Independents – This space will be taken up primarily by Notre Dame, as they are the only potential Playoff contender among the bunch. Offensively Both Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer are back and very capable at QB. And they have a great receiving corps led by Torii Hunter, Jr. But like last season the defense is a big question mark and may not be Playoff-caliber. As usual, the Irish have a strength of schedule that can stand up to many other top teams. The big issue regarding their playoff chances is if they have 1-loss, can they get in over as many three other conference champs with 1-loss but also an extra win in a conference championship game? As many have speculated, Notre Dame’s independence may be leaving it with less margin for error. BYU lost long-time coach Bronco Mendenhall this offseason and replaced him with Kilane Sitake, who last served as DC at Oregon State. A tough schedule could make getting to a bowl a huge challenge. For Army, a successful season would simply be ending a 14 year losing streak to Navy. UMass seems content to be and FCS team that goes around taking beatings for a paycheck.

American Athletic Conference – The Houston Cougars may again be the class of this conference, possibly the entire Group of Five. Their reward may lie ahead in an invitation to joint the Big 12, and the riches that come with it. In the meantime coach Tom Hermann and QB Greg Ward will focus on replacing nearly half of last season’s 13-1 team that beat Florida State in the Peach Bowl. If Houston should falter, South Florida appears to be the team most likely to take the AAC crown. Navy suffered a huge loss when QB Keenan Reynolds graduated. They also must replace 4 other top rushers. But they did get a big win when coach Ken Niumatalolo decided to stay in Annapolis after flirting with BYU for a couple days. Cincinnati, Temple and Memphis all look like solid bowl teams. Tulsa is a borderline one. UConn, East Carolina, UCF, SMU and Tulane probably are not.

Conference USA – Defending champ Southern Mississippi lost head coach Todd Monken to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but QB Nick Mullens returns and the rest of the roster should have the Golden Eagles in contention for the conference title again, and maybe even the Group of Five slot to a major bowl if other things go right. Marshall looks like the best team on paper headed into the season though, and should at least win the East Division, while Louisiana Tech should be Southern Miss’s biggest challenger out West. Western Kentuckly and Rice are bowl-capable teams, while Middle Tennessee State could snatch one too. Old Dominion, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Charlotte, Texas-San Antonio, Texas-El Paso and North Texas will mostly pad the win column for their conference mates and Power 5 schools.

Mid-American Conference – The MAC has been pretty consistent in recent years, with Northern Illinois (6 straight West titles) and Bowling Green (3 straight East titles) at the top. Bowling Green should still be the class of the East, even with coach Dino Babers gone to Syracuse. But the West Division (the Huskies actually prevailed among a 4-way tie last season) looks very competitive. Western Michigan, led by coach PJ Fleck who should have a Power 5 job soon, could finally knock N Illnois from its perch. Toledo and Central Michigan will provide tough competition as well. Ball State has curiously fallen hard and fast after going 10-3 in 2013, and even more curious was coach Pete Lembo’s departure to be the Special Teams Coordinator at Maryland. In the East Akron could claim a bowl bid, as could Ohio, but neither look like a major threat to Bowling Green. Buffalo, Kent State, Miami (OH) and Eastern Michigan bring up the rear. It would not be a surprise at all if the Mac Champ also claims the allocated New Year’s Bowl slot.

Mountain West Conference – While Boise State is no longer their old BCS-busting selves, they are still the most consistently good team among all non-Power 5 conferences, and look like the best team in the MWC again. But they might be the odds-on favorite to claim a New Year’s Bowl bid and rekindle a little of their past glory. If not, San Diego State should be the ones to claim the conference crown. Either way, pencil in the Broncos and Aztecs to play for the conference title. Air Force and Utah State look like bowl teams, while any among Colorado State. New Mexico, Fresno State, San Jose St and UNLV could find a way to 6 wins. Hawaii will again take up residence in the basement.

Sun Belt ConferenceAppalachian State, Georgia Southern and Arkansas State are the class of this group, which is pretty much the bottom-tier of FBS. None of the aforementioned three will threaten the Top 25 or a major bowl slot, but all should be bowling at the end of the season, with Appalachian State the most likely conference champ. Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy could get to 6 wins. Idaho and New Mexico State, are both on their way out and facing very uncertain futures. Georgia State, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama and Texas State are probably fodder.

 

Playoff

#1 Florida State

#2 LSU

#3 Ohio State

#4 Clemson

Champion: LSU

 

Also in this Series:

College Football 2016 – The State of The Game

ACC Preview

Big 12 Preview

Big Ten Preview

Pac 12 Preview

SEC Preview

Mike Lowe
Mike Lowe

College Football Analyst

Mike is a Baltimore native living in Portland, OR since 2007. He currently runs his own business specializing in video production and online marketing. Prior to that he was a legal technology consultant, worked for 9 years at Johns Hopkins University and served 6 years in the Air Force. He also enjoys travel, food, beer, and is a volunteer at the Oregon Humane Society.

X