2017 College Football Picks & Predictions – Power 5 Conferences Projected Winners

2017 College Football Picks & Predictions – Power 5 Conferences Predicted Winners: The hard hitting action that is college football season is almost here as the 2017 College Football regular season is set to kick off on Saturday, August 26th. Now is a good time for savvy bettors to jump on the preseason college football odds posted at online sportsbooks including top-rated Bovada Sportsbook as there is money to be made. We have broken down and analyzed each college football conference including the “Power 5” conferences that consist of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC 12 and SEC. We have posted our 2017 College Football predictions on these conferences below with our projected winners to bet on. Take a look at who we are picking to win the “Power 5” conferences this 2017 college football season and also check out our complete conference forecast for each individual conference thru the links below.

2017 College Football Picks & Predictions – Power 5 Conferences Projected Winners

2017 ACC Football Conference Prediction

1. Florida State Seminoles(+183 odds to win ACC) – Head coach Jimbo Fisher appears to have a legit team that can compete for a National Championship this season as they return 14 starters from last year’s 10-3 team that finished strong. The Noles closed out their 2016 season by winning their last 5 games including a thrilling 33-32 win over a talented Michigan Wolverines team in the Orange Bowl. The Noles offense should be a high octane unit this year as sophomore quarterback Deondre Francois returns to lead the unit after throwing for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. Francois should be a Heisman Trophy candidate and we look for a big time season from him. Defensively, the Noles return 9 starters and should be much improved from a unit that finished 22nd overall and 44th nationally in scoring defense. The Noles defense is fast, physical and experienced with all 9 starters returning being juniors or seniors. The Noles have a very tough schedule with an opener against Alabama in Atlanta and ACC games at home against Miami and Louisville along with an ACC road game at Clemson and a season ending road game at Florida. The Noles will be plenty battle tested by year’s end and will be a tough out in the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. 2017 Projection 12-1, 8-0 ACC. Check out our complete 2017 ACC Football Odds and Predictions article.

2017 Big 10 Football Conference Prediction

1. Ohio State Buckeyes(+175 odds to win Big Ten Championship) – The Ohio State Buckeyes players, fans, alumni and, most importantly, head coach Urban Meyer enter the 2017 season with revenge on their mind after getting absolutely embarrassed and run off the field to a tune of 31-0 against Clemson in the College Football Playoff last season. The Buckeyes are too proud of a program and have too much talent returning to make sure that won’t happen again. Coach Meyer welcomes back 15 returning starters from last season’s 11-2 team and has all the ingredients necessary to make a legit run at a National Championship this season. The offense will be explosive behind senior quarterback J.T. Barrett who threw 24 touchdowns and passed for 2,455 yards last season on an offense that finished 13th in the nation scoring. The Buckeyes defense should be even better than the offense as they finished 3rd nationally in scoring defense last year and are loaded with former 4 and 5 star recruits that will eventually be playing at the next level. Ohio State has a pretty easy schedule with two of their toughest three games being at home against Oklahoma and Penn State while their third toughest is at Michigan against a Wolverines team that Meyer has never lost to since arriving in Columbus 5 years ago. 2017 Projection 12-1, 8-1 Big Ten. Check out our complete 2017 Big 10 Football Odds and Predictions article.

2017 Big 12 Football Conference Prediction

1. Texas Longhorns(+550 odds to win Big 12) – The Texas Longhorns made an absolutely fantastic home run hire in head coach Tom Herman who comes to Austin after doing a tremendous job building up the Houston program. The Longhorns were unable to get the program back to national prominence under Charlie Strong but he did leave Herman with a lot of talent to build upon. The Longhorns went 5-7 last season but return 16 starters from last year’s squad including 10 on defense. Herman should be able to get the Longhorns offense humming as he has a great building block to build it around in sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele. Buechele had a solid freshman season throwing for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns and should be even better this season under Herman. Defensively, the Longhorns were a train wreck last season giving up 31.5 points per game but 10 of the projected starters this season were only freshman or sophomores last season so improvement should be huge now that those players have an added year of experience under their belts. Texas is by no means a College Football Playoff contender yet but they should be able to compete for a Big 12 Championship in a down year for the Big 12 this year especially after Oklahoma just lost long-time head coach Bob Stoops to retirement. 2017 Projection 10-3, 7-2 Big 12. Check out our complete 2017 Big 12 Football Odds and Predictions article.

2017 PAC 12 Football Conference Prediction

1. USC Trojans(+115 odds to win Pac 12) – Head coach Clay Helton and his young USC Trojans squad served notice to the rest of the PAC 12 and the nation last season that they would be a big time national player this season when they closed the year by winning 9 straight games. The Trojans capped off a strong 10-3 season by beating an excellent Penn State team 52-49 in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans are led by sensational sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold who is projected by scouts to be the #1 player in next year’s NFL Draft. Darnold is simply a great talent and threw for 3,086 yards and 31 touchdowns last season in leading the USC offense to 34.4 points per game. The Trojans offense should easily score over 40ppg this season and we expect them to be the top offense in the nation as they are loaded with talent, speed and the best QB in the game. Defensively, the Trojans return 6 starters from last year’s unit that was solid but far from great. The Trojans gave up 24.2 ppg last season and finished 36th nationally in total defense. If the defense can take the next jump and give up less than 20 ppg and be amongst the top 20 units in total defense than the Trojans will have a shot at winning the National Championship with their high octane offense doing the heavy lifting. 2017 Projection 12-1, 8-1 Pac 12. Check out our complete 2017 PAC 12 Football Odds and Predictions article.

2017 SEC Football Conference Prediction

1. Alabama Crimson Tide(-250 odds to win SEC West) – Head coach Nick Saban finally got a taste of what it feels like to lose the National Championship Game last season and he is chomping at the bit to get back there and wipe that taste away. He will have a good chance to do just that as Alabama brings back a loaded roster filled with 12 returning starters led by sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts played great as a freshman throwing for 2780 yards and 23 touchdowns but should be even better this season with a year of experience under his belt. The Crimson Tide were just the 34th ranked total offense last season but we expect them to be improved greatly this season thanks to Hurts’ continued development. Defensively, Bama had the 1st ranked defense last season and should be amongst the nation’s best again this season. Tons of former 5 and 4 star recruits are all over the Bama defensive depth chart. 2017 Projection 12-1, 7-1 SEC. Check out our complete 2017 SEC Football Odds and Predictions article.

Get updated 2017 College Football betting odds for the 2017 season updated daily on NSAwins.com including updated odds to win the 2018 National Championship.