Most NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision teams are five or six games into the season, with conference play taking center stage for all the major programs.
Let’s take a quick look at all 10 FBS conferences and make our mid-season championship picks.
— AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Tulane and Central Florida are off to strong starts, while Memphis took a huge step backwards with the late-game collapse against Houston last week. The odds-on favorite is no real surprise. Look for the Cincinnati Bearcats, currently ranked No. 21 in the nation, to come out on top.
— ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE: Clemson will win the Atlantic Division, thanks mostly to a dramatic 51-45 win over the Tigers’ closest challenger, Wake Forest. The University of North Carolina should be able to hold on win the the Coastal, with Clemson winning the ACC Championship Game.
— BIG 12: Three very good teams — Oklahoma State, TCU, and Kansas State — are at the top of the conference with undefeated records at this time. but the University of Texas shouldn’t be overlooked. However, the Longhorns have to visit both Oklahoma State and Kansas State, while TCU hosts both Oklahoma State and Kansas State. In the end the Horned Frogs, not the Longhorns, will come out on top.
— BIG TEN: The Michigan-Ohio State winner will win the East, while the West is still wide open, not that it really matters. The Wolverines may the the best team, but their final regular-season game of the year will be at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio. In the conference championship game the Buckeyes will easily handle the Boilermakers of Purdue University.
— CONFERENCE USA: While I would love to pick Rice to win the title, I’m going with another Texas team to claim the crown. The Roadrunners of UTSA will come out on top.
— MID-AMERICAN: The Bulls of Buffalo will roll to the East Division title, then beat West Division champion Toledo in the title game.
— MOUNTAIN WEST: Boise rules in the Mountain Division, but San Jose State will be no easy task for the Broncos in the title game. The Spartans will win the championship in convincing fashion.
— PAC-12: USC and UCLA have been having fairytale seasons for sure, but in the end it will be the Ducks of Oregon who are flying the highest. Don’t look for any of the Pac-12 teams to go undefeated.
— SEC: I don’t want to be that guy who picks Alabama and Georgia to play for the SEC championship just because of the names on the Jerseys. Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State have a real chance to pull an upset Alabama, while it is very possible that Tennessee will knock off Georgia. In the end, however, it will be the Crimson Tide over the Bulldogs in the SEC title game.
— SUN BELT: South Alabama looks to have a strong team this season, but will still have to get past Troy University to win the West. The East title will likely be decided when Coastal Carolina plays host to James Madison. In the end it will be the Dukes of JMU knocking off the Trojans.
Austin Bishop, AKA The Old Sports Dude, has been covering high school, college, amateur, and professional sports since 1975 and is an ordained Assemblies of God minister. He may be contacted by email at starsportsboss@yahoo.com or by phone at 601-938-2471.
