Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season. This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few weeks to publish my 12th annual college football preview guide. Without further ado, here are the teams I am predicting to surprise this season. These teams are ordered in the relative disparity between my picks and the experts average while also taking into account the significance of each pick.
| Surprise Teams | My Predictions: | Experts Predictions: | |
| 1 | Arizona | 10th in nation (+24); 1st in Pac 12 South (+2) | 34th in nation; 3rd in Pac-12 South |
| 2 | Syracuse | 18th in nation (+51); 2nd in ACC Atlantic (+5) | 69th in nation; 7th in ACC Atlantic |
| 3 | Eastern Michigan | 53rd in nation (+54); 1st in MAC West (+3) | 107th in nation; 4th in MAC West |
| 4 | Virginia | 47th in nation (+30); 3rd in ACC Coastal (+4) | 77th in nation; 7th in ACC Coastal |
| 5 | North Texas | 40th in nation (+42); 1st in C-USA West (+2) | 82nd in nation; 3rd in C-USA West |
| 6 | Georgia Tech | 29th in nation (+10); 2nd in ACC Coastal (+3) | 39th in nation; 5th in ACC Coastal |
| 7 | SMU | 66th in nation (+22); 3rd in AAC West (+3) | 88th in nation; 6th in AAC West |
| 8 | Baylor | 45th in nation (+15); 7th in Big 12 (+2) | 60th in nation; 9th in Big 12 |
| 9 | Colorado State | 44th in nation (+48); 2nd in MWC Mtn. (+3) | 92nd in nation; 5th in MWC Mtn. |
| 10 | UMass | 64th in nation (+34); N/A | 98th in nation; N/A |
Ramblings of the Ultimate Sports Sentimentalist 