Wisconsin Football is Here!

After over 8 months of waiting, Badger football is finally back! The Badgers opened up their 2024 season with a victory over the Western Michigan Broncos. This game was far from perfect for Wisconsin so let's talk about. 

The Badgers landed a big quarterback transfer this offseason, Tyler Van Dyke, who has begun the season as QB1. After a couple of underwhelming seasons at Miami, that trend continued in Week 1 for Van Dyke. The offense looked very conservative which continuously hurt them throughout the game. 

Badger football has always had a star running back to command the offense, from Jonathan Taylor to Melvin Gordon and more, they have been fortunate to have such a dominant ground game. This year, however, this is not the case. The Badgers don't have a running back that is reminiscent of their past stars. 

Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker have the skills to be a good duo, but not as good as past year running back production. With one of the more talented receiver rooms that the Badgers have had in a long time, the Air Raid gameplan, that Phil Longo and Luke Fickell brought over to Wisconsin, should be more prevalent. 

The Badgers were very efficient on third downs last night after converting 10/16 times. They were able to extend drives multiple times on their way to scoring more points in their 14 point victory. The Badger defense and special teams stepped up in some big ways last night as well. 

The recovery after the muffed punt by the Broncos completely changed the course of the game as the Badgers outscored Western Michigan 15-0 after that play. Without that play, it is very possible that we are talking about a much worse outcome. 

With a very tough schedule on the way for the Badgers, there are many mistakes needing correcting, and gaps that need filling. At the end of the day, a win is a win, no matter how you get it. After a beautiful night at Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers are off to a 1-0 start in 2024. 

Shedeur and Travis are Back

The Colorado Buffaloes kicked off their 2024 season with a close victory over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. The duo of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter looked better than ever in their season debut. 

Colorado has been the headline of college football the past couple seasons with Deion Sanders taking over the program. Sanders has almost single handedly changed the dynamic of college football with NIL and the abundance of transfers entering the portal season after season. 

Sanders and Hunter are two of the highest paid college football players through NIL deals. Sanders is making almost $5 million annually while still in college. Previously, athletes could not benefit from their name, image, and likeness, but now athletes, such as Sanders, are taking full advantage of it. 

They don't just hand out millions to random athletes however. Sanders and Hunter absolutely tore it up last night in their 31-26 win. Sanders threw for over 440 yards along with 4 touchdowns as well. Hunter, on the other hand, had over 130 receiving yards and three touchdowns from Sanders. 

Travis Hunter is not only a star on offense, but is one of the rare two way players as he plays cornerback for the Buffs defense as well. Many critics have said he should focus on one position instead of both, but I am fascinated by how much Hunter leaves on the field. 

Many people are calling for these two to be the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. If they keep these numbers up, it's going to be hard to shut that take down. It's only one game and the Buffs have a long way to go, but this was a pretty impressive start for the Buffs offense in 2024. 

 

Best Duo Since Ruth and Gehrig?

 

In their first season as teammates, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are looking more and more like the modern day Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. If you think this is an exaggeration, just take a look at the stat comparisons. 

Judge is leading the majors in almost every important offensive category and Soto is not far behind as well. Besides being second in average and walks, he is first in home runs, RBIs, on base percentage, slugging, OPS. These stats aren't just regarding the American League, but all of Major League Baseball. 

Soto is in the top five in all of these categories: home runs, walks (1st), runs, on base percentage (only behind Judge), slugging, and OPS (only behind Judge). This duo is the main reason why the Yankees have one of the best records in baseball at this point in the season. 

It seems like almost every game, no matter the broadcast, there is a crazy stat reference of either Judge, Soto, or the both of them, to an MLB legend. The two have already made history this season after Judge hit his 300th career home run and Soto reached 30 home runs with his third different team at the age of just 25 years old. 

When the Yankees traded for Soto, they knew there would be some risk involved with him potentially not re-signing during the offseason. But now that they have seen with a firsthand perspective what he can do, the Yanks front office should be all in on Soto this coming offseason. Just hand him a blank check at this point. 

With Judge recently signing a contract worth $360 million over 9 years, Juan Soto is in for an enormous payday after the conclusion of this season. The prediction is that he signs for anywhere north of $500 million, and if he signs with the Yanks, the duo of Judge and Soto will be worth just under $1 billion. 

It doesn't happen often with players where they are consistently compared to the best that this sport has ever seen. But these two players have made their marks known and continue to impress day in and day out. The cherry on the top would be to bring home a 28th championship for the Yankees, and if Judge and Soto are leading this team, anything is possible. 

The Best Division in Football?

 

After the NFC North was mostly controlled by the Lions last season, it will look a lot different in 2024 as every team is ready to compete for its crown. So the question looms, is the NFC North the best division in the NFL? 

As of now, I'm going to say yes. Even though the Lions cruised to their first division title in over 30 years, this year will be an uphill climb. The Packers shocked some critics in the playoffs last year, the Bears might have had one of the best offseason's in football, and the Vikings are not far removed from working their way back to their last division title in 2022. 

First let's talk about the defending division champions, the Lions. Dan Campbell and the front office looked at this team and said let's evaluate our weaknesses and patch them up. So, they did. They ranked 27th in total passing defense last season and decided to revamp most of their secondary. They did this in the draft and free agency and are primed for a much needed boost this year. 

Other than that, the rest of the team was incredible last season. The offense was producing at great levels, week in and week out. The rushing defense was phenomenal and ranked second in the entire NFL. With all of their success, they were finally able to conquer what they hadn't done in 32 years: to win a playoff game. 

