At this time last year, trying to make predictions about college football started with guessing whether the season would actually reach a conclusion.
Only 60% of FBS conferences kicked off in September — which explains picking UCF to make the College Football Playoff in 2020.
Does it explain picking Texas? There are only so many things one can blame on the pandemic. (It should be noted that the if-in-doubt-pick-Alabama strategy worked out great.)
College football is trending back toward business as usual in 2021. Fingers crossed. That should make projecting who disappoints, overachieves and reaches the playoff and wins the national championship much easier.