College football is finally back! I will be making predictions each week for all of the Top 25 matchups. I will pick my winners and also explain on my reasoning for making these picks. This list is a little early, but the first Top 25 matchup takes place tonight so I decided to do them all. Thanks for your support, and I’m looking forward to another story book ending in college football!!!

Georgia Tech (0-0) vs 1 Clemson (0-0)- Clemson 42-20
Clemson is looking to repeat this year as back to back national champions. They will kick off their season with a big win over Georgia Tech. Their offense is going to be too much to handle with Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Tee Higgins for Georgia Tech. Expect Georgia Tech to score some points, but Clemson will dominate in this game.

Duke (0-0) vs 2 Alabama (0-0)- Alabama 49-17
Alabama is looking for revenge after getting clobbered in the national championship game. Alabama’s defense is going to be solid this year, and Duke has the misfortune of replacing starting QB Daniel Jones. Duke won’t be able to stop the Tua Tagovailoa and Jerry Jeudy connection. Alabama wins big over Duke in week one.

3 Georgia (0-0) vs Vanderbilt (0-0)- Georgia 38-24
Georgia has a solid offense led by Jake Fromm, DeAndre Swift, and the best offensive line in college football. Their defense will be the question mark on whether this team will be elite or not. They have a tough first game against Vandy who has a history of being competitive at home. Vanderbilt has a solid defense, and are led by underrated quaterback Sam Hartman. I have Georgia just sneaking out with a victory over Vanderbilt, and avoiding week one upset.

Houston (0-0) vs 4 Oklahoma (0-0)- Oklahoma 45-35
Oklahoma begins a new era with another transfer quarterback in Jalen Hurts. As usual, their offense should be great, and defense should be below average. They will face Dana Holgorsen (former West Virginia head coach) in his Houston debut. Houston is led by star quarterback D’Eriq King, and have a real shot to compete with OU in a shootout. I think this game will be closer than expected, but in the end Oklahoma is a little better offensively. I see them winning this shootout between old school rivals.

Florida Atlantic (0-0) vs 5 Ohio State (0-0)- Ohio State 41-10
The Buckeyes start the era after Urban Meyer now being led by Ryan Day. This will also kick start the career of transfer quarterback Justin Fields. Fields will have a big time running game to lean on in J.K. Dobbins. Their defense is underrated as well, and has a real shot to compete for a Big Ten title. They will win week one without any problems they simply are too talented for FAU. Lane Kiffin will try to pull the upset for the Owls, but Ohio State is just too talented!

Georgia Southern (0-0) vs 6 LSU (0-0)- LSU 42-14
LSU is a tremendous team defensively, and has a ways to go when it comes to offense. They do have a solid quarterback in Joe Burrow, but their ability to run the ball will be questioned. Head coach Ed Orgeron should start the season with a easy win against the over matched Georgia Southern. I believe they will dominate defensively in this game, and do enough offensively to win with ease. This will be a good preparation game before a showdown with Texas in Austin next week.

Middle Tennessee (0-0) vs 7 Michigan (0-0)- Michigan 34-13
Michigan lost some key players defensively but are still a solid unit overall. Their offense’s success hinges on quarterback Shea Patterson. Jim Harbaugh has a lot of pressure this season since Michigan has underachieved under his leadership so far. They will win week one with ease against a mediocre Middle Tennessee. I expect Shea Patterson to get his mechanics in check in week one, and the defense will dominate the opposition.

Miami (0-0) vs 8 Florida (0-0)- Florida 24-21
Florida is super talented defensively, but has found themselves a quarterback in Felipe Franks. If Franks can become more consistent the Gators could become real contenders for the NCAA National Championship. Miami is led by first year head coach Manny Diaz, who has turned around the defense of the Canes. Their defense is well rounded and has the ability to force turnovers. Their offense will be interesting to watch with a young running back core, and first year quarterback in Jarren Williams who makes his college football debut tonight. I think Florida wins a very close game against their hated rival. I just don’t trust a freshman being able to beat and outplay this talented Florida team. This will be a close game, but I see Franks doing enough to lead his team to victory.

