Predicting College Football's Next 10 National Champions

Predicting the winner of any college football game this season isn't easy. There are too many variables and chaos runs rampant in college football. That makes predicting the future National Champions incredibly hard, especially the next 10 champions. However, that's what the folks over at College Spun have done. You can check out the full predictions in slideshow form here, but we've put their predictions into one page for your consumption below. Full disclosure, College Spun gets creative with their predictions, especially in the later years. With that in mind, here are College Football's Next 10 Champions

2015: Ohio State Buckeyes

College Spun starts by giving the Buckeyes the 2015 title, as QB J.T. Barrett leads the Buckeyes to back-to-back titles. OSU goes undefeated in the regular season, defeats the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff semifinals and then knocks off Alabama in the Championship.

2016: Clemson Tigers

The Tigers came up short in 2015, but they're the champions in 2016. QB Deshaun Watson leads Clemson to a perfect regular season and takes home the Heisman Trophy in the process. Clemson defeats LSU in the semifinal and then gets its revenge OSU in the title game.

2017: Alabama Crimson Tide

Not surprisingly, College Spun projects Nick Saban getting one last title at Alabama. It's Saban's fifth career championship and his fourth at Alabama. However, it's Saban's final title. He retires two seasons later, widely considered the greatest coach in college football history. 

2018: Michigan Wolverines

In his fourth year at the helm of his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh gets the Wolverines a national title. Despite an early-season loss, the Wolverines win the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff. However, it's the only title Harbaugh wins at Michigan. Two years later, College Spun predicts Harbaugh returns to the NFL. 

2019: Ohio State Buckeyes

After watching rival Michigan win a title, the Buckeyes run through the regular season with ease. That includes beating an undefeated Michigan team on the road. The Buckeyes have no issues in the College Football Playoff, and Meyer picks up his fifth national championship. 

2020: Florida Gators

After bringing several talented recruiting classes, Jim McElwain finally wins a National Title at Florida. McElwain goes undefeated, something even Meyer couldn't do at Florida. 

2021: Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia captures the national title that has eluded them since 1980, but it doesn't come with Mark Richt as head coach. Instead, College Spun has current Memphis coach Justin Fuente leading the way. Richt "resigned" a few seasons earlier after a disappointing season. The Bulldogs enter the season ranked No. 1 and suffer an early season loss. However, the Bulldogs win out and defeat Oregon in the Championship game. 

2022: Oregon Ducks

Oregon rebounds from a loss to Georgia the season before to capture the first national title of Chip Kelly's career. That's right, Kelly returned to Oregon two seasons prior. He was successful in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2018, but decided to return to the college ranks. The Championship is billed as "Nike vs. Under Armour," as Oregon's opponent is Maryland. The Terrapins are led by current Toledo head coach Matt Campbell, but they come up short against Oregon. 

2023: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Irish join the ranks of National Title winners, but it doesn't come with Brian Kelly at the helm. He leaves for the NFL in 2018. Instead, Urban Meyer, who College Spun predicts will leave OSU in 2020 for a new challenge and “dream job”, leads the Irish. In his third year at Notre Dame, Meyer picks up his sixth national title and takes over the title of "greatest college football coach in history."

2024: Texas Longhorns

For the fourth straight season, the National Title is won by a team that has a different coach than their current one. Charlie Strong has success at Texas, but leaves for the NFL in 2021. In steps current Houston head coach Tom Herman, who elects to stay in Texas and not return to Ohio State. Herman brings in back-to-back top ranked recruiting class and the Longhorns turn that into a national title in 2024. 

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Related Topics: Brian Kelly, Jim Harbaugh, Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Chip Kelly, Justin Fuente, Mark Richt, Tom Herman, Charlie Strong