🏈 🔵 My Preseason Power Four Conference Championship Sleepers
Everybody knows Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson are going to compete for their respective conference crowns. But, who are the sleepers who could sneak into league title contention come November?
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My Preseason Power Four Conference Championship Sleepers
Hey friends,
The college football season will officially kick off in 80 days and 20 hours, but who’s counting?
With less than three months until the campaign’s start, I wanted to dive into a few bold predictions.
While mainstays including Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson are all expected to compete for their respective conference crowns, several teams could emerge as November Cinderella surprises at the Power Four level.
This offseason, I’ve had my eye on four sleepers from each power conference that could emerge as legitimate league championship hopefuls and potential College Football Playoff bid stealers.
Let’s jump into the squads set to surprise analysts and fans alike this fall:
Big Ten
USC
Despite returning just seven total starters, Lincoln Riley’s retooled defensive staff and personnel group could finally help the Trojans eclipse the postseason dance.
Leading tackler Mason Cobb, who finished his fourth-year campaign with 85 total stops, will return at linebacker coupled with Jamil Muhammad’s sound pass-rushing abilities.
First-year defensive coordinator and former Penn State defensive back D’Anton Lynn transformed UCLA’s unit a year ago, helping the Bruins finish No. 11 in total defense.
His crew finished the season ranked No. 1 in rush defense, No. 2 in yards per rush allowed, and No. 3 in sacks per game — all ranking first in the Pac-12.
Offensively, gunslinger Miller Moss put on a clinic at the Holiday Bowl in place of Caleb Williams, completing 23-of-33 pass attempts for 372 yards and six touchdowns.
Riley picked up 17 transfers, including four outside weapons for Moss, including Auburn’s Jay Fair, who averaged 10.5 yards per catch in 13 matchups.
The Trojans play LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Notre Dame, but just one of those matchups (Michigan) is a true road test.
If USC can go 3-2 in those presumed top-25 contests, the Trojans would likely earn a spot in the 12-team playoff bracket at the season’s end.
Big 12
Oklahoma State
While USC will be looking to integrate new playmakers in a retooled system, Mike Gundy’s situation at Oklahoma State couldn’t be more different.
The Cowboys return 21 starters from a year ago, bringing back the second-most starting commodities and 85% of their total production from 2023.
Oklahoma State hasn’t won a conference title since 2011, but with endless offensive star power to boot, the Cowboys should be a Big 12 frontrunner.
Quarterback Alan Bowman threw for 3,460 yards while completing 61% of his attempts a year ago. Now, he’s back for his seventh season of college football with his top three receivers back in the locker room.
Bowman’s sole responsibility should be cleaning up the turnovers after tossing 14 interceptions last season. If he’s able to play mistake-free football and lean on bell-cow running back Ollie Gordon, the Cowboys will be a tough out for any conference foe.
Gordon put together a Doak Walker Award-winning campaign last year, racking up an absurd 1,732 rushing yards behind 6.1 yards per carry and 21 touchdowns.
On defensive, second-year coordinator Bryan Nardo will need to streamline more consistency against the pass.
According to McClain Baxley of GoPokes247, the Cowboys have installed more four-man front packages to bring heightened pressure on opposing signal callers.
With the returning production and sound staff working to transform Oklahoma State into a playoff team, betting on the Pokes to win the Big 12 has tremendous value at +1400 odds.
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SEC
Missouri
At the end of 2023, head coach Eli Drinkwitz had Missouri’s attack humming.
Gunslinger Brady Cook threw just one interception in his last four starts, with his top performance coming in a 331-yard air-raid display in a victory over Florida.
The Tigers finished the run with an 11-2 record, including a program-defining Cotton Bowl win over No. 7 Ohio State.
Among the 79% output coming back for Missouri’s offense, nearly 100% is set to return from Cook and his receivers.
Five-star pass catchers Luther Burden III and Theo Wease accounted for 135 catches a year ago for an output of nearly 1,900 yards.
Missouri’s defense is set to bring back over 58% of its 2023 production. However, just four starters are prepped to return from last year’s group.
Drinkwitz has helped the Tigers cement the nation’s No. 13 transfer portal class, pulling together blue-chip defenders in Zion Young, Chris McClellan, and Toriano Pride.
The most favorable part about Missouri’s looming campaign is its schedule compared to other SEC foes.
Out-of-conference dates with Murray State, Buffalo, and Boston College pose little threat to Drinkwitz’s bunch, while the Tigers are avoiding dates with Texas, Georgia, LSU, and Florida in league play.
Missouri’s season-defining game comes on October 26 with a date to Tuscaloosa against Kalen DeBoer’s new-look Alabama squad that will likely warrant a primetime audience.
ACC
Virginia Tech
There’s no doubt that college football’s product is better when Virginia Tech is in postseason contention.
Third-year head coach Brent Pry took a three-win team in 2022 and pieced together seven victories in his second go-around leading the Hokies.
Additionally, Pry helped the previously struggling program pick up its first bowl win since 2016 after beating Tulane in the Military Bowl last December.
Like Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech returns an absurdly high clip of production, capped by a 91% mark on offense.
All 11 starters are coming back to Tyler Bowen’s spread attack, including savvy dual-threat weapon Kyron Drones.
The Baylor transfer amassed 2,085 yards through the air a year ago, and he finished his third collegiate campaign with 17 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. On the ground, Drones ripped off 818 rushing yards for five yards per attempt.
Drones’ pass-catching cohort of Ali Jennings, Da’Quan Felton, and Jaylin Lane all bring experience and systematic familiarity to Bowen’s bunch as returning graduate transfers.
Virginia Tech’s toughest test of the fall is slated for a November 9 showdown with Clemson — at Lane Stadium.
All offseason, 247Sports analyst Josh Pate has firmly stated that the Hokies have a more than favorable shot to start the season 9-0 leading up to the highly-anticipated bout.
College Football Network ranks Virginia Tech’s schedule at No. 79 — the second-easiest among all Power Four teams.
At +1400 to win the ACC, it wouldn’t be foolish to sprinkle some preseason love on Pry’s hungry bunch.
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email at adam@brenemanmedia.com.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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