Paul Finebaum identifies the team with the greatest chance of taking down Alabama this season. (1:16).Just two weeks remain until the start of college football season. Bill Connelly provided ESPN+ previews for every division of every FBS conference from the Sun Belt to SEC all offseason.Here's your chance, if you haven’t been following along. There are detailed breakdowns of all 130 teams, including 2021 projected win totals, game-by-game winning probabilities, and a look back to what we learned about each team in 2020. Plus, the history of each team is included in one handy chart.Whatever team you are a fan, there is something to help you get ready for the Aug. 28 games.Big 12ACC AtlanticAfter going 59-for85 for 781 yards and four touchdowns last year, DJ Uiagalelei at Clemson seems ready to replace Trevor Lawrence. What about the secondary? The run defense was outstanding last year, but pass defense was poor (18th in passing success rate and 35th in passer rating allowed). Ohio State won the CFP.Georgia aside, it isn't clear if any of the secondary players on this schedule can fully test them. While there are many solid passing games across the Atlantic, only BC did any damage. However, the CFP will be played by any Tigers.You want to learn more about Clemson’s title hopes, Florida State’s rebuild, NC State’s upside, and everything else in the ACC Atlantic?Click here to see Bill Connelly’s complete team-by-team ESPN+ preview for the ACC Atlantic.ACC CoastalIt was perfect symmetry. It was perfect symmetry. After seven years of ACC Coastal's division titles, Notre Dame became a non-divisional ACC and won the conference championship in its first attempt. For a division with seven teams, this is like eight champions in eight year. (The Fighting Irish also followed Coastal traditions by being beaten by Clemson during the title game.We will see a repeat champion at the Coastal, barring any sudden or unexpected expansions, or the abandonment of entire divisions altogether. Based on last year's levels, and this year’s returning production, Miami is the most likely to win. Can either one of these programs compete at the top-10 levels projected and challenge Clemson for the conference title? Can Virginia Tech overcome last year's misfortune and run again? Can Pitt and Virginia ruin everyone else's plans for the future?This division has more potential than we have seen in a while. But questions remain.Click here to see Bill Connelly’s complete team-by-team ESPN+ preview for the ACC Coastal.Big 12Since we wrote this article, quite a few things happened in the Big 12. The future of the league is in doubt due to Texas and Oklahoma's departures to the SEC. However, the upcoming season will not be affected by this except for some interesting road crowds for both the Sooners or Longhorns.Oklahoma has won six consecutive conference titles and is the clear favorite to win seven more in 2021. Iowa State is equipped to produce another top-10 campaign. Texas has just hired Steve Sarkisian, the former Alabama offensive coordinator, as its new coach. Can the Sooners withstand a long Big 12 grind while still pursuing national title hopes? Is ISU equipped with one more gear? Is it possible to see how balanced and strong the Big 12 is?The bottom half of the Big 12 can see teams rise and fall quickly. Baylor was the 2019 Big 12 Champion two years after it went 1-11. The Bears were 2-7 the following year. Two years after being 5-7, Texas finished second in the 2018 Big 12 Championship. TCU reached the title game in 2017 after having gone 6-7. Since then, TCU has gone 18-17.Here is Bill Connelly’s ESPN+ team-by-team preview of the Big 12's projected bottom half. Here's the top-half of the league.Play 0:30 Harbaugh - Michigan is going to beat its rivals or die trying Jim Harbaugh outlines the goals for the 2021 season and includes taking down Ohio State, his first defeat in his tenure as Michigan's head coach.Big Ten EastHow can you measure your success in a college football division? Both Penn State and Michigan were built into top-10-level programs in the latter stages of the 2010s. Indiana just had its best team for 30 years and Michigan State is not far from its greatest run of success since 1960. All of them have helped make the Big Ten East the second-best college football division on average.The Buckeyes have not been beaten by the East since Penn State's White Out win over Ohio State in 2016. Although there are some hiccups (42-35 against Indiana in 2020, 52-50 vs. Maryland 2018 and 39-38 respectively), the Buckeyes have been dominating a very strong division for many years. They're enjoying the highest level of long-term quality in college football, even as a college blue blood. Ryan Day has continued to recruit them -- their 2021 class was their third-top-two in five years -- so there is no reason to believe that they will soon be losing their edge.Stars Trey Sermon and Justin Fields are no more, as well as seven defense regulars. While the talent level is not in doubt, it's possible for any number of teams to take advantage. Although we know who is the favorite, it is more difficult than Ohio State has made it appear in recent years to run the table.Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the Big Ten East.Big Ten WestTalk about everything or nothing. The Badgers averaged 39 points per contest last season. QB Graham Mertz, a redshirt freshman, had a QBR of 79.6. In his debut against Illinois, he completed 20 of 21 passes.The Badgers lost three games, but averaged 6.7 points. Mertz's QBR is 24.6. Is it possible for the Badgers to get more consistency out of the former blue-chipperIowa is the other favorite in this division, ranked No. This season, Iowa could be even more impressive in defensive SP+. What can we expect from Nebraska and Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, Purdue, Purdue, and Illinois, given the unpredictable Big Ten West?Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the Big Ten West.play 1:14 Why the Pac-12's drought in CFP may continue another year Heather Dinich looks at the Pac-12 to see if it can end its playoff drought.Pac-12 NorthSometimes, the Pac-12 is given a bad reputation. This conference is often referred to as the worst power conference due to its inability to produce a College Football Playoff participant. However, judging a conference by the number of losses it has since 2016 is a flawed method.The average Pac-12 production can be expected to exceed that of the ACC.Average SP+ rating for 2018-202018: Pac-12 +6.1, ACC+5.32019: Pac-12 +5.3, ACC+3.02020: Pac-12 +5.9 and ACC +5.2Clemson is the only reason that the ACC is held in greater regard than other teams. Can the Pac-12 team make a comeback and challenge a CFP bid for its place?Two of the most likely candidates are from the North. Mario Cristobal's Oregon has been recruiting like a playoff contender for several years now. Washington, on the other hand, has top-10 potential. Both have tough schedules to navigate and questions to answer about offense.Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the Pac-12 North.Pac-12 SouthWhat is the value of returning production if you have only played a handful of games last year? This will be the key to how strong the Pac-12 is in 2021. The conference had eight of the top fifteen teams in February's return production rankings. This would indicate that there is significant improvement. Arizona State's eleventh-ranked production was based on a four-game slate. Utah's eighth-ranked production was based on five games.We will soon find out how strong the Pac-12 South is, but one thing seems certain: the Pac-12 South should be spectacular. The USC defense champion has a new skill corps that is dynamite, as well as an improved defense and a schedule that works. Utah and Arizona State have no guaranteed losses, and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic (at least until the NCAA stops destroying ASU's optimism). UCLA was a great offensive team and could be a big wild card. Colorado won the fight last year, going 4-2. Five out of six teams believe they have a chance at the division in 2021. While only three to four of them are correct, this fight could prove to be a lot more fun.Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the Pac-12 South.SEC EastNick Saban's single quote summed up the 2020 season: "It used be that if you had good defense, other people weren’t going to score." You were always going be there. You are right. It's not that simple anymore.Georgia proved his point. They were first in defensive SP+ and beat their opponents by an average score 34-14. They allowed 891 yards passing and 85 points in two losses against the elite Alabama and Florida offenses. They scored 52 points in their return. You need to be able to unleash your offensive firepower.Smart chose QB J.T. Daniels, a blue-chip transfer from USC, was finally available for the lineup in November. He was still recovering from a long knee injury. Smart chose QB J.T. Georgia dropped from 29 to 38 points per game, while Daniels' Total QBR score of 89.1 would have placed it fourth for the season.Can the Dawgs maintain that level of play for a full season. Can Florida replace an abundance of offensive firepower? And can it improve its defense? What are the future plans for Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Tennessee's new coaches?Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the SEC East.SEC WestNational titles since 2009: SEC West 8; all other in FBS 4.Alabama is the clear leader with six titles during that time span. Nick Saban's team shows no signs of slowing down. The Tide boast blue-chip talent across the board, despite having eight players draft in the 40 first picks of the 2021 Draft. Alabama's defense returns eight players from last year's defense which ranked sixth in SP+. Christian Harris Jr. and Will Anderson Jr. are both elite blitzers. Tennessee linebacker transfer Henry To'o To'o can also do it well. Corner Josh Jobe was allowed only 16.3 QBR during coverage. Former top recruit Bryce Young should continue the offense at quarterback.Is Bama ready for another title? Texas A&M can find a quarterback to match its other talent. Can Ole Miss stop anyone? Will new hires be able to recapture the 2019 magic of LSU?Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the SEC West.IndependentsFortunes have varied widely for each of the FBS teams. But the year of coronavirus brought about a series of events that could not have been more diverse.Two indies (New Mexico State, UConn) opted out completely of the fall season. A third (UMass) initially opted out but suffered some blowout losses. The most famous indie (Notre Dame), joined the ACC for a full year, almost won it, and then reverted back to conference-less status. Two other teams enjoyed near unprecedented success: BYU went 21-2 and were ranked 11th and 17th respectively by the AP at year's end. As if nothing had changed, Army's progress continued under Jeff Monken.BYU and Notre Dame have key pieces to replace in 2021. Liberty has a potential first round quarterback leading the charge. Army's got more return production than usual and the bottom three are still the bottom three.Click here to see team-by-team previews on ESPN+ of seven FBS independent teams: Liberty, Notre Dame and Army.American Athletic ConferenceIt's clear that the College Football Playoff committee will place a Group 5 team in the top 4 (I am not convinced they will ever do so), and it will follow this recipe:Enjoy a great season and gain mainstream respect.You might have already scheduled some key, important opponents for next season.The next season, you will be undefeated.Luke Fickell's Cincinnati Bearcats have checked box No. 1 in 2020. 