30 Big Ones

Another year means another edition of 30 Big Ones. I love this opportunity to truly earn my "Skip" moniker. Throwing crap up against a wall and seeing what sticks. The benefit of it being bold predictions is that I can take credit if it happens, but fly under the radar if it doesn't. After all, they are bold predictions, they probably shouldn't come true. Anyway, this may be the most anticipated year we've had yet. From having two new owners, to having two supposed juggernauts in each conference. This year is sure to have some fireworks. Without further ado, here's how I see some of the cookie crumbling.

1. Sweet Revenge- The Cutthroats avenge their VB defeat by routing DC in Week 1.

2. Runnin’ Out of Lead- The Riflemen become the laughing stock of the ‘25 season by starting 0-6.

3. The Return of Ridley- The lone bright spot for the Riflemen is Calvin Ridley who returns to top 10 WR status, but is ultimately moved from Nashville.

4. Ward is Winning- Speaking of Titans, Reno’s Cam Ward leads the Titans to the playoffs. He finishes as the QB10.

5. Second Round Gold… Again- The Caps hit on a couple rookies, but none as big as Tyler Warren as he finishes as a top 5 TE.

6. Speaking of Gold- The Bombers also strike Gold as Matthew Golden catches fire late to finish as a top 20 WR.

7. DC Dumps- DC follows up their Victor Bowl with a rough year and ultimately trade away Comeback POY winner Stefon Diggs.

8. Nic-ohhhh- The Texans prove to be better fantasy assets than NFL ones as the Bolters’ Nico Collins finishes as the WR1 on the year.

9. Stroud Proud- Stroud also comes back from his sophomore slump and finishes as a top 6 QB for the Bombers.

10. Chiefs Choke- The Broncos win the AFC West in the final week of the season as Mahomes finishes outside the top 10 QB and Travis Kelce retires after a forgetful season and Taylor Swift pregnancy announcement.

11. Western Wallop- The West ends interconfertnce play with a whopping 24-6 record.

12. Easy East- On that note, the Capitals go undefeated in regular season conference play.

13. Wack Warrior Bowl- The West wins the Warrior Bowl by the largest margin in Warrior Bowl history.

14. Cowboy Cowpie- The Cowboys struggle and finish last in the division. The Prescott era ends with a switch to Joe Milton.

15. Hot for Henderson- The homer pick. TreVeyon Henderson finishes as a top 5 RB and takes home ROY honors.

16. Not So Fast, NorCal- The Goldies struggle early, but show promise late as they win the Battle For the Golden Dome to keep the Boots out of the playoffs.

17. Rocky Mountain Rendezvous- Colorado’s Braelon Allen breaks out en route to a top 20 RB finish, while James Cook disappoints and finishes outside the top 24.

18. Curse Continues- The dad curse is alive and well as a dad does not win a Victor Bowl.

19. Consistent Cutthroats- Reno lacks the ceiling but never scores less than 100 points as they capture the Gauntlet.

20. Bengals Backwards Step- Behind a bad o-line, all Bengals stars fail to deliver on their ADP.

21. Henry Shipped- Neese gets creative and pulls the impossible by sending the most draft cash in a trade in FCS History alongside Henry to a contender to allow for a potential buyout.

22. Dregful Rovers- The Rovers take home the Dreg while they’re at it.

23. On The Bright Side- The IceCats miss the playoffs but win a share of the top lottery odds by winning the losers bracket.

24. Barkley is Back- Barkley picks up where he left off in Charleston and finishes as a top 3 RB.

25. New Era Nashville- Nashville stinks, but decides to embrace a rebuild and ultimately wins the lottery.

26. Ballin’ in Baltimore- While Jackson and Henry don’t quite repeat the fantasy output from last year, they catch fire in the playoffs and bring a Super Bowl to Baltimore. Some guy named LaJohntay Wester makes a big play.

27. Cutthroats Carried- Reno squeezes in the playoffs in the final week behind TE1 Brock Bowers and top 10 WR Marvin Harrison Jr..

28. Javie Justle- Despite Burrow finishing outside the top 8 QBs and Chase finishing outside the top 10 WR,  Tucson rides the backs of MVP Bijan Robinson and Sleeper Award winner Michael Penix en route to earning the first round bye.

29. Watermelon Bowl Bouts- The Rippers and Javelinas split the regular season matchups, but Tucson wins the rubber match to return to the Victor Bowl for the first time since their 2018 title.

30. Irony in the Heartland- The Caps steal both of the regular season editions of the Heartland Derby, but fall to the Bolters in the WCF, marking the first time a newcomer has made a Victor Bowl since the Capitals did in 2019.

East

Little Rock: 11-2

Kentucky: 9-4

Charleston: 7-6

DC: 5-8

Virginia Beach: 4-9

Nashville: 3–10

West

Tucson: 8-5

Reno: 7-6

Portland: 7-6

Colorado: 6-7

Twin City: 6-7

NorCal: 4-9

Wildcard

Portland>Reno

Kentucky>Charleston

Conference

Tucson>Portland

Kentucky>Little Rick

Victor Bowl

Tucson>Kentucky