This Year's Favorites
Yes, people are already picking this years Top 25 teams. Ridiculously early, but the start of the silly season. Naturally Ohio State ranks near the top. Others by Conference (Power 5 Only):
ACC: Real trouble here. Florida State loses QB Winston and just about everyone else on offense. The D loses 4 to the NFL. Clemson gets shreaded on defense, losing all but 3 starters to graduation, and some good back ups also. Ga. Tech may be a decent sleeper. There are simply no teams that stand out in this conference. This is a conference that may have no teams with one or less losses.
Big 10: Obviously Ohio State will be the favorite, with Michigan State a close second. Ohio State returns a bunch of QB's, and 6 others on offense, as well as 7 on defense. Their schedule simply does not get any easier. Michigan State loses a lot of running power on offense, but returns 7 starters on defense. The rest are all longshots, especially in the West, where some questionable HC hires will affect some teams. The usual suspects, Wisconsin and Nebraska, head the list. The Ohio State NC run put a huge dent in the Big 12's playoff asperations without a CC game.
Big 12: TCU is really the Big 12's only hope of getting into the playoffs. They return 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense. They have a legit Heisman candidate in QB Boykin. They also get Baylor at home, and actually play a decent non-con away game at Minnesota. Baylor is the popular runner up, despite losing their QB. They still return 8 starters on offense and 9 on defense. Their problem is that Mickey Mouse non-con schedule. One loss and they are out of the playoffs. The worst thing to happen to the Big 12 was to have Ohio State win the NC. The rest of the Big 12 is still two steps or more behind the top two.
Pac 12: One of the two toughest conference from top to bottom. The North sees Oregon lose QB Mariota and 4 others on offense, and 6 starters on defense. The schedule is no help. Cal, who returns 9 starters on both sides of the ball, is going to suprise some teams this season. The South has 5 legitimate teams in the Top 25. USC loses some key players, but still returns 8 starters on both offense and defense, inluding QB Kessler. UCLA loses QB Hundley and 2 others on offense, but only 3 on defense. Arizona State returns 9 starters on defense and 6 on offense, but must find another QB. Utah returns 7 starters on offense and 6 on defense. Arizona also returns 7 on offense, but takes a big hit, losing 6 starters. It is possible that no team loses less than two games in this Conference.
SEC: Easily the 2nd of the two toughest conferences. The East suddenly bloomed in the bowl games. Georgia returns 6 starters and a tremendous running attack. The schedule is doable, hosting Alabama and Missouri. Tennessee returns 9 starters on both sides of the ball. They must find a new QB. Their schedule is challenging. Missouri cannot be overlooked. In the West, Alabama must rebuild, or reload as they like to call it. They return only 4 starters on offense and 7 on defense. Auburn also loses 7 starters on offense and 5 on defense. No one in the Division is much better off. This will be the closest race for the Championship in many a year in the SEC.
Other than Ohio State, I do not see any clear Conference Champions this season. TCU is about as close as I can see to a Conference lock, and that is not real close.
*Note. Unlike Phil Steele, who counts anyone who started just one game as a returning starter, I could only those players who were the normal starters for each team.
ACC: Real trouble here. Florida State loses QB Winston and just about everyone else on offense. The D loses 4 to the NFL. Clemson gets shreaded on defense, losing all but 3 starters to graduation, and some good back ups also. Ga. Tech may be a decent sleeper. There are simply no teams that stand out in this conference. This is a conference that may have no teams with one or less losses.
Big 10: Obviously Ohio State will be the favorite, with Michigan State a close second. Ohio State returns a bunch of QB's, and 6 others on offense, as well as 7 on defense. Their schedule simply does not get any easier. Michigan State loses a lot of running power on offense, but returns 7 starters on defense. The rest are all longshots, especially in the West, where some questionable HC hires will affect some teams. The usual suspects, Wisconsin and Nebraska, head the list. The Ohio State NC run put a huge dent in the Big 12's playoff asperations without a CC game.
Big 12: TCU is really the Big 12's only hope of getting into the playoffs. They return 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense. They have a legit Heisman candidate in QB Boykin. They also get Baylor at home, and actually play a decent non-con away game at Minnesota. Baylor is the popular runner up, despite losing their QB. They still return 8 starters on offense and 9 on defense. Their problem is that Mickey Mouse non-con schedule. One loss and they are out of the playoffs. The worst thing to happen to the Big 12 was to have Ohio State win the NC. The rest of the Big 12 is still two steps or more behind the top two.
Pac 12: One of the two toughest conference from top to bottom. The North sees Oregon lose QB Mariota and 4 others on offense, and 6 starters on defense. The schedule is no help. Cal, who returns 9 starters on both sides of the ball, is going to suprise some teams this season. The South has 5 legitimate teams in the Top 25. USC loses some key players, but still returns 8 starters on both offense and defense, inluding QB Kessler. UCLA loses QB Hundley and 2 others on offense, but only 3 on defense. Arizona State returns 9 starters on defense and 6 on offense, but must find another QB. Utah returns 7 starters on offense and 6 on defense. Arizona also returns 7 on offense, but takes a big hit, losing 6 starters. It is possible that no team loses less than two games in this Conference.
SEC: Easily the 2nd of the two toughest conferences. The East suddenly bloomed in the bowl games. Georgia returns 6 starters and a tremendous running attack. The schedule is doable, hosting Alabama and Missouri. Tennessee returns 9 starters on both sides of the ball. They must find a new QB. Their schedule is challenging. Missouri cannot be overlooked. In the West, Alabama must rebuild, or reload as they like to call it. They return only 4 starters on offense and 7 on defense. Auburn also loses 7 starters on offense and 5 on defense. No one in the Division is much better off. This will be the closest race for the Championship in many a year in the SEC.
Other than Ohio State, I do not see any clear Conference Champions this season. TCU is about as close as I can see to a Conference lock, and that is not real close.
*Note. Unlike Phil Steele, who counts anyone who started just one game as a returning starter, I could only those players who were the normal starters for each team.
