2019 college football predictions

It might seem like a foregone conclusion that Central Florida will win a third consecutive AAC championship. The bigger question is if the Knights can go undefeated in the league for a third straight season. There might be some questions under center even with Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush in the mix, but UCF is still the class of this conference.

The biggest conference obstacle for the reigning national champions would appear to be at No. 22 Syracuse on Sept. 14. That being said, the Tigers will have already tuned up for this contest with games against Georgia Tech and 12th-ranked Texas A&M. When it's all said and done, we'd be shocked if Clemson did not run the ACC table again.

All signs point to the fourth-ranked Sooners and No. 10 Texas once again mixing it up for the Big 12 title. The Red River Showdown is Oct. 12 in Dallas, and we'd love to see Part II play out again at the conference championship game. Oklahoma, however, seems to have too much fire power at the moment not to win a fifth straight league title.

New coach (Ryan Day), new quarterback (Justin Fields); just don't expect some new shortcomings for the Buckeyes. There is too much talent for Ohio State not to be considered the favorite in the Big Ten and more than enough to win the conference championship for a third consecutive season. And yes, Ohio State will continue its dominance over Michigan.

For those who do not know about North Texas quarterback Mason Fine, it's time to do a little research. Entering his senior season of 2019, Fine has thrown for 9,417 career yards and 64 touchdowns. He's also helped the Mean Green to back-to-back nine-win seasons. With Middle Tennessee and UAB facing some turnover, there's a good chance this will be North Texas' year in Conference USA.

The Huskies are not favored to repeat as MAC champions. In fact, they are not even division favorites. NIU was not last year and still won it's fourth MAC title game. New coach Thomas Hammock played at Northern, and while inconsistency has plagued the program in recent years, a tough non-conference schedule that features games at No. 14 Utah, 24th-ranked Nebraska and Vanderbilt should have his group well-prepared for the league grind.

The Broncos' quest for a second consecutive Mountain West title ended in the league championship game in 2018, so one can bet they are eager to close the deal this year. Sure, Boise State has some uncertainty at the quarterback position, but its defense should be solid. Plus, we really feel the Broncos' inability to win it all in 2018 will provide plenty of fuel to get it done this time.

Sure, Oregon, Utah, even Stanford and Washington State, might have a say about this, but we won't budge. While Washington lost some major talent from last season's conference championship group, it's not wise to believe a Chris Petersen-coached squad won't reload. Also, the Huskies get USC, the Ducks, Utes and Cougars at home.

Perhaps the question here is whom will the Crimson Tide face in the SEC championship game? A visit to Texas A&M and the Iron Bowl on the road present the most glaring obstacles on the Crimson Tide's regular-season slate. They should still win those as well as the league title game to remain undefeated.

The Mountaineers have owned the Sun Belt in recent years, winning the title outright or sharing it over the last three seasons. Appalachian State has a new coach in Eliah Drinkwitz, but the return of talented quarterback Zac Thomas and 1,100-yard rusher Darrynton Evans make four straight titles more than a possibility. 

While Army might be good enough to post a third straight season with at least 10 victories, Notre Dame is still the best of the independent programs. Ian Book proved he's quite capable of leading the Irish offense, and this team could have the best secondary in the country. We also think the Irish can win at Michigan and Stanford, though doing so at Georgia might be a stretch.

We already talked about how this might be a case of unfinished business for the Broncos in 2019. We think they can win at Florida State to open the season and beat Utah State on the road to set up a Mountain West Championship Game back on the blue turf. It's also a possibility UCF loses more than once (Stanford, at Cincinnati, maybe even on the road the Temple) in 2019.

Missouri just missed cracking The Associated Press Top 25 this week, so it's not like it would be a stunner if it had a solid season in 2019. However, with former Clemson star Kelly Bryant as their new quarterback, the Tigers have a versatile threat to showcase, not to mention, Mizzou gets Florida and Tennessee at home. While the Tigers do have to face Georgia between the hedges, don't be surprised if they hover near the top of the SEC East. 

The Aggies are getting plenty of preseason love, and they do host Alabama and Auburn. Jimbo Fisher has ignited a fire under the A&M program, but the fact remains that it has to play at Clemson in Week 2 and closes the regular season at third-ranked Georgia and No. 6 LSU, which, if not already dashed, should put the Aggies' chance of an SEC title officially to rest.

Time to give the Football Championship Subdivision some attention. With that, we mean it's time to talk about North Dakota State. The Bison have a new coach and a new quarterback, but the results will look familiar. Not that we're going out on a limb here, but NDSU will win its third consecutive FCS title and eighth in the last nine seasons.

There is no reason to believe the Tigers won't be undefeated come time for the College Football Playoff. That's when the fun begins, and the pressure really mounts as Clemson truly starts its quest to become the first team since Alabama in 2011 and '12 to repeat as national champion. This is also, quite possibly, when the magic comes to an end for the Tigers.

This is the first official step in the Crimson Tide trying to regain their place at the top of the college football world. Sure, there are some hurdles to clear, but Alabama is still an elite program and should be undefeated by this point. And we'll say star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be healthy and ready for some redemption of his own.

We talked about how a new coaching staff and quarterback won't hinder the Buckeyes chances at a special season. While Michigan believes it can take the next step in 2019, Ohio State is still the best team in the Big Ten. It also will be an undefeated team when these semifinals roll around, and it might not be the end of the road.

We can see it now: Oklahoma meets Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. That should mean Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts taking on his former school and showing off the toys he has at Oklahoma. The Sooners won't be undefeated heading into the postseason, but their defense will improve and there won't be much controversy in their selection this year.

Yes, the Crimson Tide will again rule the college football roost. We're thinking they'll take down Ohio State, which spun its own upset to reach the national championship game. If our prediction holds true, that will be six national titles over an 11-year stretch. Guys like Nick Saban take losses in big games personally, and last year's title game defeat to Clemson is the motivation to burn a path back to the top.