During an interview with ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show on Friday morning, college football guru Phil Steele officially made his preseason picks for each Power 5 conference champion ahead of the 2016 season.
Drum roll, please.
Phil Steele names his 2016 College Football Conference Champs:
ACC – FSU
Big 10 – OSU
SEC – ALA
Big 12 – OU
Pac 12 – WAS— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) July 22, 2016
It’s not surprising that he lists Alabama as the favorite to win the SEC in 2016. After securing four titles out of the last seven years, he’s just siding with the statistics. (That and the Crimson Tide could very well repeat as champs.) But what does stand out is his prediction for the Pac-12: Washington. Many believe Stanford, Oregon, USC and UCLA will be competing for that top spot — and while some have ventured out to mention the Huskies as a dark horse contender, few (if any) have been this bold.
If you’re interested in checking out the rest of Steele’s preseason projections and analytics, you can order his magazine via this link. It’s highly recommended for even the average fan.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
