College football is right around the corner, and the long wait is finally over. What wound up being a very interesting offseason, college football (and college sports for that matter) seems to be changing more and more every year. Is it for the better? Probably not. But who knows? We all just have to wait and see

One of my favorite preseason things to do is predict (incorrectly) the winners of each conference. It is a storied pastime of mine that gets proven wrong usually by week 3. That being said, I am striving for week 5 relevance this year.

Big Ten

The conference of my Alma Mater, Rutgers. Whether you believe they belong in the Big Ten or not, they are there, consistently living near the bottom of the ever-growing list of teams in the conference. I am not selecting Rutgers here, even though I do think they may have some exciting offensive weapons this season. The Big Ten has won the last three national championships, with each victory shockingly coming from a different school (Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana).

Even with the success on the national level, I am actually leaning with one of the Pac-12 defectors, who has been 17-1 during the Big Ten regular season since they joined in 2024. The Oregon Ducks have been a powerhouse, with losses only to Ohio State (in the CFP Playoffs) in 2024, and Indiana (Twice in 2025). If Dante Moore is the real deal and a top 2027 NFL draft prospect, this is his opportunity to show the world.

Oregon Ducks, +260 on Caesar’s Sportsbook

SEC

What once was the most dominant conference in College Football, the SEC has not won a National Title since 2022. Does that mean the world is ending in the part of the U.S. where college football is life? Not by a longshot. There are still big powerhouses that exist like Georgia, and super talented rosters with high ceilings like Texas and LSU. Ole Miss is coming off a monster season and has a returning superstar at Quarterback (even if their head coach may have left for the Bayou.) It is also irresponsible to not mention Alabama, who may not be at the level they were with Coach Saban, but are always going to be in the mix. I am buying in Lane Kiffin and LSU, even though I understand how stupid that probably is. Geaux Tigers.

Louisiana State University Tigers, +800 on Caesar’s Sportsbook

ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference has also grown over the past few seasons, adding schools that are actually located on the Pacific Coast. Headlined year after year by FSU or Clemson, the ACC has seen a resurgence from Miami (who has never won the ACC which seems like a fake statistic) and newcomer SMU as of late. 2025 was as bizarre of a season as ever, seeing Miami go to the National Title game, make the CFP and not even play in the ACC championship. Virginia, who had a monster season, lost to a 5-loss Duke team, who claimed their first solo ACC championship since 1962. Miami should breeze to the ACC championship, as long as they take care of business at Clemson on Oct. 3rd. They should play the winner of SMU/Louisville week 3 matchup, but I am leaning Miami possibly undefeated or 1-loss headed to the College Football Playoff.

University of Miami, -160 on Caesar’s Sportsbook

Big 12

A conference headlined by Texas Tech, it is a league that is full of teams who think they can make a run. I know you may be thinking that every conference has a similar mentality, and you may be right. The main differentiator here is that I truly believe that most of the Big 12 could be a champion. Not a national champion necessarily, but a conference champion. Some may argue that that is better? Maybe just delusional Big 12 fans.

Arizona returns Noah Fifita for his senior year as does K-State with Avery Johnson at quarterback. BYU and QB Bear Backmeier hope to take down Texas Tech after two abysmal losses in the 2025 regular season and Big 12 Championship. A lot of people are interested in an Oklahoma State bounce back now that they have a new coaching staff and have brought in Drew Mestemaker from North Texas. It may be a lot to ask for a new regime and QB coming from the American Conference but that would be a lot of fun. That being said, I think I am going with BYU to run through their schedule and figure out Texas Tech if the title game stars align.

Brigham Young University Cougars, +550 on Caesar’s Sportsbook

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