It Could Happen: 15 Possibilities for the 2010 College Football Season

College football is a fickle game and is at times very unpredictable.

We may all say we know what's about to happen in the coming season, but when it comes right down to it, reality usually drifts from predictions pretty quick.

As we get ready for the onslaught of preseason publications solidifying in stone their predictions for the upcoming season, it's up to everyone to decipher the nonsense and hype to interpret who is truly set up for a big season in 2010 and who's just pretending.

With college football seemingly in a state of expansion turmoil right now, it's hard to predict what's going to happen in the sport on a daily basis, let alone for a season's worth of action.

With that said, here are 15 possibilities I foresee occurring in the 2010 college football season.

15. Joe Paterno becomes this season's Bobby Bowden

As those around the Florida State football program demonstrated last season, loyalty only gets you so far in the business of college football.

After the FSU backbone finally put it's foot down concerning long time head coach and program architect Bobby Bowden's continuation as leader of the team, one has to wonder if Joe Paterno, the man who ranks ahead of Bowden in all time wins with 394, will be next in line.

Paterno, who will be 84 at the end of this season, has brought the Penn State program tremendous success during his 40-plus years as head coach.

However, since the turn of the millennium, there have been those who have questioned the coach's ability to lead the team effectively at his age.

How did JoePa respond?

With three 11-win seasons since 2005.

But from a speculation standpoint, let's say things don't go well for the Lions this season as they try and break in a new QB and fill some key defensive holes.

Maybe, they get blown out by Alabama, then hit a rough skid during Big Ten play, and things spiral out of control from there.

If that were to happen, we might see a similar "we're forcing you out without necessarily saying we're forcing you out" type plan put in place by Penn State that resembles what happened to Bobby Bowden in 2009.

Patience is a virtue, but it's something very few college football fans can relate to.

14. Jimbo Fisher arrives in a big way

Speaking of Bobby Bowden, many are wondering how his replacement, first-time head coach Jimbo Fisher, will handle the duties of replacing the long-time leader at Florida State.

With 15 starters back, including Heisman contender QB Christian Ponder, expect Coach Fisher to handle the transition just fine.

Benefiting from the easy part of the ACC (the Atlantic Division), Fisher has a chance to lead the Noles to an accomplishment they haven't been able to reach since 2003: a double-digit-win season.

Yes, he has Oklahoma, BYU, Miami, North Carolina, and Florida on the schedule, but another thing the coach has is an emerging team full of talent.

FSU has a potential superstar on almost every level of the offense and defense. The skill players are fast and the line play should be textbook; now it's simply up to Fisher to manage the team to success.

He has learned a lot from his three years as Offensive Coordinator with the Noles, now the question remains whether Fisher can bring the team back to the status it once held during its heyday in the 90s.

I say yes, Jimbo will have the Seminoles back in the ACC Championship in 2010.

13. Geno Smith takes over the Big East

As for the team Bowden ended his career by beating, the West Virginia Mountaineers; well guess what, they're going to be pretty good this year also.

Did you know West Virginia has just three losses in the last four years when playing in the friendly confines of Mountaineer Field in Morgantown?

Expect that success to continue with the type of talent the gold and blue are returning this season.

They are returning a lot offensively with the likes of Noel Devine, Jock Sanders, and almost the entire offensive line; but it's who the the Mountaineers are calling on to lead the offense who will make the real difference.

Geno Smith, a sophomore QB and once highly touted recruit out of Miramar High School in Florida, has the potential to become a star playing in West Virgina's spread offense.

Smith, who saw substantial action in just two games last season, has a lot to learn, but his natural athleticism and talents should help guide him this season.

It was just a season ago when South Florida's B.J. Daniels proved a QB could cause havoc for Big East defenses regardless of a lack of experience.

This year, Geno Smith looks to do the same.

Geno may have run into a bit of a snag during the spring with a broken foot, but if he can stay healthy throughout the season, he has the potential to lead Bill Stewart 's bunch to their first Big East Championship during the coach's tenure.

