The Yearly Right Wing Football Preview

Every year, I offer up some preseason thoughts on college and professional football. No, I’m not talking about that game they play everywhere else in the world where somehow you are off-sides if you beat the last defender. I’m talking about the American version, where if you beat the last defender you are considered an exceptionally skilled player.

American football is a billion-dollar industry, and I’m not just talking about how much some colleges pay their recruits. Las Vegas churns through a substantial amount of cash every year on prop bets. You can bet on what the coin toss will be at a particular game, or the over/under on holding penalties in a specific week, if you are so inclined.

Here on the Right Wing, football offers a boost in readership. At any given time during the season, literally tens of people will be reading my football opinions.

This year, I’m doing things a bit differently. In years past I’ve offered up the biggest games of the season for each college conference. This year, you’re getting a preview of each conference, but I’m going on and making some absurdly early predictions about who is going bowl-ing where.

But we start in the NFL.

American Football Conference

AFC East Preview: This division won’t even be close, according to my calculations. The Patriots will have the division crown sewn up by week 12. The Jets will be eliminated by week 7. Miami and Buffalo may provide a test or two along the way, but the only thing that can derail New England in the AFC East is their own divided attention thanks to Aaron Hernandez. Champion: New England Patriots

AFC North Preview: I’m apparently one of the few people expecting more from the Steelers. I look for Pittsburgh and Baltimore to trade blows until the final game of the year. Baltimore wins the division, but Pittsburgh will grab a wild card spot. Don’t hold your breath on Cincinnati or Cleveland doing anything spectacular. Champion: Baltimore Ravens

AFC South Preview: Like the AFC North, the South will be a battle of two teams and two also-rans. Houston and Indianapolis will separate themselves from the pack rather quickly. Houston takes the division, but Indy grabs the other wild card spot. Watch week two. Jacksonville plays at Oakland. The loser of that game (I’m predicting Jacksonville) will get the first pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Champion: Houston Texans

AFC West Preview: The AFC West is only about one thing: Peyton Manning. The Manning-led Broncos should pretty much run roughshod over this division. San Diego may offer a contest early, but look for Denver to pull away from the pack by season’s end. Champion: Denver Broncos

AFC Wild Cards: Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts

National Football Conference

NFC East Preview: The NFC East is the hardest division to predict. While doing the math and looking at the schedules, I figured that the top three teams in this division would have identical 9-7 records, and the other team would be 7-9. Out of that unholy scrum stumbles the Washington Redskins as NFC East champion under surgically-repaired QB Robert Griffin III. Champion: Washington Redskins

NFC North Preview: Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford are two primary reasons why the quarterback markets has gone absolutely nuts. In a division known for defense, it helps to have a stud franchise quarterback to guide your team to victory. Who is the best QB in the North? Aaron Rodgers. Who do I have tabbed to win the North? You guessed it... Champion: Green Bay Packers

NFC South Preview: Last year, the Falcons had this division locked up by the start of November. Don’t look for it to be so easy this year. The Saints will be back, if only because head coach Sean Payton is back, and that’ll get them to the postseason. Carolina will get better. Tampa Bay purchased a nice piece of real estate called Revis Island. The division has grown tougher around Matty Ice and the defending champions. It won’t be enough to dethrone them, but it will make life a bit harder.Champion: Atlanta Falcons

NFC West Preview: Last season, the San Francisco 49ers came on like gangbusters after naming Colin Kaepernick as their starting QB. This season, the arms race that was developing in the NFC West has turned into a triage unit. Every time you turn on Sportscenter, it seems like someone else from the West is hurt. I like San Francisco to grab a wild card spot this year, but Seattle will take a step forward, even if Russell Wilson regresses a bit. Champion: Seattle Seahawks

NFC Wild Cards: San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints

Super Bowl Prediction

AFC Conference Championship Game: Denver Broncos vs New England Patriots

NFC Conference Championship Game: Atlanta Falcons vs Green Bay Packers

The conference championship games, which are typically better than the Super Bowl, feature four of the best quarterbacks playing the game right now. In the AFC, the Tom Brady / Peyton Manning rivalry is revisited, as Denver will visit New England to decide the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. The history between these two is intense.

Over in the NFC, Matt Ryan makes the case for his own status as an elite quarterback as he guides the Falcons into Lambeau Field to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Green Bay dismantled Atlanta in the playoffs a few years ago. It was a lesson learned for Matt Ryan, who has since been one of the best regular season QBs in the game, and is now working on post-season success as well.

So who wins these games and who battles it out in February for the Lombardi Trophy?

