Photo Credit: USAToday.com

by Chris Asbrock

Once again, the college football season is here. As usual, the season technically kicked off last weekend with a few games but the reason really gets going, in full swing tonight, with two games featuring top 10 ranked teams. the 10th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys host Tulsa in Stillwater while the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, travel to Bloomington to face the Indiana Hoosiers.

Friday nights Rocky Mountain Showdown will kick off the season for Colorado, while Colorado State heads into this rivalry game off a tremendous throttling of Oregon State last week. This opening weekend will set the tone for some teams for what should be another fantastic college football season.

While some things are certain, there are some questions that will be answered before the end of the season. Will Charlie Strong lead a loaded South Florida into the college football playoff? Will a Big 12 team make the playoff ahead of multiple loss team? These are just some of the questions that will be answered, among many others at the end of the season. With the season about to head into full swing, we here at FTI Sports have come up with our preseason top 10, Heisman hopefulls and our four playoff teams, as we look ahead as to what to expect this season in college football.

FTI Sports Preseason Top 10:

  1. Alabama
  2. Ohio State
  3. USC
  4. Florida State
  5. Penn State
  6. Clemson
  7. Oklahoma State
  8. Wisconsin
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Washington

As with years past, the top 10 is littered with the big names from the premier conferences in the country. Alabama once again sits atop the rankings with Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes in a close second. Clay Helton and the USC Trojans are coming off a solid finish to last season and are looking to their stud quarterback, Sam Darnold to lead them the championship glory. Defending National Champion, Clemson, is looking to get back into the playoff but will have to fight off a loaded Florida State team. With three teams in the top 10 and four teams in the top 11, the Big Ten will once again look to establish themselves as the top conference in the country. The last few years has seen the Big 12 being shut out from the playoff and that will looked to be changed by Oklahoma and their Bedlam rival, Oklahoma State.

Conference Champions:

ACC: Florida State
American: USF
Big Ten: Ohio State
Big 12: Oklahoma State
Conf USA: Middle Tennessee State
MAC: Toledo
Mountain West: Colorado State
Pac-12: USC
SEC: Alabama
Sun Belt: Appalachian State

Just like the preseason top 10, the conference champion prediction list has some familiar faces and some names that can will make you turn your head. The battles in the ACC and Big 12 look to be a two-horse race while the most intriguing battle will be in the Big Ten. There are five teams that are looking to head into the college football playoff. Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and even Nebraska will be all battling for their place among the nations’ elite.

The Big 12 is interesting with Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State looking to make it into the playoff. Tom Herman made his move across the state from Houston to Austin to make the Longhorns a powerhouse again. The sudden vacancy in Oklahoma, after Bob Stoops leaving, left Lincoln Riley the one in charge. Riley will look for Heisman candidate, Baker Mayfield, to lead this team into the Big 12 championship game. The departure of Herman from Houston opens the door for Charlie Strong and the South Florida Bulls to dominate the American Athletic.

The biggest surprise comes out west with the Colorado State Rams taking the Mountain West crown. Battling the likes of Boise State and San Diego State will make the Mountain West battle very intriguing. In the MAC, the Toledo Rockets are looking to finally capitalize on being the most talented team in the conference. With PJ Fleck heading to Minnesota, look for Western Michigan to take a step back, opening up the door for Toledo to take the MAC.


Heisman hopefuls:

  1. Lamar Jackson (QB – Louisville)
  2. Sam Darnold (QB – USC)
  3. Mason Rudolph (QB- Oklahoma State)
  4. Saquon Barkley (RB – Penn State)

This year will be a lot of fun to watch, in terms of the Heisman race. Last season’s Heisman winner, Lamar Jackson returns to Louisville looking to become the second person to win the award twice. Jackson will have a tough time repeating with Sam Darnold, Mason Rudolph and Saquon Barkley looking to join the sports’ elite. There are many other players that will look to hoist the famous trophy. Darnold, Rudolph and Barkley all play on teams that are certainly a threat to win the National Championship. Jackson and his Louisville Cardinals are certainly on the outside looking in, regarding the college football playoff. Jackson will have to have a monster season, likely causing him to win the Heisman again, if Louisville is in the final four teams.

Coach of the Year:

  1. Clay Helton (USC)
  2. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)
  3. Charlie Strong (South Florida)
  4. Jim McElwain (Florida)

College Football Playoff:

  1. Alabama
  2. Ohio State
  3. USC
  4. Oklahoma State

Championship prediction: Alabama over USC for National Championship

This will be a tough season to pick the final four teams as there are at least 10 teams that could be there in the end. While three of the four teams listed are the normal suspects, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will boast one of the nations’ elite offenses. The Cowboys will put up points but the pressure falls on their defense if they hope to win it all. The Buckeyes will lean on their experience and talent to once again make noise in the playoff. With a talented USC team joining the mix, look for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to once again hoist the national championship.

