College football is finally back and at Mattymac8.blogspot.com we will fully prepare you for this college football season. These are our Preseason Rankings. We will give you our Top 25 and a full analysis of our Top 5 teams.
#25. Virginia Tech- Logan Thomas has been inconsistent over the years. This is his last chance to do something at VA Tech. They will kick off the season against Alabama.
#24. Boise State- Chris Petersen returns a Broncos squad with a stout defense. Joe Southwick should put up some big numbers at QB. They have a tough test in Washington to start out the season.
#23. USC- The Trojans want a fresh start from last year. There is a quiet QB battle brewing. I predict that Max Wittek will start Week 1 over Cody Kessler. Marqise Lee and Nelson Aguilar are a ridiculous WR duo.
#22. Oregon State- I would not be surprised if the Beavers started out 7-0 this year and finished 8-4. They have a very tough last 5 games. Cody Vaz and Sean Mannion may split time this year at QB. Markus Wheaton is a playmaker at WR and RB.
#21. Wisconsin- Joel Stave and Curt Phillips might split time this year at QB. James White returns at RB and I expect him to have a great season. Their Week 3 test against Arizona State showcases one of the best D-lines in the country (ASU) against a big O-line in Wisconsin.
#20. Northwestern- This NW team has plenty of chances to prove themselves. Kain Colter can play RB and QB and is a threat to defenses everywhere. Pat Fitzgerald has done a great job with this team.
#19. Texas- David Ash will be running the offense this year for the Longhorns. Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley are a good 1-2 tandem at WR. The Big 12 is rather weak this year, so I would not be in shock if they ended up in the mix to win it.
#18. Nebraska- The Cornhuskers running game can be very effective and will carry the offense. Taylor Martinez could be a Heisman Trophy candidate at the end of the year. T-Magic is one of the best dual-threat QB in the country. Their Week 3 matchup against UCLA should be fun to watch.
#17. UCLA- Brett Hundley will be running the show again this year. He is another QB that can run and throw. The Bruins lost Jonathan Franklin from last year. Anthony Barr will lead the defense. The Bruins had a rough ending to last year's season, losing their last 3 games.
#16. Oklahoma- Blake Bell will be replacing Landry Jones at QB. Bell is 6-6 and 252 lbs. OU does not have a go-to-guy at WR to help Bell out. I don't think the Sooners have what it takes to get over the hump of making it to a BCS Bowl game.
#15. Notre Dame- I have Notre Dame on upset alert in Week 1 against Temple. With Everett Golson out, Tommy Rees will start. I think that Brian Kelly should let incoming Freshman Malik Zaire start. Zaire is very quick and is a playmaker. George Atkinson III is ND's leading RB that is coming back.
#14. Michigan- Devin Gardner is a big playmaker at QB. He gained experience last year when he took control of Denard Robinson's spot. Jeremy Gallon should have a breakout year at WR. The Wolverines' defense has shown improvement. Last year they only let up 19.8 PPG.
#13. Oklahoma State- Clint Chelf and J.W. Walsh are both capable of leading the Cowboys' offense from QB. This OSU offense is very explosive. They put up 45.7 PPG last year. Jeremy Smith should get some touches at RB this season. The defense gives up a lot of points, though. I would not be shocked if they lost Week 1 to Mississippi State.
#12. Florida State- Jameis Winston will try to match what EJ Manuel did last year. The Seminoles offense can put up huge numbers. They almost averaged 40 PPG last year. The defense isn't too shabby either. They come in after only giving up 14.7 PPG last season. FSU is doing something right recruiting wise. They constantly have a top 5 class every year.
#11. LSU- Zach Mettenberger returns for his final season as a Tiger. He has help from a stellar defense and two promising WR in Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. The schedule is brutal, though. They have to face four top 10 teams and a scrappy TCU team that might turn some heads. The Tigers and Horned Frogs will go at it at Cowboys Stadium on the first Saturday of the season.
#10. Clemson- There are high expectations for Clemson this year. Tajh Boyd could be a dark horse for the Heisman this year. WR Sammy Watkins returns after what was sort of a bust season last year. In 2011, Watkins was unstoppable with 12 TDs and 82 catches. Last year Watkins only managed to catch 3 TDs and had some trouble off the field. The Tigers open the season at home against Georgia. College Gameday will be there.
#9. Florida- Jeff Driskel comes into the season very underrated. He is another terrific dual-threat QB. The Gators get a huge break this year by not playing Alabama. That doesn't mean their schedule isn't still loaded. They have to face about four top 15 teams in the country. Their defense should once again be great.
#8. Louisville- Teddy Bridgewater came out last year and performed for this Cardinal team. He threw for 27 TDs and 3718 yards. He will get more help at WR as the Cards landed a huge star in James Quick from Trinity HS (Louisville). I expect Quick to make an impact right away. Louisville has an extremely easy schedule to work with.
#7. Stanford- Kevin Hogan is the starter at QB for the Cardinals. They are losing Stepfan Taylor at RB. The defense is good, but I really think this team is overrated. They have a tough schedule and not many playmakers on offense. The defense will hold its ground. However, the offense is a question mark.
#6. South Carolina- Connor Shaw returns to QB for the Gamecocks. The loss of Marcus Lattimore will be huge. Shaw can run, but they don't have an every down RB. Bruce Ellington is their best WR. The best player in the country happens to be on their team in Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney might miss the first game of the season, though.
#5. Texas A&M- Johnny Manziel has made some stirs in the media this offseason. He might not even be able to play this year. I think Kevin Sumlin is a great coach, but this season is set up for disaster. The Aggies have plenty of talent and I could be biting my tongue for saying that last sentence. The team does have a great recruiting class with two very solid WR. However, if Manziel doesn't play the Aggies lost out on a good QB in Kohl Stewart who decided to bypass college to play with the Twins.
