1. Bama- no possible argument to be made during the preseason for anyone else here.
2. Stanford- 4 returning Olinemen, 10 returning defensive starters, Hogan looked good at QB for the 2nd half of last year, lots of talent at the key spots they lost guys.
3. Oregon- ((insert mandatory chip kelly uncertainty reference here)) Mariota is a better QB within his system than Manziel is within his. He’s the first real passing threat ever for the Ducks (gulp). Also, DeAnthony Thomas.
4. Georgia- everyone sans 1 receiver is back on Offense, which will carry a very, very young defense until they get themselves figured out.
5. Florida State- D should be excellent, Oline returns 4 of 5 and RB’s look good. No matter if Jameis Winston lives up to the hype, this team can play with anyone if they can avoid derping against weak competition as usual.
6.Notre Dame- I think the D is even better than last year as far as turnovers/effecting the game, if not points allowed. I predict significant Oline improvement (right half of the line hamstrung our ability to run the ball IMO) and therefore the offense gets better, especially Tommy, who has the kind of season 2011 would have been without all the turnovers.
7. LSU- Defense simply has to get worse after that draft, but offense gets a little better, and that’s enough for a team with as much raw talent as LSU.
8.Texas A&M- Johnny Manziel elevates what would otherwise be a no. 20-25 team with a good Oline and questions just about everywhere else, but an especially questionable defense puts aTm far, far away from national title contention.
9. Clemson- Top 5 potential here, especially if the D plays like they did against LSU. But no benefit of the doubt for Clemson.
10. South Carolina- Lots of questions outside of the QB’s and Clowney, especially without Lattimore. But if there’s two places to have the answers, it’s QB and DL.
11.Michigan- Not exceptional but definitely above average just about everywhere. interior OL could be an issue, especially because im not yet sold on Gardner.
12. Oklahoma- I believe OU is suffering perception-wise from the beatdown they took from the best team aTm’s will ever field. They’re in decline, but it’s a slow decline, and they started so, so high.
13.Florida- Horrendous offense and a Defense that lost several high draft picks. If you can stop the run you can stop the Gators, but the talent level is just so high on this team.
14. Louisville- How far can Teddy Bridgewater carry UL without great talent around him? I honestly believe that Florida would’ve crushed UL had the Gators cared, at all, between December and the 3rd quarter of the Sugar Bowl.
15. Wisconsin- Last year’s Badgers inexplicably ignored their potential until the B1G championship game, so with a new coach 8-6 isn’t happening again. They’ll do their usual Wisconsin thing, meaning somewhere between no. 10 and no. 20, unless Gary Anderson’s spread works some black magic.
16. Ohio State- Definition of a 1-man show, and drastically overrated by, well, everyone. Good Oline, dynamic running QB, questions everywhere else. Replacing the entire Dline and 2 LB’s, Miller can’t have even a slight off day against good rushing teams or OSU is toast (and the jury is still out on if he can throw the football). With that said, the offense and raw talent makes them as good a B1G title threat as anyone. This is like a super athletic Michigan team under RichRod.
17. Texas- 19 returning starters. Texas should always be #1 when they return 19 starters. But with Mack Brown at the helm ive gotta see it to believe it.
Everyone else is basically interchangeable, IMO, but not as good as these teams.
