2018 College Football Picks & Predictions – Power 5 Conferences Projected Winners

2018 College Football Picks & Predictions – Power 5 Conferences Predicted Winners: The hard hitting action that is college football season is almost here as the 2018 College Football regular season is set to kick off on Saturday, August 25th. 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 2018 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 2018 college football season and also check out our complete conference forecast for each individual conference thru the links below.

2018 College Football Picks & Predictions – Power 5 Conferences Projected Winners

2018 ACC Football Conference Prediction

1. Clemson Tigers(-225 odds to win ACC) – The Clemson Tigers have been a force on the national scene for years now under head coach Dabo Swinney and that’s not changing anytime soon. Certainly not this season. Swinney welcomes back 14 starters from last season’s squad that finished 12-2 overall and 8-1 in the ACC while capturing the ACC Championship Game before losing 24-6 to eventual National Champion Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Tigers were led by a dominating defense that finished 2nd in the nation by allowing just 13.6 ppg last season and will be just as dominant this season with 8 returning starters. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables is one of the best in the business and he should be licking his chops with the assortment of talent he has to work with this year. Offensively, the Tigers finished 32nd nationally last season in scoring at 33.3 ppg and should be improved this season with continued improvement from senior quarterback Kelly Bryant. Bryant threw for 2802 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and should be better this season especially with highly touted freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence breathing down his neck to take his job. 2018 Projection 13-0, 8-0 ACC Check out our complete 2018 ACC Football Odds and Predictions article.

2018 Big 10 Football Conference Prediction

1. Ohio State Buckeyes(+150 odds to win Big Ten Championship) – Head coach Urban Meyer is the best head coach in the business not named Nick Saban and he once again has a loaded team to coach each Saturday this season. The Buckeyes are coming off a solid 12-2 season including 8-1 in the Big Ten last year. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Championship Game and capped off the season with a 24-7 win over USC in the Rose Bowl. Meyer looks to get the Buckeyes back into the College Football Playoff this season and has 12 returning starters to help him accomplish just that. The Buckeyes have 7 returning starters on an offense that finished 6th nationally last season scoring 41.1 ppg. However, they lost quarterback J.T. Barrett to graduation and will look to sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins to fill his role. Haskins had limited experience last season throwing for 565 yards and 4 touchdowns but he has a world of talent including a cannon for an arm. Defensively, the Buckeyes have 5 starters back from a unit that was very solid finishing 15th nationally in scoring defense allowing just 19 ppg. 2018 Projection 12-1, 8-1 Big Ten Check out our complete 2018 Big 10 Football Odds and Predictions article.

2018 PAC 12 Football Conference Prediction

1. Washington Huskies(+140 odds to win Pac 12) – The Washington Huskies are 37-17 overall under head coach Chris Peterson and should have their best team yet this season under him. The Huskies made the College Football Playoff two seasons ago and look like a strong bet to get back to the College Football Playoff this season as they are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. The offense welcomes back 7 starters including senior quarterback Jake Browning from last season’s unit that finished 17th nationally in scoring at 36.2 ppg. Browning tossed for 2719 yards and 19 touchdowns last season but did not play anywhere near the level he played at in 2016 when he was the Pac 12 Offensive Player of the Year. If Browning can get back to his 2016 form then the sky is the limit for the Huskies offense this season. On defense, the Huskies have 9 starters back from a dominant unit that was 5th in the country last season allowing just 16.1 ppg. The Huskies will have a chance to show the nation and the pollsters what they are made of early this season as they open up against a talented Auburn Tigers team in Atlanta on September 1st to kick off the season. Win or lose, we don’t expect the Huskies to lose another game the rest of the regular season right on thru the Pac 12 Title Game. 2018 Projection 12-1, 9-0 Pac 12 Check out our complete 2018 PAC 12 Football Odds and Predictions article.

2018 SEC Football Conference Prediction

1. Georgia Bulldogs(+300 odds to win SEC Championship) – The Georgia Bulldogs have officially arrived on the national scene as a big time force under head coach Kirby Smart. The former pupil under Bama head coach Nick Saban is already one of the best head coaches in all of college football and a top notch recruiter. Smart is building something special in Athens and is going to have the Bulldogs competing for SEC titles and National Championships for years to come in our opinion. The Bulldogs welcome back 13 starters from last season’s National Title Game runner-up squad that finished 13-2 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. The Bulldogs won the SEC Championship last season with a dominating 28-7 win over SEC West Champ Auburn and are in great position to repeat as SEC Champions again this season. The Bulldogs have 8 starters back on an offense that finished 20th in the nation in scoring last year at 35.4 ppg. Sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm is back to lead the unit after an impressive freshman campaign that saw him throw for 2615 yards and 24 touchdowns. Defensively, the Bulldogs have 5 starters back from a unit that was 6th in scoring defense allowing just 16.4 ppg last season. 2018 Projection 13-0, 8-0 SEC Check out our complete 2018 SEC Football Odds and Predictions article.

2018 Big 12 Football Conference Prediction

1. Texas Longhorns(+350 odds to win Big 12) – Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman had a solid debut season last year as he led the Longhorns to a 7-6 overall record including 5-4 in the Big 12. The Longhorns capped off the season in style with a 33-16 win over Missouri in the Texas Bowl and big things are expected in Austin this season with 12 returning starters back in the fold. The Longhorns welcome back 6 starters on an offensive unit that finished 52nd nationally last season with a scoring output of 29.5 ppg. Sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger will battle it out with junior quarterback Shane Buechele for the starting job with Ehlinger most likely being the man to start the season behind center for the Horns. Ehlinger threw for 1915 yards and 11 touchdowns last season in addition to running for 385 yards and 2 touchdowns in a solid freshman debut. The Horns will need to improve considerably on offense if they plan on winning the Big 12 but they have the pieces to do just that. Defensively, the Horns finished a respectable 29th in the nation last season giving up 21.2 ppg and they have 6 starters back to help those numbers improve considerably. Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is one of the best in the business and was given a nice pay raise up to $1.7 million for the next 3 seasons after impressing Herman last year. The Horns defense led the Big 12 in 3rd down defense and the entire nation with 7 defensive touchdowns. Look for the Horns defense to be one of the top 15 units in the nation this season and lead the Horns to a terrific season. 2018 Projection 11-2, 7-2 Big 12 Check out our complete 2018 Big 12 Football Odds and Predictions article.

Get updated 2018 College Football betting odds for the 2017 season updated daily on NSAwins.com including updated odds to win the 2019 National Championship.