They advanced all the way to the NFC Championship and came so close to making a Super Bowl appearance after not having any success for the past three decades. Detroit will definitely be the frontrunner in the division, but they should not take these familiar foes lightly. 

Moving onto the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay was the youngest team in the NFL a year ago, yet they still won a playoff game and almost shocked the world by winning a second one. With their extremely young team, the number one thing the Packers needed to gain was experience and they sure did. 

The most important result that the Packers got last season was solidifying that they have yet another franchise quarterback on their hands. It didn't take very long since Aaron Rodgers' departure, but the Pack is in good hands with Jordan Love. That's why they just made him one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the National Football League. 

Like Detroit, the Packers went through some minor personnel changes. Their biggest move was replacing their longtime running back, Aaron Jones, with Josh Jacobs. Not many other drastic changes happened in upstate Wisconsin this offseason for the Pack. So after a solid 2023 with expectations of only improvement in 2024, the Packers will definitely give the Lions a run for their money for the division title. 

One of the busiest offseason's throughout football, the Bears certainly look upgraded to say the least. To put it in simple terms, the offense looks nothing like a year ago. Drafting Caleb Williams to take over the team at quarterback called for some new weapons to come into the Windy City. D'Andre Swift will now takeover the backfield, and Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze will now join DJ Moore in what looks like the best receivers room in the sport. 

The question that circled Chicago for months on end, is it time to move on from Justin Fields? And did they ever do so. Although his time in Chicago was short, the Bears knew that this was the time to pounce and upgrade this team. On paper they did an excellent job. The defense was a bright spot in 2023 after holding the number one defense against the rush. 

Some development and minor acquisitions on that end, I really like the direction this team is headed in. Chicago has been waiting on their franchise quarterback forever and it looks like they finally got one. I'm really excited to see how the Bears shape up this season. My bold prediction is that they sneak into the NFC Wild Card and prove that this offseason was no joke. 

Last but not least, the Minnesota Vikings. When you have Justin Jefferson on your team, it doesn't matter who is throwing the football, just get him the ball. The Vikings did receive some bad news after drafting JJ McCarthy as he will miss the entire season. After a QB carousel last season, the Vikings will rely on Sam Darnold in 2024. 

Suffering their fair share of injuries on both ends of the football, the Vikings look poised for an enhanced defense. New faces such as Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Jonathan Greenard, and more were brought in to improve this defense after its middle of the pack finish a year ago. 

Despite all of the quarterback changes and injuries last season, it came down to the final week to determine whether the Vikings would be playoff bound or not. Minnesota looks like an upgraded team from just a season ago and could possibly be a team that can turn a lot of heads this season. 

This division is going to be an absolute rollercoaster this season. Although the Lions may be favored to avenge their title from last year, I honestly don't know if this will be true come January. The NFC North definitely looks like it could run away with being the best division in the National Football League in 2024. 

The Yankees Have a Problem

 

The Yankees have a problem on their hands, and that problem is the production of Clay Holmes. After yet another win slipped out of their grasp, Clay Holmes was the cause for the meltdown. 

Holmes currently leads the MLB in blown saves this season with 10. In a season where all the races are so tight, a little better production out of Holmes possibly could have cemented the Yankees as the top team in baseball. 

The most recent downfall was this previous Sunday after the Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth with the lead and called on Holmes to throw away the game once again. In a sport where pitching is what separates a team from winning the World Series and another from falling short, it baffles me that the Yankees didn't do more at the trade deadline to improve their closer situation. 

Yes, when Holmes is at his best, he looks like one of the best closers in baseball. But as of late, it seems as if even when he locks down a save, Yankee fans have to hold their breathes and sweat it out. If this was just a minor thing and only happened a couple times, I would let it go because it happens to a lot of relievers. 

But, this is a common thing and a change is needed. Obviously, it's past the trade deadline, you can't really just go out and acquire a shutdown reliever right now. What they can do is, they can bump Holmes out of the closer role for now and put someone else in his position for the time being. 

They've done this in the past with Holmes and I think they need to try it again. My number one option for taking over the closer role is Tommy Kahnle. Kahnle has been lights out recently and is a proven veteran that can get the job done. 

The 2024 Yankees don't have their bullpen arms of the past, such as Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Bentances, who can just blow it by batter after batter. The choice to replace Holmes would be a lot easier if they had a guy like this currently. 

Whether it is Kahnle or another arm, the Yankees need to adopt this strategy. The fact that Holmes has blown ten different games, and yet they are still a half a game up on the Orioles for the AL East is mind blowing. They could be running away with the division currently if there was a change of the guards for who locks down the 9th. 

2024 Big 12 Football Predictions

 

Arizona:

Week 1: vs New Mexico W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Northern Arizona W (2-0)

Week 3: at Kansas State L (2-1)

Week 4: BYE WEEK

Week 5: at Utah L (2-2)

Week 6: vs Texas Tech W (3-2)

Week 7: at BYU W (4-2)

Week 8: vs Colorado W (5-2)

Week 9: vs West Virginia W (6-2)

Week 10: at UCF L (6-3)

Week 11: BYE WEEK

Week 12: vs Houston W (7-3)

Week 13: at TCU L (7-4)

Week 14: vs Arizona State W (8-4)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 8-4 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Arizona State: 

Week 1: vs Wyoming W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Mississippi State L (1-1)

Week 3: at Texas State W (2-1)

Week 4: at Texas Tech L (2-2)

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Week 6: vs Kansas L (2-3)

