The Wiz of Odds

UCLA

UCLA could be the best young team in college football. The Bruins return 16 starters, but only five are seniors. However, the reality is that UCLA's hopes center around one player. Quarterback Brett Hundley, featured in the poster, is being hyped as a Heisman candidate. As good as Hundley has been, he needs to suppress the urge to run when pressured and improve his throwing accuracy. It could be a special season for the Bruins, but the level of success depends on Hundley's improvement.

Louisiana State

Few teams can match Louisiana State's consistency this century. The Tigers have cranked out nine 10-win seasons since 2000 and have won 10 or more games the past four seasons. Expect nothing less in 2014. The team returns 12 starters and has seven home games. One game — Saturday's opener against Wisconsin — is at neutral site Houston.

USC

What USC accomplished in 2013 was remarkable. The Trojans, playing with a roster thinned because of NCAA sanctions, had to battle through a stacked Pacific 12. Then there was the coaching situation. The team had four head coaches in a 65-day span. Despite all that, the team won 10 games. Steve Sarkisian was handed keys to the kingdom and will be tested early with a Sept. 6 trip to Stanford.

The poster was developed by Craig Kelley and designed by Perceptiv.

Baylor

Life has never been better for fans of the Baylor Bears, the defending Big 12 champion. The Bears likely would have played in the BCS title game last season had they not been upset by Oklahoma State. Then there's McLane Stadium, Baylor's new $250 million home. And don't forget that record-breaking offense. Art Briles has it rolling and expectations are off the chart in Waco.

Northwestern

Is Northwestern poised to be the surprise team of 2014? The Wildcats staggered to a 5-7 record in 2013, a gigantic disappointment given the team's 4-0 start. But a loss at home to Ohio State started a string of seven consecutive losses that finally ended with a season-ending victory over rival Illinois. There was not a lot of offseason buzz about Northwestern. It's certainly humbling and given the competitive spirit of Pat Fitzgerald, it no doubt served as motivation.

Georgia

Georgia is one of the teams that has always been problematic when the time arrives to round up schedule posters. This year was no different. However, the good folks at Saturday Down South sent us a copy. Remember Georgia, it's bad karma when you don't send the poster. Example 1A: Last season's 8-5 record, a disappointment considering the Bulldogs were a top-10 team entering the season.