Here is what everyone has been waiting for our preseason top five. Check us out this is sure to raise some question marks I am sure. All five of these teams have a chance to win the national title, but No. 1 has to be knocked from their pedestal before someone else can claim No. 1. Just 18 days tell the beginning of the greatest sports season in the country! Enjoy the top five! As always tweet us @307CollegeFB or drop a comment on our blog. See you again soon.
Jeremy
Jeremy
#5- Georgia
The painful end of the 2012 season has given way (with the return of Sr. quarterback Aaron Murray) to championship expectations in 2013. The Bulldogs were about five seconds short of a title birth a year ago, taking Alabama all the way to the brink. Mark Richt gets 10 starters back from a dynamic offense run through Aaron Murray (Georgia’s all-time leader in TD passes- 126) that will certainly be one of the best in college football. The defense is a different story, replacing eight starters from a year ago including NFL draft picks Alec Ogletree, Jarvis Jones and John Jenkins.
Georgia’s
offense is led by four-year starter Aaron Murray who threw for 3,893 yards and
36 touchdowns in 2012 and a pair of sophomore running backs, Todd Gurley and
Keith Marshall who combined for 2,196 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. Led by center David Andrews, all five
starters return to what should be a formidable offensive line and help protect
Murray and open lanes for Gurley and Marshall.
The only area of concern for the Bulldog offense seems to be at the
receiver position. 2012’s top receiver,
Tavarres King is off to the NFL along with last year’s number three Marlon
Brown. Returning starter Malcolm
Mitchell has loads of upside (40 receptions, 572 yards and 4 TD’s) but had off
season knee surgery. Mitchell should be
good to go for the start of the season and tough the ‘Dawgs are thin on
experience this group is long on potential and could be better than last
season.
Losing eight
starters from last season’s defense seems like a big loss on the surface but I
don’t know if it will really be that big of an issue to replace a group that I
believe underachieved a year ago. Yes,
it will be a challenge to replace Jarvis Jones’ 14.5 sacks and his big-play
ability but there’s always talent waiting in the wings in Athens. The linebackers are solid with Jordan Jenkins
and his five sacks looking to jump into Jarvis Jones’ shoes. James DeLoach, Amarlo Herrera, Ramik Wilson
and Fr. Reggie Carter fill out a corps that will likely be the strength of the
defense. The secondary also looks
promising with Damian Swann, Sheldon Dawson and Reggie Wilkerson competing for
the corner spots and potential starter at FS freshman, Tray Matthews. The D-line must replace two starters and DE
Ray Drew and NT John Taylor seem like the likely candidates to line up with DE
Garrison Smith.
The Bulldogs
get thrown into the fire from the get go this season and the offense will have
to score early and often to help this young defense get their feet under
them. Three of Georgia’s first four
games are at Clemson in week one, home versus South Carolina in week two and
home versus LSU in week four. That’s a
tough way to start any season and we’ll find out a lot about this team in that
first month. Georgia still has their
mid-season matchup with Florida and finishes the season at in-state rival
Georgia Tech. If Mark Richt’s team
expects to make a return trip to the SEC Championship they’ll certainly have
earned it with this schedule. Murray,
Gurley and Marshall will have to do more this year to make it happen.
#4- South Carolina
The Ol’ Ball
Coach might have his best South Carolina team ever this year. Seven returning starters on offense
(including both quarterbacks- just like you’d expect from Spurrier) and
arguably the best defensive player in the country are cause for great hype and
expectations in Columbia headed into 2013.
Offensively,
the quarterback position is in good shape regardless of who is taking
snaps. Senior Connor Shaw led the team
in passing last season ((1,956 yards, 17 TD’s and 7 INT’s) and is the team
leading returning rusher going for just over 600 yards on the ground. Shaw seems to be the favorite to start but
expect Spurrier to play Jr. Dylan Thompson (1,027 yards, 10 TD’s and 2 INT’s)
as well and don’t be surprised if Thompson is the starter with Shaw as the
sub. The line could be one of Steve
Spurrier’s best, returning four starters with a combined 72 games started. Having experience at quarterback and offensive
line will be important for the Gamecocks in 2013 as they’ll be breaking in a
new running back and a few new receivers.
