Bracketology 2021: Early observations heading into 2020-21 season

Early outlook on projected bids for each power conference (plus Big East and AAC)

ACC – 7-9 bids

The ACC may have quietly been okay with no Selection Sunday, because they had at best, five teams making the NCAA Tournament. They should expect a big rebound, led by a revamped North Carolina squad that’ll finish much higher than last place. Duke, FSU, UVA and Lousiville will be good, along with Syracuse and NC State. Georgia Tech has its best roster in years and should expect to be in contention as well.

AAC – 2-4 bids

While UConn hasn’t been great in the AAC, losing them to the Big East is a big blow to the conference. Now, it’ll be up to Houston and Memphis to lead the way. But is there another at-large team in the group? May have to come down to Tulsa and SMU, as well as Wichita State if the roster is good enough. Be on the lookout for South Florida, who gets its best player back in Alexis Yetna from injury.

Big East – 4-6 bids

Outside of preseason top-3 teams Villanova, there’s some concern regarding the rest of the conference, since most of them lost their best players in the offseason. Seton Hall, Providence, and Creighton all have good rosters still, while Xavier has a number of talented transfers. UConn is back home and has great talent as well but the middle may be impacted by a lack of great teams outside of Nova.

Big 12 – 5-6 bids

This is a conference with a clear separation. Kansas State and Iowa State have little hope, while TCU is more likely to not make the Big Dance. Oklahoma State is out due to a postseason ban from the NCAA. The other six has a great shot, including preseason top-10 teams Baylor and Kansas, along with Texas Tech, Texas and West Virginia, all preseason top-30 squads. Oklahoma is the one with varying opinions but wins against the top-tier will get them in.

Big Ten – 7-10 bids

The top of the conference is going to carry the middle but there is still a limit as to how many teams can get in. Teams who finish with records worse than 9-11 are going to sweat it out regardless of where the wins will come from. The unbalanced schedules could bury one of those in the middle unless everyone beats each other in the Big Ten.

Pac-12 – 5-7 bids

Another conference where things are somewhat clear, programs such as Washington, Oregon State, Washington State, Utah and Cal have little hope of dancing. Oregon, Arizona State, and UCLA are likely to finish near the top, while Stanford, USC, Colorado, and Arizona could go either way on the bubble. The Pac-12 isn’t as strong as the Big Ten or ACC so non-conference performances could be huge for this league.

SEC – 6-8 bids

While Auburn and Florida may take a step back, Arkansas and Alabama are primed to take a big step forward. Tennessee’s recruiting class and Ole Miss transfers makes them threats, while Kentucky and LSU will be contenders once again. There could be even ore bids available, depending on what Missouri, Texas A&M, and South Carolina does.