1. Clemson ACC Atlantic Division: 15-0 in 2018, winning the National Championship Game vs Alabama, 44-16! Dabo Swinney is 116-30 @ Clemson since 2008. His team returns 8 starters on offense, including 1st team All American, QB Trevor Lawrence, 1st Team All American, RB, Travis Etienne, 2nd Team All American WR, Tee Higgins, 4th Team All American, WR, Justyn Ross, & 1st Team All American, OG, John Simpson. On Defense the Tigers bring back 4 starters, 1st Team All American, LB, Isaiah Simmons & 2nd Team All American, DE, Xavier Thomas. Clemson has an early showdown with Texas A&M, @ home, on September 7th!
2. Alabama SEC West Division: 14-1 in 2018, their only loss was to Clemson, 44-16, in the CFP Championship Game! Alabama is led by Nick Saban (146-21 @ Bama) and return 6 starters on offense; QB, Tua Tagovailoa, is a 2nd team All American, WR’s, Jerry Jeudy is a 1st team All American while Henry Ruggs is a 4th team selection. RB Najee Harris is a 3rd Team All American, OG, Alex Leatherwood & OT Jedrick Wills are also 3rd team picks! On defense Bama returns 6 starters, 2 are 1st team selections, DT Reckron Davis & LB Dylan Moses, while LB Anfernee Jenkins and Safety Xavier McKinney are 3rd team picks. As if that is not enough, DB, Trevon Diggs is a 4th team All American pick!
3. Georgia SEC East Division: 11-3 in 2018, losing to an inspired Texas team, in the Sugar Bowl, 28-21. QB, Jake Fromm, may be the best signal caller in the SEC, he passed for 2,761 yards, 30 TD’s, & 6 INT’s, while completing 67.4 percent of his attempts. RB D’Andre Swift is the best ball carrier in the SEC and may be the best in the nation! LT Andrew Thomas (4th Team All American Pre-season) anchors an O-line that returns 4 of the 5 starters from 2018! The best player on the Bulldog D is Safety, JR Reed, who will be supported by LB, Monty Rice and DE 6’6” 320 pound Jordan Davis. On special teams, the Dawgs have the best kicked in the nation, Rodrigo Blankenship!
4. Oklahoma B-12 Conference: finished the 2018 season 12-2, losing to Alabama, 45-34, in the CFP (Orange Bowl). For the 3rd straight year, the Sooners will have a transfer under center! And by the way, both those transfers ( Baker Mayfield & Kyler Murray) won the Heisman Trophy! This year, it will be Alabama’s Jalen Hurts! Hurts was 27-2 as a starter @ Bama before losing his job in 2018 to Tua Tagovailoa. As a graduate, he is eligible to transfer and play immediately! OU has the best 1, 2 punch in the B-12 at RB with Trey Serrom & Kennedy Brooks, while WR, CeeDee Lamb is one of the best receivers in the country. Defense, forget defense, the Sooners scored 40 or more points in 10 of their 13 regular season games and in two of the three, where they did not score 40, they scored 39 & 37. Only Army slowed down the Sooner offense (28 points), and clearly, did so with their offense not their D!
5. Ohio State B-10 East Division: Enter 5 star QB transfer, Justin Fields, who could not beat out Georgia QB, Jake Fromm, so he decided to pull up stakes and head north to Columbus! He is replacing record setting Dwayne Haskins, who passed for 4,831 yards, 50 TD’s, 8 INT’s, and completed 70% of his throws! Needless to say, Fields has huge shoes to fill at the Shoe! RB, JD Dobbins is arguable the 2nd best back in the B-10, behind only Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor; while WR, KJ Hill is the 2nd most explosive played in the B-10, behind only Purdue’s, Rondale Moore! On Defense, Chase Young is a Pre-season 1st team All American selection at DE; while DB, Jordan Fuller and LB, Malik Harrison will lead a myriad of 5 and 4 star players spread throughout the 3 defensive levels!
