College Football Playoff 2023 - conference storylines, predictions - ESPN

For all the drama and shape-shifting college athletics has endured this summer, this college football season should look relatively normal.

USC and UCLA — and everyone else in that league — are competing in a whole Pac-12 for one final, historic season. Big 12 blue bloods Oklahoma and Texas don't leave for the SEC until 2024, so Bedlam will be played one more time.

And the four-team College Football Playoff will frustrate fans — and the No. 5 team in the country — for one final season. The CFP selection committee will release its first of six rankings on Halloween, but each power conference has one pressing question that will impact the committee's top four on Selection Day. Here's a look at the biggest storyline and a playoff prediction for each:

Can the ACC make a CFP comeback? It's more likely without divisions this fall because Florida State and Clemson won't necessarily eliminate each other during the regular season. The ACC has missed out on the CFP in back-to-back seasons, but FSU is on the rise under coach Mike Norvell, and Clemson made some necessary changes this offseason. Coach Dabo Swinney hired former TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to lead the offense, and quarterback Cade Klubnik has taken over the starting job from DJ Uiagalelei, who transferred to Oregon State. Clemson could earn a top-four finish without winning the conference thanks in part to a win against Notre Dame if the Irish are ranked when they play in early November. A road win at rival South Carolina could also prove valuable if coach Shane Beamer's program takes another step forward and again finishes as a top-25 team. The strengths of their schedules could keep Clemson and FSU in the CFP hunt, even with a loss. If Clemson were to