The Win Column: 100% accurate college football predictions
Today is Monday.
Next Monday in Labor Day.
And what comes in between, class?
COLLEGE FOOTBALL, DUH
Week 0 is cool and all … but around these parts, things really get going when Georgia Tech hosts Coach Prime and Colorado on Thursday night. (And, to a less juicy extent, when Georgia opens with Tennessee State on Saturday.)
Wanna read some predictions that I forced my colleagues to make?
Connor Riley, DawgNation: “Georgia finishes the regular season undefeated. This is an easier Georgia schedule than we’ve seen in recent years. Even with an added conference game, things set up nicely for the Bulldogs this fall. With still such a young team I expect this team to improve over the course of the season and find itself playing in Atlanta once again. ”
Gabe Burns, roving sports reporter: My man submitted like eight predictions, including a 7-5 record for Tech, a ring for Notre Dame (seems to be a trend) and another SEC title for Georgia: “I’ll pick them to win the SEC championship because picking Texas to defeat them, given what we’ve seen the last couple of years, is just insulting. Maybe the Longhorns break through but I’m not going to get burned picking them.”
Fletcher Page, Georgia Tech beat writer: “If Justice Haynes stays healthy, he’ll receive votes for a Heisman top-10 finish. There are plenty of questions to be answered across the board about Georgia Tech. But we’ll give Brent Key the benefit of the doubt on offensive line play, and we know Tech will run the ball. Often. Haynes will headline a deep group of backs and pile up stats and highlights.”
Ken Sugiura, sports columnist: Ken likes Tech to finish as strong as 8-4 (Alberto Mendoza: plenty of potential, but growing pains likely). And Georgia? Expect 10-2 or 11-1. “If the wide receivers can come through, this should be a better team than the past two.”
There’s also this: “We’ll have some sort of moment that will be unexpected and unprecedented and it will be awesome. Who knows what it’ll be. A hot-air balloon making an emergency landing in the fourth quarter of the Iron Bowl. A quarterback stamping his Heisman Trophy bid with a 95-yard scramble in a snowstorm. Whatever this year’s ‘tarps off’ is. And whatever it is, it will be fantastic.”
Mike Griffith, DawgNation: “My bold and fearless prediction is that Notre Dame will win the national championship. It’s more bold than fearless when one considers Notre Dame has only three preseason Top 25 teams on its schedule — at BYU, Miami at home and home vs. SMU — and no conference championship game to worry about. In fact, there’s a new stipulation with the CFP this season that if the Irish finished ranked in the top 12 of the CFP rankings they are in automatically.
“All that said, Notre Dame has an elite head coach in Marcus Freeman and the current Heisman Trophy favorite at QB in CJ Carr. I am currently one of only six AP Top 25 voters — of 69 — to have Notre Dame No. 1 on my preseason ballot.”
Mike will publish his ballot on AJC.com every week.
🔮 Got your own predictions? Beef with something above? Hit me up. Maybe I’ll include it (and a prognostication or two of my own) in Wednesday’s Win Column.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON THIS WEEK?
🎾 U.S. Open tennis: The tourney’s main draw started Sunday (Novak Djokovic already lost!) and runs through mid-September. Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff, who lived in Atlanta as kids, launch their tourneys at 7 o’clock tonight and 7 p.m. Tuesday, respectively.
⚾ Braves: The streaking Bravos host the Giants tonight to make up for a June rainout (6:05 p.m., BravesVision). After that: A two game-trip to Washington, D.C. (6:45 p.m. Tuesday, 1:05 p.m. Wednesday), then a weekend series in Philadelphia kicks off another crucial stretch.
- Expanded rosters arrive Tuesday. More on the Braves’ possible additions momentarily.
⚖️ Court drama: The SEC says it’ll play nice re: court orders on woulda-been NFL players returning to school. That doesn’t mean they won’t fight the issue, though, and the next big hearing arrives Thursday in Louisiana.