6. LSU SEC West Division: The Tigers finished a surprising 10-3 in the 2018 season and put an end to the UCF mythical National Championship claims, 40-32, in the Fiesta Bowl! Ohio State transfer, Joe Burrow, returns at QB (2894 yards, 16 TD’s, 5 INT’s & 57.8% completion rate) and will need to improve his numbers or may have to give way to Sophomore Myles Brennan.. The Tigers are talented and deep at RB, look for John Emery or Clyde Edwards-Helaire to lead the depth the Tigers enjoy @ RB. At WR, Justin Jefferson and 6’7” Stephen Sullivan provide talent and experience, while the O-Line returns four starters. The strength of this program has been its defense and nothing is changed for 2019. The Tigers return four starters on the D-Line, led by Rashad Lawrence; the LB’s corps features preseason All American, Jacob Phillips (6’4” 229) and rising star, Michael Divinity. The LSU secondary is the nation’s best, led by Preseason All Americans, Safety, Grant Delpit & CB, Kristian Fulton.
7. Florida SEC East Division: Florida was 10-3 in 2018 and its head coach, Danny Mullen’s time is off to a great start in Gainesville! Mullen has always done great work with his QB’s and last year was no exception, as QB, Feleipe Franks showed great improvement (2457 passing yards, 24 TD, 6 INT’s, and completed 58.4 percent of his passes). At RB, Malik Davis (back from injury) and Lamical Perine will lead the way, while the Gators return their top two receivers @ wide out, Van Jefferson & Trevon Grimes. The O-Line will have to be rebuilt as only the Center, Nick Buchanan returns! On the D-Line, all three starters return in their 3-4 scheme, led by Jabari Zuniga. David Reese is one of the lop LB’s in the SEC and the Gators have moved CB, Trey Dean to LB to bolster this unit! The Secondary is led by All American, CJ Henderson and return 5 others with starting experience!
8. Notre Dame Independent: The Irish went 12-1 in the 2018 season and inspite of a thrashing @ the hands of Clemson, 30-3, absolutely played their way into the CFP and deserved a shot at the Tigers. Please note, no one is saying Alabama, who lost to the Tigers 44-16, did not play their way into the CFP or did not belong. The fact is obvious, they did belong and so did the Irish! That said, ND QB, Ian Book returns for his senior year and should improve on his very good numbers from 2018; 2,628 yards passing, 19 TD’s, 6 INT’s and a 68.2 completion percentage! RB’s, Jafar Armstrong & Tony Jones will lead the rushing attack, while starting WR’s, Chase Claypool and Chris Fink return from last year’s receiving corps! The O-Line returns 4 of 5 starters and should be one of the nations best. ND’s D is led by DE’s Khalid Kareem & Julian Okwara, both have a shot to be selected in 1st or 2nd round of the NFL draft! That said, while the LB’s are work in progress, the strength of the D is the secondary, led by Safeties, Alohi Gilman & Jalen Elliott, while CB’s are manned by, Troy Pride (40 time 4.38) and rising star, Houston Griffith!
9. Oregon P-12 North Division: Mario Cristobal has hit the college football scene with a bang, going 9-4 in his first season with the Ducks. His team returns the best QB in the league, Justin Herbert, @ RB, they return 1000 rusher, CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, who rushed for 739 yards! Oregon returns 2 of its 3 top receivers, Jaylon Reed, 38 Receptions for 433 yards, 11.4 Yards Per Reception {YPR}, & 5 TD’s while Jacob Breeland, 24 receptions, 377 yards, 15.7 YPR, & 2 TD’s. The O-Line is regarded by many as the best in the country, OT, Calvin Throckelford and OG Shane Lemieux are both Preseason All American selections! The D-Line is led by NG, Jordan Scott (6’1” 329) and DT, Austin Faoliu (6’3” 292),. The LB’s standout is Troy Dye (6’4 235), a 2nd team Preseason All American, while the Secondary features CB, Thomas Graham (5’11” 191) & Safety Jevan Holland (6’1” 190)!
