104.5 The Team's 2018 College Football Preview

Although some teams have already kicked off their season, most of the FBS level college football teams get their season underway over the next few days. What teams win what conference? Who wins the Heisman trophy? What teams play in the college football playoff and win it all? The 1045 The Team staff has your answers below. Do you agree or disagree? Share your opinions with us below.

Jeff Levack, co-host of Levack and Goz 2-7pm

ACC Champion: Clemson

Big Ten Champion Michigan

Big 12 Champion Oklahoma

Pac 12: Oregon

SEC Champion Alabama

Heisman Trophy Winner Bryce Love

College Football Playoff and National Championship Winner.

Michigan/ Oklahoma/ Clemson/ Alabama

Clemson wins it all

Tom "Goz" Goslowski co-host of Levack and Goz 2-7pm

ACC Champion-Virginia Tech

My upset special this season is the Virginia Tech Hokies! The Hokies upset Clemson in the ACC title game and move on to the college football playoff. Clemson has the greatest defensive line entering one season in my lifetime. However Josh Jackson and the Hokies pull off the upset in December.

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin

Every year the Badgers get closer and closer to being a college football playoff team. Led by a massive offensive liine and Jonathan Taylor in their backfield, the Badgers will defeat Ohio State in the Big Ten title to earn a trip to the college football playoff.

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma

Everyone loved Baker Mayfield and rightfully so in Norman. The quarterback led the Sooners to a conference title and were just a few plays away from playing for a national title. Kyler Murray will excite fans again in Norman along with Lincoln Riley getting more national love for the job he does with the program.

Pac 12 Champion: Washington

Remember when the Huskies played in the college football playoff a few seasons ago? I know Penn State fans do. Well Washington again will benefit from an easier schedule (minus that Auburn game Week 1). If they beat the Tigers, Coach Chris Peterson will have his team poised for an undefeated season. As for who they play in the Pac 12 title game. USC is the most likely choice but don't be shocked if Arizona or Utah sneak into the game with a potential head to head tiebreaker win over the Trojans.

SEC Champion: Alabama

Last year I called in the preseason Georgia winning the SEC title game and playing in the college football playoff. I'm not doing that this year. Alabama handles Florida in the SEC title game and rolls into the college football playoff.

Heisman N/A (sorry I can't predict this but I will unveil my top 3 preseason picks for who are the best players in the country on Thursday's show)

College football playoff: Alabama, Washington, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech

Title Game: Alabama over Wisconsin.

Eric Hannamann-Fill In Host/Producer

ACC Champion: Give me the machine that is Clemson. Hunter Renfroe is still going strong…wait he’s hitting bombs on the Padres. I meant Hunter Renfrow. Quarterback battle that is a battle of riches plus an insane defensive line. Can you say Alabama of the ACC? They are getting there. Dab-o on the haters!

Big Ten Champion: If you are watching the current season of Big Brother like a lot of us have here at 1045 The Team, you know defense wins national championships (see last week’s veto competition). Anyway, Nick Bosa will anchor a fantastic pass rush at Ohio State. So even with the turmoil, the Buckeyes will win the Big Ten even with no proven QB for the first time in a while. JK Dobbins and Mike Weber will make it easier on Dwayne Haskins who for my money will fit right into the JT Barrett mold.

Big 12 Champion: Kyler Murray is legally a millionaire playing college football. That is something Baker Mayfield couldn’t even claim. Murray isn’t Mayfield however and I think that West Virginia will have a better offense. We know that Big 12 defense is suspect so while TCU and Texas probably flaunt the best defenses, I think West Virginia’s secondary will be sufficient to make sure they are good enough on defense to win the Big 12.

Pac 12: We are going to possibly see Sam Darnold and Ronald Jones start games in the NFL this season so seeing USC recover losing key players from last year would be impressive. A potential freshman starting QB could work like it did for Georgia last season so I’m looking at the defense to help let a young talented offense grow early on. Even with a legit contender looming in the other division in Washington, look for a late winning streak for USC to push and win the Pac 12 again this season.

SEC Champion: Alabama. Of course it is Alabama. And I’m not going to even waste your time explaining why. Instead I am going to defend the 25 ranking for LSU as their defense is right on par with Bama. Blasphemous you say? @EricH1045 on Twitter. The Tigers won’t be able to match them offensively but that is the same old story just like this conference. There is some hope in Georgia to repeat but it will be hard after losing Sony Michel, Nick Chubb and Roquan Smith.

Heisman Trophy Winner: Bryce Love is probably the Saquon Barkley of this season but RB’s just have a hard time winning this award. Bad games are just too common which ultimately ruins their chances. Khalil Tate fits the mold of players who win this award so I see him running wild and pouncing on secondaries like a cat to be the ultimate Wildcat for Arizona this year en route to a Heisman Trophy.

College Football Playoff and National Championship Winner:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide beat 4. Florida State Seminoles

2. Clemson Tigers beat 3. Ohio State Buckeyes

I have Florida State as a “Wild Card” of sorts here but honestly it is such a crapshoot sometimes trying to figure who will get in in real time, predicting it now is just about impossible. I am banking on some bad losses for the other conference champions therefore making FSU have a chance to get in. Look for the QB situation to be more fluid this season and regardless of who gets the lion share of snaps under center for the Seminoles, at least they won’t be left for dead at the position after week 1 like they were last season.

