With Week 1 of the college football season just under 3 weeks away, the excitement is palpable. In the spirit of the ‘Countdown to Campus’, in similar fashion to my previous post: 5 Bold Predictions for MLB 2nd Half, here are 5 bold predictions for the upcoming college football season.

This will be Ryan Day’s last season at Ohio State

Let me start off by saying that I believe that Ryan Day is a great coach. His 56-8 career record at Ohio State makes him the second-winningest coach in school history in terms of winning percentage (Carroll Widdoes went 16-2 from 1944-1945), and with a history as storied as Ohio State’s, that’s saying something. That being said, there are 3 main reasons that I believe Ryan Day’s seat is particularly hot.

First is the fact that he is 1-3 against Michigan, and on a 3-game losing streak. Plus, with this year’s edition of The Big Game being in Columbus against first-year head coach Sherrone Moore, there is tremendous pressure on Day to win. I’m reminded of what former Alabama head coach Bill Curry said about beating archrival Auburn in ESPN’s 2011 “Roll Tide/War Eagle” 30 for 30 documentary. Curry was 26-10 in three years at Alabama from 1987-89. Even with a .722 win percentage, Curry went 0-3 against Auburn. Curry said he knew his time was up following the 1990 Sugar Bowl. He said:

I knew that you don’t get three shots at Auburn, lose, and keep your job.

This will be Day’s fifth shot at Michigan, and all the weight is on his side. Second, the expectation at Ohio State each year is National Championship or bust, something Ryan Day has yet to accomplish. In fact, Day has a losing record in the Buckeyes’ biggest games. He’s 2-4 in bowl games, including 1-3 in the College Football Playoff. Ohio St. plays the easiest non-conference schedule of all Power 4 schools, but counters that with tough conference road games against Penn St. and Big Ten newcomer Oregon. Comibine that with the aforementioned pressure attached to this year’s Michigan game, and I beleive Day will have his back against the wall.

The biggest reason I have for this prediction is the addition of Ohio State’s newest offensive coordinator: Chip Kelly. Long story short, I believe that the hiring of Kelly was a calculated move, and it wasn’t to bolster the offense. The thought bouncing around in my head, given the stats listed above, is that the Buckeyes hired Kelly as a contingency plan. They’re aware of Day’s record, and his lack of production in big games, so they’re putting Day’s successor in place as an added pressure point on Ryan Day. I believe that, come 2025, Chip Kelly will be the head coach of THE Ohio State University.

Kalen DeBoer will get a reality check at Alabama

I was very vocal on the podcast when Alabama hire Washington’s Kalen DeBoer as Nick Saban’s successor. I understand that he took Washington to the National Championship game and that he’s been a winner at every school he’s gone to, but Fresno St., Indiana and Washington are far cries from the fast-paced world of the SEC. I also believe that the Tide rushed to fill their head coaching vacancy, and did so with the newest, shiniest toy available.

I thought hiring Dabo Swinney made the most sense. A former Alabama alum from Birmingham with a stellar coaching pedigree and two National Champions under his belt at Clemson. It seemed to me like the writing was on the wall years before Saban called it quits. Things in the last couple of years hadn’t gone as well as they had before at Clemson, and Swinney’s relationship with Saban was one of respect.

Regardless, Alabama speedily chose DeBoer and a new era began. Alabama lost 30 players to the transfer portal following Saban’s retirement, and several more recruits that de-committed from the school. Nothing against Kalen DeBoer, but the SEC is a different animal. In the 2023 Pac-12 (RIP) Championship Game, DeBoer’s Washington Huskies narrowly escaped Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks, who were quarterbacked by Bo Nix, a 5th-year QB who struggled in the SEC while at Auburn.

