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 14th annual college football preview guide which will contain 19 entries in all (see July 28th article for full schedule). 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 | Miami-FL | 13th in nation (+22); 1st in ACC Coastal (+1) | 35th in nation; 2nd in ACC Coastal |
| 2 | Tennessee | 9th in nation (+22); 2nd in SEC East (+1) | 31st in nation; 3rd in SEC East |
| 3 | California | 22nd in nation (+14); 2nd in Pac-12 North (+2) | 36th in nation; 4th in Pac-12 North |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 26th in nation (+32); 5th in SEC West (+1) | 58th in nation; 6th in SEC West |
| 5 | UCLA | 43rd in nation (+13); 3rd in Pac-12 South (+1) | 56th in nation; 4th in Pac-12 South |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 44th in nation (+54); 1st in MAC West (+2) | 98th in nation; 3rd in MAC West |
| 7 | Marshall | 47th in nation (+24); 1st in C-USA East (+2) | 71st in nation; 3rd in C-USA East |
| 8 | Ohio | 46th in nation (+40); 1st in MAC East (+1) | 86th in nation; 2nd in MAC East |
| 9 | San Jose State | 51st in nation (+57); 3rd in MWC West (+2) | 108th in nation; 5th in MWC West |
| 10 | North Texas | 50th in nation (+66); 2nd in C-USA West (+2) | 106th in nation; 4th in C-USA West |
As you can see above, my top surprise pick for the 2020 season is the Miami Hurricanes based on their ferocious defensive line which might be the best in the country, and the improvements they should see on offense thanks to the arrival of dynamic quarterback D’Eriq King from Houston.
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Ramblings of the Ultimate Sports Sentimentalist 