Mid-American Conference Football Predictions 2010

MAC East Predictions 1. Temple Owls – Temple’s only loss in conference play a season ago came at Ohio in the last game of the regular season.  That loss cost the Owls a trip to the MAC championship game.  With Temple getting Ohio at home this season, I expect the Owls to avenge their loss to the Bobcats and to win the East. 2. Ohio Bobcats – I can’t complement Frank Solich enough on the job he has done at Ohio.  He has led the Bobcats to two MAC East championships in the... 

Sun Belt Conference Football Predictions 2010

Sun Belt Conference Predictions 1. Troy Trojans -Troy lost some key guys off last year’s team, with Sun Belt Player of the Year Levi Brown being the biggest loss, but the Trojans will still have an excellent opportunity to win their fifth straight Sun Belt title.  They will get stiff competition from Middle Tennessee State, but Troy has had little trouble with the Blue Raiders.  The Trojans have defeated MTSU each of the last four seasons during their title spree.  One of the best offensive... 

2010 Auburn Football Predictions

Overall it was a pretty successful season for Gene Chizik in his first year as head coach of Auburn, as the Tigers put together a solid 8-5 season that included a overtime win over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. This year the Tigers have 15 starters back, but must replace their starting quarterback, leading rusher, and top defensive lineman from last year. Here is a look at what the Tigers will send onto the field on both sides of the ball in 2010, plus my prediction on where they finish up the... 

2010 Ohio State Football Predictions

The Ohio Buckeyes are hoping that the 2010 season will land them in the BCS National Championship game for the fourth time in the past nine seasons, as they bring back 16 starters from the 2009 season where they went 11-2. The Buckeyes won the Big 10 title going 7-1 in conference play, giving them at least a share of the title for the past five years. Even though this is a very talented team, it won’t be an easy road to the National Championship game as they have to take on a tough Miami Hurricane... 

Conference USA Football Predictions 2010

Conference USA East Predictions 1. Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Southern Miss is perhaps the most balanced football team in the league on both sides of the ball.  An offense which averaged 32.9 points per game in 2009 should once again be tough to stop.  With eight starters back on the defensive side of the football, the Golden Eagles should be able to make the necessary improvements to become East champs.  In fact, I expect Southern Miss to boast the best defense in the league in 2010. 2.... 

WAC Football Predictions 2010

WAC Predictions 1. Boise State Broncos – Boise State has a chance to do the unthinkable this season.  I’m, of course, talking about playing for a national title.  If Boise State can take care of business against Virginia Tech and Oregon State early in the season, and run the table in the WAC as expected, the Broncos just might get that chance.  The Broncos finished a perfect 14-0 least season, capping off their perfect campaign with a win over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, and they bring... 

2010 Tennesee Volunteers Football Predictions

The Tennessee Volunteers will once again start the college football season with a new head coach, as Lane Kiffin bolted to California to take over as the new head coach at USC just one season after replacing Phillip Fulmer. The Volunteers have replaced Kiffin with former Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley. Dooley inherits just 9 returning starters on a team that went 7-6 and lost three players in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. For many of the players still at Tennessee it will be their... 

2010 Penn State Football Predictions

For the third time in the last five years the Penn State Nittany Lions finished the season in the top 10, as they capped off an 11-2 season with an impressive 19-17 win over LSU in the Capital One Bowl. The Nittany Lions both losses came in conference play at home against Iowa and Ohio State. This year Penn State will have to replace one of their better quarterbacks in school history in Daryll Clark, along with defensive tackle Jared Odrick and linebackers Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman. This year Penn... 

2010 Michigan Football Predictions

I was not surprised to see the Michigan Wolverines  drop  in the Big 10 standings when Rich Rodriguez took over this program in 2008, but I am shocked at just how bad this team has been the past two seasons. After setting a school record with nine losses in Rodriguez’s first season, the Wolverines continued to disappoint in 2009, losing their final five games of the season to finish the year at 5-7 and tied for last in the Big 10 at 1-7. Rodriguez has now had the chance to get his players into... 

WAC Football Predictions 2010

This will be Boise State’s last chance to put their mark on the WAC in 2010, as they will be moving to the Mountain West in 2011. Their dominance cannot be denied as the Broncos have won seven of the past eight conference titles. If Boise State were to go undefeated again this season, then they’d be riding a 26-game winning streak and it would be hard for voters to keep them out of the national title game. Can the Broncos win this conference again this season? Find out below with my 2010 WAC... 

