Ohio State is expected to be one of the best teams in college football once again this season, but at least according to those who vote in the preseason polls, it isn’t expected to be the best.
The Buckeyes are ranked third in the preseason Coaches Poll, fifth in the AP Top 25 and sixth in the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll, even amid the uncertainty of whether Urban Meyer will remain their head coach this season, which might have hurt their rankings slightly in the latter two polls (the Coaches Poll was voted on before Meyer was placed on administrative leave).
All three of those polls, though, agree on who the best two teams in college football are entering the season. Alabama is ranked No. 1 in all three polls, while Clemson is ranked No. 2.
Those rankings shouldn’t been as surprising or controversial; Alabama and Clemson have combined to win the last three national championships, have each made the College Football Playoff for at least the last three years and both enter the 2018 season with loaded rosters once again.
Of course, the preseason polls don’t mean much once the actual games begin. But in the Buckeyes’ quest to get back to the college football mountaintop once again, the Crimson Tide – who Ohio State beat along the way to winning the national championship in 2014 – and the Tigers – who have been a notorious thorn in the Buckeyes’ side – appear to be the most likely teams to stand in their way, if they make the playoff, once again.
We’ve already taken a look in our Season Preview at who Ohio State’s top competition in the Big Ten will be, so we won’t rehash that again here. Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State are all potential contenders to win the Big Ten and earn a playoff berth, and for the Buckeyes to defend their conference title and make a playoff run of their own, they might have to beat all four of those teams.
Let’s assume for a moment, though, that Ohio State does all of that and makes the four-team playoff field. Who are the teams outside the Big Ten who are the most likely to contend with the Buckeyes in the race to be college football’s best this year? We take a look at those teams, led by Alabama and Clemson, below.
Top Championship Contenders
Alabama
Alabama has won two of the last three national championships and five of the last nine, and have made the College Football Playoff in each of its first four years. As long as the Crimson Tide continue to compete at that level, they will perennially be at the top of the national championship conversation entering every college football season.
The Crimson Tide have several returning stars, including quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, running back Damien Harris, left tackle Jonah Williams and defensive end Raekwon Davis. Tagovailoa, who replaced Hurts in the second half of last year’s national championship game and led Alabama to a second-half comeback win, is among the preseason favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
What has made Alabama so great over the past decade, though, is their ability to consistently reload, replacing players who have left for the NFL with new stars. There’s no reason to believe the Crimson Tide won’t be able to do that again in 2018, as their roster is once again loaded with highly touted recruits, and if they can, they’ll once again be the nation’s team to beat.
Clemson
With the decisions by some of their best players – including left tackle Mitch Hyatt, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant and linebacker Kendall Joseph – to put off their NFL aspirations for another year as Tigers, Clemson enters the 2018 season with a roster as talented as any in college football.
Wilkins, Ferrell and Bryant team up with Dexter Lawrence to form the most star-studded defensive line in college football. Offensively, the Tigers have two promising quarterback options – returning starter Kelly Bryant and No. 1 overall recruit Trevor Lawrence – and plenty of weapons around them, including Travis Etienne at running back and Tee Higgins and Hunter Renfrow at wide receiver.
Dabo Swinney’s program has been the best in college football not named Alabama over the past three seasons, and it looks poised to be one of the two or three best in the country once again this year.
Georgia
Playing in the same conference as Alabama makes Georgia’s road to the playoff tougher, but that didn’t stop the Bulldogs from winning the SEC championship or making it to the national championship game last year (though the Crimson Tide did keep them from winning the national championship).
Georgia returns one of college football’s best quarterbacks in Jake Fromm, a talented group of playmakers around him led by Terry Godwin and Mecole Hardman and one of the nation’s top cornerbacks, Deandre Baker. The Bulldogs should also get some immediate reinforcements from their new class of true freshmen, which were ranked as the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.
If the Bulldogs can make it out of the SEC and into the playoff once again, Kirby Smart’s squad is as capable as anyone of winning it all this year.
Jake Fromm and the Georgia Bulldogs should be among the top national title contenders once again. Matthew Emmons – USA TODAY Sports
Strong Playoff Candidates
Washington
With quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin back on offense and nine starters back from a defense that ranked fifth in the nation with only 16.1 points allowed per game last season, Washington has the potential to be among the top teams in the nation on both sides of the ball this year.
Given that, the Huskies are projected as the favorites to win the Pac-12 this year, which could lead to their second playoff berth in three seasons, and make them another contender to compete for a national title this year.
Oklahoma
The Sooners no longer have Baker Mayfield, who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft after leading Oklahoma to a big win over Ohio State and its second playoff berth in three years last season. Still, the Sooners look like the favorite to win the Big 12 once again, which could put them right back in the playoff picture.
While Mayfield’s departure is a big loss, new starting quarterback Kyler Murray has star potential in his own right. He’s got a talented group of receivers, led by Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb, and a strong offensive line in front of him, while the Sooners’ defense – which was ultimately their demise in their 54-48 Rose Bowl loss last season – has the talent, with six returning starters, to make strides this year.
Kyler Murray will look to keep Oklahoma in the national championship race this season. Mark D. Smith – USA TODAY Sports
Other Teams To Watch
Auburn
Auburn beat both Alabama and Georgia last season, and return one of the nation’s most talented quarterbacks in Jarrett Stidham. The rest of the Tigers’ roster isn’t quite as strong on paper as the Crimson Tide or Bulldogs, and they have to play both on the road this year, but if they can find a way to beat those teams, they’re capable of making a championship run.
Miami
Miami won its first 10 games of last season, and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, before sputtering down the stretch and losing its final three games. The Hurricanes will likely have to get past Clemson to get out of the ACC and into the playoff, but they return some of their best players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Malik Rosier, running back Travis Homer, wide receiver Ahmmon Richards, linebacker Shaquille Quarterman and safety Jaquan Johnson.
Notre Dame
Led by quarterback Brandon Wimbush on offense and nine returning starters on defense, the Fighting Irish could have the goods to make a playoff run this year after going 10-3 last season. Notre Dame hasn’t made the College Football Playoff yet, but if it can put together an undefeated or one-loss season this year, the independent team could shake up the equation for everyone else.
Stanford
Bryce Love is arguably college football’s most electric player, so the Heisman candidate running back makes Stanford a team to watch all by himself. The rest of the team around him will need to be better for the Cardinal to be a playoff contender, as they went just 9-5 last season despite a 2,118-yard season from Love, but David Shaw’s teams typically keep themselves in the conversation.
TCU
If TCU can pull off a win over Ohio State when the two teams meet on Sept. 15, the Horned Frogs could thrust themselves into the national championship conversation as well. With talented playmakers around new quarterback Shawn Robinson on offense, including wide receivers Jalen Reagor and KaVontae Turpin, and several top players – including all-conference defensive end Ben Banogu – back from what was the Big 12’s best defense last season, TCU should be Oklahoma’s top competition for the Big 12 title this year.
USC
Sam Darnold is gone from USC, which makes the Trojans a far less popular pick to make a championship run in 2018 than they were in 2017. Paired with the losses of top running back Ronald Jones and top receiver Deontay Burnett, the Trojans’ offense will likely take a step back this season. But they still have several stars on the defensive side of the ball, led by Iman Marshall and Marvell Tell in the secondary, and have enough talent on offense to compete for a Pac-12 title and playoff berth once again.
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Header Photo: Chuck Cook – USA TODAY Sports