Week 7: vs Utah L (2-4)

Week 8: at Cincinnati L (2-5)

Week 9: BYE WEEK

Week 10: at Oklahoma State L (2-6)

Week 11: vs UCF W (3-6)

Week 12: at Kansas State L (3-7)

Week 13: vs BYU W (4-7)

Week 14: at Arizona L (4-8)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 4-8 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Baylor:

Week 1: vs Tarleton W (1-0)

Week 2: at Utah L (1-1)

Week 3: vs Air Force W (2-1)

Week 4: at Colorado L (2-2)

Week 5: vs BYU W (3-2)

Week 6: at Iowa State L (3-3)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: at Texas Tech L (3-4)

Week 9: vs Oklahoma State L (3-5)

Week 10: vs TCU L (3-6)

Week 11: BYE WEEK 

Week 12: at West Virginia L (3-7)

Week 13: at Houston W (4-7)

Week 14: vs Kansas L (4-8)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 4-8 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BYU:

Week 1: vs Southern Illinois W (1-0)

Week 2: at SMU L (1-1)

Week 3: at Wyoming W (2-1)

Week 4: vs Kansas State L (2-2)

Week 5: at Baylor L (2-3)

Week 6: BYE WEEK

Week 7: vs Arizona L (2-4)

Week 8: vs Oklahoma State L (2-5)

Week 9: at UCF L (2-6)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: at Utah L (2-7)

Week 12: vs Kansas L (2-8)

Week 13: at Arizona State L (2-9)

Week 14: vs Houston W (3-9)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 3-9 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

UCF:

Week 1: vs New Hampshire W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Sam Houston W (2-0)

Week 3: at TCU L (2-1)

Week 4: BYE WEEK 

Week 5: vs Colorado W (3-1)

Week 6: at Florida L (3-2)

Week 7: vs Cincinnati W (4-2)

Week 8: at Iowa State W (5-2)

Week 9: vs BYU W (6-2)

Week 10: vs Arizona W (7-2)

Week 11: at Arizona State L (7-3)

Week 12: BYE WEEK 

Week 13: at West Virginia L (7-4)

Week 14: vs Utah L (7-5)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 7-5 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Cincinnati: 

Week 1: vs Towson W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Pittsburgh L (1-1)

Week 3: at Miami (OH) W (2-1)

Week 4: vs Houston W (3-1)

Week 5: at Texas Tech L (3-2)

Week 6: BYE WEEK 

Week 7: at UCF L (3-3)

Week 8: vs Arizona State W (4-3)

Week 9: at Colorado L (4-4)

Week 10: BYE WEEK 

Week 11: vs West Virginia L (4-5)

Week 12: at Iowa State L (4-6)

Week 13: at Kansas State L (4-7)

Week 14: vs TCU L (4-8)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 4-8 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Colorado: 

Week 1: vs North Dakota State W (1-0)

Week 2: at Nebraska L (1-1)

Week 3: at Colorado State W (2-1)

Week 4: vs Baylor W (3-1)

Week 5: at UCF L (3-2)

Week 6: BYE WEEK 

Week 7: vs Kansas State W (4-2)

Week 8: at Arizona L (4-3)

Week 9: vs Cincinnati W (5-3)

Week 10: BYE WEEK 

Week 11: at Texas Tech L (5-4)

Week 12: vs Utah W (6-4)

Week 13: at Kansas L (6-5)

Week 14: vs Oklahoma State W (7-5)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 7-5 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Houston:

Week 1: vs UNLV W (1-0)

Week 2: at Oklahoma L (1-1)

Week 3: vs Rice W (2-1)

Week 4: at Cincinnati L (2-2)

Week 5: vs Iowa State L (2-3)

Week 6: at TCU L (2-4)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: at Kansas L (2-5)

Week 9: vs Utah L (2-6)

Week 10: vs Kansas State L (2-7)

Week 11: BYE WEEK

Week 12: at Arizona L (2-8)

Week 13: vs Baylor L (2-9)

Week 14: at BYU L (2-10)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 2-10 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Iowa State: 

Week 1: vs North Dakota W (1-0)

Week 2: at Iowa L (1-1)

Week 3: BYE WEEK

Week 4: vs Arkansas State W (2-1)

Week 5: at Houston W (3-1)

Week 6: vs Baylor W (4-1)

Week 7: at West Virginia L (4-2)

Week 8: vs UCF L (4-3)

Week 9: BYE WEEK

Week 10: vs Texas Tech W (5-3)

Week 11: at Kansas L (5-4)

Week 12: vs Cincinnati W (6-4)

Week 13: at Utah L (6-5)

Week 14: vs Kansas State L (6-6)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 6-6 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Kansas:

Week 1: vs Lindenwood W (1-0)

Week 2: at Illinois W (2-0)

Week 3: vs UNLV W (3-0)

Week 4: at West Virginia L (3-1)

Week 5: vs TCU W (4-1)

Week 6: at Arizona State W (5-1)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: vs Houston W (6-1)

Week 9: at Kansas State L (6-2)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: vs Iowa State W (7-2)

Week 12: at BYU W (8-2)

Week 13: vs Colorado W (9-2)

Week 14: at Baylor W (10-2)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 10-2 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Kansas State:

Week 1: vs UT Martin W (1-0)

Week 2: at Tulane W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Arizona W (3-0)

Week 4: at BYU W (4-0)

Week 5: vs Oklahoma State W (5-0)

Week 6: BYE WEEK 

Week 7: at Colorado L (5-1)

