The countdown continues!
Last week we looked at my Top 21-40, this week is my Top 20. The CFB season
kicks off September 1st, so here's a peak at college football's best.
20. UCLA: Fifth-year
coach Jim Mora, Jr has 5starters back on offense, 10 on defense. New OC Kennedy
Polamalu prefers a pro-style attack for sophomore QB Josh Rosen (23 TDs, 11
INTs). RB soph Soso Jamabo (403 yds, 6.1 ypc) will get more carries and
first-team All-Pac-12 corner Ishmael Adams has been moved to WR.
The defense
allowed 25 ppg and is stacked up front behind LB Deon Hollins and DT Eli Ankou.
The secondary is strong, too, as the Bruins yielded just 29 passing plays of
20-plus yards (10th in the nation). UCLA is on a 16-9-1 under the total
run.
19. Iowa: Kirk Ferentz
has another loaded group of Hawkeyes, with 7 starters back on offense and 8 on
a ferocious defense that allowed 18.5 ppg (15th). Mobile senior QB C.J.
Beathard (17 TDs, 5 INTs) leads a ball control attack (32.1 ppg). Three
offensive linemen return, led by junior guard Sean Welsh and T Boone Meyers,
blocking for senior RB LeShaun Daniels (646 yds) and junior Akrum Wadley (496).
The defense is stocked, anchored by LB Josey Jewell and senior CB
Desmond King. The only four road games are at Minnesota, Purdue, Penn State and
Illinois.
18. Tennessee:
Coach Butch Jones has built a talented bunch of Vols, returning 10 on
offense, 8 on D. The balanced attack averaged 35.2 ppg and returns senior QB
Joshua Dobbs (15 TDs, 5 INTs; 671 yards rushing) and junior RB Jalen Hurd
(1,288 yards). Four offensive linemen are back, anchored by All-American T
Chance Hall.
Bob Shoop
is new defensive coordinator, inheriting a unit that allowed 21.2 ppg (25th).
Junior DE Derek Barnett anchors a strong D-line. The schedule, though, is
tough, including Weeks 4-6 (Florida, Georgia, Bama). Tennessee is on a
29-19-2 run over the total run.
17. TCU: The Frogs are
off 12-1 and 11-2 campaigns (18-8 ATS run). Gary Patterson likes rugged
defenses and this unit has 8 starters back. The defensive line is strong
with senior DE Josh Carraway and DT Aaron Curry, plus the LBs are just as good.
The offense won't be as explosive (43 ppg) as sophomore QB Foster Sawyer
(2 TDs, 3 INTs) steps in, but the wide out corps is loaded behind sophomore WRs
KaVontae Turpin (649 yards) and Shaun Nixon (501). They carry a 49-7
SU/35-21 ATS run at home into the new season.
16. Oregon: The Ducks
will be fun to watch again after rolling up 43 points and 280 yards rushing
(both fifth in the nation). Quarterbacks is the big story with senior QB Dakota
Prukop transferring from Montana State, battling freshman QB Travis Jonsen.
Junior RB
Royce Freeman (1,836 yards, 17 TDs, 6.5 ypc) is a monster and former DB Charles
Nelson moves to wide receiver. The defense struggled last season (36.8
ppg) so new DC Brady Hoke arrives with a 4-3 scheme. The goal is to attack, get
pressure on opposing QBs to help what was a terrible secondary. No-huddle
Oregon is on a 52-32-1 run over the total.
15. Clemson: The Tigers
have 11, 11, 10 and 14 wins the last four years for Coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson
returns eight offensive starters, led by junior QB Deshaun Watson (35 TDs, 13
picks) and tailback Wayne Gallman (1,527 yards). The defense returns only
four starters and the secondary lost two key players to the NFL, but returns
All-ACC-caliber senior cornerback Cordrea Tankersley. Road games at
Auburn and rival Florida State are on the card but the Tigers are 40-28 ATS the
last five years.
14. Baylor: They lose
coach Art Briles, but new coach Jim Grobe steps in with plenty of head coaching
experience. And he steps into a boatload of talent. Baylor led the nation in
points (48.1) and yards, averaging 289.5 yards passing, 326.7 rushing.
Fifth-year senior QB Seth Russell (29 TDs, 6 INTs) is back from an injury,
along with senior RB Shock Linwood (1,329 yds, 6.8 ypc) and junior RB Johnny
Jefferson (1,000 yds, 7.4 ypc).
Throw in speedy
junior WR K.D. Cannon (868) and this offense is a nightmare to defend. The
defense returns five starters after allowing 28 ppg. Road games at Texas
and Oklahoma are the biggest challenges. Baylor is on a 34-17 run over the
total.
