Like the other major sports in the world, college football will definitely be different in 2020. The Ivy League has already pushed their season into the spring of 2021. Some of the Power Five conferences are opting only to play conference games. Still others, like the American Athletic Conference, are plowing straight ahead without any changes. In the meantime, Rutgers (out of the Big Ten) has 28 positive cases on their roster. Several teams, including Michigan State are all on quarantine right now. For the college football betting enthusiast, this will be a fall like few others because of the sheer uncertainty hitting the world of sport. Take a look at some of our predictions for how this fall’s college pigskin season will turn out.
NCAA News: What to Expect from the College Football Season
American Athletic Conference
There is a clear division between the top four teams and the remaining seven (UConn has left the AAC, so there are no longer 12 teams). SMU had a shot at the conference title last year but could not turn a halftime lead into a win at Memphis in prime time. Quarterback Shane Buechele threw for 3,929 yards last year and returns as one of the top signal-callers in the nation. Wideout James Proche is now a Baltimore Raven, but Reggie Roberson and Kylen Granson are both talented receivers. The question for the Mustangs, once again, is the defense, which permitted 33.4 points per game last year. The linebacker unit is the strength, but the secondary has some holes to fill. Memphis has a new head coach in Ryan Silverfield, in his first position as the lead man on the staff. Quarterback Brady White is back, along with tailback Kenneth Gainwell and wideout Damonte Coxie. Memphis has to face SMU, Navy, Cincinnati and Tulane on the road. UCF has won 10 or more games in three straight seasons, and they have quarterback Dillon Gabriel back for his sophomore season. He has Tre Nixon, Marlon Williams and Jake Hescock as talented targets, and tailbacks Otis Anderson and Greg McCrae can pound the ball. The defense only permitted 23 points per game last year. Cincinnati returns ten starters on a defense that permitted just 20.6 points per game, and they have won 11 wins in each of the past two seasons. Will the team find a replacement for tailback Michael Warren? Alabama transfer Jerome Ford would love to slide into that starting role.
American Athletic Conference Games | Check the Odds
Pac-12
The Pac-12 made the headlines earlier this week with their Pac-12 Football Unity group, with over 400 players at the various schools. They are asking for concessions in racial equality, health/safety and economic progress or else they are threatening to opt out of the 2020 season. However, Oregon looks primed to run the table. The Pac-12 is only playing conference games, and they begin September 26 at home against Colorado. The Buffaloes can be dangerous, but much less so on the road. Washington State has a new coach — but he is already alienating his players by making it sound like the Pac-12 Football Unity group could cause trouble for his players who join the group. Even with Mike Leach long gone, the Cougars will have a pass-first offense. Oregon State should no longer be seen as a doormat, but they are not ready to contend. Washington has a new head coach in Jimmy Lake, but recruiting has been a concern, and the team has to work in a new quarterback now that Justin Herbert is with the Los Angeles Chargers. Some people are predicting that Cal will win 10 games and take the Pac-12 North. Yes, Bill Musgrave is the new offensive coordinator, but it’s hard to argue that Cal has the talent to take that division. USC will feature Clay Helton’s do-or-die season at the helm. The team has a ton of talent, and it’s time for that talent to produce when the chips are down. Arizona is another team that likes ot run a wide-open offense, so they will post an upset or two in games that turn into track meets. Stanford looks like this will be another rebuilding team for them. Then there’s Utah, who didn’t recruit all that well either, so they may drop a bit from their 2019 Pac-12 title game appearance.
Pac-12 Games | Check the Odds