Mike Davis (289 rushing yards and 2 TD’s) is the likely starter at
running back but he’ll be pushed by Brandon Wilds and potentially freshman
Jamari Smith and Davis Williams. Last
year’s leading receiver, Bruce Ellington (40 catches, 600 yards and 7 TD’s) returns
but will have a new running mate with the departure of Ace Sanders. Damiere Byrd, Shaq Roland and Shamier Jeffery
(brother of former Gamecock Alshon) will be in the mix.
The defense
should be solid but there are a few question marks. Everyone knows DE Jadeveon Clowney and there’s
no question that his presence alone gives this defense and edge. That said, South Carolina loses its top four
leading tacklers from a year ago and will replace all three linebackers. On the line, Clowney and DT Kelsy Quarles
will get two new running mates. Replacing
all three linebackers will be a challenge and sophomores Kaiwan Lewis and Cedrick
Cooper look to be the starters at inside linebacker and weak side linebacker,
respectively.
The
secondary should be a strength, with returning starters Jimmy Legree and Victor
Hampton manning the corner positions and Brison Williams at safety. The loss of D.J. Swearinger hurts at free
safety but junior Kadetrix Marcus and sophomore T.J. Gurley should be able to
do a respectable job.
Like
Georgia, South Carolina will get tested early with their first three games
against an improving North Carolina team, at Georgia and against Vanderbilt,
who took the Gamecocks to the brink last year.
A three game road stretch could be a challenge for the
‘not-always-so-good-away-from-home’ Gamecocks.
Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri aren’t expected to be top contenders
but all surely pose a threat. South
Carolina closes the season with games against Florida and Clemson, both of
which are in Columbus but neither game a gimmie. An undefeated season looks like a long shot
but this team is capable of winning the SEC East and a win in the SEC
Championship usually ends in a spot in the BCS Championship game.
I wrestled a lot with the number three spot on my list. Oregon gets slotted here mostly because of the turnover at head coach. Had Chip Kelly returned, this team would be number two no question about it. That’s not the case, however, and new head man, Mark Helfrich will have some big shoes to fill. Kelly didn’t leave the cupboard bare and Helfrich has a pretty sweet weapons waiting for him. The Ducks return 15 starters from their 12-1, Fiesta Bowl winning team of 2012 and that will go a long way in easing Helfrich’s transition.
Offensively,
the key that drives this supersonic engine is sophomore quarterback Marcus
Mariota. As a redshirt freshman last
year, Mariota stepped in like he owned the place and accounted for 3,429 total
yards and 37 touchdowns. Mariota loses
leading rusher Kenjon Barner but the running back stable is still full with the
likes of De’Anthony Thomas (735 rushing yards and 11 rushing TD’s) and highly
touted, true freshman Thomas Tyner.
Paving the way for the Ducks ground game will be returning starters C
Hroniss Grasu, RT Jake Fisher and LT Tyler Johnstone. The Ducks might not be a top three rushing
offense this season with a bit more balanced attack called by new coordinator
Scott Frost.
Frost and
Mariota will enjoy the return of six of the Ducks top seven pass catchers from
a year ago. Led by Josh Huff (32
catches, 493 yards and 7 TD’s) and tight end Colt Lyerla (25 catches, 392 yards
and 6 TD’s), Oregon will look to open the offense up a bit more. De’Anthony Thomas is dangerous out of the
back field and from the slot (45 catches, 445 yards and 5 TD’s) and youngsters
Chance Allen and Bralon Addison will look to contribute as well.
There’s no
question the Oregon offense will be as good as ever but the defense might give
the Ducks that extra little boost to leap Stanford and potentially get back to
the BCS Championship. The loss of
linebackers Kiko Alonso and Michael Clay will hurt (they combined for 182
tackles, 4 sacks and 20 tackles for loss) but the units in front and behind the
LB’s should be able to balance out the youngsters stepping in this year. The Ducks D-line should be better in 2013
despite the loss of DE/OLB Dion Jordan.
They return leading sack man Taylor Hart (8 sacks) and Wade Kelilkipi
and Ricky Havili-Heimuli will anchor the inside. The DB’s could be among the best in the
nation as all four starters return. The
star of the group is corner, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu but Terrance Mitchell is solid at
the other corner and safeties Erick Dargan and Brian Jackson are both
outstanding.
