Great. Elipses too?
The South Atlantic League
Who? I know there should be at least one other Sally team that wins double digits but I do not see any other team that could make the Top 10, let alone the playoffs.
Meatchicken
Well, they got past the The hump last year, for the first time since Luke Fickell coached The, and made the playoffs. Sure, they got shut down by Georgia, but who the hell did not? But this year? The two huge disrupters they had on the D Line have gone on to the pros, and they took most of the defensive line pressure with them. The offense was pretty steady but unspectacular last year, and will be again this year, though they continue to have the LSU problem, which is, how can a team that recruits this well continue to not find The Guy to be quarterback? It has been their weak point offensively for quite a while. It is not like Mcs cannot play, but that neither has seized control of the team is a bad sign since as they say if you have two quarterbacks you have no quarterbacks. Anyway, they certainly have the potential, particularly given the Wisconsin level OOC they have this year, to make another run at the playoffs. I think The is on a different plane this year (and pissed) and I discount a second place Increasingly Inaccurately Named Big Ten East team for the same reason I do it for the God apostrophe s Conference teams.
The Pennsylvania State University
PSU went PU at the end of last year, 2 and 6 over the last 8 games. And the one really dynamic offensive player they had, Jahan Nissan, is gone. Sure they had a stout defense, but they have a poor, bland offense and I see no reason to think they will find the spark that will allow them to be an elite team. You probably are unaware that I am a fan of one of the other Increasingly Inaccurately Named Big Ten East teams since I strive for total objectivity, and as a fan of another IINBT West team I can say I do not fear Penn State. I think they are the fourth best team in the Increasingly Inaccurately Names Big Ten East.
Increasingly Inaccurately Named Big Ten West
Normally I have one of the IINBTW teams in my Top 10, but since I am looking at potential playoff teams instead of a Top 10 this year let me just say, I do not see it. It is not that the West half is bad, but there just does not seem to be a team that can elevate.
Maryland
I always try to include every team the members of this forum are directly connected to in my write ups. And I still consider the mostly absent yankguy a member of this forum. Which is the only reason I include the Strive for Six Wins Turtles here. They should pass the ball as well as any Increasingly Inaccurately Named Big Ten team outside of Columbus, but they have no run game and nowhere near enough defense to be anything other than a low level, win the last game against Rutgers to make 6 wins at best. At best.
Utah
The biggest problem for Utah is that the PAWCP is so poorly regarded that they have no real margin for error. One early season loss and it is difficult to see how they can make up for it later in the season. And they start the season at Florida, and so could well be out of the picture in practical terms by September 4. Anyway, they return a lot of talent on offense, including their Rising quarterback, some studs on the line and a running back who has not died. Yet. Defensively, they got shredded at the start of the season, and by The and need to replace a few key players. I like them to win the PAWCP, but just do not trust them in the playoff picture.
University of California *
The end of the Helton era got ugly ugly ugly. Ugly like a public restroom at Mar A Lago. I expect Lincoln to emancipate them from the shackles of the pointless decision to keep Helton on but I also think it will take time. Except Michigan State showed how quick a team can turn around in the modern version of the CFB through the judicious and lucky use of the transfer portal, and boy did USC try to do that. Caleb Williams had a Heisman bandwagon rolling for a few games last year for a reason, even if he faded near the end of the year. He gives the Trojenz a unique player to center their offense around, and the addition of last years best WR (well, no, but Jordan Addison did win the Biletnikoff Award), plus a couple good backs means the offense should be dynamic. But that was a really bad defense last year, and I do not think stealing Grinch is enough to fix it over night.
Oregon
True interesting fact: except for 2019, the Ducks have lost at least one game to a team with a losing record every year since 2015. Dan Lanning was a very off brand hire for them. They have made their bones by offense and it is the offense I worry about this year. Their leading rusher NILed out south, and to quarterback the team they brought in is Bo Nix. Which guarantees two things: a couple games where they pull the game out thanks to a superhuman play, and a couple games where he just flat out sucks. It is a trade off, but it is a trade off a PAWCP team cannot afford if they want to make the final four.
Texas
Yeah, no. They have been labelled as back before and have not been. Not until they prove otherwise. Also, their top 2 quarterback candidates are Quinn Ewers and Hudson Card, and I refuse to support a team that just makes up names like that.
Oklahoma
Well, a defensive coach? That is a new look for the Sooners. There is always a lot of talent in Oklahoma, but their top 2 QBs portalled and they brought in a decent starter from a second tier school. Their O Line was mediocre last year and while they should be better they are still a question. Defensively, they lost some good talent on the D line (I hope, Cleveland drafted a couple of them) and overall, the defense had issues. Venable is an experienced defensive coordinator, so he should help in the long run, but I am only concerned about this year. And I mean concerned in a couple of ways.
Baylor
They lost almost all of their skill position players from offense last year, but that includes the QB who was beaten out by a new guy. Still, they need to have new players step up at WR and RB to be in the playoff picture even with a very good line, and that is too much of a gamble for me. They need to replace some people in the back end of their defense as well.
Cincinnati and The Group of Six
It was nice to see a couple of new teams in the playoffs last year (yes, them too) even if they were little more than speed bumps on the road to the God apostrophe s Conference Title Game II. But Cinci in particular lost an absolute shit ton of quality players on both sides of the ball. I know Fickell can recruit and coach, but Cinci is not Alabama. I expect a regression. As for the rest of the non-power conferences, I know that a team will surprise me and win 11 or so regular season games, but something like Cincis run last year? I do not see it.
So who is my last playoff team?
I am going to take Utah to beat Florida Saturday, so I will go with them. I recognize the high probability of this being considered Most Wrong.very, very early on.
* Southern
Poll
