The Post’s Zach Braziller makes five predictions and examines five must-see games during this college football season:
Five predictions
History in Oxford
Jaxson Dart will become the first Ole Miss player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.
He is surrounded by elite talent, plays in a quarterback-friendly offensive system that will enable him to pile up huge numbers and is coming off a terrific season in which he threw for 3,364 yards and produced 31 total touchdowns.
Dart made a major leap last year under Lane Kiffin.
Expect him to do the same this fall and leave his mark in Oxford as a result.
Newcomer wins the Big Ten
Yes, Ohio State is loaded.
It would be silly to count out Michigan.
Penn State remains a threat, despite James Franklin’s big-game struggles.
Oregon, however, will win the powerhouse conference in its first year in the league.
Dan Lanning and the Ducks are balanced and deep on both sides of the ball, have a quality replacement at quarterback for Bo Nix in Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel and get the Buckeyes at home on Oct. 12.
Oregon not only wins that matchup, but knocks off Ohio State in a rematch in the Big Ten championship game.
A debacle for Dabo
After Clemson won its fewest games since 2010 last year, it sinks further this season, going from nine wins to eight.
Dabo Swinney’s refusal to use the transfer portal is a major problem that isn’t going away, particularly with rival Florida State taking that route to surpass the Tigers.
The ultimate gut punch comes Oct. 5, when former Clemson quarterback and current Florida State signal-caller DJ Uiagalelei beats his old school.
Growing pains in Tuscaloosa and Ann Arbor
Kalen DeBoer’s first season at Alabama results in a trip to the College Football Playoff, but it is hardly a season Crimson Tide fans will fondly remember.
They fail to reach the SEC championship game after regular season losses to Georgia and Tennessee, and are one-and-done in the playoff.
That’s better than Michigan, which fails to even get in under new coach Sherrone Moore after its fewest regular-season wins (nine) since 2020.
A breakthrough for Cristobal
There are considerable doubts about the Mario Cristobal era at Miami after he went 12-13 in his first two seasons.
I believe he had the offseason to turn things around.
The Hurricanes’ front seven will be tenacious, and the rebuilt offense, led by Washington State transfer quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon State transfer running back Damien Martinez, will be potent.
Miami was also gifted a soft schedule — it faces only one team (Florida State) ranked in the preseason — that will aid Cristobal’s team heavy on newcomers early on.
Must-see games
No. 1 Georgia at No. 5 Alabama, Sept. 28
The two SEC superpowers haven’t met during the regular season since 2020, which makes this showdown an event.
Georgia beat the Crimson Tide in the 2022 national championship game, only to fall to them a year later in the SEC title game, which ended the Bulldogs hopes of an unprecedented three-peat.
All eyes will be on the two quarterbacks, Heisman Trophy contenders Jalen Milroe of Alabama and Carson Beck of Georgia.
No. 14 Clemson at No. 10 Florida State, Oct. 5
Let’s call this the DJ Uiagalelei Bowl. Once considered the future at Clemson, Uiagalelei is now hoping to lead Florida State to the College Football Playoff after a solid season at Oregon State last fall.
The Seminoles haven’t beaten Clemson in Tallahassee in a decade, but they snapped a seven-game losing streak to their ACC rivals a year ago, and finished ahead of them in the conference standings as well.
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon, Oct. 12
There are downsides to realignment.
Increased travel.
The elimination of historical rivalries.
But games like this make the new setup worth it.
Both teams should still be undefeated at this point in what could be a preview of the Big Ten championship game.
No. 1 Georgia at No. 4 Texas, Oct. 19
Quinn Ewers and Texas’ explosive offense against Georgia’s stifling defense featuring All-SEC preseason first-team selections Nazir Stackhouse, Mykel Williams and Malaki Starks.
Austin will be on fire when Georgia visits for the first time since 1958.
No. 9 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, Nov. 30
They’ll be out for blood in Columbus after three straight losses to Michigan by a combined 43 points.
Ohio State fans certainly remember the 22-point beatdown in 2022 by Michigan at the Horseshoe.
The Buckeyes, it should be noted, enter the season the superior team with legitimate title hopes, while the Wolverines begin a new era under Sherrone Moore after winning it all under departed head coach Jim Harbaugh.
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