(1) Alabama Crimson Tide:
Last Season’s Record: 14-1 (Lost National Title Game).
Impact Player: Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB.
Players Drafted in 2017: Marlon Humphrey (1st Round-Baltimore), Jonathan Allen (1st Round-Washington), O.J. Howard (1st Round-Tampa Bay), Reuben Foster (1st Round-San Francisco), Cam Robinson (2nd Round-Jacksonville), Ryan Anderson (2nd Round-Washington), Dalvin Tomlinson (2nd Round-New York Giants), Tim Williams (3rd Round-Baltimore Ravens), ArDarius Stewart (3rd Round-New York Jets), Eddie Jackson (4th Round-Chicago).
Speculation for 2017: The Crimson Tide came incredibly close to winning the national title last season and this year they are my pick to win it all. Sophomore QB Jalen Hurts will have plenty of talent around him this year with Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris, Calvin Ridley, and a great o-line. The defense looks tremendous but they will have to replace many great players in their front seven but Alabama has to do that pretty much every season anyways. They have the best coach in all of college football with Nick Saban and they have a great chance of winning the SEC and getting another national championship in their trophy case.
(2) USC Trojans:
Last Season’s Record: 10-3 (Won Rose Bowl).
Impact Player: Sam Darnold, QB.
Players Drafted in 2017: Adoree Jackson (1st Round-Tennesse), JuJu Smith-Schuster (2nd Round-Pittsburgh), Zach Banner (4th Round-Indianapolis), Leon McQuay III (6th Round-Kansas City), Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (7th Round-Tampa Bay).
Speculation for 2017: The Trojans have the best player in CFB with Sam Darnold and they also return Ronald Jones II at running back who rushed for over a thousand yards and twelve touchdowns last season. The defense looks pretty good as well with Porter Gustin as a pash rusher and Iman Marshall at corner. Expect USC to get to the CFB playoff (they probably should have been in last year too) with a fairly easy schedule and my pick to win the Heisman.
(3) Florida State Seminoles:
Last Season’s Record: 10-3 (Won Orange Bowl).
Impact Player: Derwin James, Safety.
Players Drafted in 2017: Dalvin Cook (2nd Round-Minnesota), DeMarcus Walker (2nd Round-Denver), Roderick Johnson (5th Round-Cleveland), Marquez White (6th Round-Dallas).
Speculation for 2017: The Seminoles will have experience at the QB position this year with Deondre Francois at the helm but they also will have to replace Dalvin Cook who was one of the best running back’s in the 2017 draft and Roderick Johnson on the offensive line who was also drafted, the offense should be fairly good still especially with a talent like Francois. The Seminoles will be known primarily for their secondary this season led by Derwin James who they get back after he missed a large part of last season and also Tarvarus McFadden who is a very lanky corner that should be improved, both of these guys will have major hype among NFL scouts this season. The Seminoles have an elite coach with Jimbo Fisher and are a major national title contender with talent on both sides of the ball.
(4) Ohio State Buckeyes:
Last Season’s Record: 11-2 (Lost in CFB Playoff Semifinal).
Impact Player: JT Barrett, QB.
Players Drafted in 2017: Marshon Lattimore (1st Round-New Orleans), Malik Hooker (1st Round-Indianapolis), Gareon Conley (1st Round-Oakland), Curtis Samuel (2nd Round-Carolina), Raekwon McMillan (2nd Round-Miami), Pat Elflein (3rd Round-Minnesota), Noah Brown (7th Round-Dallas).
Speculation for 2017: The final preseason CFB Playoff spot went to Ohio State here but Oklahoma was very close to getting this spot. The Buckeyes have an experienced QB with JT Barrett and they have one of the best coaches in the entire country with Urban Meyer. The Ohio State defense should be very good this season despite losing two key pieces in their secondary to the NFL, expect the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten and maybe even a national championship this season.
(5) Oklahoma Sooners:
Last Season’s Record: 11-2 (Won Sugar Bowl).
Impact Player: Baker Mayfield, QB.
Players Drafted in 2017: Joe Mixon (2nd Round-Cincinnati), Dede Westbrook (4th Round-Jacksonville), Samaje Perine (4th Round-Washington), Jordan Evans (6th Round-Cincinnati).
Speculation for 2017: The big storyline this offseason in Norman was the resignation of Bob Stoops and that led to plenty of speculation on how Lincoln Riley will do in his first season coaching the Sooners. Lincoln Riley may have some early schedules especially when they travel to Columbus and play Ohio State but they still will have a Heisman contender with Baker Mayfield and a very good offensive line led by top prospect Orlando Brown. The Sooners will play plenty of talented teams this season and they have a chance to play their talented in-state rival Oklahoma State twice this season with the return of the Big 12 title game.
