In a world where almost everything changes, the MAC has been the picture of stability. The conference retains the same 12 teams it has had for years, as well as its original mindset.
What’s most likely is that Boise State will flirt with the College Football Playoff’s Group of 5 bid and New Mexico will flirt with a winless season. Anything between that is up for grabs.
The best thing you can say about C-USA is that it avoided the fate of the Pac-12, as it still exists. But this is a really bad league with one good team and a collection of castoffs.
The Sun Belt is the most balanced G5 conference, as there’s no truly dominant teams and only one doormat. That makes this a wide-open race with plenty of value.
Nobody had a more difficult offseason than the remnants of the Pac-12. Oregon State and Washington State are technically still a conference, although that’s a mere designation.
When Skenes takes the mound, the Pirates become outstanding. Skenes has been practically automatic at keeping teams from getting going at the plate, even as the Pirates’ offense contributes little.
The SEC should be much more powerful this year, as several teams realistically have national championship aspirations in 2024. The end of divisions and the additions of Oklahoma and Texas change the equations considerably for this year, as the schedule received a massive shakeup for this season.
With Texas and Oklahoma gone to the SEC, the Big 12 is now at 16 with the additions of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State. And that sets up the league for a truly wide open scramble, as there’s no real heavyweight left out of the 16 schools in this league.
Divisions are finally a thing of the past in the Big Ten Plus Eight, which opens the door for more than one Eastern school to qualify for the title game. And that makes the schedule even more important when figuring out futures plays.