The Ducks
should be able to maneuver through their schedule fairly well. They have a few major challenges with a trip
to Seattle to take on the rival Huskies and back to back games with UCLA and at
Stanford. They get a week off between
UCLA and Stanford but that’s still a pretty tough 1-2 punch. Add in their annual ‘Civil War’ meeting with
a pesky Oregon State team and the road to the Pac 12 North will be tough. Oregon must be taken seriously in 2013 and
are a legit contender not only in the Pac 12 but as a BCS Championship
contender as well.
Expectations have never been higher in Palo Alto. Stanford is coming off their second 12 win season in three years and David Shaw and Co. is looking beyond a Pac 12 title and on to a shot at a BCS title.
Sophomore
Kevin Hogan settle into the starting quarterback role quite nicely as the
season went on and will look to really flourish with a full offseason of
work. Hogan is big and powerful at 6-4,
225lbs but still possesses the athleticism to maneuver in the pocket to buy
time or just tuck the ball and run.
Completing 71% of his passes for 1,096, 9 TD’s and 3 INT’s, Hogan was an
upgrade over the struggling Josh Nunes.
He’ll need to be just as sharp this season as Stanford loses its top
five pass catchers from a year ago. Ty
Montgomery, Kelsey Young will have to step in and produce at the receiver
position but perhaps more importantly, Devon Cajuste and Luke Kaumatule will
have to fill the massive void at tight end left by Zach Ertz and Levine
Toilolo.
Hogan is
Stanford’s leading rusher (323 rushing yards and 2 TD’s) after the departure of
Stepfan Taylor, the Cardinal’s all-time leading rusher. There’s a bevy of backs ready to step in and
Coach Shaw will likely take his time picking the replacement. Senior, Anthony Wilkerson (231 rushing yards
and 1 TD) will likely get the first crack at the starting job but expect plenty
of early playing time from Sr. Tyler Gaffney, So. Redmound Wright, Jr. Ricky
Seale and rFr. Barry Sanders. Senior
guard, David Yankey leads a offensive line that should be dominant once again.
The Cardinal
defense has no peers in the offense-minded Pac 12 and few nationally. Stanford led the conference in rush defense
and fifth nationally allowing just 97 rushing yards per game. It starts in the trenches with a line that
jams up running lanes as well as attacks opposing quarterbacks. The defense led the nation in sacks per game
at 4.07. The linebackers a solid all the
way round, led inside by Sr. Shane Skov and Jr. A.J. Tarpley (combined 149
tackles and 12 for loss). Skov and
Tarpley will be flanked by All-American candidate Trent Murphy (56 tackles and
10 sacks) and James Vaughters.
The only potential weakness for this Stanford defense looks to be in the secondary, which ranked seventh in the Pac 12 a year ago. That said, they return four starters all of whom will be another year more mature. Safety, Ed Reynolds was All-Pac-12 last season with six picks and will be counted on to set the tone for this senior laden group.
Built more
like an SEC team than a Pac-12 team, Stanford makes sense as an early favorite
to win the conference. Their biggest
obstacle will be a schedule that has Arizona State, USC and UCLA from the South
but they do get Washington, UCLA, Oregon and Notre Dame at home. The combination of a more experienced Kevin
Hogan and what should be a dominant defense give the Cardinal the edge and make
them a legit contender for a BCS Championship birth.
Could there really be anyone else at number one? The Tide returns a bevy of starters from last season’s championship team including their two-time BCS Champion quarterback. They players they did lose to the NFL will most certainly be replaced by an equal or better newcomer and there’s no question Nick Saban will have this team firing on all cylinders from the get go.
As mentioned
before, Alabama is led by arguably the best quarterback in college
football. AJ McCarron has led the Tide
to back-to-back championships and is a model of precision and efficiency,
leading the nation in QBR (175.28) and throwing 30 touchdowns to just three
interceptions. The scary thing for the
2013 Crimson Tide is that McCarron returns his top four pass-catchers from a
year ago. Led by a dynamic Amari Cooper
(59 catches, 1000 yards and 11 TD’s) and solid contributors, Kevin Norwood and
Kenny Bell this unit could be ‘Bama’s best since the Julio Jones led 2010
unit.
We’ve come
to expect outstanding running backs year after year with Saban and this season
will be no exception. Eddie Lacy is off
to the NFL to join former ‘Bama stars Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson but
sophomore T.J. Yeldon (1,131 yards and 12 TD’s) will have no problems filling
those shoes. Yeldon, one of the best
backs in the nation won’t have to go it alone.
