Analyzing the predictions

Now that we are done with the regular season and the bowls are set, let's see how we (well, just me) did with our predictions for the season.



ACC
August Prediction:  Florida State over Virginia Tech
October Prediction:  Clemson over Virginia Tech
November Prediction:  Clemson over Virginia Tech (but a lesser margin)

What really happened:  Clemson over Miami

SEC
August Prediction:  Alabama over Florida
October Prediction:  Alabama over Georgia
November Prediction:  Alabama over Georgia

What really happened:  Georgia over Auburn

Big Ten
August Prediction:  Ohio State over Minnesota
October Prediction:  Penn State over Wisconsin
November Prediction:  Ohio State over Wisconsin

What really happened:  Ohio State over Wisconsin

Pac-12
August Prediction:  USC over Washington State
October Prediction:  Washington State over USC
November Prediction:  Washington State over USC

What really happened:  USC over Stanford

Big 12
August Prediction:  Oklahoma State over Texas
October Prediction:  Oklahoma over WVU
November Prediction:  Oklahoma State over TCU  (because why the hell not?)

What really happened:  Oklahoma over TCU

College Football Playoff
November thoughts:  I find it hard to believe that the committee would even attempt to put Alabama and Georgia both in the final four

Oops.

assuming they both play the SEC Championship Game.

Oh, there was that qualifier.

August Prediction:  Florida State, Alabama, USC, Ohio State
October Prediction:  Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma
November Prediction:  Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State

Actual semi-finalist:  Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama

Other predictions:
-I think the Big 12 is going to have a 12-0 or 11-1 team facing off against a 9-3 team or worse in their championship game.  And if that lower team wins, or at least threatens to win, you'll see the conference get nervous.  Wouldn't it be something if the lesser team wins, and knocks the other team out of playoff contention in that "all important" 13th game?

Surprisingly, this did not screw the Big 12 out of the CFP.  It did potentially screw them out of another New Year's Six bowl, as TCU dropped out of the top 12.

-The Wheel of Destiny will be in full force in the ACC Coastal.  There will be at least one team that wins a game they should lose, but then lose a game they should win.

Miami lost to Pitt, VT lost to GT -- those should not have happened.

It took until November to get a wheel of destiny or circle of suck in either division, and a full conference circle didn't develop until Black Friday.

-Notre Dame should have a winning record against the ACC.  I think they'll sweep the Atlantic teams (BC, NC State, and WF).

Notre Dame ended up 4-1 against the ACC, sweeping the Atlantic and only losing to Miami.

-There won't be any Group of 5 teams still in the conversation for a CFP spot past Halloween.

UCF was the last team standing, and the committee made it very obvious during November that they did not want them in the top 4.  It might have spared some of the vitriol from putting Alabama in the fourth spot.