2010 Big East Football Predictions

The Big East will be adding a few bowl games this season and also axing a few. The Gator, Sun and International bowls will all be axed, making room for the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando along with the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The team that finishes No. 2 in the conference will be playing a team from the Big 12 in one of the most exciting new bowls in the country. There are several new coaches in the Big East this year with Butch Jones taking over at Cincinnati, Charlie Strong at Louisville... 

Mountain West Football Predictions 2010

Mountain West Predictions 1. TCU Horned Frogs -TCU brings back a lot of talent from a team that finished the regular season 12-0 in 2009.  A loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl cost the Horned Frogs a perfect season, and that loss should serve as a major motivator in 2010.  Led by QB Andy Dalton, the offensive should once again be explosive.  The defense may not be quite as good as it has been the last two years, but it won’t drop off much.  College football odds makers have listed TCU... 

Big East Football Predictions 2010

Big East Predictions 1. Pittsburgh Panthers – Pitt is coming off its best season in nearly 30 years, but the program is far from satisfied considering it blew an excellent opportunity to win the league and play in a BCS bowl last season.  Pitt should get that chance in 2010 though.  A talented crop returns with running back Dion Lewis leading the offense and defensive end Greg Romeus leading the “D”. 2. Connecticut Huskies – UConn lost five games in 2009, but it is certainly... 

ACC Football Predictions 2010

ACC Atlantic Predictions 1. Florida State Seminoles -It’s going to take an improved defense to win the Atlantic, I expect to see just that under new coordinator Mark Stoops.  Offensively, the Noles should be among the most potent teams in the league.  QB Christian Ponder could put up big enough numbers to enter the Heisman discussion. 2. Clemson Tigers – Clemson will remain a contender in the Atlantic, but ultimately, I believe the losses of C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford will be too... 

2010 Mid-American Football Predictions

We are getting closer and closer to the start of another exciting college football season, and while a lot of the attention in the offseason has been made around the big conferences trying to add teams, I am going to focus my attention on the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The MAC has had its ups and downs over the past few seasons. They come into the 2010 season looking to improve off a down year, and with a lot of the schools looking like they will be much better than they were in 2009, it figures... 

2010 Conference USA Football Predictions

The East Carolina Pirates won the East division of Conference USA for the second straight year, and backed it up with another win in the conference championship game, this time beating Houston 38-32. The Pirates figure to have a tough time winning Conference USA for a third straight season, as they must learn new schemes under new head  coach Ruffin McNeill and don’t have a whole lot of talent back. The conference has some work to do if they want to be recognized as a top non-BCS conference after... 

2010 Mountain West Football Predictions

Even though the Mountain West Conference is not considered a BCS bowl conference, they have made their presence known the past two seasons with Utah stunning Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in 2008 and TCU nearly beating Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl last season. Both teams figure to be very good again in 2010, and either could wind up playing in a BCS bowl game again this season, but the question remains if a team from this conference will ever earn enough credit to play for the National Championship.   One... 

PAC 10 Football Predictions 2010

Pac-10 Predictions 1. USC Trojans – USC has been taken down a few notches since missing out on at least a share of the Pac-10 title for the first time since 2001 last season. Now, the program will have to suffer through a two-year bowl ban and a reduced amount of scholarships. While not having the opportunity to compete for a national title stinks, there should still be plenty of excitement surrounding USC football after new head coach Lane Kiffin locked up the nation’s best recruiting... 

Pac-10 Football Predictions 2010

The Pac-10 has had a big offseason shakeup with the additions of Colorado and Utah for the 2011 season. USC will welcome in a new head coach in Lane Kiffin, as former boss Pete Carroll has left to coach the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League. The Oregon football program has to be somewhat disgusted by the fact that QB Jeremiah Masoli has been suspended for the season, and RB LaMichael James has been suspended for the season-opener. Not to mention former head coach and first-year athletic... 

Big 10 Football Predictions 2010

Big Ten Predictions 1. Ohio State Buckeyes – The Buckeyes are the pick of college football odds makers to win the Big Ten, and that is something they are certainly capable of doing if they can take care of business against Iowa late in the season. Their first challenge will be early in the season against Miami, and that game will determine whether the Buckeyes will also be in line for a shot at a BCS title. Led by talented QB Terrelle Pryor and powerful defensive end Cameron Heyward, the...