12. Colin Kaepernick brings Nevada to the BCS brink

Speaking of QBs ready to put their name on the map this season.

It may be quarterback Kellen Moore and his Boise State Broncos who are making all the noise this preseason, but another WAC QB by the name of Colin Kaepernick might have something to say about them being practically handed the conference championship before the season even starts.

Kaepernick, a 6'6 senior, is a seasoned veteran who has been able to guide his team to three straight bowl games during his time as a starter. Now it's time to take the next step and challenge for small conference supremacy.

We've seen non-BCS teams like Boise State, Utah, and TCU all play their way into the big boy bowls over the past few years. Can Nevada make a similar run in 2010?

Kaepernick leads a team with an offense returning a wealth of talent, including RB Vai Taua and talented sophomore receiver Brandon Wimberly.

Not to mention a pretty stout defense led by a strong front seven which includes DE Dontay Moch and LB Brandon Marshall.

They've got obstacles early in the form of Cal and BYU in back-to-back weeks. However, both are winnable games, and Nevada has the talent and strong coaching from Chris Ault to navigate their way through the season unscathed.

The late season Friday night game against Boise should be an exciting matchup as always.

Kaepernick put on classic as a redshirt freshman in a losing effort against the Broncos back in 2007. In his first career start, the QB ran wild on the blue turf coming up with over 400 yards of total offense and 5 TDs in a wild 69-67 4-OT thriller.

This year's tussle might not match that type of excitement but it will probably have WAC Championship implications, and if all goes right for Nevada, there might just be a little extra on the line as well

11. TCU falls flat

Kaepernick and Nevada may have Boise State standing in their way, but what TCU has going against them could be an even tougher foe: complacency.

It's easy get to the top of the mountain when few are expecting you to get there. But if you try repeating the climb with heavy expectations weighing on you, it can prove to be a difficult task.

Thus is the situation facing TCU for their 2010 campaign.

Sure, they've got the talent. A few of the big names (Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington) are gone, but most of the major contributors return.

But what they also have is a Top 10 ranking and the expectation to go undefeated once again.

Yes, the Horned Frogs are expected to rack up the wins in 2010.

But do you know who else is expecting to win this season?

Baylor, Wyoming, BYU, Southern Methodist, Utah, Oregon State, and pretty much every other team on TCU's schedule.

TCU has the target on its back now and it's up to Coach Gary Patterson to try and keep the mentality of the team edgy.

If he can't, things might hit a snag early.

10. UCLA surpasses USC...for a year

There is certainly no team in college football that fears losing their edge as much as the USC Trojans this season.

Once one of college football's true "swagger" teams, USC now faces life without post season play for the next two years and the reality that the glory days may in fact be over.

Well, at least for now.

Outside of a bulky defensive front seven, the team has work to do at relatively every other position.

QB Matt Barkley and the Trojans finished the 2009 season off in a less than dominating fashion.

It will interesting to see how new coach Lane Kiffin can rally the troops for this year after all the recent negativity that has engulfed the program.

I have faith Kiffin can keep USC coasting as an annual favorite in the Pac-10 but this may prove to be a difficult transition year for the young coach as he learns how to navigate his way around.

As for Kiffin's coaching counterpart across town...

Rick Neuheisel came to LA talking big, but up to this point, the coach hasn't backed up his bold claims.

If there were any year to take back the city, this would seem to be it.

UCLA has talented defensive leaders in Akeem Ayers and Rahim Moore and a bright young newcomer, DE Owamagbe Odghizuwa. They all will help slow down opposing offenses.

If QB Kevin Prince can find a reliable target (hint look toward No. 83), then UCLA has a chance for an above-average season in Coach Neuheisel's crucial third year.

Pete Carroll may be long gone, but you can be sure Ricky still remembers last year's late-game touchdown pass that nearly started a riot and kept the bad blood flowing between these two.

That last game of the season against USC in the Rose Bowl should be interesting on many levels.

