For all the drama and shape-shifting college athletics has endured this summer, this college football season should look relatively normal.
USC and UCLA -- and everyone else in that league -- are competing in a whole Pac-12 for one final, historic season. Big 12 blue bloods Oklahoma and Texas don't leave for the SEC until 2024, so Bedlam will be played one more time.
And the four-team College Football Playoff will frustrate fans -- and the No. 5 team in the country -- for one final season. The CFP selection committee will release its first of six rankings on Halloween, but each power conference has one pressing question that will impact the committee's top four on Selection Day. Here's a look at the biggest storyline and a playoff prediction for each:
ACC
Can the ACC make a CFP comeback? It's more likely without divisions this fall because Florida State and Clemson won't necessarily eliminate each other during the regular season. The ACC has missed out on the CFP in back-to-back seasons, but FSU is on the rise under coach Mike Norvell, and Clemson made some necessary changes this offseason. Coach Dabo Swinney hired former TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to lead the offense, and quarterback Cade Klubnik has taken over the starting job from DJ Uiagalelei, who transferred to Oregon State. Clemson could earn a top-four finish without winning the conference thanks in part to a win against Notre Dame if the Irish are ranked when they play in early November. A road win at rival South Carolina could also prove valuable if coach Shane Beamer's program takes another step forward and again finishes as a top-25 team. The strengths of their schedules could keep Clemson and FSU in the CFP hunt, even with a loss. If Clemson were to beat Florida State in September but suffer its first loss in the ACC championship game, to Florida State, the Tigers would still have a compelling case. The flip side holds true for the Seminoles, who could have regular-season wins against defending SEC West champ LSU and road wins at Clemson and Florida -- but suffer their first loss, to the Tigers, in the ACC title game.
Playoff prediction: Clemson will face Florida State for the ACC title, but won't go 3-0 during the regular season against FSU, Notre Dame and South Carolina. Clemson will beat the Noles at home Sept. 23, but FSU will have the upper hand in the ACC championship game, where the program will return for the first time since 2014. The Noles return the most overall production in the FBS, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. With quarterback Jordan Travis leading the offense and almost every key starter returning from a group that led the ACC in total defense last year, FSU will beat LSU for a key nonconference win that will help catapult the ACC champion Noles into the CFP.
Big Ten
Can Ohio State beat Michigan? Of course -- it has more flash 'n' dash skill players and is the only team in the FBS that has averaged at least 40 points since 2017, when Ryan Day joined the coaching staff as co-offensive coordinator. For Ohio State to beat Michigan, though, and win its first national title under Day, the Buckeyes have to eliminate the big plays on defense. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Ohio State allowed 16 plays of 20-plus yards across its final two games last season (6 vs. Michigan; 10 vs. Georgia). Ohio State allowed 14 offensive touchdowns of 20-plus yards last season; half of those came over its final two games (5 vs. Michigan; 2 vs. Georgia). Michigan will have home-field advantage Nov. 25, the veteran quarterback in J.J. McCarthy and a Heisman hopeful running back in Blake Corum. The winner of The Game has represented the Big Ten East in the conference title game every year since 2017, and Michigan has owned the past two.
Playoff prediction: Michigan will have the edge because the Ohio State game is at home -- but it's not going to guarantee a top-four finish, because the Wolverines will lose at Penn State on Nov. 11 and there will be a three-way tie for the selection committee to sort through. The Nittany Lions will lose at Ohio State on Oct. 21, creating a scenario where each of those three teams will have one loss -- to each other. That could open the door for Ohio State to elbow them both out if the Buckeyes also beat a top-12 Notre Dame team on Sept. 23. Neither PSU nor Michigan has a nonconference opponent as challenging, and that could be a separator -- just like it was last year for the Buckeyes.
Big 12
Is it Big 12 title or bust for Texas? Winning a conference championship is only going to get more difficult in the SEC, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he's looking for a "great send-off" with a Big 12 title. "There's no question, and I feel like I've had good teams in the past," he said. "I haven't been able to do it. ... I would love to win a championship our last year in the Big 12." Texas is going to need to win the Big 12 to impress the selection committee -- unless it beats Alabama and the Tide go on to win the SEC. Expectations are soaring for the Longhorns, who return quarterback Quinn Ewers and all five offensive linemen who started all 13 games last year. They also return 83% of their receiving yards.
Playoff prediction: Texas will lose to Alabama but win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009. It will be left out of the top four, however, because of the head-to-head result with the Tide and another loss along the way.
Pac-12
Will the Pac-12 end its story with a spot in the playoff? Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC predicts it will. "I'm very determined," he said. "I haven't been in the College Football Playoff in my two years of playing. ... It bothers me because I play for championships. I don't play for anything else." For USC to finish in the top four, it has to play more elite defense consistently, drastically cut down on missed tackles and avoid a letdown. November will be extremely difficult, as the Trojans end the season with consecutive games against Washington, Oregon and UCLA. The Huskies and Ducks also have CFP potential. USC also has back-to-back October games against Notre Dame and two-time defending conference champion Utah. The Trojans have the talent to win the league. They were phenomenal at winning the turnover battle last year and have better depth than they did a year ago. But USC has to learn how to play with a lead. Last season the Trojans led by at least 14 points in all three of their losses.
Playoff prediction: USC's defense will make the necessary strides under coordinator Alex Grinch and finish as a one-loss Pac-12 champion to earn the No. 4 spot.
SEC
Can Georgia three-peat? Yes, the Bulldogs are talented enough to make history. Carson Beck, who attempted 35 passes last season, takes over at quarterback. While the quarterback position is inexperienced, coach Kirby Smart said there is "a solid foundation around him." That hasn't always been the case, he said, adding that in "some of our other quarterback battles, we probably had other weaknesses and issues. We still have weaknesses, but we have a more stable ground right now." That includes a talented receiver room, arguably the best tight end in the country in Brock Bowers, and over two-thirds of its defensive production from last year's group that finished fifth in the FBS in scoring defense and 10th in total defense.
Playoff prediction: Take the field. There's a reason no team has won three consecutive national titles since the AP poll debuted in 1936 -- it's a herculean task. No school has won three straight major poll national titles, and the Dawgs lost 41% of their overall production, according to ESPN's Connelly. Georgia's path to another semifinal isn't as daunting as some others -- the Nov. 18 trip to Tennessee will be the Bulldogs' toughest game -- but somebody will knock off Georgia this fall, whether it's the Vols or another top-four team in the playoff.