2024 college football predictions Picking Power 4 conference champions

The format for the issuance of college football national champion has undergone a change, for the first time since 2014. This year’s CFP will be a 12-team event; the five highest ranked CFP conference champions will receive the automatic bids, and seven bids to the next seven highest ranked teams will be awarded at large.

They also reward the four conference champions with the top four seeds in the 12-team playoff and first-round bye while the remaining eight institutions compete for the initial round with the seeds 5-8 hosting the seeds 9-12 on their home ground indeed or the ground decided by the institution having the higher seed.

Five bids are going to be awarded to conference champions automatically starting from the 2024 season; the four highest-ranked conference champions are going to receive the first-round byes thus the importance of conference championships games is going to soar even higher.

LITMAN : With the season only less than a month away, me, Michael Cohen and RJ Young give our picks for the conference championship game and winners of the Power 4 conferences.

Who will compete in the 2024 Big Ten Football Championship Game and who will come out the winner?

Michael Cohen: Football Ohio State against Oregon

One could probably assume that two factors probably go a long way in answering this particular question and they are; total talent and more importantly the quarterback position. The two teams that are most uniform in those two categories will clash at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for a Big Ten championship.

But for the overall talent, without doubt, it would be Ohio State. The Buckeyes return 14 starters from last year's team, led by a handful of motivated veterans who bypassed the NFL Draft to return to school: Specific talents are RB Trevon Henderson, WR Emeka Egbuka, DT Tyleik Williams, DE-JT Tuimolau and DE Jack Sawyer. They some of the biggest hits on transfers in the country, led by Caleb Downs from Alabama and Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss. And they hired one of the most respected leaders of offense in football by signing the then UCLA’s team head coach, Chip Kelly as their coordinator of the offense. Well, obviously it should be more than enough to get them to Indy, don’t you think?

In terms of stability in that also is most significant when comparing quarterback play Oregon is set up to be the most stable at the position after adding former Oklahoma quarterback turned six-year transfer, Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel holds the record of the highest career starts among the active quarterbacks with 49 starts besides wins 33, passing yards 14,865 and passing touchdowns of 125. He has weapons on the outside in Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart, and standing in front of him is the best tackle duo in the conference, Josh Conerly Jr. , and Ajani Cornelius. You should, however, expect the Ducks to fight for the title in what will be the first season of the newly formed team, but they will be defeated by the more experienced Buckeyes.

RJ Young: Yes, Ohio State over Michigan is a good example of a score that has led to controversy.

Firm as the oak clings to the plain, and the vine to the oaken tree, let Ohio State embrace Michigan. Now, if one could only just picture how their trees merge and intertwine and time and again, obscure the specificity of the skill they developed from hearts that were tested in Big Ten conferences.

That day is today when both programs have agreed to the responsibilities of having to meet as often as they need to — once for sure, twice ideally, three and we’d soar, explode and turn into energy — only to be grounded by west coast antagonists with chainsaws, hard hats and the intentions of deforesting trees and urbanizing the terrain.

Oregon is going to act first in the reversed manifest destiny of the Pacific Northwest. As for USC, it sits way behind Tinseltown tingle, ready to grab Paul Bunyan’s two-handed ax and chop through the state of Michigan’s trunk while it’s eager to tally the rings inside. Well, the wise pick of the games here is Ohio State-Oregon. However, to be more precise, the product would be rather delectable, I would like to navy against army, the two most bitter rivals of the conference championship at the final match.

Laken Litman: Ohio State has over Oregon

If you were to ask a hundred people on the street, if they expected OSU and University of Oregon to clash in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship this year, then you would probably have a hundred unanimous responses. Well, [b]for the fans, we are still fortunate to get a taste of that when these two new conference opponents are scheduled to meet at Autzen Stadium in the regular season on October 12, VS.

Starting from the top and down to the bottom wires, the Buckeyes have one of the more skilled and roster-rich teams in the United States of America. They have back 14 starters from the previous this team, and they include such talents such as Emeka Egbuka—wide receiver, TreVeyon Henderson—running back, JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer—defensive ends. Those fellows could have gone to NFL but instead they are here because they are bent on beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten and of course a national championship. Ryan Day also signed a bunch of transfers as well such as former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Oh, and you know, OSU’s new offensive coordinator and Day’s dear friend is none other than Chip Kelly. Chalk on paper, one can hardly think of this team being able to lose a given game.

The Ducks have been able to attract the attention of the conference when during the big ten media days a large inflatable duck was sighted on the White River in Indy. That’s just scratching the surface when you consider the roster Dan Lanning has to work with, which notably is deeper on offense. The shifts saw Oregon admitting Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, and Texas A&M wide receiver Evan Stewart.

Gabriel is a star, he received 14,865 total pass yards, 152 total pass and rush TDs. This is the thought process of reasoning that he started where Bo Nix left off and he has the potential of continuing.

