National Picks

Just watched the CBS pre-season show which got me motivated to write. Here are a few thoughts on the upcoming season.

Big Boy Football Conference Champs:

ACC: Clemson
Big 10: Ohio State
Big 12: Texas
Pac 12: Stanford
SEC: Georgia

Top 5 games of 2013:

1. LSU v. Alabama
1a. SEC Title Game
2. Oregon Stanford
3. South Carolina v. Georgia
4. Ohio State v. Michigan
5. Florida State v. Clemson

A few other nuggets:

* Alabama and Texas A&M's conference schedules are significantly less challenging than LSU's.  Alabama gets Kentucky and Tennessee out of the East while A&M gets Vanderbilt and Missouri.  The Tigers play Florida and Georgia.  Thanks SEC office!

* Johnny Manziel won't duplicate last season's success.  This is no knock on the Heisman winner, just a realistic assessment based on his off-season issues, my expectation that he is looking to the NFL and his 5000+ total yards from last season and 47 TD's.  Very difficult to match or surpass.

* I like Braxton Miller to win the Heisman and Ohio State to beat Stanford for the national title.  You read that right, no SEC teams in the title game.  The streak has to end at some point.  (But will start again in 2014 with the four team playoff)

* Curious about these 5 teams:

1. Auburn - Auburn will be better, but how much better under new coach Gus Malzahn?
2. Oregon - Loaded team in a program that is on a roll.  New coach is a question mark.
3. Penn State - Year 2 of probation will be challenging for Lions.
4. Iowa - No one in college football is paid so much yet won so little as Kirk Ferentz over the last few years.
5. USC - Lame Kiffin will be looking for a job by December.

* Johnny Football will play this season.  There appears to be very compelling evidence that Maziel took money for autographs, but the key people will refuse to cooperate with the NCAA and the investigation will stall out for lack of "proof."