2. Clemson Tigers beat 1. Alabama Crimson Tide in yet another playoff matchup of these 2 teams and it should be another fun battle to watch!

Bryce Zielinski Studio Host/Producer

ACC Champion: Clemson

Clemson has been king in the ACC for a few years, and that doesn’t stop this year as they look for their fourth straight conference championship. The Tigers are arguably stronger than they were last year when they made the CFP and have the right mix of upper and lower classmen to make this team fun to watch. The ACC as a conference is stronger than it has been in a while; Miami is looking to build on last year’s strong season, Virginia Tech is always there, and don’t sleep on Florida State being a serious threat under first-year head coach Willie Taggert. However, Clemson is in a league of their own and they will be in the CFP once again this season.

Big Ten Champion: Penn State

It’s amazing how far this program has come since James Franklin’s arrival in 2014. All that is left for the Nittany Lions on the checklist after two top-10 finishes, a conference championship, and a Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl appearance in the last two seasons is a CFP playoff appearance that I still believe Franklin’s squad was robbed of two seasons ago. Yes, gone is Saquon Barkley, OC Joe Moorehead, and several leaders on defense. But, this is James Franklin’s first season with it being HIS team with all HIS recruits. Those classes have been top-5 for the past few years. Heisman candidate Trace McSorley leads this team under center, and there is no reason to believe this kid can’t take this team to the top. The Nittany Lions have a lot of young playmakers ready to take on roles and the most depth they’ve had in several seasons. Not to mention, though they have a tough schedule, most of their big games are at Beaver Stadium (Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State) where they haven’t lost since 2015 while their only big road test this year is in the Big House against Michigan. The Nittany Lions are primed for a trip to Indy and the program’s first-ever CFP appearance.

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma

This conference is always a mess. Defense doesn’t exist in this conference and I always wonder how these teams can be compared to more “football-sound” conferences like the Big Ten, SEC, and ACC. However, we must pick a champion. I don’t see anyone sniffing the Sooners this season. The fact that this team’s most serious threat this year is West Virginia says a whole lot about the depth in this conference. Lincoln Riley’s biggest question is at QB. Losing Baker Mayfield is a huge blow, but they have a very capable kid replacing him in Kyler Murray, the 9^th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He has the swagger and poise to be comfortable replacing Mayfield under center, but is it enough to really call this team elite? Ultimately Murray’s performance will dictate how far the Sooners can go in 2018. It should be enough, at the least, to win a mediocre conference this season.

Pac 12 Champion: Washington

This was a tough one for me. The Pac doesn’t have that elite team, much like the Big 12, but I think this conference will be a lot deeper than last season. There are four teams that I think can push for the conference title: Washington, USC, Stanford, and to a lesser degree Oregon. I’m going with the Huskies because I think they’re the most balanced and have the most weapons on both sides of the ball. 16 starters return led by QB Jake Browning for Chris Petersen’s squad. They have one of the best secondaries in college football and return the core of a defense that held opponents to just 16.1 points a game last season. As great as that defense is, the offense will still struggle to put points on the board even with Browning under center. Washington starts the season Saturday against Auburn, and I think if they lose that game the Huskies can’t afford another loss. I just don’t see a 2-loss Pac team making the CFP due to lack of a strong conference schedule. You will see what the Huskies are made of early this year. If they weather the storm and have an Auburn win on the resume, they could push for a CFP appearance.

SEC Champion: Alabama

I mean, really, did you expect a different answer? Look, I don’t want to take anything away from Georgia because that is a damn good football program in the SEC East that I don’t think loses until the conference championship. Only problem there is that this Crimson Tide squad won’t lose a game either coming out of the West, and will win the SEC championship. Bama wont even be tested until November when they play Auburn. Auburn is a good program this year and I think has a chance to surprise people, but they aren’t in the league of Bama. Bama returns practically everyone on offense, that front seven is a nightmare, and that will take the pressure off that secondary that is young and is a “weak spot” on this team. QB Tua Tagovailoa is taking over for Jalen Hurts after his heroic performance in the National Championship last season, and it could be a legit argument he’s the most talented QB Saban has ever had. His ability to stretch the field is something Bama just didn’t have with Hurts. This team is Number 1 in the preseason polls for a reason.

Heisman Trophy Winner: Trace McSorley, QB Penn State

This year’s Baker Mayfield without the attitude and ego problems. McSorley is the heartbeat and lifeline of what the Nittany Lions will do on offense, and he can hurt you through the air and with his legs. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, has a team-first mentality, and plain and simple is just a winner. McSorley took over at QB after the departure of Christian Hackenberg and since he did in 2016, he hasn’t looked back. For his career he has posted 7,369 passing yards, 899 rushing yards, totaled 77 touchdowns, and has 22-4 record. McSorley already holds several Penn State school records, including completion percentage (61.8%) and pass efficiency (152.9). Always taking a backseat to Saquon these past 2 years, this is now his moment as a senior and the nation is going to realize what the Nittany Lions have in him.

College Football Playoff: