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Roundtable: What surprises are in store for 2016?

Houston QB Greg Ward Jr. (Getty)
Houston QB Greg Ward Jr. (Getty)

The 2016 season is upon us and a new season means a new staple for the Dr. Saturday lineup. Every week, the Dr. Saturday crew and Yahoo columnist Pat Forde will take a college football-related topic and discuss it in our roundtable.

This is a chance for you, the reader, to read what we have to say and then add your own ideas, theories and arguments in the comments. And we all know you’re not shy about that.

This week, we’re looking at surprises. College football is an ever-changing thing and no matter how many predictions we throw out in the beginning of the year, there’s always a curveball that gives fans license to tell us all how stupid we are.

So, for this week’s Dr. Saturday roundtable, we’re going to try and minimize the postseason “I told you so’s” and make our bold predictions for 2016.

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THE HOUSTON HYPE IS REAL, YA’LL

I expect Houston to start the surprises immediately by upsetting Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon, launching the Cougars toward an undefeated season and a serious argument for crashing the College Football Playoff from the relative outer reaches of the American Athletic Conference. I expect the school to use this opening victory, and each subsequent victory, as a bargaining chip for entry into the Big 12 Conference. I expect Greg Ward Jr. to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate who makes it to New York and might win the thing. And I expect Tom Herman to be the hottest second-year head coach in college football history, with power schools lined up to bid for his services.

I expect Houston to gang up on Samaje Perine the way it did on Dalvin Cook last year in the Peach Bowl. That puts the game in the capable hands of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, a Heisman finalist himself last year, but he no longer has the 86-catch security blanket of Sterling Shepard as a default target. Without him, the Sooners’ passing game could struggle. Houston takes an early lead and hangs on to win, and the rise of a playoff party crasher has begun. (Pat Forde)

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 05: Donnel Pumphrey #19 of the San Diego State Aztecs runs with the ball in the first half against D.J. Dunn #34 of the Air Force Falcons in the Mountain West Championship game at Qualcomm Stadium on December 5, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – DECEMBER 05: Donnel Pumphrey #19 of the San Diego State Aztecs runs with the ball in the first half against D.J. Dunn #34 of the Air Force Falcons in the Mountain West Championship game at Qualcomm Stadium on December 5, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)

HEY, PUMP YOUR BRAKES, PAT FORDE

I think there’s a realistic chance that San Diego State could be the Group of Five’s representative in a New Year’s Six bowl over Boise State and Houston. Here’s why: The Aztecs quietly went 11-3 in 2015 and return 14 starters from last year’s team including running back Donnel Pumphrey. The Aztecs have a weaker schedule than Houston, but with games against Cal and Northern Illinois, it’s on par with Boise State. If Houston loses to Oklahoma and doesn’t make it through the AAC unscathed, a win over Boise State in the Mountain West title game could net SDSU a trip to a big bowl game. (Nick Bromberg)

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 1: Joshua Dobbs #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers against the Northwestern Wildcats during the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 1: Joshua Dobbs #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers against the Northwestern Wildcats during the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

IS THIS REALLY TENNESSEE’S YEAR?

I feel like I’ve been promised this Tennessee turnaround season for quite some time now and frankly I’m not buying it. This team has a ton of talent, especially in the backfield, but that passing offense was pretty terrible last year and contributed to some of the Vols’ losses. Sadly, I don’t have a lot of faith that it will be much better in 2016.

Look, this schedule is tough and it starts with the season opener against Appalachian State. Appy State is a team that won 11 games last year and returns nine starters from a defense that dominated the Sun Belt. I know, I know, the Sun Belt is hardly the SEC, but let’s go ahead and look at the Vols SEC schedule, shall we? They face a stingy Florida defense on Sept. 24, then Georgia, A&M and Alabama in the next three weeks. The schedule definitely softens towards the end of the season, but that midseason stretch is brutal and will certainly define whether Tennessee can have a special season or just another eight or nine-win campaign. My guess is the latter. (Graham Watson)

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Washington quarterback Jake Browning (3) looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, in Seattle. Utah beat Washington 34-23. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Washington quarterback Jake Browning (3) looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, in Seattle. Utah beat Washington 34-23. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

PAC-12 ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN ONCE AGAIN

I don’t know how crazy of a prediction this is since it happened last year, but I really think the Pac-12 is going to get shut out from the College Football Playoff again. And it’s not because there’s a lack of talent in the conference. It’s more because there is too much talent. There are probably six teams in that league capable of winning double-digit games, but these teams are going to beat up on each other. At the end of the year we’ll probably have a few Pac-12 teams with two or more losses that are better than a team from another Power Five league that played a weaker schedule and is undefeated (hello, Iowa) or has one loss. Stuff like this makes me wonder if some programs will start to reconsider scheduling these big early-season matchups (like USC-Alabama), because there has yet to be a two-loss team in the playoff. And until it inevitably moves to eight teams, it would surprise me if the committee picked a two-loss team over a one-loss team.

And while we’re on the subject of the Pac-12, can we cool it with the Washington hype for a minute? UW went 7-6 last year and now people are expecting it to win the Pac-12 North, with some even picking the Huskies as a CFP contender. I don’t buy it. The Huskies will definitely be much better. The defense is one the conference’s best, but this is still a very young team — particularly on offense. I don’t think sophomore quarterback Jake Browning will take quite as big a leap forward as people expect. This looks more like an eight or nine-win team to me than a playoff contender. (Sam Cooper)

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!