9 Notre Dame (0-0) vs Louisville (0-0)- Notre Dame 35-28
I believe this will be a closer than most people expect from this match up. Notre Dame is led by Ian Book who developed into a consistent quarterback. Their defense should be solid, but they are very young in terms of their running backs. They lost bell cow Dexter Williams which could force Book to make more plays this year. Louisville has some playmakers and have motivation with a new coach in Scott Satterfield. I think Louisville will play above their talent looking to pull off an upset in week one. Notre Dame will win, but they don’t need to overlook Louisville.

Louisiana Tech (0-0) vs 10 Texas (0-0)- Texas 49-28
Texas has real expectations this year, and the jury is still out on if they can live up to them. Like Oklahoma, this team should be dangerous offensively but will struggle defensively. Texas has a history of dropping the ball in the first week of the season so don’t be surprise is Louisiana Tech is competitive. I see Texas winning, I believe Tom Herman will have his team focused on the goal. Sam Ehlinger is a Heisman hopeful, and will look to dominate in week one. Expect Texas to be tested early, but eventually the Longhorns will pull away.

11 Oregon (0-0) vs 16 Auburn (0-0)- Oregon 27-17
Oregon brought back their star quarterback in Justin Herbert, and brought in their best recruiting class of all time. Their defense should be improved, and as long as Herbert stays healthy the Oregon should be the favorite out of the Pac-12. Auburn is talented defensively, and will be led by true freshman quarterback Bo Nix. Coach Gus Malzhan will have to find ways to make the game easier for his young quarterback. I am going to go with the experienced Herbert and Oregon to get the win in Dallas. I think the lights will be a little too bright for Nix, and Herbert has to prove he made the right choice by coming back to Oregon.

Texas State (0-0) vs 12 Texas A&M (0-0)- Texas A&M 49-14
Jimbo Fisher has already turned around Texas A&M, and has made them real contenders in the SEC. They have a easy tune up game against Texas State where they should dominate from start to finish. Expect QB Kellen Mond to have a monster game, and feed his many weapons such as Kendrick Rogers. Their defense is young and flies to the football at all times. The Aggies could be a contender, but will have to get through a tough schedule after this game.

Eastern Washington (0-0) vs 13 Washington (0-0)- Washington 42-28
The Jacob Eason era begins (transferred from Georgia) for the Huskies. Eason showed promise at the quarterback position at Georgia before getting injured and replaced. Washington has a solid defense as well, and is confident after a strong 2018. Eastern Washington has a history of pulling off the upset, and always competes offensively. I see Washington winning a closer game than expected, and Eason will put up big stats challenging the defense down the field.

14 Utah (0-0) vs BYU (0-0)- BYU 30-24
Utah has a solid defense, but has some real question marks on the offensive end. Tyler Huntley is their quarterback who likes to use his legs to make plays. They will have to lean on Zack Moss to lead the attack in the running game. BYU on the other hand is playing with house money looking to pull off the upset. They have a history of winning in the underdog role, and will actually host Utah in this matchup. Their defense is always underrated, but enter this game with a talented young quarterback in Zach Wilson. They also have options in the run game including transfer RB Ty’Son Williams. I actually have BYU pulling off the upset over Utah. I think they are good enough to beat Utah and start their season off with a bang.

Idaho (0-0) vs 15 Penn State (0-0)- Penn State 56-10
Penn State gets an easy game to start the year against the historically bad Idaho football team. Head coach James Franklin has decided to go with young Sophomore Sean Clifford as the starting quarterback. They have young, highly recruited running backs looking to fill out their rushing attack. Their defense is decent enough, but isn’t as solid as their Big Ten rivals. I expect Penn State to start well, but eventually fall off as the schedule picks up.

Florida A&M (0-0) vs 17 UCF (0-0)- UCF 49-16
The Golden Knights are going to win this game pretty easy, and are a underrated playoff contender this year. Their offensive run game is going to be nearly unstoppable led by Adrian Killins Jr. They also have a superior athlete at quarterback in transfer Brandon Wimbush from Notre Dame. Their defense will be the biggest question mark, but expect UCF to try and outrun the competition. I expect them to win easily this week, and move one to the next one.