🏀 Dream: After besting the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, it’s time for a two-week break for the FIBA World Cup. Record-breaking Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard and the rest of Team USA get China at 8:15 a.m. Friday in Berlin.
⚽ Atlanta United: The Five Stripes visit Lionel Messi and Miami on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). The GOAT and his squad have struggled a bit since returning from the World Cup break … and just replaced their manager for good measure.
🏈 College football: Not a ton of bangers in Week 1, but there’s some potential. Auburn and Baylor square off in Saturday’s Aflac Kickoff Game right here in Atlanta (3:30 p.m., ABC). Sign us up for Clemson at No. 11 LSU (7:30, ABC) too.
- You’ll have to wait until Sunday (yep, Sunday) for your lone ranked matchup: No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss in Nashville.
FALCONS FANS, MEET ‘DINO DEX’
I’m glad quarterback Jack Strand made the Falcons’ initial 53-man roster. Surprised running back Tyler Goodson didn’t (had a whole “more like Great-son” thing lined up). And after Za’Darius Smith shared his emotional retirement-unretirement story, I’m willing to ride for him. Forever.
But the (ahem) biggest news out of Flowery Branch lately may be the team’s Sunday night trade for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr.
🦖 Dexter comes over from Chicago in a swap involving cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
🦖 He’s 24 years old, played college ball at Florida, has one season left on his rookie contract and is, for some reason, nicknamed “Dino Dex.”
🦖 One possible explanation: He’s huge. At 6-foot-6 and 326 pounds, he’s instantly the Falcons’ tallest and heaviest defender.
🦖 The run defense is a bit dicey, but he’s pretty good at the whole interior pass rush thing. He posted six sacks in 2025.
🦖 More, from beat writer Daniel Flick: “According to Pro Football Focus, Dexter’s 38 quarterback pressures last season ranked 19th among 134 defensive tackles.”
Not too shabby.
“Atlanta, I’m ready to get to work!” Dexter wrote on X. “Falcons fans, I’m excited to be here and ready to give everything I have to this team and this city. Looking forward to a great year!”
BRAVES ADDITIONS EN ROUTE
The Braves have won seven straight games and everything is great and will remain that way forever, because that’s how baseball works.
Right?
Anyway … MLB rosters expand at 6 p.m. Tuesday and the Braves have decisions to make. Our beat-writing amigo Chad Bishop offered some options for the two new spots in Friday’s Braves Report (can I interest you in a Rowdy Tellez, a Jim Jarvis or a speedy outfielder?)
🤔 I also asked Gaurav Vedak to weigh in. He works for Baseball Prospectus and just so happens to be a top-notch watcher of the Braves minor leagues,
He called Jarvis — punted to Triple-A last week when fellow shortstop Ha-Seong Kim returned — an “obvious candidate” to return. Another name to watch: Tyler Uberstine, the reliever Atlanta picked up when it shipped Eli White to Boston.
Then there’s Blake Burkhalter.
- “Blake is an interesting (prospect) and provides potentially some of the highest upside,” Gaurav told me. “Blake has transitioned completely to a reliever and has put up eye-opening numbers. His four seam fastball has a unique shape and gets up to 99 mph with plus command, and that pairs well with his great curveball, good change-up, and strong cutter. Blake must be added to the 40-man roster this season anyway, otherwise the Braves risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft.”
Burkhalter has a 1.48 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 24⅓ innings with Gwinnett this year.
Lots of different relief options out there … but sign me up.
📊 Poll results: Last week we asked if you trusted starter Bryce Elder. “Mostly” and “I wish I didn’t have to” tied for most common answer, at 36% apiece.
“He has absolutely no margin for error,” reader Marc from Smyrna wrote. “If he isn’t perfect he gets pounded.”
PHOTO OF THE WEEKEND
“Being able to track the growth of his child via post-tournament celebrations” seems like a pretty good indication that Scottie Scheffler — seen here after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake on Sunday — remains good at golf.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Win Column. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.