Week 8: at West Virginia L (5-2)

Week 9: vs Kansas W (6-2)

Week 10: at Houston W (7-2)

Week 11: BYE WEEK 

Week 12: vs Arizona State W (8-2)

Week 13: vs Cincinnati W (9-2)

Week 14: at Iowa State W (10-2)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 10-2 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Oklahoma State:

Week 1: vs South Dakota State W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Arkansas W (2-0)

Week 3: at Tulsa W (3-0)

Week 4: vs Utah W (4-0)

Week 5: at Kansas State L (4-1)

Week 6: vs West Virginia W (5-1)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: at BYU W (6-1)

Week 9: at Baylor W (7-1)

Week 10: vs Arizona State W (8-1)

Week 11: at TCU L (8-2)

Week 12: BYE WEEK

Week 13: vs Texas Tech W (9-2)

Week 14: at Colorado L (9-3)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 9-3 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

TCU:

Week 1: at Stanford W (1-0)

Week 2: vs LIU W (2-0)

Week 3: vs UCF W (3-0)

Week 4: at SMU L (3-1)

Week 5: at Kansas L (3-2)

Week 6: vs Houston W (4-2)

Week 7: BYE WEEK 

Week 8: at Utah L (4-3)

Week 9: vs Texas Tech W (5-3)

Week 10: at Baylor W (6-3)

Week 11: vs Oklahoma State W (7-3)

Week 12: BYE WEEK

Week 13: vs Arizona W (8-3)

Week 14: at Cincinnati W (9-3)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 9-3 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Texas Tech:

Week 1: vs Abeline Christian W (1-0)

Week 2: at Washington State L (1-1)

Week 3: vs North Texas W (2-1)

Week 4: vs Arizona State W (3-1)

Week 5: vs Cincinnati W (4-1)

Week 6: at Arizona L (4-2)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: vs Baylor W (5-2)

Week 9: at TCU L (5-3)

Week 10: at Iowa State W (5-4)

Week 11: vs Colorado W (6-4)

Week 12: BYE WEEK

Week 13: at Oklahoma State L (6-5)

Week 14: vs West Virginia W (7-5)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 7-5 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Utah: 

Week 1: vs Southern Utah W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Baylor W (2-0)

Week 3: at Utah State W (3-0)

Week 4: at Oklahoma State L (3-1)

Week 5: vs Arizona W (4-1)

Week 6: BYE WEEK

Week 7: at Arizona State W (5-1)

Week 8: vs TCU W (6-1)

Week 9: at Houston W (7-1)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: vs BYU W (8-1)

Week 12: at Colorado L (8-2)

Week 13: vs Iowa State W (9-2)

Week 14: at UCF W (10-2)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 10-2 (BOWL ELIGIBLE) (College Football Playoff)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

West Virginia 

Week 1: vs Penn State L (0-1)

Week 2: vs Albany W (1-1)

Week 3: at Pittsburgh W (2-1)

Week 4: vs Kansas W (3-1)

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Week 6: at Oklahoma State L (3-2)

Week 7: vs Iowa State W (4-2)

Week 8: vs Kansas State W (5-2)

Week 9: at Arizona L (5-3)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: at Cincinnati W (6-3)

Week 12: vs Baylor W (7-3)

Week 13: vs UCF W (8-3)

Week 14: at Texas Tech L (8-4)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 8-4 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

11 Bowl Eligible Teams

5 Not Bowl Eligible Teams

Big 12 Championship: Utah vs Kansas State (Utah wins/advances to CFP) 

Standings:

1. Utah

2. Kansas State

3. Kansas

4. TCU

5. Oklahoma State

6. Arizona

7. West Virginia 

8. Texas Tech

9. UCF

10. Colorado

11. Iowa State

12. Cincinnati 

13. Arizona State

14. Baylor

15. BYU

16. Houston

The Haason Reddick Situation

It has been 27 days since Haason Reddick was supposed to show up to Jets training camp, yet he has still not shown face in Florham Park. It has developed into a very interesting and is the biggest holdout ongoing in the NFL. 

Everyday that Reddick does not show up to camp, he is fined $50,000. With this being day 27 of his absence, he has forfeited $1.35 million in fines so far. He has made it clear that he will go to extreme lengths to get his way. 

Reddick will enter the final year of his three-year contract in the 2024 season. Approaching 30 years old next month, Reddick wants and will only play under a new contract, that way he will be insured for the future despite his increasing age. 

The Jets traded a conditional third-round pick for Reddick this offseason. They made the trade after they let Bryce Huff walk in free agency. Needing to replace his 10 sack impact from 2023, Gang Green viewed Reddick as a replacement and a potential better and more experienced player at the position over Huff. 

Huff signed with the Eagles for $17 million a year over the next three years. New York obviously didn't want to negotiate that high or pay that much, yet they have landed in a similar situation in the fact that they probably will be forced to pay Reddick at some point. 

The tag that comes with Reddick is not cheap either. It probably will be either around the same ballpark or more than Huff's big contract with Philadelphia. Apparently, there was a miscommunication on both ends when the Jets made the deal for Reddick. 

Apparently they thought that Reddick would play under his current deal, while Haason had different intentions. Holdouts are very common across the NFL, and are becoming more common as time goes on, but a miscommunication like this between a player and a front office is unacceptable. 

Both sides should understand what they are getting themselves into once the papers are signed and the deal is made. Nothing should be held back from one another so that problems arise in the future. 