9. Nick Foles lights things up, Arizona wins Pac 10

UCLA may have a fine season in 2010, but the Bruins won't be staying to play in the Rose Bowl in January as Pac 10 Champs.

That honor will belong to the Arizona Wildcats.

No, not the Wildcats you saw get swallowed up by Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl to end last season. Not them.

This Wildcat team is going to resemble the one you saw in spurts where Nick Foles was throwing the ball all over the place without hesitation.

Foles, a 6'5" junior transfer from Michigan State, had a solid season in 2009 and it could be just the set up for a breakout year in 2010.

The loss of coordinator Sonny Dykes may be more of a plus than a minus for Nick, who looks to really show off his talents now that he's comfortable in the system.

Foles is an under-the-radar first-round QB prospect and his team might be an under-the-radar conference title contender.

But if the QB can catch fire early, those two things could change fairly quickly.

8. Alabama finishes with four losses

One QB who had no trouble leading his team last season was Greg McElroy of Alabama.

The junior starter may not have wowed fans with his stats or overwhelmed scouts with his abilities, but McElroy sure did prove to people that he's got the knack for winning.

In his first year as a starter, all the QB did was help lead his team to an undefeated National Championship season.

But what McElroy won't have the benefit of in 2010 is a hungry veteran defense playing with an axe to grind.

He'll still have RBs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson behind him to hand off to, but expect McElroy to be called on to create more through the air if the defense starts giving up points with a greater frequency.

Yes, Alabama has the momentum but let's not forget that this team wasn't exactly the model of consistency before last season. Anyone remember that loss to Utah, or how about that home upset at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe back in 2007?

There are at least six teams on the Tide's 2010 schedule who can compete with them, and at least three of them should present a formidable challenge for the defending champs.

They're now the hunted in the conference, and as Florida showed us back in 2007, it certainly isn't easy to maintain dominance after losing key defensive parts.

The Gators went 9-4 during that title defense. Will Alabama follow the same path or can Coach Saban keep them striving towards greatness?

7. No SEC team in the National Championship game

If Alabama can't keep up their undefeated ways, does that mean we'll have our first SEC-free National Championship in five years?

It seems like a real possibility.

The two teams who would be next in line to be favored, Florida and Georgia, are both breaking in new QBs as well as making adjustments on defense.

Arkansas and Auburn seem like spry darkhorses, but do they have enough pieces to survive week in and week out without faltering?

2010 should be one of the most competitive seasons within the conference in recent memory, and it doesn't seem like anyone has enough to make it through with a perfect record.

Prediction for the Championship Game: Auburn vs. Georgia in a battle of two 10-2 teams.

6. Ryan Mallett takes the No. 1 QB spot from Jake Locker

The SEC may not be able to keep the National Championship Trophy in house, but will they be able to keep the Heisman from falling into outside hands?

Alabama's Mark Ingram won't repeat but QB Ryan Mallett of Arkansas looks like a real contender.

He's got it all.

If Mallett wants to take the No. 1 QB spot from Washington's Jake Locker, it'll have to start with an important match up hosting Alabama at the end of September.

If the junior gunslinger can lead an upset of the Tide, he may take control of the top QB spot for the rest of the season.

The Locker love fest will be fun for the summer debating but when push comes to shove during the season, I believe Mallett will shine through as the true top QB prospect in all of college football.

Mallett has everything you look for in a franchise QB: the size, the arm, and the smarts, but even with all those pro tools, he could find himself falling short in the Heisman race when all is said and done.

5. LaMichael James rushes for 2,000 yards

Yes, the 6'7" Mallett could very well fall short of Oregon's 5'9" LaMichael James in the race for the Hesiman.

In 2009, the sophomore RB took full advantage of LeGarrette Blount's suspension and ran his way to a breakout season.

LaMichael proved to be just the spark Chip Kelly's offense needed, running for over 1,500 yards and 14 TDs for the eventual Pac-10 champs.

He looks to build on those totals this season even though he'll have to serve a one-game suspension for an offseason misdemeanor.