10. Michigan B-10 East Division: Time to put up or shut up for Michigan! The Wolverines are 1-14 vs their primary rival Ohio State, Michigan State has beaten them 7 of the last 10, they are 4-4 against Penn State since 2009, & 2-3 vs Wisconsin in that same time frame!. We did not rank Michigan as high as others, primarily because of their struggles in their division. This year, the Wolves travel to Penn State & Wisconsin (Divisional Crossover), while taking on the Spartans and the Bucks in the Big House. The talent seems to been assembled these past four years, so where’s the production in these big games? To be sure, they are winning, 10-3 in 2015 (lost to Utah, MSU & OSU), 10-3 in ’16 (lost to OSU, Iowa, & Florida State), & 10-3 in 18 (lost to OSU, ND, & Florida) but not winning when it matters most! In 2019, they have the best QB in the B-10, Shea Patterson, the B-10 best combination of WR’s, Donovan Peoples Jones, Tarik Black & Nico Collins and the 4th best O-Line in the country (Phil Steele)! The D-Line lost Rashan Gary & Chase Winovich, but is rated as the 4th best in the conference (Athlon & Steele). The LB’s are led by Khaleke Hudson and the secondary (best in the B-10 as rated by Phil Steele) are shown the way by CB, Lavert Hill & Safety, Josh Metellus!
11. Texas B-12 Conference: Texas went 10-4 in 2018, beat & lost to OU in the same season for the 1st time in their history and then took Georgia to the woodshed in the Sugar Bowl, 28-21! Tom Herman begins his 3rd year in Longhorn Country with a 17-10 record, good, but not good enough in Austin. In this part of the country, it is good enough when you get to the CFP and then, win it! The Horns have the #1 QB in the B-12, Sam Ehlinger (3,292 passing yards, 64.7 completion rate, 25 TD’s, & 5 INT’s). At RB, they feature, Keaontay Ingram (142 carries for 708 yards, 5.9 YPC, & 3 TDs’) UT returns its 2nd best receiver, Collin Johnson, (6’6” 220) in 2018, he caught 68 passes for 985 yards, 14.5 YPR, and 7 TD’s! The O-Line returns 3 starters, with Center, Zach Shackelford anchoring the unit! The D-Line will have to be rebuilt, while the LB corps returns 4 players with starting experience, led by OLB, Joseph Ossai. The Secondary is the strength of the defense with 5 of the top 8 returning!, Safeties, Caden Sterns & Brandon Jones will direct the backend of the Longhorn Defense!
12. Washington P-12 North Division: Chris Peterson has the Huskies rolling. Since his arrival in 2014, they have made the CFP (2016) & won the P-12 twice (2016 & 2018). Peterson is 47-21 in his 6 years in Seattle and 32-9 in his last three! The Huskies record setting QB, Jake Browning (3192, 16TD’s 8 INT’s, 64.9 completion percentage) is gone, yet, Georgia Transfer, Jacob Eaten has a good shot a being an upgrade in 2019! At RB, Myles Gaskin has left for the NFL, look for Salvon Ahmed to get the starting nod @ RB. In 2018, Ahmed rushed for over 6oo yards & a 5.2 yards per carry average! Aaron Fuller will be the Huskies best receiver in 2019, he had 58 receptions for 874 yards, 15.1 YPR. & 4 TD’s last season. The Huskies return 4 of their 5 on the O-Line! The D will take a hit at all three levels, but not such a hit that they will not be able to compete for the P-12 North. Jacob Eaten will be the key early as the defense will need time to get their engine tuned!
13. Texas A&M SEC West Division: The Aggies were 9-4 in Jimbo Fisher 1st year, a small improvement on the 8-5 Kevin Sumlin seemed to pencil in in August (2015 8-5, 2016 8-5, 2017 8-5, & 2018 7-6, a 3 point loss to Wake (55-52) in the Belk Bowl or it would have been 8-5 again! That said, new HC Fisher is recruiting better than former HC Sumlin! The Aggies return their QB, Kellen Mond (271 attempts for 3,107 yards, 57.3 Completion Rate, 24 TD’s & 9 INT’s). The RB position has really good talent, but little to no experience. Trayveon Williams and his 1,760 are gone to the League. However, Jashaun Corbin (362 yards & 1 TD) will likely win the starting job, however, Isaiah Spiller has blazing speed and Deneric Prince has a ton of power, they will both see plenty of action in 2019! At WR, look for Quartney Davis, Jhamon Ausbon, & Kendrick Rodgers to carry the load. While these guys are under the National & SEC radars in Preseason recognition, all three have size (6’2″ & Rodgers 6’4″) and Athleticism in bringing in and securing the 50/50 balls. The O-Line returns 5 players who have started, in at least 7 games in the 2018 season. The D-Line will be led by DT, Justin Madubuike and coming back after an injury, DE, Michael Clemmons. This unit was one of the best in the country vs the run in 2018 and while it will not be as good in 2019, it will be effective! The LB unit will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. This is A&M primary concern and they get Clemson (in Carolina) in week 2! The Secondary, while lacking star power, has plenty of experience as 3 of the 4 starters are back!