In my opinion, I'm not sure who to blame more. The Jets front office has been pretty incompetent to say the least in recent history. But, if Reddick did not communicate his feelings during the time in which the deal was being processed, then the blame falls on him. All in all, this is a situation that needs to be solved sooner than later as Week 1 slowly approaches. 

One Week Away: College Football!

College football is just around the corner! In just a week, the 10th ranked Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will kick off the season in Dublin, Ireland. But a college football game in Ireland isn't anywhere close to the biggest storylines of the season to come. 

We have conference realignments and the expanded playoff to talk about. The most impacted conferences by realignment are the Big Ten and SEC. These conferences got a lot more competitive and some would say better with the new schools added to the mix. 

There was lots of debate on whether conference realignment would be good for the sport. It really takes away from the tradition of having a conference. For example, the Big Ten was predominantly midwestern teams with a couple of east coast schools. Now they've added four west coast teams, making the conference look like it consists of schools from all over the country. 

All four of these teams came from the Pac-12 which now consists of two teams. The SEC added two new schools as well: Oklahoma and Texas. With these additions, all of the schools in the SEC still are mostly from the southeastern part of the United States. 

With basically no more of the Pac-12, the ACC and Big 12 also underwent some big changes. Both of these conferences added six of the Pac-12 teams that left behind their original conference. Stanford and California were added to the ACC, while Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah all departed for the Big 12. It's going to take a little time to get used to these new changes within these conferences. 

With the traditional conferences being left behind, there is some excitement to come. The new and highly anticipated matchups that fans could only see if these teams met up in the College Football Playoff. Speaking of the CFP, it has been expanded from 4 teams to 12! It's also not just one representative from each conference, conferences can have multiple teams represented in the playoff. 

On paper, it seems as the SEC and the Big Ten will dominate the CFP field. This is what has infuriated critics of conference realignment and the new CFP. It shows a misrepresentation of all of college football because it will pre-dominantly represent the two biggest powerhouse conferences. Currently, 9 of the top 11 teams in the country are either from the Big Ten or SEC. 

If the 12-team playoff was enacted last year, 10 of the 12 teams would be from the SEC or Big Ten currently. The other teams were from the ACC and Conference USA. No representation from the Big 12 at all. 

There has been talks on further expanding the 12-team playoff to more teams such as 14. If these conferences dominant the field of the CFP, I would have to assume that the 14-team playoff is adopted sooner than later. 

Yet, this season is going to be a very exciting one. Matchups such as Ohio State vs. Oregon, Georgia vs Texas, or a rematch of the National Championship, Michigan vs. Washington, will all be displayed in 2024. The are valid arguments for both sides of what makes college football better or worse, but nonetheless 2024 will mark a new era for the sport. 

2024 SEC Football Predictions

 

Alabama:

Week 1: vs Western Kentucky W (1-0)

Week 2: vs South Florida W (2-0)

Week 3: at Wisconsin W (3-0)

Week 4: BYE WEEK

Week 5: vs Georgia L (3-1)

Week 6: at Vanderbilt W (4-1)

Week 7: vs South Carolina W (5-1)

Week 8: at Tennessee L (5-2)

Week 9: vs Missouri W (6-2)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: at LSU W (7-2)

Week 12: vs Mercer W (8-2)

Week 13: at Oklahoma L (8-3)

Week 14: vs Auburn W (9-3)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 9-3 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Arkansas:

Week 1: vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff W (1-0)

Week 2: at Oklahoma State L (1-1)

Week 3: vs UAB W (2-1)

Week 4: at Auburn L (2-2)

Week 5: at Texas A&M L (2-3)

Week 6: vs Tennessee L (2-4)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: vs LSU L (2-5)

Week 9: at Mississippi State W (3-5)

Week 10: vs Ole Miss W (3-6)

Week 11: BYE WEEK

Week 12: vs Texas L (3-7)

Week 13: vs LA Tech W (4-7)

Week 14: at Missouri L (4-8)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 4-8 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Auburn: 

Week 1: vs Alabama A&M W (1-0)

Week 2: vs California W (2-0)

Week 3: vs New Mexico W (3-0)

Week 4: vs Arkansas W (4-0)

Week 5: vs Oklahoma L (4-1)

Week 6: at Georgia L (4-2)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: at Missouri L (4-3)

Week 9: at Kentucky W (5-3)

Week 10: vs Vanderbilt W (6-3)

Week 11: BYE WEEK

Week 12: vs ULM W (7-3)

Week 13: vs Texas A&M W (8-3)

Week 14: at Alabama L (8-4)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 8-4 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Florida: 

Week 1: vs Miami (FL) W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Samford W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Texas A&M W (3-0)

Week 4: at Mississippi State W (4-0)

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Week 6: vs UCF W (5-0)

Week 7: at Tennessee L (5-1)

Week 8: vs Kentucky W (6-1)

Week 9: BYE WEEK

Week 10: at Georgia L (6-2)

Week 11: at Texas L (6-3)

Week 12: vs LSU L (6-4)

Week 13: vs Ole Miss W (7-4)

Week 14: at Florida State L (7-5)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 7-5 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Georgia:

Week 1: vs Clemson W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Tennessee Tech W (2-0)

Week 3: at Kentucky W (3-0)

Week 4: BYE WEEK

Week 5: at Alabama W (4-0)

Week 6: vs Auburn W (5-0)

Week 7: vs Mississippi State W (6-0)

Week 8: at Texas W (7-0)

Week 9: BYE WEEK

Week 10: vs Florida W (8-0)

Week 11: at Ole Miss W (9-0)