Tulsa (0-0) vs 18 Michigan State (0-0)- Michigan State 34-14
Michigan State is motivated to achieve more than is expected from the general media. They are a experienced team led by an underrated coach in Mark Dantonio. A lot of their success leans on veteran quarterback Brian Lewerke who has shown big play ability. The Spartans play a physical style that will allow them to dominate against Tulsa, but this tea has to be explosive on offense in order to compete against the Big Ten.

19 Wisconsin (0-0) vs South Florida (0-0)- Wisconsin 30-23
Wisconsin is always competitive, and Paul Chryst is a great football coach. Their offense lives and breathes behind Heisman hopeful running back in Jonathan Taylor. They have a good offensive line, and are always above average defensively. The Bulls could upset the Badgers if Wisconsin overlooks them. They are led by former Alabama quarterback Blake Barnett who possesses a big time arm. They also have a solid running back in Jordan Cronkrite, and have a experienced coach in Charlie Strong. Don’t be surprised if they pull of the upset in this match up. I expect Wisconsin to find a way to win by controlling the clock with the run game. They also have a much better defense than the South Florida Bulls.

Miami Ohio (0-0) vs 20 Iowa (0-0)- Iowa 38-7
Iowa is a underdog/sleeper in the Big Ten led by veteran quarterback in Nathan Stanley. As usual the Hawkeyes have multiple backs like Ivory Kelly-Martin who can make a difference. Their defense is always tough to deal with, and Kirk Ferentz is always leading his team to victory. They will dominate the over matched Miami Ohio, and will kick start what should be a good year for Iowa.

Northern Iowa (0-0) vs 21 Iowa State (0-0)- Iowa State 35-14
Matt Campbell has made the Cyclones into a real force in the Big 12. They are one of the best defensive temas in their conference, and have a great young QB in Brock Purdy. They are thin at running back, but should dominate Northern Iowa at the line of scrimmage. The Cyclones are really good, and are underrated coming out of the Big 12. If they can improve offensively this team could win the conference.

22 Syracuse (0-0) vs Liberty (0-0)- Syracuse 45-14
Syracuse is looking for their answer at quarterback, and Tommy Devito could be the answer. They are also looking for their answer without one standout athlete at running back as well. Their defense is solid and has some experience up front. Their biggest question mark is their offense that is untested against real competition. They should dominate against the lowly Liberty Flames. Syracuse has to compete offensively if they want to contend this year.

New Mexico State (0-0) vs 23 Washington State (0-0)- Washington State 56-14
Washington State is always great offensively, but will be led by inexperienced quarterback Anthony Gordon. Mike Leach is a wizard in terms of offense, and can make just about any QB look great. They also need to replace former running back James Williams, and will look to do that with a young group. Washington State is average at best defensively, and is lacking compared to their rivals. They will win this game easy as New Mexico State has been historically bad at football. The Cougars have a ton of question marks this year, and Leach’s team will have to answer them quickly.

South Alabama (0-0) vs 24 Nebraska (0-0)- Nebraska 34-21
Scott Frost’s team has a ton of hype surrounding his Cornhuskers going into this season. Many expect Nebraska to be improved drastically, and compete for a Big Ten title. They have a an athletic quarterback in Adrian Martinez, and could have a future star at running back in Maurice Washington. The Cornhuskers will be good offensively, but I have real concerns defensively. They will be tested against the scrappy South Alabama team, but Nebraska is going to be too good to upset.

Northwestern (0-0) vs 25 Stanford (0-0)- Stanford 26-22
These teams are like a mirror image of one another. Pat Fitzgerald has been a solid coach for Northwestern for years. They are always tough defensively, and will be led by transfer QB from Clemson in Hunter Johnson. They have a solid running back in John Moten IV to boot as well. Stanford is led by potential future first round pick quarterback in K.J. Costello. Costello can make all the throws, plays with a high football IQ, and takes care of the football. Their head coach David Shaw has become a great offensive mind, and an elite force in developing quarterbacks. They will struggle to run the ball after losing star Bryce Love, but Costello should make up for it through the air. This will be a very close game, but I give a slight edge to Stanford because they are home and a little more experienced.

Photo Credit: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/college-football-rankings-updated-top-25/5tazejihuo4e1n7rwyynvum41