Want to know who will be there in the Big 12 Football Championship Game in the year 2024 and who will be the winner?

RJ: This win was in favor Oklahoma State over Utah.

I go with Oklahoma State to triumph in this conference here, more so if the Pokes defeat Utah in their regular season. I think the Cowboys are one of the teams that are capable of going to one of Mike Gundy’s most talented teams and challenge for not only the conference crown but also the national crown that is if injury and arrest incidence do not derail the Cowboys on their quest.

I'm a broken record at this point, but that just means the music plays: Stillwater Self-Sabotage will be the most difficult competitor of OSU – something inexplicable like their home defeat to South Alabama with the score of 33-7. Arguably, the Cowboys return the best tailback on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line in Ollie Gordon (1,732 rush yards), all five starters along that 2023 offensive line strip of 214 collective starts, a seventh-year QB who passed for 3,460 yards, a wideout whose 991 receiving yards were denied by a mere nine yards from elite status, Brennan Presley, and three players who racked up Martin is one of nine returners on a defense which should be able to turn into one of the top groups in the country by Bryan Nardo the coordinator.

However, this has been soon proven false with Utah acting differently once Cam Rising is in it. With Rising at quarterback, Utah was in the Rose Bowl two years in a row while winning two Pac-12 championships in a row. The Utes also have back tight end Brant Kuithe who may very well be the best tight end in the League. Considering that the offense is likely to be powered by Kuithe; Mycah Pittman and Micah Bernard who will be supported by 1,100 yards rusher Anthony Woods from Idaho, it should be easy for this team to become the second team under Whittingham to complete a season without a loss.

Laken: As for Kansas State and Utah the latter won this game.

Remember folks the Big 12 might have just lost easily two of it’s biggest names, oh wait nobody cares that Texas and Oklahoma are gone. The new look conference will be more than entertaining enough, and that begins with a real College Football Playoff contender in Utah. Quarterback Cam Rising is back on the field after he dislocated his knee and missed the whole year of 2023. Before suffering this kind of gruesome injury (this inclusive of his ACL, meniscus, MPFL, and MCL) Rising was ranked among the best QBs in the U. S. The Utes also get tight end Brant Kuithe, running back Micah Bernard and receiver Mycah Pittman back after they also did not play last season due to injuries. As in any transition year, Kragthorpes installation of a new offense should help, as will the addition of some talented transfers and a veteran defense (12 players back on that side of the ball) help Kyle Whittingham to have a team that ought to be favored to win in its conference debut.

So for the Wildcats indeed, let’s admit it, they lost the experienced and talented quarterback Will Howard to Ohio State but, expecting that running back Avery Johnson is going to fill that void, Wildcats should be okay. Johnson’s Weapons will have former Colorado Running back Dylan Edwards the potential of whom is yet to be unleashed again and DJ Giddens whom Johnson’s rushed more than 1;200 yards last season as a sophomore. On the defensive side of the ball, Chris Klieman prepares a roster that has seven players who started last year; a team that was one of the best in the Big 12 last season. Some of these players include, linebackers Austin Moore and Desmond Purnell, who had seventeen tackles for loss, Jacob Parrish who had four interceptions and nine pass break ups. They have Pro Bowlers on their team and throughout the roster who can cause trouble if the team gets to a relatively soft conference.

Michael: Kansas State to Utah

Pac-12 might be no more RIP, but the consistency that Utah has shown, convinces one to stick with the team even when the conference switch is made to the Big 12. Called Patrick Glen, head coach Kyle Whittingham is going to have his 20th season with the Utes, and on average he’s 9. Crashing the parties would amount to 6 wins per year over the last five full campaigns or the last five seasons before the enhanced pandemic-brevity 2020 season. He returns 12 starters from a team that, despite losing Cam Rising, Brant Kuithe, and Logan Fano to injury 2023, won eight games. Should be healthy after recovering for a long time from knee surgery due to several tears, including the torn ACL and the Utes were the Pac-12 champions in the seasons that Rising was healthy (2021, 2022 seasons). He is the man behind the pick that Utah will win the Big 12 come this fall and the one who will ensure that happens in December.

Who they maybe facing in the Big 12 getTitle game they might face the Kansas State whose record shows that they have been able to perform 8 games and above in 4 of the last 5 season. The long-awaited true excitement is around rising sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, a pure dual-threat quarterback who threw for 479 yards and ran 296 more with dashing for 12 total touchdowns as a backup behind the now starter Will Howard of Ohio State. Connection between Johnson and a new coordinator Conor Riley, who previously worked as the K-State’s Offensive Line Coach, will also be interesting to observe during the season. Many significant talents were added in the portal with the Colorado running back Dylan Edwards and Penn State wideout Dante Cephas ranking among them. The defence will be coming back seven players out of, a defensive line that was second in the league in scoring last season.

