- After all is said and done, I think the loss to Virginia will be the most painful loss of 2013. While there were definitely extenuating circumstances (rain delay, horrendous playing conditions, first game with new offense, etc.) this is a really bad Virginia team. The only D-1 school they have beaten thus far is the Y. And it doesn't get any easier--three of their last five opponents are currently ranked in the top 15.
- Final Record Prediction: 3-9 (which would make it by far Bronco's worst loss as a Head Coach)
- The Longhorn team that stuck it to Oklahoma two weeks ago and the team that BYU walloped could not be more different. Against the Cougars, Texas looked very soft as BYU's struggling offensive line was far from physical than UT's front 7. It is hard to gauge how good (or mediocre) this Texas team is. Either way, they currently control their own destiny in the Big 12. They have three straight games they will be favored to win (Kansas, TCU and West Virginia) before they host #19 Oklahoma State and #10 Texas Tech and then head up north to face #8 Baylor. Those three games will decide whether this is a good Texas team or not.
- Final Record Prediction (Before Bowl): 8-4
- Utah's up and down season has been well-documented by my colleague Brad Findeis. After coming off a major upset over then #5 Stanford, the Utes dropped an egg and lost to a middle of the pack Arizona team on the road. The Utes have three strong wins to their credit (USU, BYU and Stanford) and have been within striking distance in all 3 of their losses. It will be interesting to see how they finish but they should make it to a bowl game because they have 2 remaining games against the dregs of the PAC-12 (Wazzou and Colorado).
- Final Record Prediction (Before Bowl): 7-5
- This is a very mediocre team. Perhaps the biggest evidence of this fact is that BYU turned the ball over 5 times against them and still won by four touchdowns. The Blue Raiders face a patsy C-USA schedule that might allow them to get to 6 wins and a lower-tier bowl game.
- Final Record Prediction (Before Bowl): 6-6
- It's been a turbulent season for the Aggies. After having their best season in over half a century, hopes were high for this year's team (even with a new Head Coach). The Aggies started out hot against the Utes but couldn't hold on to finish with a win. They then crushed D-II Weber State and a bad Air Force team before losing a heartbreaker at the Coliseum against USC. The bottom fell out when their most invaluable player, Chuckie Keeton, suffered a season ending knee injury against the Cougs. BYU thumped them and then Boise did the same the next week. The Aggies destroyed a bad New Mexico team last Saturday and should be favored to win the remainder of its games and go to a bowl. If they win out, Utah State will be a solid, but underwhelming, 8-4 before the bowl.
- Final Record Prediction (Before Bowl): 8-4
Georgia Tech (4-3 overall, 3-2 ACC)
- The Yellow Jackets are a hard team to figure out. They are very inconsistent. They lost 3 games in a row and then beat Syracuse 56-0. Their success is predicated on how well their opponents know how to defend the option. BYU and Virginia Tech were very successful against the Jackets defensively and GT just didn't have enough firepower to stay with Miami late. GT plays Virginia, Pitt, #9 Clemson, Alabama A&M and then their rival Georgia. After last week's performances by Clemson and Georgia, I would say that all of these games are winnable for GT but I doubt they will win out.
- Final Record Prediction (Before Bowl): 7-5
- Houston is a tricky team to predict from here on out. The only decent team (BYU) they have played thus far, they lost to. However, that loss was only by a point and Houston had every chance to win the game. The Cougars in red still have some statement games left. Their remaining 3 tough games are all on the road (Rutgers, #23 UCF, #20 Louisville) and their other 3 games they should win. I'm going to say that Houston wins all the games it should and gets a victory in one of the three statement games.
- Final Record Prediction (Before Bowl): 9-3
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