Week 12: vs Tennessee W (10-0)

Week 13: vs UMass W (11-0)

Week 14: vs Georgia Tech W (12-0)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 12-0 (BOWL ELIGIBLE) (College Football Playoff)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Kentucky: 

Week 1: vs Southern Miss W (1-0)

Week 2: vs South Carolina W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Georgia L (2-1)

Week 4: vs Ohio W (3-1)

Week 5: at Ole Miss L (3-2)

Week 6: BYE WEEK

Week 7: vs Vanderbilt W (4-2)

Week 8: at Florida L (4-3)

Week 9: vs Auburn L (4-4)

Week 10: at Tennessee L (4-5)

Week 11: BYE WEEK 

Week 12: vs Murray State W (5-5)

Week 13: at Texas L (5-6)

Week 14: vs Louisville L (5-7)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 5-7 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

LSU: 

Week 1: vs USC W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Nicholls St. W (2-0)

Week 3: at South Carolina W (3-0)

Week 4: vs UCLA W (4-0)

Week 5: vs South Alabama W (5-0)

Week 6: BYE WEEK

Week 7: vs Ole Miss W (6-0)

Week 8: at Arkansas W (7-0)

Week 9: at Texas A&M L (7-1)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: vs Alabama L (7-2)

Week 12: at Florida W (8-2)

Week 13: vs Vanderbilt W (9-2)

Week 14: vs Oklahoma W (10-2)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 10-2 (BOWL ELIGIBLE) (College Football Playoff)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Mississippi State: 

Week 1: vs EKU W (1-0)

Week 2: at Arizona State W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Toledo W (3-0)

Week 4: vs Florida L (3-1)

Week 5: at Texas L (3-2)

Week 6: BYE WEEK 

Week 7: at Georgia L (3-3)

Week 8: vs Texas A&M L (3-4)

Week 9: vs Arkansas L (3-5)

Week 10: vs UMass W (4-5)

Week 11: at Tennessee L (4-6)

Week 12: BYE WEEK 

Week 13: vs Missouri L (4-7)

Week 14: at Ole Miss L (4-8)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 4-8 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Missouri: 

Week 1: vs Murray State W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Buffalo W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Boston College W (3-0)

Week 4: vs Vanderbilt W (4-0)

Week 5: BYE WEEK 

Week 6: at Texas A&M L (4-1)

Week 7: at UMass W (5-1)

Week 8: vs Auburn W (6-1)

Week 9: at Alabama L (6-2)

Week 10: BYE WEEK 

Week 11: vs Oklahoma W (7-2)

Week 12: at South Carolina W (8-2)

Week 13: at Mississippi State W (9-2)

Week 14: vs Arkansas W (10-2)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 10-2 (BOWL ELIGIBLE) 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Oklahoma:

Week 1: vs Temple W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Houston W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Tulane W (3-0)

Week 4: vs Tennessee W (4-0)

Week 5: at Auburn W (5-0)

Week 6: BYE WEEK

Week 7: at Texas L (5-1)

Week 8: vs South Carolina W (6-1)

Week 9: at Ole Miss L (6-2)

Week 10: vs Maine W (7-2)

Week 11: at Missouri L (7-3)

Week 12: BYE WEEK

Week 13: vs Alabama W (8-3)

Week 14: at LSU L (8-4)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 8-4 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ole Miss: 

Week 1: vs Furman W (1-0)

Week 2: vs Middle Tennessee W (2-0)

Week 3: at Wake Forest W (3-0)

Week 4: vs Georgia Southern W (4-0)

Week 5: vs Kentucky W (5-0)

Week 6: at South Carolina W (6-0)

Week 7: at LSU L (6-1)

Week 8: BYE WEEK

Week 9: vs Oklahoma W (7-1)

Week 10: at Arkansas W (8-1)

Week 11: vs Georgia L (8-2)

Week 12: BYE WEEK

Week 13: at Florida L (8-3)

Week 14: vs Mississippi State W (9-3)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 9-3 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

South Carolina:

Week 1: vs Old Dominion W (1-0)

Week 2: at Kentucky L (1-1)

Week 3: vs LSU L (1-2)

Week 4: vs Akron W (2-2)

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Week 6: vs Ole Miss L (2-3)

Week 7: at Alabama L (2-4)

Week 8: at Oklahoma L (2-5)

Week 9: BYE WEEK 

Week 10: vs Texas A&M L (2-6)

Week 11: at Vanderbilt W (3-6)

Week 12: vs Missouri L (3-7)

Week 13: vs Wofford W (4-7)

Week 14: at Clemson L (4-8)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 4-8 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tennessee:

Week 1: vs Chattanooga W (1-0)

Week 2: vs NC State W (2-0)

Week 3: vs Kent State W (3-0)

Week 4: at Oklahoma L (3-1)

Week 5: BYE WEEK 

Week 6: at Arkansas W (4-1)

Week 7: vs Florida W (5-1)

Week 8: vs Alabama W (6-1)

Week 9: BYE WEEK

Week 10: vs Kentucky W (7-1)

Week 11: vs Mississippi State W (8-1)

Week 12: at Georgia L (8-2)

Week 13: vs Texas at El Paso W (9-2)

Week 14: at Vanderbilt W (10-2)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 10-2 (BOWL ELIGIBLE) (College Football Playoff)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Texas A&M:

Week 1: vs Notre Dame L (0-1)

Week 2: vs McNeese W (1-1)

Week 3: at Florida L (1-2)

Week 4: vs Bowling Green W (2-2)

