CFB: Predicting the 2017 CFP & More
The 2017-18 College Football season is on the horizon, as we are just one week away until the first kickoff of the year, when Oregon State faces Colorado State. Week 1, which spans from August 26 to September 4, is slightly longer than we are accustomed to, as we will be treated to a handful of ranked-vs.-ranked matchups, including No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Florida State, No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 14 Florida, and No. 18 West Virginia vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech. We are going to give an extensive preview of the entire campaign, as five of our college football writers collaborate for a Top-25 Rankings, a short list of Heisman candidates, slotting the top quarterbacks and running backs, and of course, giving our official College Football Playoff selections.
Top-25 Rankings:
1. Alabama (125)
2. Ohio State (116)
3. USC (115)
4. Florida State (108)
5. Oklahoma (97)
6. Washington (96)
7. Clemson (92)
8. Michigan (88)
9. Penn State (82)
10. Wisconsin (79)
11. Oklahoma State (72)
12. LSU (71)
13. Stanford (60)
14. Florida (59)
15. Louisville (53)
16. Auburn (47)
17. Georgia (44)
18. West Virginia (31)
19. Miami (FL) (27)
20. Kansas State (25)
21. South Florida (24)
22. Virginia Tech (22)
23. Texas (19)
24. Tennessee (14)
25. Washington State (8)
Just Missed the Cut:
26. Pittsburgh (7)
27. Utah (7)
28. Boise State (6)
29. UCLA (4)
30. Texas A&M (2)
1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide, coming off of a 14-1 season, are favored to return to the College Football Playoff for the fourth year in a row, as they are shooting for their second title in three years. Jalen Hurts, potential SEC Player of the Year, and Bo Scarbrough lead the offense, while Rashaan Evans, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Ronnie Harrison will take the field for Nick Saban's powerful defense. Alabama's toughest games are Week 1 against No. 4 Florida State, Texas A&M, and No. 16 Auburn.
2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes have reached the CFP in two of the last three seasons, and with J.T. Barrett returning for his senior year, he's supposed to lead another successful season under center. Urban Meyer's squad has a dynamic backfield with Barrett, Parris Campbell, and Mike Weber, as well as an athletic and experienced defense with Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, and Tyquan Lewis up front. Ohio State's possible slip-ups are against No. 5 Oklahoma, Iowa, and No. 8 Michigan, prior to the Big Ten title.
3. USC: The Trojans, who beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl and went 10-3 last year, have quarterback Sam Darnold coming back for at least one more season. He is one of the top signal callers in the country, and has a ton of Heisman talk surrounding him. USC's hardest opponents will come against No. 13 Stanford, No. 23 Texas, and No. 25 Washington State. After just missing out on the College Football Playoff in 2016, Clay Helton has USC fans expecting a Pac-12 championship and a berth in the playoffs this time around.
4. Florida State: The Seminoles started last season rough, going 3-2 with losses to Louisville and North Carolina, after a lot of people slated them as a title contenders, but then Florida State ended the season 10-3 with an Orange Bowl victory over Michigan. Now? A year later, the 'Noles are once again looking like a top tier squad. Deondre Francois is back for his sophomore year, and even though Dalvin Cook is in the NFL, Jacques Patrick could have a breakout season in the backfield.
5. Oklahoma: The Sooners' offseason didn't quite go as planned, since both Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon declared for the NFL Draft, and then long time head coach Bob Stoops suddenly retired. All in all, Oklahoma still has Heisman candidate Baker Mayfield returning for one more go around. Mayfield will be the head of one of the top offenses in the nation, and with Lincoln Riley becoming the new coach, the offense might even get better. However, the defense isn't looking very strong, and the schedule is extremely tough.
6. Washington: The Huskies reached the first CFP in school history in 2016, and Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin are back, while a trio of defenders left for The League. This bunch will have a tough route navigating through the Pac-12 as the conference has improved a ton. A couple of road games against Colorado and No. 13 Stanford, and a home game against Oregon may spell losses for the Huskies, but at least they avoid No. 3 USC during the regular season.
7. Clemson: The Tigers are the defending champions, after going 14-1 and defeating Alabama in the title game, but now that All-Americans Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, and Ben Boulware are in the NFL, Clemson has a more difficult path to repeating. A handful of games are going to be make or break moments for the Tigers, including home games against No. 16 Auburn and No. 4 Florida State and road trips to No. 15 Louisville and No. 22 Virginia Tech. Expect Clemson to reach 10 wins, but a repeat might not be in the cards.
Heisman Projections:
1. Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma, 18)
2. Lamar Jackson (Louisville, 16)
3. Sam Darnold (USC, 12)
4. Jalen Hurts (Alabama, 7)
5. Saquon Barkley (Penn State, 6)
Top-5 Quarterbacks:
1. Lamar Jackson (Louisville, 18)
2. Sam Darnold (USC, 18)
3. Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma, 17)
4. J.T. Barrett (Ohio State, 6)
5. Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State, 5)
Top-5 Running Backs:
1. Saquon Barkley (Penn State, 23)
2. Derrius Guice (LSU, 21)
3. Nick Chubb (Georgia, 14)
4. Bo Scarbrough (Alabama, 12)
5. Royce Freeman (Oregon, 4)
College Football Playoff Picks:
Photo Credit: Sporting News.