He’ll be joined by a deep, talented pool of runners including Kenyan
Drake (281 yards and 5 TD’s) and top recruits Alvin Kamara, Tyren Jones and
Altee Tenpenny.
Perhaps the
only area of concern for the ‘Tide going into 2013 is along the offensive
line. They’re not just replacing three
starters, they’re replacing two first team All-Americans, Barrett Jones and
Chance Warmack and second team All-American, DJ Fluker. For most teams this would call for a
rebuilding year but for Nick Saban, it’s next man up. Left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and RG Anthony
Steen have All-American potential and will be joined by newcomers, Arie
Kouandjio at LG, Ryan Kelly should step in at center and Austin Shepherd looks
to move into the right tackle spot. This
unit might not be quite as good as last season’s but should still be among the
best in the country.
The number
one total defense and scoring defense from 2012 should be ready to resume their
role as the nation’s best once again in 2013.
Jeoffery Pagan and Brandon Ivory are newcomers at DE and NT,
respectively but are expected to be upgrades at their positions.
The
linebackers are led by a pair of the SEC’s best in senior CJ Mosley (104
tackles, 4 sacks and 2 INT’s) and sophomore Trey DePriest (59 tackles). They’ll be flanked by talents Adrian Hubbard
(7 sacks) and Xzavier Dickson with sophomore Denzel Devall working in at “Jack”
as well.
Alabama’s
secondary should be strong again despite the loss of first round draft pick,
Dee Milliner. John Fulton, Bradley
Sylve, Deion Belue and Geno Smith will all look to work in at the corner
position to replace Milliner. Fulton
seems to be the favorite while Belue works the other corner position. Safety is more settled with the return of Ha
Ha Clinton-Dix (37 tackles and 5 INT’s) at strong safety and Vinnie Sunseri and
Landon Collins battling for the starting FS spot. Either way, the ‘Tide are solid at every
level on defense and should be just as good as a year ago.
I hammered
Ohio State and Louisville for their crap schedules and I suppose I shouldn’t
let Alabama off the hook. I wouldn’t
call this schedule crap, but, as SEC schedules go this one is pretty manageable
(just ask Les Miles). The Tide opens the
season in a neutral-site with Virginia Tech, then gets a week off before
traveling to College Station to take on Texas A&M- a game that could be
interesting given the recent investigation involving it’s start
quarterback. After A&M it’s
relatively smooth sailing until a Nov. 9 date with LSU and finally a Nov. 30
game at Auburn (a team I expect to be pretty dangerous by season’s end). The stage is set for Alabama to win its third
straight BCS Championship and fourth in five years as well as close out the BCS
era the way it started, with a SEC team on top.
Nick
No. 5- Ohio State
Now
probation free and coming off an undefeated 2012 season the Buckeyes are poised
to make a run at the national championship in 2013. They return 15 total
starters including nine on offense from that squad. This team has loads of
talent of that offense, but loses seven starters from a defense that was pretty
average last season. The good thing for the Buckeyes is a pretty pathetic
schedule should allow them to make a run at another undefeated season. The
first test or actual contest for the Bucks should be a home game against
Wisconsin on Sept. 28, followed by a trip to Evanston to take on a fairly
dangerous Northwestern team. Other than that the conference schedule is set up
pretty well, with the big game to end the season at Michigan. With this painfully
soft schedule Urban Meyer should have no trouble leading the Buckeyes to
another double-digit win season.
On
offense this team is stacked with nine returning starters led by junior
quarterback Braxton Miller. Miller is a superb runner and does a great job of
leading this offense with the ability to make a Heisman run. Behind Miller is
senior running back Carlos Hyde and the super speedy Jordan Hall. The rushing
attack is not an issue for this team as it was No. 10 in the country last
season with 242 yards per game. For this team to seriously contend for a title
Miller is going to have to improve drastically throwing the ball because it was
No. 101 in the country last year through the air. He has weapons to toss the
ball to in receivers Corey Brown and Devin Smith, and tight end Jeff Heuerman,
but he has to learn how to get the ball there. A very experienced offensive
line that returns four starters should at least give Miller time in the pocket
and open up holes to run through. This offense should have another solid
season, but if teams force Miller to throw the ball every down there could be
some trouble.
