10 bold predictions for the 2017 college football season
By Griffin Hill
At the beginning of every college football season there are some things you can count on. Alabama and Ohio State contending for the national title is one example.
However, much of the fun for college football fans heading into the season is anticipating how other storylines will play out. We all like to predict whether or not a team is a serious contender, or if a certain player could make a strong bid for the Heisman Trophy.
Sometimes we are right and other times we are wrong. Well, here are my 10 predictions for the upcoming season. See if you agree with any or all.
1. A Big 12 team besides Oklahoma will make the playoff.
Since they began the college football playoff, the Big 12 has produced only one team into the final four, the 2015 Oklahoma Sooners. During that time, the Sooners have been the only team in their conference with a somewhat reliable defense.
Teams like TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State have had some of the most high-powered offenses in the country the last few years but have struggled stopping opposing offenses. Not having a conference championship game hurts teams from the Big 12, but I still like the chances that a school from the conference outside of Oklahoma can reach the playoff. But who?
The closest teams in the past have been TCU and Baylor, with some believing they were even cheated out of a spot in 2014. Texas is also on the rise, and while I believe they are still a year away from being a true top 4 team in the country, they could shock some opponents this year and somehow find their way in.
With all that being said, the school I really have started the like above all others is Oklahoma State. It’s as simple as this… The Cowboys can score.
Led by their senior quarterback Mason Rudolph Oklahoma State seems as if they can put up points against any defense in the country. The only problem, and a recurring Big 12 problem, is going to be their defense.
They were ranked 6 in their conference last season in rush defense, allowing an average of 193 rushing yards per game. With all these defensive problems clearly relevant, I still believe OK State could still win the Big 12 and get themselves their first playoff berth. I cannot wait to see their week three matchup on the road against Pittsburgh, who plays a very different style of football.