JD Pickel's Big 12 Champion Prediction
Greg McElroy selected his team from the Big 12 Conference in what is expected to be the most competitive conference in college football.
McElroy picked the conference winners and playoff teams on “Always College Football” on Wednesday, predicting that Utah State and Oklahoma State would advance to Arlington in the Big 12 championship, while the other two teams would fall one game behind.
“Kansas and Kansas State are 6-3 in league play. Oklahoma State and Utah are 7-2 in league play,” McElroy said. “So in our eyes, Oklahoma State and Utah are going to be playing in the Big 12 finals.”
This allowed Coach McElroy to lead Utah to a league championship and a playoff berth in his debut game this fall.
“The winners are the Utah Utes,” McElroy said.
The deciding factor for McElroy was Utah's passing game. Utah already has a certain style in how they run the ball. Now, with QB Cam Rising returning for a seventh year with Target, it gives Utah's offense a new dimension that could ultimately be the difference maker for McElroy in the conference.
“If you look at their quarterback, their personnel at the wide receiver position and their long-standing identity as a team that wants to overpower opponents, I think it's very well prepared them to transition into this league and be successful right away,” McElroy said. “I think the Pac-12 was a league where you win on the perimeter, but Utah forced opponents to play their way. Now, I think more teams in the Big 12 will be very comfortable playing Utah's style of play. But because of the way Utah has had to adapt, they brought in quality personnel at wide receiver. Cam Rising's experience gives them an edge when they eventually go up against Alan Bowman. I think their passing attack at Utah gives them a slight edge against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.”
This puts Utah one of 12 teams in the College Football Playoff in 2024. As for Arizona, they'll have to wait and see if they qualify as an at-large team.
“Utah is 11-2 and the reigning Big 12 champion, while Oklahoma State awaits its future on Selection Day,” McElroy said.
ESPN's Greg McElroy is the latest to offer his predictions for the season as a whole, announcing which teams will make the playoffs and the national champion.
McElroy's field includes a number of SEC teams, with five teams moving on from the No. 1 seed through the final wild card, the No. 11 seed.
Finally, McElroy shared his predictions for the national championships, and you can see the eventual winners and all of the competitors below.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Miami Hurricanes
4. Utah Utes
5. Oregon Ducks
6. Texas Longhorns
7. Alabama Crimson Tide
8. Penn State Nittany Lions
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. Ole Miss Rebels
11. LSU Tigers
12. Memphis Tigers
National Championship – Ohio State beats Georgia
