College Football: Mark It Down -- 14 Things That Will Absolutely Happen in 2012

Despite the fact that the start of the 2012 season is months away, college football fans are already taking a long look at how the 2012 college football season could play out.

Fans are beginning to wonder if their team has the ability to win their conference, rivalry games and potentially the national championship.

While the games are still quite a ways from kicking off, here are 14 things you can count on seeing in the 2012 season. 

Matt Barkley Wins the Heisman Trophy

As the 2011 season closed, Matt Barkley started to receive more and more attention and finally after the Trojans won at Oregon, it reached a fever pitch.

Despite rarely being mentioned in the Heisman race early in the year, Barkley grab enough attention that he has set himself up for a strong run in 2012.

With receivers like Robert Woods back in the fold, Barkley will bring another trophy back to Southern Cal. 

Boise State Loses a Minimum of Three Games

Despite not having their schedule finalized, Boise State is about to find out what life without Kellen Moore is like. In 2012, they open the season on the road in East Lansing and are taking on Michigan State. Boise State also has scheduled a game against BYU and Southern Miss. Out of those three game, the Broncos will likely drop two of them.

With the rest of their schedule still up in the air, the Broncos will be out of the BCS equation early and will likely drop three or more games in 2012. 

West Virginia Will Come in Second in the Big 12

Geno Smith is back and the competition in the Big 12 is not above the Mountaineers. With the offensive firepower that they showed in the Orange Bowl, they should have no issue competing and giving Oklahoma a run for the conference title. 

The only thing that can get in West Virginia's way is themselves. If they play down to the competition's level, they will drop a few games and come in towards the middle of the pack. 

Alabama Will Crush Michigan in the Opening Week

Last year, LSU was able to contain the speed of Oregon and pulled away in the second half for a huge win. This year, Alabama and Michigan meet in the Kick-Off Classic—this game will turn ugly real quick.

With the speed and strength of the Alabama defense, Denard Robinson will not be a factor. The Michigan defense will be unable to contain the size and strength of the Tide offense. 

Oregon vs USC Will Be the Next Game of the Century in November

Coming into the 2012 season, both Oregon and USC will be in the preseason top 10. They may even be inside the top five. USC is receiving a ton of hype and Chip Kelly has proven that he can keep replacing pieces of his potent offense.

When the two teams meet in early November, both of their schedules are set up for them to likely be undefeated. They may then be even the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.

While last year's game between LSU and Alabama featured a ton of defense, this game of the century will light up the scoreboard. 

Ohio State Will Win Their Division but Not Play for the Big 10 Title

Urban Meyer is in Columbus and is the kind of coach that can immediately get things turned around at Ohio State. While last year ended poorly for the Buckeyes, they quickly made their fans forget about the season by hiring Meyer.

This year, Meyer and the Buckeyes will be under a one-year post-season band, preventing them from playing for the Big 10 title. Despite this, Ohio State will go on to win their division and will be set up for a strong 2012 run. 

Todd Graham Will Remain at Arizona State

Over the past three years, Todd Graham has held the head coaching position at three different schools. In 2010, Graham was the head coach at Tulsa, moved to Pittsburgh last year and is now in Arizona for the upcoming season.

After declaring his love for his job at Pittsburgh, Graham thought the Arizona State job may be a better option. For the first time in four seasons, Graham will not be relocating at the conclusion of the football season. 

There Will Be Zero Talk About a Potential Title Rematch Game

Last year all the talk was about a rematch in the national championship. LSU had won an early season game at Alabama and had punched their tickets towards the SEC title game. 

While Alabama did not win the SEC, they put together a strong enough season to earn the second spot in the BCS title game. 

Many had hoped for another overtime thriller, but instead what they got was the Crimson Tide delivering a beat down that will be used against any potential rematch in 2012. 

Mark Richt Will Have Job Security at Georgia at the End of the Season

Last year, Mark Richt entered the season under fire and many believed that after his 0-2 start, the Bulldogs should part ways with their head man. To the surprise of many, Georgia rattled off 10 straight wins and made it to the SEC title game.

Despite losing that game and their bowl game, Richt has a strong core of talented players. He will put together a second consecutive strong season that will get the Dawgs off his back. 

Clemson Will Win the ACC

Last year, Clemson started off hot, had some bumps in the road but took care of Virginia Tech twice and won the ACC title game. 

In 2012, the youth of the Clemson offense will have grown up a bit and should be able to use last year's experiences to help them through this season.

With the explosiveness of the Tigers offense, another ACC title is within their grasp. 

TCU Is Next Up for Penalties from the NCAA

The news does not look good out of Texas as their was a drug bust that took place on TCU's campus and four players were arrested. 

With the spotlight on TCU's program now, people will start to poke around and start looking for anything else that may not look right. It appears that the Horned Frogs are in trouble and it couldn't have come at a worse time as they prepare to enter the Big 12. 

Alabama Wins the SEC

While Alabama may have lost some talent to the NFL, one area where Nick Saban has done an outstanding job is replacing that talent and reloading, not rebuilding.

This year, the defense should still be sharp and the offense will find a way to grind out wins in the SEC. In the end, Alabama will be back on top of the SEC and win the conference title game this year. 

Oregon and USC Will Play for the Pac-12 Title

Last year it was clear that the two best teams in the Pac-12 were Oregon and USC. Unfortunately for fans, USC was in their final season of a post-season band and they could not meet for a rematch in the Pac-12 title game.

In 2012, USC is back and both teams appear to be heading on a collision course for the conference title game. While they will meet in early November at USC, both appear to be strong enough to survive one conference loss and still meet up later. The only thing that will be decided in their regular season game will likely be homefield advantage. 

A Non-BCS Team Will Win the National Championship

I know it is impossible for SEC fans to think that another conference could win the national championship and they have good reason to be that confident.

The national championship has basically lived in SEC country but the rest of the nation is catching up. 

Teams like Clemson, Oregon, Oklahoma and USC could all compete and take the crown away from the SEC in 2012.