1, went unbeaten in the regular-season, put together a legitimate playoff case and finished 9-1 with a loss to Georgia in the last second, their second top-10 finish in program historical. They can check box No. 2. The schedule features perfectly-timed roadtrips to Indiana (Sept. 18), and Notre Dame, (Oct. 2).They must also survive the AAC once again. Tulsa, UCF and SMU all come to Nippert Stadium (and Memphis won't be on the regular-season schedule). However, the upside is that Tulsa is on defense, SMU is on offense and UCF is in the top-to-bottom talent. Tulsa and UCF barely beat this Cincy team late last season. There should be plenty of resistance at the top of AAC once again.Click here to see team-by-team ESPN+ previews for the bottom half of this AAC. For the top half, click hereConference USA EastConference USA is the first stop in our 2021 college football preview series. In 2020, the East division was a disappointment. It had a lot of good units, but not many teams, except for early-season Marshall.The Thundering Herd has changed its head coach, and most teams return large parts of last year’s depth charts. It's possible that the division's downside may be compensated for by its competitiveness and experience. SP+ projects that all seven teams will win between three to five conference games per year, with last year's champion starting at the top.Click here to see a preview of CUSA East by ESPN+.Conference USA WestThe Conference USA West title, which has been running through Birmingham, Alabama since UAB's release from a self-imposed penalty for death, has seen Bill Clark's Blazers win three consecutive titles. Is there any hope that this year's most significant contributors will be back?Hope might still live in San Antonio, just like the Alamo and Pearl Brewery. UTSA made a significant step forward in Jeff Traylor’s first season. SP+ projections indicate that UAB's November 20 trip to AlamoDome could decide the division champion.Click here to see a preview of CUSA West by ESPN+.Mid-American EastThere are four division titles aspirations for the four remaining programs. If Kent State makes a few more stops and Miami has a tough road slate, the MAC East title race will be one of FBS’ most intriguing. Ohio's small sample suggests that it is just as strong as last year's.There is also the possibility that Buffalo might be too good for this field. Lance Leipold's Bulls won both the East in 2020 and 2018 and were also four points short of the division title in 2019. SP+ considers them favorites again. However, this division still has more than half the strength.Click here to see a preview of the Mid-American East on ESPN+.Mid-American WestThe MAC West tried to squeeze a full season's worth MACtion and tight finishes in a short half-season. Five of six regular-season Ball State games were decided by one score. CMU, WMU, and EMU played four such games.BSU won four of five close games, and earned a division championship -- and the opportunity to defeat Buffalo in the MAC champion. We could also see another repeat of the drama section with many of the best players returning to the team. What more could you ask for in your life?Click here to see a preview of the Mid-American West on ESPN+.MWC MountainThe MWC Mountain Football Race should be as it has been in recent years. Boise State is the winner. SP+ projects the Broncos to be well ahead of the field, having won four titles in succession and five of their past seven.It's enough to make you wonder. BSU will be making a coaching switch for the second time in 15-years, and the teams projected next to best -- Craig Bohl’s Wyoming and Troy Calhoun’s Air Force -- have a lot more experience than usual. Can the Pokes or Falcons make a run for the title? Can new head coaches from other divisions make an impact?Click here to see a team-by–team ESPN+ preview for the MWC Mountain Division.MWC WestIt was a continuation of one of college football's most compelling 2020 stories. San Jose State defeated Nevada at "home" (in Las Vegas on a field with New Mexico’s home markings). The Spartans beat Boise State to win the MWC West title.Although the Spartans have almost all of their title team players back, the most notable MWC story in 2021 may be how fiercely competitive the West race turns out to be. SP+ projects that the top four divisional teams -- Nevada, Fresno State and SJSU -- will be within 10 spots of one another in the overall rankings. These four teams faced off in four games last year. They were defeated by a total 29 points. Things could get even closer this year.Reminder: The projected records that you see below are based upon win probabilities. A 50% chance equals 0.5 victories. It's not surprising that the conference's top four teams are expected to finish 5-3. This is because they have so many close games ahead. This is great news for us, even though it doesn't help our anxiety levels.Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the MWC West Division.Sun Belt EastSP+ states that the Sun Belt East's worst team -- Georgia Southern in this instance -- would be the West's second-best. This is all you need to know about #FunBelt's current power balance.The East is the best division in the Group of Five, thanks to both App State's top-20 potential and Coastal Carolina's top-75 potential. App State is in the SP+ Top 30 for three consecutive seasons. Coastal Carolina beat the Mountaineers last season with a stunning victory. The three remaining teams in the division bring back nearly everyone. There are no off weeks.Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the Sun Belt East.Sun Belt WestNo Sun Belt team was ever in the SP+ top 35 before 2018, but six have done so in the last three seasons. Appalachian State is the leader, having won the title for three consecutive years. However, Billy Napier's Louisiana, which has won the title twice in succession, leads the country in return production.This year, we'll learn a lot more about the benefits of experience for teams and their upside. If all of this continuity is successful, the Ragin' Cajuns could be the best SBC team ever.We will also find out if any of the West division champions can challenge them. All indications are that it is.Click here to see a team-byteam ESPN+ preview for the Sun Belt West.
