Who are the most prominent programs around the FBS conferences heading into 2018?

American Athletic Conference

1. UCF (13-0) in the East
2. Memphis (10-3) in the West

• USF (10-2) and Temple (7-6) are 2-3 in West
• Could one of the them sneak up on UCF, with HC Scott Frost at Nebraska now and former Missouri OC Josh Heupel now head coach for the Knights?
• Houston (7-5) hopes to sneak into the conversation in the West

Atlantic Coast Conference

1. Clemson (12-2) in the Atlantic
2. Miami-FL (10-3) in the Coastal

• both Clemson and Miami-FL are consensus picks in 2018 in the ACC  
• could they repeat again in 2018?
• Notre Dame (10-3) is the Top independent again in 2018 and continues to play five ACC teams 

Big Ten Conference

1. Wisconsin (13-1) in the West
2. Ohio State (12-2) in the East

• No one is picking Michigan (8-5) to win the East outright, but they are expected to be in hunt
• Michigan State (10-3) and Penn State (11-2) could sneak into the East again
• Northwestern (10-3) is picked 3rd ahead of Iowa (8-5), but one site has the Wildcats in the West

Big 12 Conference

1. Oklahoma (12-2)

• Texas (7-6) is picked to be the team to knock out the Sooners in 2018, if anyone does it
• TCU (11-3) is next in line in the Big 12 race in 2018, after playing in the title game last year

Conference USA

1. Florida Atlantic (11-3) in the East
2. North Texas (9-5) in the West

• Marshall (8-5) is the best candidate to challenge FAU in the East
• Louisiana Tech (7-6) and UAB (8-5) are 2-3 in the West pecking order, top challengers to North Texas

Mid American Conference

1. Ohio U (9-4) in the East
2. Northern Illinois (8-5) in the West

• Miami-OH (5-7) and Buffalo (6-6) are 2-3 in the East pecking order, top challenges to Ohio U
• Toledo (11-3) won the West last season and is the best candidate to give NIU a challenge

Mountain West Conference

1. Boise State (11-3) in the Mountain
2. Fresno State (10-4) in the West
3. San Diego State (10-3) in the West

• No real contenders beyond the Top 3 according the experts in the MWC in 2018

Pacific 12 Conference

1. Washington (10-3) in the North
2. USC (11-3) in the South

• Arizona (7-6) could be a surprise in the South, despite new HC Kevin Sumlin
• Stanford (9-5) won the North last season, but Washington is a consensus pick in 2018

Southeastern Conference

1. Alabama (13-1) in the West
2. Georgia (13-2) in the East

• Alabama is a consensus pick in the West, despite Auburn (10-4) knocking them off in 2017
• Florida (4-7) and South Carolina (9-4) are tied for 2nd in the East pecking order, top challenges to Georgia in 2018

Sun Belt Conference

1. Arkansas State (7-5) in the West
2. Appalachian State (9-4) in the East
3. Troy (11-2) in the East

• The Sun Belt finally joins the other conferences with a conference title game this season
• Louisiana Monroe (4-8) is the best candidate in the West to sneak up on Arkansas State