14. Utah P-12 South Division: The Utes finished 9-5 in 2018, won the South Division of the P-12, then lost two close games, the P-12 Championship to Washington, 10-3 and the Holiday Bowl to Northwestern, 31-20 (after leading 20-3 at halftime)! HC, Kyle Whittingham returns his QB, Tyler Huntley (1,788 passing yards, 64.1% completion percentage, 12 TD’s to 8 INT’s), Huntley also rushed for 304 yards and 4 TD’s. RB, Zack Moss rushed for 1,096 yards, averaged 6.1 YPC, and scored 11 TD’s, the Utes also return their leading receivers, Britain Covey (had been on a two year mission), 60 receptions for 637 yards, a 10.3 YPR and 1 TD, Jaylen Dixon (589 receiving yards for 18.4 YPR & 2 TD’s, and Samson Nacua 362 yards, 11.7 YPR & 5 TD’s. The O-Line returns 3 starters (@ least started in 7 games) and will need to develop the other two positions and depth! The Utes D-Line is consider by many to be better than Auburn’s! It is led by Preseason All Americans, DT, Leki Fotu & DE, Bradley Anea. Utah deploys a 4-2-5 alignment and while both starting Backers have graduated, in comes Penn State transfer, Manny Bowen, ‘a player with a past’, but can give immediate help if he gets it right’ this time! Utah welcomes back, Preseason All American, CB, Jaylon Johnson & 1st Team selection All P-12, FS, Julian Blackmon. This group had almost as many picks (15) as TD’s allowed (18)!
15. Auburn SEC West Division: The Tigers struggled in 2018, finishing a disappointing, 8-5. They did take out their frustrations on an outmanned Purdue Team, in the Music City Bowl, 63-14. QB, Jarred Stittem has moved on to the NFL after disappointing senior year and his likely replacement will be the 6’6” Joey Gatewood. Gatewood is best thought of as a duel threat QB, a skill set that best fits HC, Gus Malzahn’s offensives schemes. RB, JaTarvious Whitlow ran for 787 yards on 150 carries for an average of 5.1 YPC, and 6 TD’s. Kam Martin (468 yards) also returns at the RB position as does Shaun Shivers (390 yards). WR’s returning are Seth Williams (28 receptions for 538 yards, 20.5 YPR and 5 TD’s) & Anthony Schwartz, a world class sprinter (100 Meters in 10.07) and a 40 time in the mid to low 4.3’s! He needs to his improve route running and physicality, if he does, the sky is the limit for this guy! The O-Line is Auburn’s strongest offensive unit as all 5 starters return. LG Marquel Harrell & LT Prince Tega Wanogho both have a shot at 1st team All SEC this fall! The Tigers have the best D-Line in the country, DT Derrick Brown & Nick Coe are both Preseason All Americans. LB is their biggest concern as they must replace all three starters. The DB situation is the exact reverse of the LB perdictment all 4 starters return, they will be led by CB’s Daniel Thomas & Javaris Davis!