(6) Clemson Tigers:
Last Season’s Record: 14-1 (Won National Championship).
Impact Player: Christian Wilkins, DT.
Players Drafted in 2017: Mike Williams (1st Round-LAC), Deshaun Watson (1st Round-Houston), Cordrea Tankersley (3rd Round-Miami), Wayne Gallman (4th Round-NYG), Carlos Watkins (4th Round-Houston), Jordan Leggett (5th Round-NYJ).
Speculation for 2017: Clemson is losing many key pieces on their offense with the losses of Deshaun Watson, Wayne Gallman, and Mike Williams. Despite all of that I am still incredibly confident in Dabo Swinney as a head coach and I expect him to find stability at the QB position sooner rather than later, he has proven that he is a great coach who helps his QB’s tremendously with names like Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson. The Tigers have one of the best defensive line’s in all of CFB with Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence who are potential first rounders.
(7) Penn State Nittany Lions:
Last Season’s Record: 11-3 (Lost Rose Bowl).
Impact Player: Saquon Barkley, RB .
Player Drafted in 2017: Chris Godwin (3rd Round-Tampa Bay).
Speculation for 2017: The Nittany Lions were a fairly young team last season considering that they won the Big Ten and only had one player drafted in 2017. They are returning the dynamic duo of Trace McSorley at QB and Saquon Barkley at RB which should be one of the more exciting QB-RB combo’s in CFB. The defense isn’t quite as good but they should still be good enough to limit the high-powered attacks of Ohio State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions have one of the best coaches in the Big Ten with James Franklin who has the potential to be a head coach in the NFL someday. Expect them to contend for the Big Ten championship and maybe even more in 2017.
(8) Washington Huskies:
Last Season’s Record: 12-2 (Lost in CFB Playoff Semifinal).
Impact Player: Jake Browning, QB.
Player’s Drafted in 2017: John Ross (1st Round-Cincinnati), Kevin King (2nd Round-Green Bay), Budda Baker (2nd Round-Arizona), Sidney Jones (2nd Round-Philadelphia), Elijah Qualls (6th Round-Philadelphia).
Speculation for 2017: The Huskies lost plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball to the NFL with four of their players getting drafted by NFL teams last April. Despite all of this they retained two key difference makers on their offense with Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin who should be able to get the Huskies back to the Pac-12 Championship Game. The defense looks fairly good despite losing many key players in their secondary, they will be led by two top players in Vita Vea and Azeem Victor who should help the Huskies have one of the better front seven’s in the Pac-12. Don’t be surprised if Washington gets back to the Pac-12 Championship.
(9) Oklahoma State Cowboys:
Last Season’s Record: 10-3 (Won Alamo Bowl).
Impact Player: Mason Rudolph, QB.
Players Drafted in 2017: Vincent Taylor (6th Round-Miami) and Chris Carson (7th Round-Seattle).
Speculation for 2017: The Cowboys will be contenders in the Big 12 and they have a solid chance of winning their conference if they can just get past their in-state rival. They have a great QB with Mason Rudolph and they also have arguably the best WR in all of CFB with James Washington who is returning for his senior season. The Cowboys have a solid coach with Mike Gundy who is one of my favorite coaches in all of college football. The game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in Stillwater is definitely circled on my calendar.
(10) Michigan Wolverines:
Last Season’s Record: 10-3 (Lost Orange Bowl).
Impact Player: Rashan Gary, DE.
Players Drafted in 2017: Jabrill Peppers (1st Round-Cleveland), Taco Charlton (1st Round-Dallas), Chris Wormley (3rd Round-Baltimore), Jourdan Lewis (3rd Round-Dallas), Delano Hill (3rd Round-Seattle), Amara Darboh (3rd Round-Seattle), Ben Gedeon (4th Round-Minnesota), Ryan Glasgow (4th Round-Cincinnati), Jehu Chesson (4th Round-Kansas City), Jake Butt (5th Round-Denver), Jeremy Clark (6th Round-NYJ).
Speculation for 2017: I thought about many teams for this final spot but I had to give it to Michigan here due to Jim Harbaugh who has won at both levels and has so far done a tremendous job rebuilding a storied program. They are returning their QB from last season and they also are proving that they are focused on winning in the trenches with solid offensive and defensive lines. I am a little concerned with how they will fare this season due to the fact that they will have to replace so many talented players that got drafted but I have learned from watching football to never doubt Jim Harbaugh.
