Five predictions for this college football season:

Pac-12 goes out with a bang

The conference may not exist after this season, depending on what the leftover four of Oregon State, Stanford, California and Washington State do, but the last season in its current format is memorable.

The Pac-12 is represented in the College Football Playoff for the first time since sending Washington to the final four seven years ago.

The Huskies oust Caleb Williams and USC in a memorable championship game to lock up the bid between the two top contenders for the last spot.

The league also sends two quarterbacks, Williams and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., to New York City in mid-December as Heisman Trophy finalists.

History is made twice

It happens in Athens, Ga., and Southern California.

Georgia becomes the first program to three-peat since the advent of the Associated Press poll in 1936 (the Bulldogs do lose once, though, falling to LSU in the SEC championship game to snap a 29-game winning streak), and Williams joins Ohio State running back Archie Griffin (1974-75) as the only players to win back-to-back Heismans.

Williams isn’t punished for failing to reach the playoff because his season is that sensational — and his defense is that defenseless — as the junior produces 65 touchdowns, 48 through the air and 17 on the ground.

Trouble in Tuscaloosa

For the second straight year, Alabama is knocked out of playoff contention by LSU.

After a Week 2 loss at home to Texas and Quinn Ewers, the Crimson Tide reel off six straight wins, but the Tigers have the far superior quarterback (as the Longhorns did), and Nick Saban fails to reach the playoff in consecutive seasons for the first time.

Inconsistency under center is too much to overcome.

Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson flip-flop at quarterback for most of the year to uneven results, with Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner even seeing some action.

It’s not a recipe for success.

Another Big 12 surprise

Last year, it was TCU.

This year, it’s another team from the Lone Star State.

Texas Tech comes out of nowhere to be in the playoff mix for most of the season and win the Big 12 for the first time, getting the better of Texas and Ewers in Austin to close out the regular season.

The Red Raiders finished head coach Joey McGuire’s first season well, closing out the year with four straight wins for their most victories (eight) since 2013 — and they build off that.

The schedule is kind, with home games against Oregon, Kansas State and TCU.

Texas Tech also returns 17 starters, led by senior quarterback Tyler Shough and All-Big 12 preseason selections Jerand Bradley at wide receiver and Jaylon Hutchings on the defensive line.

Florida State is almost back

The Seminoles are preseason darlings of many and a chic pick to reach the playoff.

Quarterback Jordan Travis is a dark-horse Heisman contender, receiver Johnny Wilson is a game-breaker, and edge rusher Jared Verse may be the best player at his position in the country.

They win the ACC, but aren’t quite ready to finish among the top four. A hard-fought, season-opening loss to LSU won’t eliminate them, but a second loss, to Miami in November, will.

Florida State still claims its first league crown since 2014, beating Clemson in the conference’s championship game, a message that the ACC now runs through Tallahassee.