The selection of teams to participate in the championship as well as the final winner of the match up to the year 2024.

Laken: Georgia over Texas

Nick Saban said this was the game going to happen at SEC media days, and who am I to argue? Except, of course, his former players at Oklahoma State which were visibly offended by his unparliamentary language used in referring to them. Crimson Tide offensive lineman Tyler Booker jokingly quipped that Saban explained to him, do not get decide by some guy who lives in his mom’s basement and so he has no right to tell me how I feel, the same way I’m not going to allow some guy that plays golf all day tell me how I feel.

In fact, one-liners aside, Bama is not the team that most sports analysts and forecasters would bet their hard earned money on the SEC this year. While Georgia, who failed to make the cut into the CFP last season, is. It’s exciting to know that the Bulldogs are itching to get back and they have the material to do it with the yet to be seen but certainly another lethal weapon; the fifth ranked offence and fifth ranked defense. Carson Beck comes back as a quarterback, who threw for 3,941 yards the previous season, which ranked third in the SEC behind Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix, who are now in the NFL Expected back is four of the five starters from the offensive line. The Dawgs are are without tight end Brock Bowers and receiver Ladd McConkey, however Oscar Delp and Dominic Lovett return to the team and Blue is hopeful to add more talent from the transfer portal. Defensively, Georgia brings back eight playmakers including the leading tackler, which is Smael Mondon, the lineman Mykel Williams, and Warren Brinson.

However, Texas a new comer in the SEC looks poised for a run in what is their first year in the conference. Last year the Longhorns had what was arguably its best team overall since the team competed for a national title in 2009. And after getting to the CFP, but being defeated by Washington in the semi final, the team had the feeling that it wanted more. Texas returns the fantastic third-year starting quarterback of Quinn Ewers who is being challenged each day by Arch Manning, and the ALL-AMERICAN LT Kelvin Banks Jr, running back are CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue while Steve Sarkisian added wideout Silas Bolden from Oregon State and another great talent in Isaiah Bond from Alabama via the portal. On the negative side, the Horns have a steep drop of talent going to the NFL but like the other top programs, Sarkisian is remodeling. Three of their starting linebackers return as does their starting cornerback, Malik Muhammad who also played as a freshman last year.

Although, I predicted the Longhorn to have it in the first clash in Austin on the 19 of October, doesn’t count to have it twice in a season, any team, The Dawgs are sure going to be in vengeant mood come the rematch at the Georgia for the SEC championship game.

Michael: Georgia over Texas

It would be stupid to bet against Georgia this year. Not only will the Bulldogs wanted to get back at Alabama for defeating them in the SEC Championship playoffs that ruled them out of the College Football playoffs last year but they also have a chance of producing only the third Heisman Trophy in the school history a feat that will be achieved if their quarterback Carson Beck plays to the expectations of many in his second year as the quarterback of the team. In 2023 Beck said to be great, he was able to take full 72. completing 4% of his passes and throwing for 3,941 yards and for 24 touchdowns but was intercepted only six times. That he was able to do all this while his top target men Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey were both out of action, is a testament to how efficient Beck was. The Bulldogs got him surrounded with high tiers players from the portal like the former Florida RB Trevor Etienne, the former Vanderbilt WR London Humphreys, and the former Stanford TE Benjamin Yurosek.

Georgia’s most probable foe in SEC Championship Game this year is Texas, but while the latter potentially has what it takes to get to the College Football Playoff for the second time in a row. There were some grave departures particularly at the skill positions but to that end, there were numerous gains in the transfer portal most notably in the form of the wide receiver Isaiah Bond from Alabama and the return of the qb Quinn Ewers who should remain very much in the heisman trophy talk all season long. A Michigan game on September 7 as part of the non-conference season should help to reveal the state of affairs to a certain degree in terms of pursuit of the championship which the Texas has not won since the year 2005. The second half the schedule is rather easy if the Longhorns survive a potentially tricky mid-October home game with Oklahoma, followed immediately by a road game with Georgia.

RJ: Oklahoma over Texas

I could select Georgia for the championship and odds are, I may not be going wrong. Uga after all currently stands at 86-11 since 2017, 42- 4 in the last three seasons, 28 SEC games in a row and two of the last three national champions.

Yes, I could select LSU, Ole Miss or Alabama and be correct one of these teams will be in the SEC title game. But those are boring. Based on the role of the SEC and how the league appears to have brought two wolves into a henhouse in the form of OU and Texas, nothing could be more ideal for the two new members than for them to play for what will be not only a conference championship, but likely a first-round bye in the CFP and a trophy to bring home for the next year in what right now could be considered and be the toughest conference in college football.