Week 5: vs Arkansas W (3-2)

Week 6: vs Missouri W (4-2)

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Week 8: at Mississippi State W (5-2)

Week 9: vs LSU W (6-2)

Week 10: at South Carolina W (7-2)

Week 11: BYE WEEK

Week 12: vs New Mexico St. W (8-2)

Week 13: at Auburn L (8-3)

Week 14: vs Texas L (8-4)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 8-4 (BOWL ELIGIBLE)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Texas:

Week 1: vs Colorado State W (1-0)

Week 2: at Michigan W (2-0)

Week 3: vs UTSA W (3-0)

Week 4: vs ULM W (4-0)

Week 5: vs Mississippi State W (5-0)

Week 6: BYE WEEK 

Week 7: vs Oklahoma W (6-0)

Week 8: vs Georgia L (6-1)

Week 9: at Vanderbilt W (7-1)

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Week 11: vs Florida W (8-1)

Week 12: at Arkansas W (9-1)

Week 13: vs Kentucky W (10-1)

Week 14: at Texas A&M W (11-1)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 11-1 (BOWL ELIGIBLE) (College Football Playoff)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Vanderbilt: 

Week 1: vs Virginia Tech L (0-1)

Week 2: vs Alcorn State W (1-1)

Week 3: at Georgia State W (2-1)

Week 4: at Missouri L (2-2)

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Week 6: vs Alabama L (2-3)

Week 7: at Kentucky L (2-4)

Week 8: vs Ball State W (3-4)

Week 9: vs Texas L (3-5)

Week 10: at Auburn L (3-6)

Week 11: vs South Carolina L (3-7)

Week 12: BYE WEEK

Week 13: at LSU L (3-8)

Week 14: vs Tennessee L (3-9)

FINAL RECORD PROJECTION: 3-9 (NOT BOWL ELIGIBLE)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

11 Bowl Eligible Teams

5 Non Bowl Eligible Teams

SEC Championship: Georgia vs Texas (Georgia WINS)

CFP Teams: Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, LSU

BOLD TAKE: Alabama does NOT make the CFP

Final Standings: 

1. Georgia

2. Texas

3. LSU

4. Tennessee

5. Missouri

6. Alabama

7. Ole Miss

8. Texas A&M

9. Oklahoma

10. Auburn

11. Florida

12. Kentucky

13. Arkansas

14. South Carolina

15. Mississippi State

16. Vanderbilt

Team Preview: New York Jets

 

It has been a miserable past 13 years to say the least for the Jets. They have consisted of utter disappointment and missed playoffs year after year. The 2024 Jets will look to flip the script and end the streak. 

There is usually one or two big stories about every NFL team, but this team has a lot of major stories. The first one is Aaron Rodgers. Yes, he will play. But how good will he be? He's 40 years old coming off an achilles tear, but he's still one of the greatest to ever do it. Keeping him healthy is the recipe for success for Gang Green. 

He has the supporting cast to make this offense elite. The main duo is Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. Wilson, entering his 3rd year in the NFL, has had back to back 1000 yard seasons with five different starting quarterbacks throwing him the football. This does not include Aaron Rodgers. With a healthy Rodgers, the sky is the limit for Garrett Wilson. 

Breece Hall will also enter his third year in the NFL. He has already asserted himself as one of the top backs throughout the league. He's a threat both on the ground and through the air making him a quarterback's best friend. Coming off a near 1000 yard rushing season last year, I expect Hall to eclipse this mark by a wide margin. 

The Jets got a lot better on offense after acquiring two new wide receivers: Mike Williams and Malachi Corley. Williams, a veteran wide receiver who has battled some injuries, comes over as the much needed WR2 for this Jets offense if he can remain healthy. Corley, drafted out of Western Kentucky, has showed glimpses of how dynamic he can be, but is not fully there yet. 

New York is going to need Allen Lazard to have a much improved season from 2023. Part of the reason he came over to the tristate area was because of his buddy Aaron Rodgers. Entering the second year of his four year deal, Lazard will look to prove that last season was just a fluke. 

The main problem on offense last season for the Jets was the offensive line. The line could be blamed for almost every disappointment in 2023. So, the front office was tired of it and went out and made the proper adjustments. One of them was signing one of the best left tackles in the NFL, Tyron Smith. The others were drafting Olu Fashanu to learn from Smith, and brining in both John Simpson and Morgan Moses. 

On paper, the Jets offensive line looks like a wall and much better than it was a short time ago in 2023. The success of this team will fully depend on the well-being of the offensive line. The second worst offense in the NFL in 2023 is primed for improvement now in 2024. 

Now let's talk about arguably the best defense in all of football. After ranking third in total defense last season, the Jets made just a couple of adjustments this offseason. They unfortunately had to let Bryce Huff walk this offseason as he signed with the Eagles. The price that he was asking for was too steep for a player that isn't necessarily up there as one of the best at his position in the game. 

They have since replaced Huff with Haason Reddick, but this has been another one of the hot topics surrounding Gang Green. Reddick is currently in an almost 4 week holdout and in the past week, he has requested a trade that was quickly shot down by Jets General Manager, Joe Douglas. 

Reddick is in the last year of his contract and is about to turn 30 years old, so he is fighting to play under a new contract. The Jets thought that Reddick would play under this current contract when they traded for him, but they were mistaken. This whole debacle needs to be solved before the regular season begins. 

To state the obvious, this Jets defense is loaded everywhere you look. With Quinnen Williams manning the defensive line, to the linebacker room consisting of captain CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams, and one of the best cornerback duos in the league in Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed, this defense is absolutely frightening. 