16. Michigan State B-10 East Division: Why people continue to call the Spartans the 4th best team in the B-10 East is a mystery to SCFP! The Spartans have played Ohio State to a 3-5 record since 2009 and two of the losses to the Buckeyes were by identical scores, 17-16, so, (unlike the Michigan/OSU rivalry, the Bucks are 14-1 in the last 15) this rivalry is alive and well. MSU has beaten ‘Big Brother’ (Michigan), 7 of the last 10 times they “laced ‘en up” and are 5-2 vs Penn State since 2009. Come on man, how are the Spartans the 4th best team in this division? They are a couple of FG’s away from beating OSU in those 17-16 games and being the best team (@ least record wise 5-3 vs OSU) in the East! Mark Dantonio is the heart and soul of this team (107-51 @ MSU with a 67.72 winning percentage) while he may not recruit as well as the other 3 programs, he certainly finds ways to beat them! Spartan QB, Brian Lewerke is back and he is sure to be better in 2019, as he could not possible be as bad as he was in 2018. In fairness, he was injured in the PSU game (a 21-17 win) and yet continued to play through injury for the remainder of the 2108 season! He is now healthy and should return to his 2017 production. Do not be surprised if true Freshman, Anthony Williams wins the starting RB roll for 2019. He will have stiff competition from Connor Haywood & LaDarius Jefferson. The Spartans have the best D-Line in the B-10 and one of the best in the nation (4th according to Phil Steele), they are led by Kenny Willekes, Mike Panasiuk & Raequan Williams. The MSU LB’s are ranked as the B-10 best, and 7th nationally! They are led by 1st team, Preseason All American, Joe Bachie. The secondary (no fly zone) as Sparty likes calls it, is led by Josiah Scott! If Lewerke has a good year, the Spartans have the coaching, skill sets, and toughness around him to win the West!
17. Iowa State B-12 Conference: Matty Campbell inherited an ISU program that was 5-19 in the 2 years before his arrival. He went 3-9 in his 1st year and since then, he has put back to back 8-5 seasons and has a chance to break into the double digit win total in 2019! ISU;s QB, Brock Pudy (220 attempts 1146 completions 66.4 completion percentage, 16 TD’s to & picks) Pudy’s numbers will improve given the experience he gained in 2018 and the fact that he is a good runner as well as passer! The RB starter will be a battle between Junior, Kene Nwangwu (39 carriers for 157 yards, 4.0 ypc, & 0 TD’s) and true Freshman, Jirehl Brock (5’11” 205). WR Deshaunte Jones (43 receptions for 366 yards, 8.5 ypr, & 4 TD’s). All 5 starters return on the O-Line and it should be one the best offensive lines in the B-12! The D-Line which returns all 4 starters, led by DE, JaQuan Bailey & NG Ray Lema, is, without question, the best D-Line in the B-12! The LB corps is also the best unit in the B-12, WLB, Marcel Spears is a 1st team All B-12 Preseason selection, while MLB, Mike Rose is a 2nd team selection, Rose calls coverages and is physical at the point of attack. Finally, last year’s ,1st team All B-12, strong safety, Mike Elsworth, will move up the SLB! All 4 returning players, started at least three games a year ago and the unit is rated as the 5th best in the B-12!
18. Iowa B -10 West Division: Kirk Ferentz is the Dean of the B-10 coaches and the conference or Iowa could not have a better representative! He has won 152 games at Iowa, is second to only, TCU’s, Gary Patterson (167 wins), and is the longest tenured coach (21 years) in all of the FBS! His QB in 2019, is an experience signal caller, Nate Stanley (396 attempts 235 completions for 2,852 yards, 59.8 completion percentage, 26 TD to 10 INT’s) who is among the best QB’s in the B-10! The RB chores will be handled by Mekhi Sargent (159 carries for 745 yards, 4.7 YPC, & 9 TD’s) his support also returns, RB’s, Toren Young (136 carries for 649 yards, 4.7 YPC, & 5 TD’s & Ivory Kelly-Martin (97 carriers for 362 yards, 3.5 YPC, & 2 TD’s)! At WR, Brandon Smith is the only returning starter, (28 receptions for 361 yards, 12.9 YPR, & 2 TD’s) and this unit we need to be developed. The O-Line at Iowa is never a concern, as Ferentz is the best O-Line coach in America! When it comes to O-Line development, Ferentz can make Chicken soup out of the proverbial Chicken !@#$%^! The D-Line must replace 4 starters and while having a rush end like AJ Epenesa is a great place to start, this unit will not be as good as it was in 2018! The LB’s had no returning starters for the 2018 season, yet played well! This year they return 3 players, who started at least 5 games, should be an upgrade for the D. WLB, Djimon Colbert will led this unit! The DB return 3 starters and should provide improved play on the back end!
