Alright, now that I’ve previewed each of the major conferences, let’s take a look at the end of the season champions and awards for the big five conferences.
Oregon
|
12--1
|
USC
|
10—3
|
Stanford
|
10--2
|
Washington
|
9--3
|
Arizona State
|
9--3
|
UCLA
|
8--4
|
Oregon State
|
8--4
|
Arizona
|
7--5
|
Washington State
|
5--7
|
Utah
|
4--8
|
California
|
4--8
|
Colorado
|
3--9
|
North Division Champion: Oregon
South Division Champion: USC
Conference Champion: Oregon
Offensive Player of the Year: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
I think Oregon will take advantage of their schedule to get past Stanford and outscore USC in the championship game. Mariota is definitely in the conversation for the Heisman, but would really have to distance himself due to teammate De’Anthony Thomas halving votes.
Clemson
|
12--1
|
Virginia Tech
|
11—2
|
Florida State
|
10--2
|
North Carolina
|
10--2
|
Miami
|
9--3
|
Georgia Tech
|
8--4
|
North Carolina State
|
7--5
|
Maryland
|
6--6
|
Duke
|
6--6
|
Wake Forest
|
5--7
|
Virginia
|
5--7
|
Pittsburgh
|
4--8
|
Syracuse
|
4--8
|
Boston College
|
3--9
|
Atlantic Champion: Clemson
Coastal Champion: Virginia Tech
Conference Champion: Clemson
Offensive Player of the Year: Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
Defensive Player of the Year: Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
If not for the hardest non-conference schedule in the nation (Georgia and South Carolina), Clemson would be my pick to go to the National Championship. However, I think it will be too hard to run the table and I doubt that the SEC-biased voters would give them the edge, even though they will play a much harder schedule than any team in the SEC. Boyd is the real deal and I think will shoot up draft boards. If Jimbo Fisher can talk Jernigan into staying for his senior year, Florida State could be the favorite going into 2014.
Michigan
|
12--1
|
Ohio State
|
11--2
|
Wisconsin
|
9—3
|
Northwestern
|
9--3
|
Nebraska
|
9--3
|
Michigan State
|
8--4
|
Penn State
|
8--4
|
Indiana
|
6--6
|
Iowa
|
5--7
|
Minnesota
|
5--7
|
Purdue
|
4--8
|
Illinois
|
3--9
|
Legends Champion: Michigan
Leaders Champion: Ohio State
Conference Champion: Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: Devin Gardner, QB, Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
I am sticking with my upset pick, and counting on Michigan to essentially beat Ohio State twice. I think Gardner takes the next step, and that Ohio State just does not have enough challenging games to test them before Michigan. I know it’s dumb to pick against Urban Meyer, but going undefeated back-to-back seasons is just too tough. No one has done it in a big conference since Penn State in 1969. Roby is probably the best corner in the country and might not get the award due to lack of chances as teams just throw away from him.
Georgia
|
12--1
|
Alabama
|
11--1
|
South Carolina
|
11--1
|
Texas A&M
|
11—2
|
LSU
|
9--3
|
Florida
|
8--4
|
Mississippi
|
7--5
|
Vanderbilt
|
7--5
|
Auburn
|
6--6
|
Tennessee
|
5--7
|
Missouri
|
5--7
|
Mississippi State
|
5--7
|
Arkansas
|
4--8
|
Kentucky
|
3--9
|
West Division Champion: Texas A&M
East Division Champion: Georgia
Conference Champion: Georgia
Offensive Player of the Year: Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
Defensive Player of the Year: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
With the news that Johnathan Paul Manziel will miss just the first half of the Rice game (sidenote: for thousands of dollars taken he misses one half; former Ohio State receiver DeVier Posey was suspended four games for getting $3 too much on his paycheck), I think the Aggies will pull the upset on ‘Bama and get the tie-breaker into the conference championship game. The real question will be if Georgia can stay ahead of the Tide in the BCS rankings . Aaron Murray will set the conference record for passing yards in a season (currently 4,275 by Time Couch), on his way to the career mark as well. Clowney will just beast souls like he is known to do.
Texas
|
12--0
|
Oklahoma State
|
10--2
|
Oklahoma
|
9--3
|
TCU
|
8--4
|
Texas Tech
|
8--4
|
Kansas State
|
7--5
|
Baylor
|
6--6
|
Iowa State
|
5--7
|
West Virginia
|
5--7
|
Kansas
|
2--10
|
Conference Champion: Texas
Offensive Player of the Year: David Ash, QB, Texas
Defensive Player of the Year: Jordan Hicks, LB, Texas
Like I said in my preview, I am pushing all in on Ash and the ‘Horns. As much as I have thought he has sucked the past couple of years, he did look to make progress near the end of last season. I think the spring/summer of having the job just be his and not have to battle to start has helped him gain the confidence he was missing. Hicks will lead the Texas defense back to the stalwart that they should have been previously.
Post-Season Awards
Davey O’Brien: Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
Doak Walker: Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor
Fred Biletnikoff: Marqise Lee, WR, USC
John Mackey: Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
Outland: Cyrus Kouandijio, OT, Alabama
Bednarik: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Thorpe: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
Lombardi: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Heisman Finalists:
5. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
4. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
3. Devin Gardner, QB, Michigan
2. Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
1. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
Just as it is near impossible to go undefeated, it is even more improbable to win two Heisman trophies, so those two stipulations leave Braxton Miller and Johnathan Paul Manziel out of the running. Clowney should probably win it if we are talking about the best player or the best season, but there are too many ignorant voters who just vote for the best statistics. With that said, I think Mariota and Gardner will make strong pushes due to their duality on the ground/air, and Murray will have to be in the conversation if he sets the SEC passing records. However, I have a gut feeling that Tajh Boyd runs away with the award, much like it seemed Geno Smith would do last year. The difference is Clemson is a legitimately good team, unlike the Mountaineers last season, so he will remain in the pole position. Even if Clemson loses zero week against the Bulldogs, I think Boyd will have them bounce back the rest of the way.
BCS Bowls:
Rose Bowl: Michigan 38 – Oregon 35
Sugar Bowl: Alabama 35 – Ohio State 13
Fiesta Bowl: Virginia Tech 42 – Marshall 24
Orange Bowl: Clemson 41 – Louisville 28
BCS National Championship Game: Georgia 31 – Texas 27
As I said previously, I think Marshall crashes the BCS party and Louisville wins the AAC. Ohio State, Alabama, and Virginia Tech get the other at-large bids due to name recognition and being the only other 1-loss teams. The championship would have to be Texas against the SEC winner, and I think the SEC goes out on top, yet again. Georgia has the most powerful, well-rounded offense in the country and their defense is good enough to get stops when they need them. Of course, they could get upset against Clemson week 1, and then the two teams would probably just switch. I think the winner of that game has the inside track to the title game. All this, and Mark Richt was a loss or two last year from losing his job. Gotta’ love college football.
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