Revisiting preseason college football predictions: We were wrong (and sometimes

Speculation and takes on a constantly circulating CFB circuit are certainly things that keep this sport so interesting — aside from fans tearing up goalposts and selling grass from the field after a win — right? Last season, The Athletic evaluated its predictions in what was shaping up to be one of the zaniest season since 2007. Now we’re in the midst of a season with an AP poll that brings us back to the intriguing 1998 season.

So let’s do it again! From USC needing some time to jell to Marcus Freeman thriving in Year 1 to Tuck Comin’ and an Oklahoma rebuild, we again weigh in on we got wrong, what we got right, and a few talking points that have yet to go one way or the other.

We were wrong!

Alabama will be the season’s outright leader

G. Allan Taylor, Florida writer: I’m still astonished by Texas playing Alabama close, because Nick Saban’s teams tend to bring the hammer in early season nonconference matchups. (And because the Longhorns are destined to finish 8-4 and out of the Big 12 title race.) I’m less astonished by what happened to Alabama against “the other UT” last weekend, which was a carbon copy of the Tide’s 2021 loss at College Station. Now we enter familiar territory — Alabama needing to win out and beat Georgia (or Tennessee) in Atlanta to reach the College Football Playoff. More familiar territory: Fans questioning whether Pete Golding should remain defensive coordinator.

Joe Rexrode, senior writer, Nashville: If you tell me today that Alabama will win out from here and cruise to the national championship, my jaw will not drop to the floor. I might raise one eyebrow slightly, but how many times have we thought one thing about an Alabama team after a loss or bad performance in Saban era, only to look back later and realize it was just part of the growing process? Bryce Young, Will Anderson and Jahmyr Gibbs alone give the Tide a chance to get it done. I am surprised the defense isn’t better overall, and that Alabama has been so sloppy at times. The receiving corps was always going to take a step back. I assumed we’d see the offensive line jell and improve as the season progressed, and that will be a needed development moving forward.

USC will need some time to jell 

Bruce Feldman, insider: I thought USC was a 9-3-ish team this season. No doubt, they were going to be dramatically better with Lincoln Riley running the offense. Plus, bringing in Caleb Williams (who knows his system) and Travis Dye were massive upgrades. The late addition of Pitt’s Biletnikoff Award-winning Jordan Addison gave the Trojans a much-needed No. 1 receiver. That was a big boost. Two months into the season, that group has more than lived up to the hype. Williams’ ability to extend plays with his legs and evade tacklers has given USC a totally different dimension. Addison is a bona fide game-breaker and Dye has been developed into a physical all-purpose back.

They have had some hiccups offensively. Oregon State threw…