19. Penn State B-10 East Division: HC James Franklin is entering his 6th year as the head man @ Penn State, he is 45-22 and has won double digits games in 2 of the 5 seasons (2016 & 2017)! PSU will have to break in a new signal caller as Shawn McSorley has moved on to the NFL! Franklin will turn the keys to the offense to Sean Clifford (6’2” 218). Clifford, a red shirt sophomore, is best thought of as a duel threat QB, yet he has played in only 4 games and has virtually brings little experience to the 2019 table. Rickey Slade will start at RB, he also lacks experience 45 carries for 257 yards, 5.7 YPC, & 6 TD’s. The WR’s are led by KJ Hamler (42 Receptions for 754 yards, 18.0 YPR, & 5 TD’s) a 3rd Team All B-10 selection and Jahan Dotson (13 receptions for 2oo yards & 15.6 YPR). The O-Line has only 2 starters back, however, there is plenty of talent to develop before the difficult part of their schedule which begins in October! The D-Line returns 6 of their top 8 from 2018 and this unit will be improved. They are ranked as the 2nd best D-Line in the conference! Their LB unit is also rated as the 2nd best in the B-10 and the strongest unit on the Defense! The DB, return the same numbers as the DL, 6 of the top 8 return for the 2019 campaign! Clearly PSU’s defense will have to carry the team early and allow the Lions offense developmental time through their early schedule!
20. Wisconsin B-10 West Division: Badger HC, Paul Chryst. is the winningest coach who is currently active in the B-10. He is 42 & 12 over the past 4 years and 5 of those losses occurred in 2018! Wisconsin has won the West Division 2 of the past 3 years, yet finds itself, for the 1st time in 4 years, not the favorite to win the West! In fact, Bucky could finish anywhere from 1st to 6th without shocking anyone who follows the programs within the division. Nebraska, Purdue, & Minnesota (ended a 14 year skid vs Wisconsin, 37-15, in Camp Randall a year ago) are all improving and Iowa, who is picked in front of the Badgers in most Preseason publications and Northwestern, who is 3-2 vs Badgers in last 5! The QB is at the heart of how the Badgers will do this season. If true freshman, Graham Mertz, is as good as advertised, than the Badgers should be able to win the division and play for a B-10 title! if Graham cannot beat out Jack Coan, then flip a coin as to where the Badgers will finish! Wisconsin has the best RB in all of college football, in Jonathan Taylor(307 carriers for 2194 yards, 7.1 YPC, & 16TD’s). Last year the O-Line was way overrated based on their performance ( a little bit like Michigan O-Line is being hailed this year). This Year’s O-Line is back on earth and will play better! Look for O-Line Center,Tyler Biadasz, to keep this unit focused. The WR corps is good not great (AJ Taylor, Danny Davis, & Kendric Pryor) however, if Mertz is who scouting services say he is, then these receiver can get a whole lot better! The Badger defense in the middle of the B-10 unit projections ( DL 7th, LB 7th, & DB 5th)! The defense will need the offense to keep them fresh via the running game and dominate time of possession If the O does then the Badgers can take their West Division crown back in 2019!
21. Nebraska B-10 West Division: Scott Frost’s 1st season in Lincoln did not go the way he envisioned it, but things are about to change. First at QB, the bad news for the West Division and the rest of the B-10, is that Adrian Martinez plays a lot like Central Florida QB, McKenzie Milton! Scott went 13-0 with Milton under center! At RB, look for Maurice Washington to win the job, he has excellent speed and looked stronger during spring practice. JD Spielman is one of the best WR in the B-10 (66 catches for 818, 12.4 YPR, & 8 TD’s). All this, while being a second option to the graduated & NFL bound, Stanley Morgan. The O-Line has to replace 2 starters yet all signs point to this unit be an improvement over last years line! The D-Line will be led by NG, Carlos Davis, who returns with 3 of the other 4 who started a season ago! The LB retur 4 of the top 6 and feature of of the B-10 best, ILB, Mohamed Berry! The Secordry is structured around the play All B-10 Dicaprio Bootle and has great experience as 5 players return who started a year ago!
