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7 MIN | PFT COMMENTER
Deshaun Watson’s request for Browns fans to stop booing him will backfire spectacularly: asking fans not to boo is a “losing strategy,” and PFT expects Cleveland fans to respond by booing him even louder.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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10 MIN | BIG CAT
Cleveland’s defense will be very good this year, but the Browns will once again lose winnable games because their offense—and particularly their inability to get competent quarterback play—holds them back.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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10 MIN | BIG CAT
Jared Verse will have an awesome year and be a menace for Cleveland, joining a Browns defense that Big Cat believes has good players at all three levels.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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34 MIN | HANK
LIV Golf will survive into next year, forcing Hank to continue his reluctant role as the Four Aces’ unofficial ambassador; after attending the Indianapolis event, he thinks he “might have jumped the gun” by assuming the league was about to disappear.
⚠️ Big Cat repeatedly describes LIV as a golf league that is “about to fold.”
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 20 MIN | BIG CAT
Indiana will be “really fucking good again” because Curt Cignetti has established a winning program and replaced the talent lost from last year rather than presiding over a one-season fluke.
🤝 Stanford Steve strongly agrees, ranks Indiana No. 2 and believes its lines, transfers and disciplined coaching operation make another major run realistic.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 25 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Miami’s offense may have an even higher ceiling than last year because Darian Mensah is a more consistent passer with a better deep ball, Malachi Toney should improve and the Hurricanes have enough speed to play a more explosive, “razzle-dazzle” style.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 29 MIN | BIG CAT
Georgia will return to an old-school championship formula, “cement-mixing” opponents with a veteran defensive front, strong secondary, reliable running game and steady quarterback play until its superior physicality breaks teams down.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 33 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Notre Dame will win the national championship. Steve believes the Irish enter the season with the country’s best defense, a legitimate quarterback in C.J. Carr, loaded lines of scrimmage and enough skill-position talent to finish the job after last season’s disappointment.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 34 MIN | BIG CAT
Miami will win the ACC, but its soft schedule leaves almost no margin for error: the Hurricanes can probably survive one loss, while two would leave them without enough quality wins to repair their playoff résumé.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 37 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Dante Moore will have a big season now that Oregon’s injured receiving weapons are back, although Steve remains unwilling to predict a championship run until Moore proves himself more consistently in hostile environments and Oregon demonstrates sufficient line depth.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 38 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
At least one—and possibly two—of USC, Washington, Penn State and Michigan will make the College Football Playoff. Steve sees that quartet as the Big Ten’s most plausible group of challengers beyond the obvious contenders.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
|
1 HR 39 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava will take another step forward, while improved recruiting and line depth give Lincoln Riley his best Trojans roster yet and leave the program with “no more excuses.”
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 41 MIN | BIG CAT
Penn State can make the playoff in Matt Campbell’s first season because its schedule finally avoids Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon. If the Nittany Lions beat the teams they should and go 2–1 against USC, Michigan and Washington, they will reach 10 or 11 wins and cannot be left out.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 42 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Any 10–2 Big Ten team will make the playoff, even if critics attack its schedule or compare it unfavorably with a 9–3 SEC team.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 43 MIN | BIG CAT
Michigan is closer to a seven-win team than a 10-win team unless Bryce Underwood makes a massive leap. Big Cat trusts Kyle Whittingham’s coaching upgrade but is not yet convinced Underwood can support the preseason hype.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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1 HR 52 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
LSU will begin the season as a defense-first, buttoned-down team rather than immediately unleashing Lane Kiffin’s usual loose, aggressive offense. Steve expects LSU to trust Blake Baker’s defense while its rebuilt offensive line and running game settle in.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
|
2 HR 1 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
West Virginia will reach the Big 12 Championship Game. Steve trusts Rich Rodriguez’s history, a favorable home schedule and a diverse running game more than the heavily changed rosters at several of the conference’s other contenders.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
|
2 HR 3 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Deion Sanders will not re-enter the conversation as one of college football’s three best coaches this season because Colorado’s roster and difficult schedule simply do not support that kind of resurgence.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
|
2 HR 5 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
The winner of Florida–Auburn will become a dangerous team capable of catching better opponents later in the season. Neither is a national-title team, but Steve believes both new coaching staffs can restore momentum quickly.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
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2 HR 11 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Virginia Tech is the ACC team outside Miami most likely to emerge as a spoiler. Steve likes James Franklin’s fit, the school’s increased investment and a fan base starving for something to believe in.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
|
2 HR 16 MIN | STANFORD STEVE
Florida State will exceed its 5.5-win total, but none of those wins will come against Alabama, Miami or Florida.
| CONVICTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 GRADE TBD |
