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Some things we consider a given every college football season, like the refs will blow calls, there will be some major upsets along the way, and not everyone will be happy when bowl season rolls around.
On the other side, there are always some elements of unpredictability—things that we know could happen but can't quite put our finger on.
With college football a week away, here are some of my predictions that may surprise you.
1. At least one Stoops brother will not be back next year at his current head coaching job.
A few years ago there was no hotter name in coaching and no name more in demand than Stoops. Today, a little luster is off the shine.
At Oklahoma, Bob Stoops won a national title but has been a BCS bowl disaster ever since. While the Sooners rack up conference wins and titles, they can't seem to win when bowl time comes around.
Some of the Sooners' losses have come in the national title game, others at the hands of Boise State and West Virginia. Overall though, Stoops is second among active coaches in winning percentage.
I'm not thinking Bob Stoops gets run out of town. He's more likely to go on to greener pastures.
His brother Mike, on the other hand, is a different story.
Arizona thought they were getting a hot young coach when they hired Mike Stoops, who had won a national title as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma. What they have gotten instead is one winning season and one bowl appearance.
From the size of Stoops' contract, that's an expensive bowl win. If the Wildcats revert to form this season, looks for Stoops to be seeking employment elsewhere.
2. The ACC will finish with at least two teams in the top 10.
College football can be cyclical, and it's been a down cycle for the ACC. It's been a while since any ACC team has been in contention for the BCS Championship, but I think that is going to change this year.
While a lot of people have been counting the ACC out, the reality is it has been more of these teams beating up on each other than losing to out of conference teams, which makes their records look mediocre. I think this is the year that at least one ACC team starts to flex its muscles.
The ACC has been playing a lot of young players, and if you follow the NFL draft at all, you probably noticed that for the last few years ACC players have been flying off the board early and often. It's obvious the talent is there.
3. USC will beat Cal and Oregon on the road and repeat as champs in the Pac-10.
Say what you want about the Trojans always losing one; it rarely if never happens in the big games. Pete Carroll is a proven big game coach, and he knows how to keep his team loose and ready. It rarely looks like they even feel the pressure or magnitude of the game they are playing in.
USC has lost in conference, but when looking at the games, they seem more likely to lose as 25- to 30-point favorites than as a single-digit favorite. Losses to Oregon State and Stanford were as huge favorites.
When USC goes to Cal and Oregon, the pressure will all be on the home team, as it is the Trojans they are trying to knock off the mountain. While this might not be the best team Carroll has had, it's still better than just about everyone else.
4. Duke, Baylor, and Washington all go to a bowl game.
Let's look at these one at a time.
At Duke, David Cutcliffe has the Blue Devils headed in the right direction. While they ended up with another losing season last year, they showed they weren't going to be doormats.
I think this year Duke gets a little better and gets the attitude that they can and should win some ball games. In a day where six wins means you go bowling, Duke has as good of a chance as anyone.
Baylor was one of my favorite teams to watch. I never get sick of hearing Art Briles' life story, and I never get sick of watching Robert Griffin.
The only thing preventing Baylor from going places is they have a Big 12 conference schedule, which is never easy. If they can pull an upset or two, it's going to be a year to remember in Waco.
I think people forget how close Washington was to beating BYU last year. It was one of the more hideous officiating tragedies.
Once Jake Locker went down, the team looked to have lost their heart and soul, and Ty Willingham simply didn't have what it took to rally the troops. They won't have either of these issues this season.
Washington is traditionally one of the better programs that gets top-notch athletes and some of the bigger guys in the trenches. When you have most of the pieces, it just doesn't take much to turn it around.
5. Bryce Beall will be the nation's leading rusher.
So there are 120 teams, which means there are probably more than 500 tailbacks who will carry the ball this season, so that makes the odds on this pick pretty slim. I still like my chances here.
Beall didn't play nearly a full season last year as a true freshman and still managed 1,247 yards on the ground. In fact, Beall had fewer than 100 yards combined in the first three games last season and fewer than 200 after four games.
A Conference USA schedule and a wide-open offense do wonders in the stats department, and it should make last season's Conference USA Freshman of the Year a guy everyone knows about.
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