13. Michigan: Jim
Harbaugh didn't waste any time returning the Wolverines to a powerhouse
program. 9 starters are back on offense, 6 on defense. He will turn to senior
QB John O'Korn, a transfer from Houston after doing wonders with Iowa transfer
Jake Rudock. They have the best wide receivers in the Big 10, led by Jehu
Chesson (764 yds, 15.3 ypc).
The defensive
line will be dominant again with the key players back. The linebackers are new,
however, along with new defensive coordinator Don Brown (Boston College), who
is adding a 4-2-5 scheme. Road games at Michigan State (Oct. 29), Iowa and Ohio
State (Nov.26) will be big challenges.
12. Ole Miss:
Expectations are high for Coach Hugh Freeze's team, off a 10-3 campaign. Senior
QB Chad Kelly (31 TDs, 13 INTs, 4,042 yards) is a mobile two-way threat,
running for 500 yards. The Rebels have a deep WR corps with senior WR
Quincy Adeboyejo (604), junior Damore'ea Stringfellow (503 yards) and two-time
All-SEC pick tight end Evan Engram.
The defense
returns five starters and allowed just 22.8 ppg. Sophomore DT Breeland Speaks
and junior DE Marquis Haynes lead a strong front line. The Rebels open
against Florida State and host Bama in Week 3 (Sept 17), after beating the Tide
43-37 as +8.5 dog.
11. Ohio State: The
Buckeyes are in retool mode after losing a boatload of talent to the NFL. But
is there a better coach/recruiter in the country than Urban Meyer outside the
state of Alabama? Junior QB J.T. Barrett (11 TDs, 4 INTs) is back after running
for 682 yards, while junior RB Curtis Samuel (132 yards) averaged 7.8
ypc.
Only three
starters return on defense, led by end Tyquan Lewis, middle linebacker Raekwon
McMillan and cornerback Gareon Conley, but the cupboard is not bare. Ohio
State is 13-1 SU/10-4 ATS on the road under Meyer, and riding a 27-15 run over
the total.
10. Florida State: Not
many teams return all 11 starters on offense but Jimbo Fisher's Seminoles do.
Senior QB Sean Maguire (11 TDs, 6 INTs) gets the full-time job and has plenty
of help with junior RB Dalvin Cook (1,691 yds, 7.4 ypc), a Heisman contender,
along with WRs Kermit Rudolph (798) and Travis Whitefield (916).
Six
starters are back on defense, solid up front, but some new additions at
linebacker and in the secondary. Opening against Ole Miss of the SEC will be a
big early challenge and they are home to face Clemson (Oct. 29) in the big
conference showdown.
9. Texas A&M:
Kevin Sumlin has had Top 10 recruiting classes in three of the last four years.
Junior QB Jake Hubenak (3 TDs, 1 INT, 399 yards) is working with new OC Neil
Mazzone (UCLA). The WRs corps is loaded with senior WR Josh Reynolds (907
yards), sophomore WR Christian Kirk (1,009) and junior Ricky Seals-Jones (560).
The defense made huge strides last season under first-year DC John Chavis
(from LSU), allowing 21 ppg. They defense loses only three key contributors. They get LSU at home in finale and hope to reverse a 15-24 spread run.
8: Michigan State: MSU
and Alabama are the only two teams in the nation to finish ranked in the top 10
each of the past three years. Senior QB Tyler O'Connor (2 TDs, 1 INT) steps in
and has help with sophomore RB L.J. Scott (699 yards) and senior WR
R.J. Shelton (503).
The Spartan
defense ranked 19th in the nation allowing 20.5 ppg. Riley Bullough and
Malik McDowell are All-American type of contenders to help seal the middle,
while the secondary has a ton of experience with senior CBs Demetrious Cox and
Darian Hicks. MSU is on an 8-4 run under the total. They get Ohio State at home
(Nov. 19), though the Spartans are on a 32-44 ATS run at home.
7: Notre Dame: Brian
Kelly's Irish won 10 games despite losing a starting signal caller. Junior QB
Malik Zaire (4 TDs, 0 INTs) returns but sophomore QB DeShone Kizer (21 TDs, 10
INTs) might have stolen his job. That's a good problem to have for any coach.
The offensive line is a concern after losing a pair of stars to the NFL.
Five starters
return to a hard hitting defense that is solid up front. Generating a better
pass rush (25 sacks) is a goal, as well as developing LB depth. They probably
will be better with a year under their belts of Brian VanGorder's schemes.
