College Football's Midseason BCS Conference Champion Predictions
We’re officially halfway through the college football regular season, and for most people that means it’s time to throw out those preseason predictions.
As I look back at my own preseason predictions article (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/405371-it-could-happen-15-possibilities-for-the-2010-college-football-season#page/1), there’s some things I’m somewhat proud of like saying Geno Smith and LaMichael James were going to have huge seasons. But then there’s also my prediction that the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a team that just got thoroughly throttled by Texas, would win the National Championship.
Woops!
Like I said in the article - college football is a fickle and often unpredictable sport and this season has clearly exemplified that.
Alright we all make mistakes. Let’s regroup and reevaluate things now that we have a half a season’s worth of work to judge.
Here’s the six BCS teams that I feel will be standing victorious as conference champions at the end of the season.
ACC: Virginia Tech Hokies
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After a stunning home loss to FCS James Madison that dropped Virginia Tech to 0-2 to start the season, everyone and their mother was ready to write off the Hokies.
As Lee Corso loves to say on College Gameday - Not so fast my friends!
The Hokies have already won two crucial ACC road games against North Carolina State and Boston College and they only have two ACC trips reaming on their slate. The Hokies will have to travel to North Carolina and Miami in back to back weeks in mid-November.
The real hurdle could come in the ACC Championship game where Virginia Tech could be outmatched athletically against a faster Florida State team.
Big East: West Virginia Mountaineers
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The Big East looks about as stable as Brett Favre’s marriage right now. But the conference does have a bright light in the 5-1 West Virginia Mountaineers, the Big East's only team to be ranked in the national polls and BCS Rankings.
Quarterback Geno Smith has been better than advertised and has shown the type of ability and poise it takes to lead this Mountaineers team to a conference title.
Bill Stewart has been unfairly criticized in the past, but if his team maintains their success in the second half of the season, it might be time to finally give him some appreciation.
Big Ten: Iowa Hawkeyes
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Ohio State’s loss to Wisconsin flings the Big Ten door wide open. And now it’s up to Iowa to handle their business and do something the Buckeyes failed to - beat Wisconsin this weekend.
Iowa’s defense can shut down any opposing offense they go up against and running back Adam Robinson could be one of the most unheralded players in the country.
As quarterback Ricky Stanzi said, there’s nothing better than being American, and now it finally might be time for America to give this team their due.
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Big 12: Texas Longhorns
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We knew Garrett Gilbert was going to take some time to ease into the starting quarterback role, but it seems after a huge win over Nebraska this past weekend that Gilbert has now reached his comfort level.
The Longhorns only have one road game, a visit to Kansas State in early November, left on their schedule while the Oklahoma Sooners have four trips to make including two remaining battles with undefeated teams, Missouri and Oklahoma state.
Texas has one of the toughest defenses in the nation and with Gilbert now playing well, it doesn’t look like anyone will be able to keep up with Texas for the rest of the year.
Pac-10: Stanford Cardinal
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Oregon sits as the No. 1 team in both the conference and the country after seven weeks of play, but the Ducks have some tricky tests left with USC, Washington, CAL, Arizona, and Oregon State in the final weeks of the season.
It’s conceivable that the Ducks could lose at least two of those contests and if that were to happen and the Cardinal were able to stay steady behind the play of quarterback Andrew Luck, we could see Jim Harbaugh’s team heading to the Rose Bowl when all is said and done.
It would be a monumental achievement for a program that finished 1-11 just four years ago.
SEC: Auburn Tigers
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This year’s Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated match ups in the history of the rivalry. It looks like it could serve as the real SEC Championship pitting the conference’s two top teams against each other a week before the big game in Atlanta.
If all plays out accordingly and both teams meet with the SEC West on the line, Quarterback Cam Newton will have to lead his team victory in Tuscaloosa, something that won’t be easy but still very possible.
So who will Auburn beat in the SEC Championship Game?
As I said in my preseason predictions article to the criticism of many, the Tigers will beat the Georgia Bulldogs.
So Who Will Win the National Title?
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Underground like a wild potato - it's going to be Chris Petersen's Boise State Broncos!
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