line that USC didn’t have to blitz much to create pressure so they could flood coverage but they don’t have that luxury in 2015.
The other worry is their schedule is just brutal. After games with Arkansas State and Idaho, the Trojans have nine PAC-12 games with a visit to Notre Dame in the middle. Even a visit to Boulder to face the Colorado Buffaloes isn’t a guaranteed win anymore so expect something more like an impressive nine win season that falls short of the playoff.
Florida State won’t win the ACC
The Seminoles have won four of the past five ACC titles under Jimbo Fisher with 2013 resulting in them winning the national title after beating Auburn. This year though sees a lot more uncertainty in Tallahassee with Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston gone and legal issues threatening to take away key players like Dalvin Cooke.
The rise of Clemson and Georgia Tech, who continue to be under-rated this pre-season, means that the Seminoles won’t have it their own way especially as they have to face both these teams on the road in 2015. So don’t be surprised if we finally see a new ACC champion.
Georgia will finally take the next step
The biggest criticism of head coach Mark Richt is that despite Georgia being a team that consistently wins around ten games per season, they’ve not won the SEC since 2005 and have failed to challenge for the national title. Other teams like Nebraska fired their head coach this off-season because they couldn’t take the next step to join the top teams in college football and at some point the same pressure will fall upon Mark Richt.
But 2015 will be the year that the Bulldogs will finally take that next step and win the SEC before going onto the college football playoff. They’ll be able to rely on running back Nick Chubb to carry the offence in place of Todd Gurley which takes the pressure off sophomore Brice Ramsey at quarterback. The problem with Georgia in previous years hasn’t been talent but consistency and 2014 was no different with horrible losses to Missouri and Florida derailing their season but this year they will get past that.
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 29: The USC Trojans take to the field before the game agaisnt the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