Which second teams will participate in the ACC Football Championship Game in 2024 and which of them will win?

Michael: That is why I think choosing Florida State over Miami would be the right thing to do.

Deciding on Miami to end a ream of self-destruction and achieve the ACC Championship Game seems promising because the Hurricanes managed to win 10 games in a season only once since 2003. And, alas, there is nothing really suggesting that the trend is going in the opposite direction on how the last year campaign ended — four losses in the last five games, including the rather embarrassing Pinstripe Bowl to Rutgers. However, for the first time since 2018, Miami will start a season with the same head coach and coordinators from the prior year; the Hurricanes also signed one of the better groups of transfers from the portal, ranking 10th in the country. Washington State transfer Cameron Ward should provide head coach Mario Cristobal with stability at quarterback, late-window pickup of former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez gives the offence a bona fide workhorse on the ground. Perhaps this is the year that the Carolina Hurricanes can vie for league championship.

It still doesn’t feel like they’ll win it, though, because of what Florida State is constructing under fifth-year head coach Mike Norvell. Concerning the specific game, FSU comes in as the only team to not participate in last year’s College Football Playoff, despite a 13-0 regular season and an ACC Championship – something that has to sting the active players and coaches in Tallahassee. Norvell and his staff signed former Clemson and Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei to replace Jordan Travis at quarterback and the brilliant move was tabbing the Alabama roster after Nick Saban retired. Among them, through the transfer portal, the Seminoles initially boost its roster with five former Crimson Tide players, including Roydell Williams in running back and Malik Benson at the wide receiver place. Yes, the defense will lose a total of seven players but out of 22 players starting from the first three rounds of the NFL Draft it was producing players. But a top-10 transfer class for a third consecutive offseason does not hurt.

RJ: Florida State over Clemson.

Ironically, the CFP has seen Dabo Swinney’s team six out of the eight years. In that time frame he has been in four national titles and has secured two of them. Sure, with the playoff compounding and no Nick Saban to keep waking him up at night, Swinney and Clemson have a program that may benefit best from continuity.

But at what cost? Literally. For 2023 Clemson University recorded a negative balance, receiving $143,356,820 while spending $158,283,618 – USA Today. Can you name another FBS school that has a national title from the CFP-era, never mind two? They lost money last year. And yet they have been champions of the ACC seven out of the nine tournaments.

Naturally the challenges for the Tigers start with reaching the finals in Florida State and Georgia and perhaps the surprise of the season trouping from Virginia Tech. However, they are the first to admit that FSU was fortunate to come out of Death Valley with a win last year and there are few better equipped to dissect DJ Uiagalelei than Swinney. Tigers’ linebackers might be the best in the country with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. , Barrett Carter and five-star freshman Sammy Brown and they will pressure the quarterback.

Mike Norvell is nearly there for FSU placing the Seminoles back to where Bobby Bowden had them during the mid-1990s in terms of replacing 10 NFL Draft picks with players of similar capabilities. That means the only returning skill player who started on offense is tight end Kyle Morlock.

American Football & Languaging Preferences: European Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes### Another focal point is the consistence of the language used within gamers’ discourses.

Thus, studying the ways LSPs are treated and used in Thus Norvell went shopping and returned with load like a man who goes to four garage sales and two estate sales and rushes through the flea market. He came back to the house and boasted to them of Uiagalelei besides Alabama transfers Terrence Ferguson, Malik Benson and Roydell Williams.

Laken: I am personally taking Florida State to beat Clemson in this match up.

Returning to the 2024 season, Florida State will need to recover from last year’s nonsenseness having been snubbed at the last year. This new 12-team playoff format certainly aids it in making a national championship run and among the teams Mike Norvell currently has, he has a team that is expected to win the ACC.

Nonetheless, only four units of the offense will be starting, fortunately, three of which plays on the line of offense. Starting quarterback Jordan Travis plays in NFL while Trevor Lawrence is in Clemson, and previous Clemson and Oregon State’s QB DJ Uiagalelei competes with redshirt freshman Brock Glenn for a starting position. The Seminoles are highly endowed with growing talents in the passing prospects and recall of running back Lawrance Toafili. On the defense side, FSU has back experience in the secondary but lost some meat in front. Most notably, the defensive end Patrick Payton, the one who had fourteen. , a five TFL and seven sacks’ player in the previous season, is back, and people should watch out for him.

The Clemson should again have another stable defensive team with a lot of young and eager talents. However, when Dabo Swinney is contemplating question marks in terms of his players, he will be contemplating about the offense. Brown also expects the offense to take a step forward in the 2024 season as it will be Year 2 for offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and quarterback Cade Klubnik who still lacks a big-play pass catcher. The Tigers are back Phil Mafah that lead the team in rushing and Tyler Brown that lead the team in receiving but who else takes a step forward?