Regardless of the suspension, James could have the talent to break into the mythical 2,000 yard club, something which hasn't been touched since 2007, when Kevin Smith (UCF), Matt Forte (Tulane), and Ray Rice (Rutgers) all broke the mark in the same season.

He won't have the benefit of catching anyone off guard in 2010 and he'll have to defer some carries to Kenjon Barner and Lache Seastrunk.

Still, James has his entire offensive line returning and a smart offensive mind in Coach Kelly to make sure he'll be utilized correctly.

Expect big things from the little back in 2010.

If he has the type of season he is capable of, there could be some serious hardware waiting for him at season's end.

4. Iowa dashes Terrelle Pryor's Heisman hopes

If LaMichael James wants a Heisman Trophy, he will probably have to outperform this man, Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor, one of the resounding favorites for the honor heading into the season.

After last year's Rose Bowl, it seems Pryor is approaching the "I'm unstoppable when I'm in my zone" type level that we saw from Vince Young during Texas' National Championship season.

The only question becomes, can someone rattle the dual-threat superstar QB enough to get him off his game?

Short Answer: Yes.

Pryor's passing is still in a raw enough state that there will be one or two games when things just aren't clicking.

If I were forced to predict a game where that situation would arise, the Buckeyes' late November visit to Kinnick Stadium certainly sticks out.

It has all the ingredients to equal a not-so-fun time for the Buckeye signal caller.

-The letdown factor (The game is wedged between Penn State and rival Michigan)

-The facing a feisty defense factor (Iowa boasts a tremendous D-Line, and safety Tyler Sash could be one of the top difference makers in the country).

-The late season pressure factor (It's never easy to win in November, especially if you're undefeated and ranked highly. That pressure gets ratcheted up for road games).

I expect Terrelle Pryor to lead the Buckeyes to big things this season, but the late-season tilt against Iowa could indeed prove to be a very steep hurdle to climb.

3. Nebraska wins the National Championship, Big Ten hits the jackpot!

While I do expect Ohio State to make it to the National Championship, even with one loss, they're not my pick to come home with the title.

That belongs to Bo Pelini's Nebraska Cornhuskers.

This workmanlike Nebraska team may lack great quarterback play, but they have everything else you would want from a champion.

Anytime you can run the ball and play stifling defense, you've got a chance to accomplish great things on a football field.

With RB Roy Helu and DT Jared Crick leading the way, the Huskers look primed to do just that.

If you take the Texas Tech loss out of the equation, this team was about three plays away from an undefeated season in 2009. If Pelini can fix up the little things in the offseason and keep his boys hungry, the schedule sets up just right for a run to perfection.

A National Championship would be one heck of a capper for the demolished Big 12 to hang their hat on and a perfect introduction into the Big Ten Conference for Nebraska.

Who knows, It might even be enough to shift the power of college football from the Southeast back to the Midwest.

2. Brian Kelly leads Notre Dame to a 10-win season

So what would the Big Ten need to really take over the college football world?

Brian Kelly and his Notre Dame football team.

That doesn't seem like it'll happen at this point, but you never know.

What I do know is that Brian Kelly has the chance to be a terrific coach at Notre Dame, and his team has the potential to be really really good in just his first year at the helm.

Yes, there is some turnover, and with turnover comes uncertainty, but one thing you can be certain of is that Brian Kelly is going to have this team prepared properly.

Dayne Crist will know the plays, the receivers will know their routes, and everything else will trickle down from there.

You can say that the spread failed to work at Michigan, but that was a different set of circumstances entirely.

This can work. Brian Kelly can lead Notre Dame to greatness once again.

Everyone thought Notre Dame would accomplish big things last season and they failed miserably.

Now, expectations may be a bit diminished, but the potential for greatness is present yet again.

Now it's strictly up to execution on the field.

1. The last season before conference expansion proves to be a wild one

Rich is ready for the action.

Are you?

Sept. 2, the ride begins.