Yes friends, we are on the cusp of College Football returning. The offseason was long and borderline exhausting at times. Enough sound bites, enough lawsuits it’s nearly time to let the play do the talking.

I’m going to give out a few win totals I like. And a few conference winners and a national title pick.

Win Totals

Alabama Over 8.5 -142

I don’t know if any one coach has more riding on this season than Kaelan DeBoer. The pressure is high in Tuscaloosa, with that said I love the move to name Keelon Russell starter. I think he’s one of the most talented Alabama QBs in recent memory. Yhonzae Pierre is a name to watch rushing the passer. They have a tough stretch from October to early November but I like that the Georgia game is at home. And they don’t have to go to Kyle Field. I think the Tide are a 10 win team.

UCLA over 6.5 -102

Bill Simmons is on board and so am I. I like the way this schedule sets up for UCLA. They avoid a matchup with Ohio State and they only have 2 trips out east. Those long trips have proven to be quite problematic for the newcomers to the Big Ten. They open against Cal. I think the idea of Cal is far better than the reality. I think they go to Berkeley and win week 1. If they can avoid upsets against the likes of SDSU and Nevada I can see the Bruins comfortably going bowling.

UConn under 5.5 wins -142

UConn lost a ton of production on offense. Skyler Bell is gone along with QB1 and RB1. I don’t trust UConn to reload and on top of that I don’t trust new coach Jason Candle to lead the team. Candle spent a long time at Toledo where he consistently did more with less. Don’t worry UConn fans 69 days till college hoops tip off.

Conference Winners

Georgia Bulldogs SEC +260

It’s a very simple calculation for me. I think the Georgia defense is the best unit in the conference (sorry Texas offense). Learn the names KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson IV as soon as humanly possible. Also I don’t trust Sark in a big game as far as I can throw him. The dawgs avoid Texas, Texas A&M and LSU during the regular season. On top of that they get the likes of Oklahoma at home which saves a potential difficult trip. I see Georgia maybe dropping one conference game which will send them back to Atlanta for the SEC championship game.

Indiana Hoosiers Big Ten +260

We’re all fawning over the talent at Ohio State and Oregon and all the while Coach Cignetti is loading up in Bloomington. They get Ohio State and USC at their place. There are some tricky spots on the road like Michigan and a late season trip to play Washington but I think this schedule plays out nicely for the Hoosiers. Don’t overthink this one trust Cig.

New Mexico Mountain West +330

If you listened to the podcast I’m sure you’ve heard me go on about Jason Eck. I love him as a coach I think he’s fantastic. He’s got himself a pretty nice team as well. They get UNLV and Air Force at home which bodes well. The key will be depth as this is a tough schedule. Give me the Lobos to win the mountain west and if you’re feeling so bold take a look at the playoff odds as well.

My thoughts on the national title are this. In my heart of hearts I think this is Notre Dame’s year but I want to give out what I consider to be a good value pick. For that reason I’m saying:

Miami Hurricanes +1100

Miami lost two absolute monsters off the edge but still have potential star Ahmad Moten at defensive tackle. I think quarterback Darian Mensah raises the ceiling of this team. I think the only potential loss is against Notre Dame in South Bend. Otherwise it should be smooth sailing for the Canes. Holding the Canes at 11 to 1 going into the playoff would be pretty sweet value if you ask me.

That’s all I got for now thank you for reading. I’ll be back with week zero picks later in the week. Stay tuned for more content in the days ahead! Check out our Instagram feed for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our friends show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.