Gridiron Player Club CFB Futures 1-5 Units (8/15/24)

CFB

4 Picks.

PICKS WILL CONTINUE TO GET ADDED TO THIS POST.

TO MAKE CFB PLAYOFF (3 Picks): UTAH +240 (3 UNITS), IOWA STATE +1,000 (3 UNITS), OKLAHOMA STATE +750 (3 UNITS).

This is a blanket play over the Big 12 Conference. With the CFB playoff expanding to 12 teams there will likely be multiple teams plucked from each of the now 4 major conferences; SEC, Big 12, Big 10, and ACC. The Big 12 is just wide open with Oklahoma and Texas out of the conference. These 3 teams have tenured head coaches and a ton of returning production. In the NIL/Transfer era, that's rare, and going to play a big role.

Utah comes over from the PAC-12 but they've shown they can play with College Football's best. They're far from a high flying defenseless PAC-12 teams. They had a disappointing 8-5 season last year after winning the PAC-12 in 2021 and 2022. That's because they were without star QB Cam Rising all season. He tore up his knee in the Rose Bowl game after the 2022 season and the injury cost him last year. He could of returned late but they opted for the medical redshirt. He rejoins a Utes team that returns 72% of it's production from 2023. Iowa State went 6-3 in Conference play last year with close losses to Texas and Kansas and a blowout loss to Oklahoma. Fortunately 2 of those 3 teams have moved out of the Big 12. They're 2nd in CFB returning 85% of last year's production and 20 of 22 starters. In the NIL/Transfer portal era that's almost unheard of. Speaks to the program and job by head coach Matt Campbell. Oklahoma State lost in the Big 12 Conference Championship game to Texas last year. They finished 7-2 in Conference and 10-4 overall. They're 4th in CFB returning 77% of last years production and none more important than the best RB in CFB, Ollie Gordon. The offensive line that's paving the way for him has 215 career FBS starts and 331 games played. Virginia Tech to win ACC +1000 (3 Units), VT to Make CFB Playoff +950 (3 Units).

VT leads the nation with 22 returning starters. All 11 on offense, 9 on defense, and both Kicker and Punter. Their offense was the better half a season ago and their OC returns. Head Coach Brent Pry has built this program up and enters a pivotal year 3. He's a defensive HC that should see that side of the ball improve, especially with a solid defensive transfer portal class. VT got off to a 1-3 start last season but they finished the year 6-3. They went 5-3 in conference play with losses to FSU, Louisville, and NC State. Those were the 3 top teams in the Conference last year. With FSU losing most of its talent from last year and Clemson's dominance at an end, the ACC is wide open this season.

Tech's schedule plays a big part in placing these bets. Their 2 toughest non-conference games are played at Home vs Marshall and Rutgers. Tech's home field, Lane Stadium, is widely considered one of the toughest places to visit in the Nation. The 2 non-conference road games are at Vanderbilt and Old Dominion. Their 2 toughest Conference games come against Miami and Clemson. They have to go into Miami, but they get them early in Week 5. Miami lost half their starters and getting them early helps. Clemson they'll at least get at Home. If these bets are in play by the time Clemson comes to visit, Lane Stadium will be as rowdy as ever. Tech's other ACC road games are @ Stanford, @ Syracuse, and @ Duke, which are all winnable games. All in all, they play just 1 ACC team that had a winning record in the Conference last year.