The one area they can improve upon is their rush defense, as it ranked 25th in the NFL. However, the pass defense was superb, ranking 2nd throughout the league. If the Reddick situation is resolved, there should be no problem improving the run defense. 

This will be Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas' make or break year in New York. Jets fans everywhere are sick and tired of losing season after losing season. This year, with all of the talent they have, if they can stay healthy, there should be no reason why the Jets aren't back in the playoffs for the first time since 2010. 

Team Preview: Miami Dolphins

 

After an 11-6 record in 2023 but nothing to show for in the playoffs, the Dolphins come into the 2024 season hungry for more success. Miami has not won a playoff game for the last 24 seasons since 2000. 

In what looked to be a promising season a year ago, turned out to be just disappointment for Dolphin fans. Miami was sitting at 11-4, controlling their own destiny in the AFC East, heading into Week 17 and 18. They dropped those two critical games to AFC foes and not only lost the division, but also dropped to the #6 seed. This meant they had to travel to Kansas City where Patrick Mahomes has lost one career playoff game ever. 

You can infer what happened next as the Dolphins season fell short to the eventual Super Bowl champions. Miami is hope to change the tide this upcoming season. Most recently, Tua Tagovailoa was extended through the 2028 season to remain the Dolphins quarterback. 

There was lots of speculation whether Miami would make Tua play for this contract or not risk anything and just lock him up long term before the season began. Tua will once again have his favorite targets in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who will also be accompanied by free agent signing, Odell Beckham Jr. 

The Fins also gave Tua a new tight end, Jonnu Smith, after having poor tight end play in 2023. The Dolphins offensive line did take a hit this offseason after losing Robert Hunt and Connor Williams. Hunt signed to Carolina for a ludicrous deal that I believe the Dolphins had no intention on even matching. 

The defensive front of the Dolphins took a massive blow this free agency as well. They lost superstar defensive tackle, Christian Wilkins to the Raiders after he signed a long-term deal with them. Wilkins had an excellent season in South Florida after accounting for 9 sacks and his presence will be heavily missed on the defensive line. 

Miami also lost linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel to Minnesota this free agency. Van Ginkel was quickly emerging as a superb player on the Dolphins defense, yet they could not retain him this offseason. Miami's linebacker room will look a lot different in 2024 after they not only lost Van Ginkel, but Jerome Baker and Melvin Ingram as well. 

The Dolphins will need Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips to come back healthy after devastating injuries late last season. Without these guys healthy, this linebacker room could be in trouble. However, the room that is not in trouble is the Dolphins secondary. 

Yes, the Dolphins did cut Xavien Howard, but with his age catching up to him and injuries as well, it was for the best. The Fins picked up Jordan Power and Marcus Maye in free agency to bolster the safeties room which already has Jevon Holland. They upgraded in the cornerbacks room by adding Kendall Fuller to pair with All-Pro Jalen Ramsey. The secondary is looking dangerous this year for Miami. 

Miami will look to finally end their long playoff win drought of 24 years this season. If they are able to take the division this year and get a home playoff game, then the end will be much more likely. Playing in cold weather as not been a major strong suit for Miami. 

Team Preview: Buffalo Bills

 

Once again, another season for the Bills falls at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Buffalo has been to the playoffs six times in the last seven years, yet they have still not been able to advance to the big game. 

The Bills won the AFC East for the fourth time in a row last season, lead by Josh Allen. Allen put up great numbers in 2023 but that was with a lot of weapons that he will be without in 2024. Buffalo took a hit this offseason with many notable departures on both sides of the football. 

Obviously the biggest news this offseason for the Bills was the loss of Stefon Diggs. Josh Allen's favorite target was traded to Houston this offseason for a couple of late round picks. Diggs had always seemed to have lots of verbal confrontations and clear frustration with other Bills, so it wasn't surprising that the Bills felt it was time to move on. 

Along with Diggs, Gabe Davis also walked in free agency as he signed with the Jags. Just like that, Josh Allen's two favorite options are both gone. The only familiar face in the receiver room from last year now is Khalil Shakir. The Bills did try to replace Diggs and Davis as they drafted Keon Coleman out of Florida State. 

Around the organization there is high hopes for Keon Coleman as a Bill. Coming straight into the NFL as a top receiver on your team with Josh Allen throwing you the football could very well help your career take off instantly. Coleman showed at Florida State that he has the ability to takeover as WR1 on the Bills at some point this season. 

Josh Allen didn't lose all of his weapons as he still has his trusted tight ends, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, and running back, James Cook. Cook had excellent numbers last season after he proved to be a threat through the air and on the ground. The sky is the limit for Cook in 2024. 

The defense, on the other hand, looks a whole lot different. Buffalo moved on from a big chunk of their defense during the offseason. The three players who ran the Bills secondary for most of recent history, Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White, and Micah Hyde, all departed. The faces of the Bills secondary for years, all gone in 2024. 

Luckily for the Bills, they have a very deep secondary that can still hold down the fort for Buffalo even without their veterans that have moved on. For a defense that ranked in top ten a season ago, Buffalo was able to retain most of their defensive line and linebackers for 2024. With the production of the offense taking a hit, the Bills are going to need their defense to step up at times this year. 

Analysts and experts around the league believe that the Bills will be able to get back to the postseason once again, but I don't think it will be that easy. For the first time since 2019, the Bills will surrender the division and hope to make a wild card, but don't be surprised if they are on the outside looking in come playoff time.