College Football 2016: 25 bold predictions

2. Les Miles restores faith with a title run

The LSU brass all but fired longtime head coach Les Miles last year before deciding to keep him on for one more year at the halftime of a win against Texas A&M. That’s going to prove to be the right decision, as Miles has the pieces for a title run in 2016.

Since taking over at LSU in 2005, Miles has gone 112-32 with the 2007 national title and an additional appearance in the 2011 title game. While a down 8-5 season was expected in 2014, the Tigers faded down the stretch last year to finish a disappointing 9-3

The Tigers decided that brief down period wasn’t good enough, putting Miles’ job in jeopardy. Miles responded by putting together the best class in school history, which nearly ended Alabama’s six-year reign at the top of the recruiting rankings.

That class coupled with a talented and more experienced team this time around will help LSU get to the playoff. Fournette and the offensive line will be the focal point for LSU, but there’s much more to the LSU roster.

The Tigers got a huge upgrade at defensive coordinator, with Dave Aranda taking over for Steele. Aranda will get to work with maybe the best secondary in the nation, along with a defensive line that returns just about everybody.

LSU’s biggest question mark is quarterback Brandon Harris, who showed some development late last year while also struggling against better competition. There’s still enough upside there, and Harris will be helped by a talented group of wide receivers in Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural.

The best news for the Tigers is that they play Ole Miss and Alabama at home, although there will be plenty of road challenges on the schedule.

Next: 1. A conference gets two playoff berths...and it isn't the SEC