The
reason I do not think Ohio State is the No. 2 team in the country like everyone
else in the college football world is they have to quickly reload a defense
that was average at best last season. Statistically the best part of this unit
last season was its rushing defense (No. 14, 116 ypg), but with just one
returning starter on the front six no way it can replicate that. Sophomore
defensive ends Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington had a solid spring, but they
are going to have to grow up quickly. Junior linebacker Ryan Shazier is one of
the best players at that position in the country and should be able to hold his
own with fellow junior Curtis Grant at his side. Shazier is going to have to be
the go-to playmaker in this front six for the defense to have any success. The
Bucks return three of five starters in the secondary, including stud senior
safeties Christian Bryan and C.J. Barnett. The secondary is going to have to
vastly improve from its 76th-place finish a year ago, but Bryan, Barnett and
junior corner Bradley Roby should help that.
No
doubt Ohio State is super talented on the offensive side of the ball, but the
defense has some serious question marks as it looks to replace seven starters
from last season. Good thing is a pathetically weak non-conference schedule and
only two potentially tough conference road games, have Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes
set up for a B1G Championship run and possibly a national championship run.
No. 4-Georgia
The
Dawgs are easily one of the most talented teams in the country. With 15
starters returning, including 10 on offense this team should have another
chance at an SEC East and SEC title. The hurdle for Georgia is a brutal
schedule. An opening trip to Clemson, followed by a home date with South
Carolina should really show early if this team is capable of great things. Two
weeks later LSU makes the trip to Athens. If they Dawgs can get through those
three brutal games early in the season a neutral site contest against Florida
will be their only hurdle left for another SEC Championship game apperance.
Offensively
this team is stacked. Quarterback Aaron Murray is going to leave as the SEC’s
All-Time leading passer with 12,000-plus yards and 100-plus touchdowns. Murray
has so many weapons to help him get the ball in the end zone with running back
Todd Gurley as one of those most important weapons. Gurley had nearly 1,400
yards last season and fellow running back Keith Marshall added 759 of his own.
Gurley will again handle most of the load carrying the ball and is one of the
best running backs in the country. Receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Conley
should handle a lot of the big play duty down the field, while tight end Artie
Lynch will be a solid short yardage option for Murray. The line returns four
starters, but needs to improve from allowing 27 sacks last season. Senior
Kenarious Gates and Chirs Burnette with junior center David Andrews should help
secure the middle. Sophomore tackles John Theus and Xzavier Ward will need to
have great seasons to keep Murray clean. This offense wasn’t off the charts
statistically last season, but it has the chance do to it this season. Murray
is a stud and has big-game ability, Gurley is one of the best young backs in
the country and this offense should make some serious noise.
This
defense was hit hard with departures last season, most notably Jarvis Jones.
Jones was a master at creating havoc in the backfield and getting to the
quarterback and his loss will really hurt. The line only returns one starter in
senior end Garrison Smith who will have to be a major playmaker with two new
starters next to him. Linebacker Jordan Jenkins will have the job of replacing
Jones, but is super talented and has the potential to be just as good as Jones.
Returning starter Amarlo Herrera will have to anchor this defense from the
middle linebacker position. Newcomers Ramik Wilson and James DeLoach will fill
in the other two linebacker positions. The secondary is a little worrisome for
the Dawgs with just one upperclassman in corner Damian Swann returning. Two
sophomores and a freshman make up the rest of the secondary and those three are
going to have to grow up in a hurry with this teams tough early schedule to
start the season. This defense has some serious holes to fill, but Mark Richt
has done a great job in the past of reloading his team.
Georgia
has a brutal schedule to start the season with three top 10 contests in the
first four weeks of the season. If it can get through those games unblemished
it has the ability to find itself in the Atlanta for the SEC title game again.
For that to happen the defense is going to have to really grow up quickly and
the offense is going to have to live up to expectations. I like the Dawgs
chances this season if Murray and Gurley can make this offense go. Richt is one
of the best coaches in the country and I fully expect this team to win 10 games
again.
No. 3-South Carolina
The
Ol’ Ball Coach has done a great job in his time at South Carolina, making this
program a national power after a long period of mediocrity. This team has a big
opportunity this season with 12 returning starters and a schedule that sets up
very well for a run at an SEC title. An early contest at Georgia in the second
game of the season will really show us where this team is and if they are ready
to compete with the big boys in the conference. Other than that, the Gamecocks
other really tough games are both at home with Florida coming in on Nov. 16 and
Clemson making the trip to Columbia on Nov. 30. This team has a chance to win
the SEC East this season with that very favorable schedule.