I made an early prediction after DoBoer’s hiring that he’d go 2-2 against Auburn and be shown the door after 4 seasons – again being reminded of Bill Curry’s words mentioned above. After looking at Alabama’s schedule for this upcoming season, I’m more convinced of that prediction. Alabama is saddled with the 6th toughest strength of schedule in the country, facing Wisconsin, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma, all on the road, plus a regular season showdown with Georgia on September 28th. Safe to say that DeBoer is staring at a rude awakening in his first season in Tuscaloosa.

SEC is more wide open than it’s been in years

Speaking of Tuscaloosa, the SEC has either run through there or Athens in recent years, but with widespread conference realignment and the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the club, this likely won’t be the case for long. Outside of the Red River Rivalry newcomers (Texas is the favorite to win the SEC in 2024), but many believe that Missouri is set to take a big leap forward and be set up to be good for a while, possibly going as far as contending for the CFP this season. Additionally, as long as Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin are at Tennessee and Ole Miss respectively, they cannot be counted out. Sports Illustrated even stepped out and made a bold prediction that Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels would win the SEC Championship Game. College Football 25 also apparently made a similar prediction in their pre-release screenshots, having Ole Miss slotted highly in the CFP bracket in their breakdown videos. Do I believe Ole Miss will be THAT good, I don’t know, but I do believe that they will put up a fight, while Georgia and Alabama will both take a small step back.

It’s “put up or shut up” time for Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame

Despite being an independent school, the expectations at Notre Dame have always been sky high. In its long and storied history, Notre Dame football coaches have had a 3rd year tipping point – ultimately revealing themselves to be successes or failures by their 3rd full season with the school. That is where Marcus Freeman finds himself headed into 2024. Freeman is 19-8 in his tenure with a 2-1 bowl record. That might seem like a good enough record for a third-year head coach at his first job as top dog, but maybe not when that job is Notre Dame. As mentioned, the bar is higher at Notre Dame.

Ever since Lou Holtz departed in following the 1996 season, the Irish have been looking for the next coach who can bring them that elusive National Championship trophy. Brian Kelly came the closest, losing in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game to Nick Saban and Alabama. This is a pivotal season for Freeman and the Irish as, not only do that have the immense pressure of the tradition, the gold helmets and the iconic ‘Play Like A Champion Today’ sign, but in recent seasons, they’ve had a laundry list of Heisman caliber players under center. Most of whom, outside of Ian Book, have been highly touted senior transfers – Jack Coan, Sam Hartman and now Riley Leonard. Freeman was a hire from within, being hand-picked to succeed Brian Kelly after he left for LSU. I think he’s a good coach, but I fear that if he and Leonard don’t ‘play like champions’ in 2024, it may be Freeman’s last.

Colorado will struggle again (and Sanders will NOT be a Heisman finalist)

Never before have a seen a team with so much hype play SO poorly…and still maintain the hype. Enter Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes. A team that, so far, has proven to be more flash than substance. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders enters the season as the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy as well as for the number 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Yes, Shedeur’s numbers at Colorado a year ago were good (27 TDs and only 3 INTS, along with 4 rushing TDs), but those stats didn’t translate to wins. The highly publicized Buffs went just 4-7 last season, losing 7 of their last 8, including 42-6 and 56-14 drubbings by Oregon and Washington State respectively.

One year ago, Colorado had the 5th toughest strength of schedule in the country and went 4-7. This season, the Buffaloes also boast the 5th toughest strength of schedule, PLUS they lead all teams in the Power 4 conferences with 41 players transferring out. They also lead with 42 transfers in, but I believe the lack of continuity will give them even more issues.

There’s still just too much exterior noise and too many inconsistencies working against Coach Prime’s squad for me to expect too much improvement. Will Shedeur Sanders still put up good numbers? Probably, but Heisman finalists usually come from better teams. I expect Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins and Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola (my dark horse pick) to be among the finalists in New York at season’s end – not Shedeur Sanders.

It’s college football month! If you have any additional bold predictions or thoughts on mine listed here, feel free to comment below. Also, let us know who your team is and what your expectations are for them this season. Until next time, today’s a good day to go 1-0! See you around.