Everyone has their own method of making predictions. Some lean heavily on a statistical model that they've tuned for years. Others like to go with their gut and intuition, but for me, I know only one tried and true method for predicting the future in sports: "The Oregon Trail."

You don't believe me? Check the receipts from my NBA days. Who could have predicted LeBron James going back to the Cavs in free agency in 2014? The Oregon Trail. What about the Golden State Warriors winning the 2015 NBA title? The Oregon Trail.

Now it's time to bring the Oregon Trail to college football as we roll through Power Five conference previews and predictions here at CBS Sports. For all of our expert picks, click the link to the right. Those are guesses. These are facts.

The Big 12 is next on the list -- you can check out the Big Ten and SEC here -- but first a quick introduction to how this works.

The trail leader is the conference. The traveling party consists of the four highest-ranked programs in a randomized order. Why do I do this? Any veteran Trail player knows the leader is the last to have anything happen to them, which would make it easy to rig. The random order, all in the two through five slots ensures disaster will strike all equally.

We dial back food to bare bones rations and set the pace to grueling to ensure the most misery for everyone and that health will get to "very poor" as soon as possible. I buy plenty of food, oxen, clothes and bullets, just to have them.

We send our fearless group off in May because that ensures they travel through the meat of the trail in the hottest months, which means they get hit with the most illnesses. The only way this works is if three members of the travel party die, so I need carnage. At rivers, the wagon gets caulked and floated every time. No fording (that always ends in death) and no using the ferry or Indian guides (that always gets across).

Once three teams have died, you have your conference champion. If two teams make it somehow (this rarely happens but is possible), or if the last two die together (this can happen on the river), we go to Sudden Death Trail. Those two get sent off again, same rules, but with each team listed twice. First one to die loses.

Those are the rules. Welcome to the Trail.

The Players

It really seems like Oklahoma is at an unfair advantage here. I mean, the Sooners have a covered wagon at every game. If they don't win this it's a huge upset.

Let's Play

Not the wagon tongues!!! (For the record, Kansas and Iowa State are the wagon tongues of the Big 12.) Alright, maybe familiarity with wagons is meaningless because they flipped on the first dang river.

The Cowboys also figured to be pretty good at this, but after everyone made it through non-conference month with no trouble, the Pokes are in trouble.

Must've run into Ole Miss on the trail.

Random Trail Snakes: 1. Bears: 0.

Not an inspiring start to the Trail for Jim Grobe.

The Trail got Baylor and Oklahoma State out of here with the swiftness. On to the main event, Oklahoma vs. TCU.

Advantage, TCU.

A Kenny Hill-led team starts hot and then runs into midseason trouble? No. Never.

A stunning upset! Oklahoma, felled by inadequate grass. TCU is your Big 12 champion, but can they become the first to make it all the way to the end?

You're so close, Frogs! Don't do this now.

FROOOOOOGGGGGGGSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Ribbit. Ribbit.

TCU, your 2016 Big 12 champs. Lock it up.