Senior
quarterback Connor Shaw will be the key to this offense after the loss of
running back Marcus Lattimore. Shaw is a little more of a runner than a passer,
but he has lots of solid weapons at receiver to open up the field. Junior Bruce
Ellington will lead the receivers. Sophomore tailback Mike Daivs should see the
majority of carries for this offense, but power back Brandon Wilds will see a
lot of short-yardage carries. The line opening holes and protecting Shaw is
very deep and super experienced with four returning starters. The Gamecock
offense was very up and down last season, but I think it will vastly improve
this season and should have a great opportunity to finish in the top 20 if not
even higher.
You
cannot even open a sentence about the South Carolina defense without mentioning
Heisman candidate Jadeveon Clowney. The kid is unbelievable leading a defense
that was top 25 in every category last season and welcomes back five starters
from that squad. Clowney is as good a sack threat as there is in the country
and his ability to get to the ball is unreal. He reminds me of former Nebraska
defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, because of his ability to change a game from
the defensive line. Clowney and fellow junior tackle Kelcy Quarles should be
the keys on this d-line. The linebackers are a little young and green, but with
Clowney and Quarles taking most of the blocks they should be able to roam
pretty free. The Gamecocks secondary should be outstanding with four
upperclassmen and three returning starters from a passing defense that allowed
less than 200 yards per game in 2012. Leading the way is senior corner Jimmy
Legree, with junior safety Brison Williams and corner Victor Hampton. This
defense should be one of the best in the country and with Clowney roaming
around look out.
The
Gamecocks are set up for a serious run this season with the possibility of an
SEC Title and maybe even a National Title. Their schedule sets up very
favorably with just the one tough early road game at Georgia. Look out for the
Gamecocks this season they have a great opportunity to make some national
noise.
No. 2-Stanford
I never thought I would be sitting here writing a preseason poll with Stanford as
the second-best team in the country. Believe it this team is loaded and will
again have one of the best front sevens and overall defenses in the country.
The Cardinal returns eight starters from one of the best defenses in the
country last season, but only returns five offensive starters. Good thing for
the Cardinal their schedule is pretty weak to start the season. A home game
against Washington could be the Cardinal first real challenge, as the Huskies
are poised to make some noise in the Pac-12 this season. The conference
schedule for the Cardinal is manageable, with a trip to Oregon State on Oct.
26, but the following week the Ducks come to crash the party in Palo Alto. Last
season the Oregon-Stanford game was an instant classic, expect no less this
season. Three weeks later is another big one for the Cardinal as Notre Dame
comes to town, in another game with possible national title implications.
The
Cardinal offense was pretty average last year finishing in the top 50 in just
one category, rushing yards per game (174). Sophomore quarterback Kevin Hogan
had success last season, leading the Cardinal to a Rose Bowl victory, but he is
going to need to find some weapons to throw the ball to this season. At running
back it is looking like a committee job with senior Tyler Gaffney and fullback
Ryan Hewitt handling most of the carries. This offense is very young and
inexperienced at receiver and tight end and it will need to find some
playmakers quick to make some noise. The anchor of this offense will be its
line with four senior starters returning from last season. Hogan has the
ability to be a big-game quarterback and with a solid offensive line returning
this offense should find its way just fine.
Stanford
is a refreshing change from the high-flying little-defense Pac-12 as it relies
on stout defense to win games and this defense has the ability to be the best
in the country. This unit led the nation in sacks (57) and tackles for loss
(124) in 2012. Two of three linemen return including all-conference prospects
Ben Gardner and Henry Anderson who were tackle-for-loss masters last year
combining for 27. Senior tackle David Parry started a handful of games to end
the year and should be solid on the inside. Linebacker Trent Murphy is a rush
specialist, leading the team in tackles for loss with 18 and sacks with 10.
Seniors Shayne Skov and A.J. Tarpley return as starters from last season and
will fill the middle of this defense well. Junior James Vaughters should fill
in on the weak side fine learning from three all-conference caliber backers. The
Cardinal secondary is experienced with safeties Jordan Richards and Ed Reynolds
rooming deep. Sophomore corner Alex Carter is one of the best young corners in
the country and will lock down one side of the ball. This defense has the
ability to be scary good, and I see no reason for it not to. Teams are going to
have a very difficult time moving the ball on this front seven.
