It is with a deep and heartfelt humility — 66-25 last season — and no sense of boastfulness whatever — 66-25 — that I welcome my loyal readership back to what I reluctantly refer to as the singular best college football prediction thread in the gridiron galaxy.

Self proclaimed guru Phil Steele feels it necessary annually to provide proof of his claim to have been the “most accurate preseason magazine” over the past three decades. How he on game days watches on 12 screens simultaneously — posting a photo of his set up– and on a weekly basis goes through every game of significance play by play.

The guy is good, mind you, and his ‘zine, jam-packed as it is with info (in very small print), is most helpful during the season. But . . .

. . . your acclaimed prognosticator watches on one screen — OK, sometimes on a couple and a laptop — yet still remains peerless in this endeavor.

Last season yet again was boffo.

Allow me to puff my chest this one time and advise that my W/L record for 2024 was 66-25.

Not bad I humbly share.

As usual, these picks are straightforward. Who wins, who loses. Period.

Point spreads, Seedy don’t need no stinkin’ point spreads.

It is what’s on the scoreboard when the clock strikes 00:00 that matters. That’s why they play the game.

Not some point spread the late Joey the Vig’s cousin Vinnie Vigorishinski sets at the Wynn in Vegas. Or the odds on whether Arch Whatsisname completes 4 of his first five passes in the Horseshoe.

Consider Week 0 to be hors d’oeuvres if you will. A platter of rumaki, crustless benedictine squares and chicken skewers to taste before the James Beard quality feast of 2025 college pigskin is served, starting with Week I.

Week 0’s victors:

Idaho State @ UNLV.  Normally I’d never address this encounter. An overmatched foe from the FCS taking on a rising Mountain West school — 11-3 last season — with a new guy in charge in Vegas with some proven chops. Dan Mullen. But there are only five games on the slate in Week 0, and I shan’t shy away from taking advantage of the gimme. Rebels. Hugely.

Fresno State @ Kansas.  Jayhawk coach Lance Leipold’s luster seemed to evaporate significantly last season, his fourth in Lawrence. After an opening walkover over something called Lindenwood, the preseason Top 25 squad lost five in a row, and never found itself. Not much is expected this season, when they are projected to be middle of the Big 12 pack. The Bulldogs, ya know, are just one of those teams, kinda on the edge of the radar because of the school’s name which sticks. They were pretty good post Covid, but fell off last season. New coach Matt Entz won a couple of nattys at North Dakota State, then coached LBs at Southern Cal. He’s got a climb. Rock Chalk.

Sam Houston @ Western Kentucky.  Do we love Sam Houston’s mascot? The Bearkats. Why, yes, yes we do. And we smile learning that Houston the actual guy was once President of Texas. True, he beat Stephen F. Austin in an election. Both are important in the evolution of the Lone Star State. Buuuuuut, Houston was not present to fight it out at the Alamo. And his namesake school is facing a comeuppance of another sort in their first campaign opener at the FBS level. In Bowling Green, where they shall fall to the Hilltoppers of Tyson Helton, yet again CUSA contenders.

Stanford @ Hawai’i.  Sorta surprising, it says here that Hawai’i hasn’t been historically better at football. They love football in that state, and one has to think young dudes with football acumen might want to matriculate collegiately near Diamond Head. But noooo. Even former star Timmy Chang hasn’t had any success at the helm. No winning seasons in three years on the sideline at Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex Field. But one never knows how visitors from the mainland will perform when playing in paradise. Stanford’s interim coach is Frank Reich, brought in to stabilize matters by GM Andrew Luck. Hard times in Palo Alto, pigskin wise. Four consecutive 3-9 seasons, though they did upset #22 U of L last year. A coach too enamored with coeds and comely staffers is gone. But, hope springs. The Cardinal prevail.

Iowa State vs. Kansas State (Dublin). Had the promoters of this annual battle in the Land of Leprechauns/ Elfs had real PR savvy, they would have done a couple of tie-ins they obviously missed. Getting Keebler to be a sponsor. And underwriting Willie to bring Farm Aid to London as part of Farmageddon Weekend. Just sayin’. This is the 109th edition of the rivalry, which the Cyclones lead 54-50-4, having won 5 of last 7 after 10 Wildcat Ws in a row. Winner of this one shall land in the CFP, I reiterate. I’ve kinda taken a liking to Matt Campbell and the Cyclones, whom he has made a legit program. But . . . never . . . quite . . . over . . . the . . . hump. Chris Kleiman, come on down. Kansas State.

— c d kaplan