There are a long 102 days between now and the kickoff of the 2013 college football season. In between now and then, the days will be full of predictions, speculation, and other minor stories to pass the time. Many sites have their own preseason college football top 25 lists completed minutes after the final horn in the national championship game, and update it throughout the summer. ESPN constantly changes their rankings based on players leaving, coaches leaving, and spring ball impressions. CBS also gives their own opinion. However, all you can really go on is how a team finished the year, who they have coming back, and the toughness of their schedule.
I’ll try to give it a shot with my top 5.
5. Stanford – Who hasn’t David Shaw impressed in his two years as coach of his alma mater? All he’s done is take an academically prestigious university to back to back BCS bowl games, have to replace one of the best QB prospects ever in the history of the game and see no drop off, not to mention the fact that he finally beat Oregon, something former coach Jim Harbaugh never could do. Especially with the departure of Oregon coach Chip Kelly to the NFL, as well as USC taking a huge step back with last year’s 7-6 season, Stanford looks like the college football team to beat in the west next season. Sophomore Kevin Hogan should see even more improvement in his game after having a full spring as the #1 QB when he starts the season opener. BCS bowl wins are nice, but Stanford is looking to take the next step: a trip to the National Championship.
Jadeveon Clowney will haunt SEC quarterbacks all season; photo from southcarolina.247sports.com
4. South Carolina – Other “experts” have USC in the top 10, but not in the top 5. However, this could be the year South Carolina finally makes a BCS bowl game. They return two quarterbacks who are SEC battle tested and four out of five offensive linemen. They lost a good bit on defense, but they return Jadeveon Clowney. This video clip shows you why his return is huge (not that he had a choice; Clowney was considered to be the #1 player that would be taken in the NFL Draft if he were eligible to leave.) He has a legitimate chance to be a Heisman finalist, and potentially be the first all-defensive player to win the most coveted award in college football. The biggest key for USC this season is that they finally have a favorable draw against SEC West teams. They do not have to play Alabama, LSU, or Texas A&M this upcoming season. Their toughest game of the season comes against Georgia in the second week of the season, and they beat UGA last season. If USC can take advantage of their schedule, they could return to the SEC championship game for the first time since 2010.
3. Ohio State – If these rankings were based on a team’s chances to make it to the national championship, Ohio State would be #1 easily. They play no games this season where they will not be the favorite, and their schedule is easier than last season, a season where they finished a perfect 12-0. The offense should be even more explosive, as they return a majority of starters including Heisman hopefuls Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde. The question marks comes on defense. Losing starters such as Johnathan Hankins, John Simon, and Zach Boren hurts, not only defensively but for leadership reasons as well. Coach Urban Meyer referred to Simon, a two time captain, as one of the best players he’s coached as far as leadership goes. If players such as Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence play up to their potential; however, the defense will be in good hands and the Buckeyes should have a spot in the championship game.
2. Texas A&M – This is potentially too high for the Aggies, as they look to avoid a sophomore curse their second year in the SEC. They lose Luke Joeckel, the #2 overall pick in the NFL draft, who protected Johnny Manziel’s, the reigning Heisman winner, blind side. However, they return Jake Matthews and some scouts say he could be even better than Joeckel. Regardless, look for Johnny Football to continue taking college football by storm. For him to repeat as Heisman winner, something that has only been done by Ohio State’s Archie Griffin, he will have to achieve what he did not last year while repeating his past accomplishments. This means beating LSU, while beating Alabama again (FYI: Nick Saban has a staggeringly impressive winning percentage in “revenge” games), and likely making it to the SEC Championship game. The Aggies will have a target on their back this season, but they have the talent to continue climbing in most dominant conference in college football.
Johnny Football returns as one of the most hyped players in college football this upcoming season; photo from nydailynews.com
1. Alabama – Three out of the last four national championships. Multiple first round NFL selections in the draft. Nick Saban has created the most dominant college football program in decades and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It is unfair to put any other team at #1 out of respect to the Crimson Tide. Saban keeps his boys hungry and will look to claim his third national championship in as many years. Alabama lost Chance Warmack and DJ Fluker to the NFL, both taken in the first eleven picks; they return Cyrus Kouandjio, who started over Fluker at Left Tackle and has scouts drooling over his talent. They lost Eddie Lacy at Running Back; however, TJ Yeldon will look to be the feature back after rushing for over 1000 yards in his freshman season. Not to mention the fact that the Tide return QB AJ McCarron, who has only led the Crimson Tide to back to back national championships in his two years as a starter. Pair this with the #1 recruiting class in the country and Alabama is once again the team to beat in college football.