Super Bowl XLVIII from MetLife Stadium:
Denver Broncos vs Atlanta Falcons

College Football

American Athletic Conference:

Preview: Once the Big East, the now-named American Athletic Conference begins its inaugural foray into college football. The Catholic 7 in basketball fled the conference, taking the Big East name with them. The remaining football schools elected to stay together and create a new conference. The PR departments at AAC schools will have a field day this year. Almost everything will be a “first.” Someone will score the “first” touchdown in AAC history. Someone will kick the “first” field goal.” At season’s end, though, Louisville will be the “first” American Athletic Conference champion.

Champion: Louisville

Atlantic Coast Conference:

Preview: The ACC has been a sort-of also-ran the last few seasons. Clemson comes into this season with very high expectations. The Tigers should cruise to the ACC Title game, but their opponent remains a mystery. Georgia Tech is always lurking in the shadows, waiting to upset someone’s apple cart. Miami could easily be a dangerous team if they could just keep themselves out of NCAA trouble. Still, look for the Hurricanes to make a push and take on Clemson for the conference title. The bigger story in this conference will be watching Duke to see if the Blue Devils can become bowl-eligible for back-to-back years.

Championship Game (winner in BOLD): CLEMSON vs Miami

Big 12

Preview: I still believe that eventually the Big 12 (with its ten teams…I prefer the nickname “Texas Ten”) will expand back to 12 teams, likely incorporating Louisville and Cincinnati, or Houston or Arkansas State. The league will grow to miss its yearly championship game, and West Virginia would possibly lobby for some shorter stepping stones between it and the heart of Texas Ten country. Look for Oklahoma to rise to the top of the conference this year, but don’t be surprised if TCU or Oklahoma State makes a run. Kansas State is coming back to Earth and Baylor will return to the Big 12 cellar.

Champion: Oklahoma

Big Ten

Preview: Last season, THE Ohio State University Buckeyes were undefeated. They did not play for a national championship. They did not play for the Big Ten championship. They did not even go to a bowl game. That’s what NCAA and self-imposed sanctions will do to you. But this year, Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes are cleared for takeoff. The team is a nearly unanimous pick to reach the BCS Championship Game. Then again, Ohio State has a history for reaching that game, facing an SEC team, and falling apart. Michigan will have a better overall record than Nebraska, but I look for Nebraska to win a tiebreaker to face Ohio State in Indianapolis in early December.

Championship Game (winner in BOLD): Ohio State vs Nebraska

PAC-12

Preview: The PAC-12, upon expanding to 12 teams and instituting a league championship game, set up a potential scenario in which two teams would play each other in the final week of the regular season, only to play each other again the next week. Last year, it happened. UCLA and Stanford matched up in the last week, and then played each other again, a week later, in the title game for the league. Another oddity of the PAC-12 is that there is no established site for the title game (even though LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, and Las Vegas are within their geographic footprint), but instead allow the team with the highest BCS ranking to “host” the championship game. Oregon figures to be one of the better teams in the league this season, but don’t discount the Bruins of UCLA from sneaking in and making some noise.

Championship Game (winner in BOLD): UCLA vs Oregon

Southeastern Conference

Preview: The conference where championships just keep coming. The SEC looks to continue its BCS-era dominance of college football. Last season, Georgia and Alabama matched up in one of the greatest conference championship games of all time. Georgia came up just a few yards short of being the team that got to whip Notre Dame in the National Championship Game. This season, look for a repeat of last season. Alabama figures to be the best team in all the land again and Georgia leads a three-team race atop the East. While this is the SEC, and anything can happen on any given Saturday, I figure Georgia and ‘Bama meet up once again in Atlanta. While the results will be the same as last year, at least Georgia will land a BCS bowl this time out.

Championship Game (winner in BOLD): Georgia vs Alabama

The Other Conferences:

Conference USA: Louisiana Tech vs East Carolina
LaTech enters a new conference and sets about winning immediately.

MAC: Northern Illinois vs Ohio
The Huskies once again win the MAC, but I can’t see them returning to a BCS game.

Mountain West: Boise State vs San Diego State
Boise State should win the Mountain West, but it won’t get them a BCS bowl berth.

Sun Belt: Western Kentucky
Don’t be surprised if Bobby Petrino doesn’t work his magical winning ways. Also, don’t be surprised if he gets into an affair with a female student and wrecks his motorcycles.

(Absurdly Early) Bowl Game Predictions:

BCS National Championship Game: Alabama vs Ohio State

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Michigan

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs Texas

Orange Bowl: Louisville vs Clemson

Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs Oklahoma

Capital One Bowl: Florida vs Nebraska

Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs Texas Christian (TCU)

Outback Bowl: LSU vs Wisconsin

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Miami vs South Carolina