Key Games:

8/31/17 – Tulsa @ (10) Oklahoma State
8/31/17 – (2) Ohio State @ Indiana
9/1/17 – Colorado State v Colorado
9/2/17 – (11) Michigan v (17) Florida
9/2/17 – (3) Florida State v (1) Alabama
9/3/17 – (22) West Virginia @ (21) Virginia Tech
9/9/17 – Cincinnati @ (11) Michigan
9/9/17 – (16) Louisville @ North Carolina
9/9/17 – Pittsburgh @ (6) Penn State
9/9/17 – (12) Auburn @ (5) Clemson
9/9/17 – (7) Oklahoma @ (2) Ohio State
9/9/17 – (15) Georgia @ Notre Dame
9/9/17 – (14) Stanford @ (4) USC
9/9/17 – Boise State @ (24) Washington State
9/16/17 – (10) Oklahoma State @ Pittsburgh
9/16/17 – (5) Clemson @ (16) Louisville
9/16/17 – (9) Wisconsin @ BYU
9/16/17 – (25) Tennessee @ (17) Florida
9/16/17 – (18) Miami @ (3) Florida State
9/16/17 – (23) Texas @ (4) USC
9/23/17 – (4) USC @ California
9/23/17 – (8) Washington @ Colorado
9/23/17 – (6) Penn State @ Iowa
9/23/17 – TCU @ (10) Oklahoma State
9/23/17 – UCLA @ (14) Stanford
9/29/17 – (4) USC @ (24) Washington State
9/30/17 – Ole Miss @ (1) Alabama
9/30/17 – (5) Clemson @ (21) Virginia Tech
9/30/17 – (10) Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech
9/30/17 – (15) Georgia @ (25) Tennessee
10/7/17 – (1) Alabama @ Texas A&M
10/7/17 – (9) Wisconsin @ Nebraska
10/7/17 – Michigan State @ (11) Michigan
10/7/17 – (13) LSU @ (17) Florida
10/7/17 – (20) Kansas State @ (23) Texas
10/7/17 – Air Force @ Navy
10/14/17 – Arkansas @ (1) Alabama
10/14/17 – (2) Ohio State @ Nebraska
10/14/17 – (7) Oklahoma v (23) Texas
10/14/17 – (12) Auburn @ (13) LSU
10/14/17 – Texas A&M @ (17) Florida
10/21/17 – (25) Tennessee @ (1) Alabama
10/21/17 – (16) Louisville @ (3) Florida State
10/21/17 – (11) Michigan @ (6) Penn State
10/21/17 – (7) Oklahoma @ (20) Kansas State
10/21/17 – (10) Oklahoma State @ (23) Texas
10/21/17 – (12) Auburn @ Arkansas
10/21/17 – (13) LSU @ Ole Miss
10/21/17 – (4) USC @ Notre Dame
10/28/17 – (10) Oklahoma State @ (22) West Virginia
10/28/17 – Cincinnati @ (19) South Florida
10/28/17 – (23) Texas @ Baylor
10/28/17 – (25) Tennessee @ Kentucky
10/28/17 – Air Force @ Colorado State
10/28/17 – (6) Penn State @ (2) Ohio State
10/28/17 – (15) Georgia @ (17) Florida
11/4/17 – (13) LSU @ (1) Alabama
11/4/17 – (2) Ohio State @ Iowa
11/4/17 – (7) Oklahoma @ (10) Oklahoma State
11/4/17 – Minnesota @ (11) Michigan
11/4/17 – (12) Auburn @ Texas A&M
11/4/17 – (14) Stanford @ (24) Washington State
11/4/17 – (21) Virginia Tech @ (18) Miami
11/4/17 – Houston @ (19) South Florida
11/4/17 – Army @ Air Force
11/10/17 – (8) Washington @ (14) Stanford
11/11/17 – (3) Florida State @ (5) Clemson
11/11/17 – TCU @ (7) Oklahoma
11/11/17 – (15) Georgia @ (12) Auburn
11/11/17 – (22) West Virginia @ (20) Kansas State
11/11/17 – Boise State @ Colorado State
11/18/17 – UCLA @ (4) USC
11/18/17 – Nebraska @ (6) Penn State
11/18/17 – (11) Michigan @ (9) Wisconsin
11/18/17 – (20) Kansas State @ (10) Oklahoma State
11/18/17 – (13) LSU @ (25) Tennessee
11/18/17 – (23) Texas @ (22) West Virginia
11/18/17 – Air Force @ Boise State
11/23/17 – Ole Miss @ Mississippi State
11/25/17 – (1) Alabama @ (12) Auburn
11/25/17 – (3) Florida State @ (17) Florida
11/25/17 – (5) Clemson @ South Carolina
11/25/17 – (22) West Virginia @ (7) Oklahoma
11/25/17 – (24) Washington State @ (8) Washington
11/25/17 – (2) Ohio State @ (11) Michigan
12/9/17 – Army v Navy

Just like every year, the eyes on the top 25 teams and the teams that will be rising up the rankings. With big games scattered throughout the season, you can expect some big teams to fall and some others to move up. The college football season is truly a mine field. College football is great when the top teams are relevant and that is certainly the case this year. The teams that can survive the early season upset, will hopefully look to get back into the mix with a strong finish to the season. Urban Meyer and Ohio State continue to prove that each season. One thing is certain, the fans of each school will go through the highs and lows of the tough football season.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on TwitterÂ