Notre Dame has a challenging September, at Texas and hosting Michigan
State.
6. Oklahoma State: Mike
Gundy's no-huddle offense returns junior QB Mason Rudolph (21 TDs, 9 INTs,
3,770 yards) along with the entire offensive line. The WRs have a deep rotation
behind junior WR James Washington (1,087 yds, 20.5 ypc), senior WR Jhajuan
Seales (321) and 6-4 senior Marcell Ateman (766, 17 ypc).
The offense
returns 10 starters, the defense 8. The defense has strong linebackers back
along with junior safety Tre Flowers and senior CB Ashton Lampkin. They head to
Baylor September 24 for an early showdown -- the Cowboys started 10-0 last year
before losing to Baylor, 45-35.
5. Arizona:
Fifth-year Coach Rich Rodriguez runs a zone-read spread option attack
that struck for 37.4 points, 273 yards passing and 220 rushing per contest. He
has a gem in junior QB Anu Solomon, (20 TDs, 5 INTs), teamed with five
returning offensive linemen and senior RB Nick Wilson (725 yards, 5.5
ypc).
The defense
struggled last season but returns eight starters and a new DC in Marcel Yates
(Boise State). He is a proponent of an attacking unit with a lot of shifts to
throw off opposing quarterbacks. They have a revenge game against rival UCLA (a
56-30 home loss). The Wildcats are on a 10-3 run over the total.
4. Alabama: The champs
are reloading with 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense. Junior QB Cooper
Bateman (1 TDs, 2 INTs) steps in, one of the nation's top quarterbacks in the
class of 2013. 3 starters are back on the offensive line, while senior TE O.J.
Howard (602 yards) and sophomore WR Cameron Ridley (1,045 yds) provide balance.
The defense
was No. 3 in points allowed (14.4 ppg) in 2015, No. 2 in yards (258 per game).
All-SEC senior DE Jonathan Allen (12 sacks) is back, joined by 6-4
freshman DT Quinnen Williams. The secondary is strong with senior S Eddie
Jackson, and CBs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey. They open against USC
in Dallas, and have key road games at Ole Miss and LSU.
3. Stanford: Coach David
Shaw is off a 12-2 campaign and returns electric junior RB Christian McCaffrey
(2,019 yards rushing, 6.0 ypc), an incredible talent, leading the team with 45
catches for 645 yards. He was the AP player of the year and an early Heisman
favorite. The offensive line, as usual, is stocked and they need 6-5 junior QB
Ryan Burns or 6-5 soph QB Keller Chryst (1 TDs, 0 INTs, 59 yards) to
emerge.
The
defensive line will be great with soph NT Solomon Thomas (10.5 tackles for loss
in 2015) and junior NT Harrison Phillips, while the linebackers junior Kevin
Palma and senior Craig Jones are strong. They are on a 25-14 run under
the total with dominant defense, run-first offense.
2. Oklahoma: Bob
Stoops has 7 starters back on both sides of the line. Last year's new offensive
coordinator Lincoln Riley helped jumpstart the attack, averaging 43.5 points,
308 yards passing and 222 yards rushing. Senior QB Baker Mayfield (36 TDs, 7
INTs, 3,700 yds, 68%) and junior RB Samaje Perine (1,349 yards, 6 ypc) will
shred Big 12 defenses again.
The defense was
very good (22 ppg), though the linebacking corps returns only one starter.
Freshman LB Caleb Kelly is a 5-Star prospect, plus the secondary is
loaded, with junior CB Jordan Thomas and junior safety Steve Parker. Oklahoma
gets Ohio State and Baylor at home and is on a 29-20-1 run over the
total.
1. LSU: The Tigers are
off a 9-3 season and return 9 starters on offense, 10 on defense. The defense
will be dynamite up front with senior Duke Riley and junior LB Donnie
Alexander, with cornerbacks Kevin Toliver II and Tre'Davious White anchoring a
terrific secondary.
Les Miles only has to coax improvement
out of the passing game, as 3 starters return on the offensive line blocking
for super-stud junior RB Leonard Fournette (1,953 yards, 6.5 ypc). The Tigers
ranked eighth in the nation in rushing with 256.8 yards per game. That takes
the pressure off junior QB Brandon Harris (13 TDs, 6 INTs, 2,165 yards), who
has experienced targets with speedy senior WR Travin Dural (533 yards, 19
ypc) and junior WR Malachi Dupre (698 yards). They get a big test in Week
1 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field and get to host rival Alabama (Nov.
5).
For more of Jim Feist's winning plays click here