Stanford
has a chance to make another Rose Bowl run, but if it can win big home games
against Washington, Oregon and Notre Dame, it could be playing in Pasadena for
the crystal ball not the Rose Bowl trophy. The offense has some question marks,
but the defense is so good that the offense will have some room for error. I
really like what David Shaw has done with the Cardinal and he has the chance to
lead his team to another Pac-12 title and even further.
No. 1-Alabama
Alabama
and Nick Saban are the royalty of college football right now and as the
two-time defending national champions you have to start at No. 1. The thing is
still this team is by far the best team in the country. Saban has done an
amazing job of keeping this team’s eye on the ball the last two seasons and do
not expect that to change this year. Returning from the 2012 Championship team
is 14 starters, five on offense and seven on defense. Bama has a pretty
manageable schedule this season starting with a somewhat-down Virginia Tech
team in Atlanta to start the season. The second week of the season should be a
real treat with a major showdown in College Station where the Tide will be
looking to avenge last year’s only loss to Manziel and company. Watch out it is
on a warpath and I think that game could be the true telling point about how
great this team is. Their SEC schedule sets up pretty nice with road trips to
Kentucky and Mississippi State, which are both winnable. LSU comes to
Tuscaloosa on Nov. 9 in what is sure to be another classic as the last three
have been. The Iron Bowl is in Auburn this year, but I cannot see any way the
Tigers have a chance against the power that is Bama. This rivalry could be
looking at another long winning streak for the Tide.
Last
season the Tide was top 15 in scoring (No. 12, 38 ppg) and top 20 in rushing
(No. 16, 227 ypg) and should be better this year. The passing numbers should go
up with senior quarterback AJ McCarron, who has led them to back-to-back
titles. McCarron had nearly 3,000 yards passing and 30 touchdowns last season,
while leading the nation in passing efficiency, and is back with a chance to
make a Heisman trophy run. McCarron will have loads of talent with him on
offense with sophomore running back T.J. Yeldon who rushed for more than 1,100
yards last season as a secondary back. Of course the Tide and Saban have tons
of talent at running back behind Yeldon with blue-chip recruit Derrick Henry
also getting some touches. Receivers Kevin Norwood and Amari Cooper are big
time downfield threats and should open the field for McCarron. Junior tight end
Brian Vogler is a tackle playing tight end at 6-7 260 and gives McCarron a huge
target over the middle, while also adding excellent blocking ability. The line
will be filling three new positions, and the loss of center Barrett Jones will
be tough to over come, but returning tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and Anthony Steen
should be the anchors. Sophomore Ryan Kelly has big shoes to fill, but is expected
to be just as talented as Jones. The line is the only sort of weak point on the
Tide offense. If the line can be shored up in fall camp this offense should be
even better than last season.
Is
this any surprise, but the Tide defense is going to be all world again. Seven
starters return from a squad that led the nation in scoring (10 ppg), rushing
(76 ypg) and total defense (250). It was also No. 7 in passing defense allowing
just 173 yards per game. This defense has the ability to be even better if that
is possible. The line will be led by senior end Ed Stinson who had 8.5 sacks
last season. Juniors Brandon Ivory and Jeoffery Pagan will need to fill in on
the line but both saw time last season. All four linebackers in Adrian Hubbard,
C.J. Mosley, Trey DePriest and Xzavier Dickson all return to give this group
unbelievable experience. This linebacking corps should be by far the best in
the country and make it difficult for offenses to do anything on them. These
linebackers are all All-SEC caliber and will be the key to this defense’s
success. Secondary has a question mark by it this season with two returners,
but senior corner Deion Belue and junior safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix should help
sophomores Geno Smith and Landon Collins grow into their positions. This
defense should be top three in the country again and I will say probably will
be the best again. There is so much talent on this side of the ball for Bama
that it is going to be hard for any offense to move the ball on them.
Nick
Saban’s seventh year in Tuscaloosa should be another one for the record books.
Saban just keeps reloading this team and with so much talent back this is by
far the best team in the country. If the Tide can avenge the Texas A&M loss
in College Station and get around LSU at home it will be playing for another
SEC title and probably its third-consecutive national title. Other than those
two games the hurdle for the Tide could be the SEC Championship game with the
winner of the SEC East coming out of the best division in college football.
That being said all that has to play out before we get there and until someone
finds a way to beat Saban and the Tide in the BCS Title game they are the
champs. So for now Roll Tide.
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