Athlon's staff picks the 2017 college football season.
The start of the 2017 college football season is just a day away with five games slated for Saturday, Aug. 26. The official Week 1 slate is packed with intriguing matchups, starting with games on Thursday, Aug. 31 and continuing to Monday, Sept. 4 with Georgia Tech and Tennessee meeting in Atlanta on Labor Day night. With the season set to kick off, it's time to make the final predictions and projections for the upcoming year.
Athlon’s editors met before the preseason magazine was released to iron out the predictions for the upcoming year, but there wasn’t a consensus on the staff on every conference title race, playoff predictions or top 25 rankings. From the ACC to the Sun Belt, there was plenty of disagreement from the staff on conference winners or the predicted order of finish.
In addition to their predicted standings for all 10 conferences, Athlon’s editors also project the four teams to make the playoff and a national champion.
Official '17 Playoff Predictions
National Superlatives
Steven Lassan | Mitch Light | Braden Gall | Mark Ross | |
Heisman Winner
|
J.T. Barrett | Baker Mayfield | Saquon Barkley | J.T. Barrett |
Coach of the Year
|
Jimbo Fisher | Tom Herman | Mike Gundy | Lincoln Riley |
Coach on the Hot Seat
|
Kliff Kingsbury | Kliff Kingsbury | Jim Mora | Kevin Sumlin |
Surprise Team
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Notre Dame | NC State | Miami | Northwestern |
Team that Will Disappoint
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USC | Houston | Florida State | Tennessee |
Breakout Player
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Rashan Gary | Bryce Love | Rashan Gary | Brandon Wimbush |
Top Freshman
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Cam Akers | Cam Akers | Cam Akers | Josh Jackson |
Top Transfer
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Jarrett Stidham | Jarrett Stidham | Jarrett Stidham | Jarrett Stidham |
Best Coordinator Hire
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Kevin Wilson | Jim Leavitt | Kevin Wilson | Kevin Wilson |
Comeback Player
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Derwin James | Skai Moore | Derwin James | Skai Moore |
Best Group of 5 Team
|
USF | USF | Boise State | USF |
CFB 2017 Conference and Playoff Predictions
* Indicates predicted champion of conference.
ACC
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Atlantic |
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American Athletic Conference
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Big 12
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Big Ten
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Conference USA
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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MAC
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Mountain West
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Pac-12
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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SEC
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Sun Belt
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Independents
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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Playoff Predictions
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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National Champion
Steven Lassan |
Mitch Light |
Braden Gall |
Mark Ross |
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over | over | over | over | |
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