#4. Georgia- Aaron Murray has very big expectations this year. He was named All SEC 3rd Team QB. Might not sound like that big of a deal, but in a conference with AJ McCarron and Johnny Manziel it isn't that bad. The Bulldogs also have two super Sophomore RB in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. The two combined for 25 TD last season and over 2100 yards. Malcolm Mitchell had a decent year last season at WR.
#3. Ohio State- This was a tough decision for me to put the Buckeyes at #3. Braxton Miller is looking to match what he did last year. Urban Meyer did a great job with the team last season. Devin Smith and Philly Brown return at WR to help out Miller. RB Carlos Hyde has been suspended for the first 3 games of the season. The Buckeyes could easily be at #2 on this list.
#2. Oregon- Speed. Oregon has lots of it. Chip Kelly is gone, but Oregon is still very impressive. Marcus Mariota should have a solid year at QB. De'Anthony Thomas could be the fastest player in all of college football. Josh Huff was a reliable WR for the Ducks last year. This team can light up the scoreboard. Oregon already has November 7 marked on their calendars. They will get a chance to get some revenge on Stanford. It will be a Thursday night game in Palo Alto.
#1. Alabama- No surprise here. Bama has won its all 3 out of the last 4 years. AJ McCarron will once again be at the helm for the Crimson Tide. WR Amari Cooper is an elite player and a huge target for McCarron. The running game will once again be spectacular. T.J. Yeldon and incoming Freshman Derrick Henry will take a lot of the load off McCarron. Bama's O-line and defense should be terrific like last year. VA Tech is first on their schedule. The Tide have a bye after that and then a trip to Kyle Field to take on Texas A&M. Nick Saban will have his team ready.
#12. Florida State- Jameis Winston will try to match what EJ Manuel did last year. The Seminoles offense can put up huge numbers. They almost averaged 40 PPG last year. The defense isn't too shabby either. They come in after only giving up 14.7 PPG last season. FSU is doing something right recruiting wise. They constantly have a top 5 class every year.
#11. LSU- Zach Mettenberger returns for his final season as a Tiger. He has help from a stellar defense and two promising WR in Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. The schedule is brutal, though. They have to face four top 10 teams and a scrappy TCU team that might turn some heads. The Tigers and Horned Frogs will go at it at Cowboys Stadium on the first Saturday of the season.
#10. Clemson- There are high expectations for Clemson this year. Tajh Boyd could be a dark horse for the Heisman this year. WR Sammy Watkins returns after what was sort of a bust season last year. In 2011, Watkins was unstoppable with 12 TDs and 82 catches. Last year Watkins only managed to catch 3 TDs and had some trouble off the field. The Tigers open the season at home against Georgia. College Gameday will be there.
#9. Florida- Jeff Driskel comes into the season very underrated. He is another terrific dual-threat QB. The Gators get a huge break this year by not playing Alabama. That doesn't mean their schedule isn't still loaded. They have to face about four top 15 teams in the country. Their defense should once again be great.
#8. Louisville- Teddy Bridgewater came out last year and performed for this Cardinal team. He threw for 27 TDs and 3718 yards. He will get more help at WR as the Cards landed a huge star in James Quick from Trinity HS (Louisville). I expect Quick to make an impact right away. Louisville has an extremely easy schedule to work with.
#7. Stanford- Kevin Hogan is the starter at QB for the Cardinals. They are losing Stepfan Taylor at RB. The defense is good, but I really think this team is overrated. They have a tough schedule and not many playmakers on offense. The defense will hold its ground. However, the offense is a question mark.
#6. South Carolina- Connor Shaw returns to QB for the Gamecocks. The loss of Marcus Lattimore will be huge. Shaw can run, but they don't have an every down RB. Bruce Ellington is their best WR. The best player in the country happens to be on their team in Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney might miss the first game of the season, though.
#5. Texas A&M- Johnny Manziel has made some stirs in the media this offseason. He might not even be able to play this year. I think Kevin Sumlin is a great coach, but this season is set up for disaster. The Aggies have plenty of talent and I could be biting my tongue for saying that last sentence. The team does have a great recruiting class with two very solid WR. However, if Manziel doesn't play the Aggies lost out on a good QB in Kohl Stewart who decided to bypass college to play with the Twins.
#4. Georgia- Aaron Murray has very big expectations this year. He was named All SEC 3rd Team QB. Might not sound like that big of a deal, but in a conference with AJ McCarron and Johnny Manziel it isn't that bad. The Bulldogs also have two super Sophomore RB in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. The two combined for 25 TD last season and over 2100 yards. Malcolm Mitchell had a decent year last season at WR.
#3. Ohio State- This was a tough decision for me to put the Buckeyes at #3. Braxton Miller is looking to match what he did last year. Urban Meyer did a great job with the team last season. Devin Smith and Philly Brown return at WR to help out Miller. RB Carlos Hyde has been suspended for the first 3 games of the season. The Buckeyes could easily be at #2 on this list.
#1. Alabama- No surprise here. Bama has won its all 3 out of the last 4 years. AJ McCarron will once again be at the helm for the Crimson Tide. WR Amari Cooper is an elite player and a huge target for McCarron. The running game will once again be spectacular. T.J. Yeldon and incoming Freshman Derrick Henry will take a lot of the load off McCarron. Bama's O-line and defense should be terrific like last year. VA Tech is first on their schedule. The Tide have a bye after that and then a trip to Kyle Field to take on Texas A&M. Nick Saban will have his team ready.
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