22. Mississippi State SEC West Division: The Bulldogs went 8-5 in 2018, losing the Outback bowl, 27-22 to Iowa. A disappointing loss to be sure, as MSU recruits better than the Hawks, plays against better competition in the SEC West, and send more players to the NFL than Iowa! QB position will be manned by Penn State transfer, Tommy Stevens (6’5 232), who played for Coach Morehead while he was the OC @ PSU! Kylin Hill will be the featured RB (117 carriers for 734 yards, 6.3 YPC, & 4 TD’s). Hill was 2nd in rushing in 2018 behind departed QB, Nick Fitzgerald’s 1121 yards! The WR’s will be led by a trio of Receivers, Osirus Mitchel (26 receptions for 427 yards, 16.4 YPR, & 4 TD’s); Stephen Guidry (19-440, 23.2 YPR, & 3 TD;s), Deddrick Thomas (19-256, 13.5 YPR, & 2 TD’s). On the O-line 3 starters are back for the 2019 season led by 2nd team, Preseason All SEC Center, Darryl Williams. DL line will go from one of the best in the nation to needing to be rebuilt. The LB corps is one of the best in the SEC (3rd behind Bama & LSU) and 4th best in the country. The Bulldogs have 6 talented and experienced players manning 3 positions, this is clearly the strength of this defense! The DB will feature Cameron Dantzler and be in the top half of the Mighty SEC!
23. TCU B-12 Conference: Gary Patterson has done one of the best and perhaps, one of the most undervalued jobs in all of college football. He leads the nation, @ the FBS level, with most wins (167) at the university (TCU) where he is currently coaching! He has won 10 or more games 11 times in the 18 years he has coached in Fort Worth and 11 or more in three of the past 5 seasons! This year Patterson has a 5 man competition @ QB! Kansas State transfer, Alex Delton (6’0” 201), Ohio State Transfer, Matt Baldwin (6’3” 215), Mike Collins (6’5” 225), an IVY League transfer from Penn, Red Shirt Freshman, Justin Rogers (6’4” 220) and true freshman, Max Duggan (6’2” 190). Most preseason publications give Alex Delton the edge to win the job! RB will be manned by a 2 headed monster, Sewo Olonilua (135 carries for 635 yards, 4.7 YPC, & 2 TD’s) & Darius Anderson (124 carries, for 598 yards, 4.8 YPC, & 3 TD’s). WR’s will be led by Jalen Reagor (72 Receptions for 1061 yards, 14.7 YPR, & 9TD’s)! The O-Line will be improved as 6 players who started in 2018 return for the 2019 season, RT, Lucas Niang & LT, Anthony McKinney will provided the leadership for this unit! The D-Line lost 2 DE’s to the NFL, that said, this year’s product could be better! DT’s Ross Blacklock, Corey Bethley form one of the best combinations in the country & SC transfer, DE, Shameik Blackshear (6’5” 257) can bring heat from the outside! LB’s unit will feature SLB, Garret Wallow & MLB, Montrel Wilson are both physical & fast! The DB are pasted by All American CB, Jeff Gladney and fellow CB, Julius Lewis, Patterson is a defensive coach and no better witnessed to that is in the back end play of his teams! Look for this DB’s unit to be the best in the B-12 and one of the best in the country!
24. Missouri SEC East Division: Barry Oden had one foot in the grave in 2017, the Tigers started the season 1-5, ( they were 4-8 in 2016) and then won 6 in a row, made the Texas Bowl , lossed to Texas, 33-16, but played well! Last year they went 8-5 and are picked 3rd in a division with Georgia & Florida! At QB, they will start Clemson transfer, Kelly Bryant! Bryant will have big shoes to fill with the departure of Drew Lock (437-275, 3,498 passing yards, 62.9% completion rate, 28 TD’s, & 8 picks) Bryant brings a very different skill set, yet there is no denying the success he has generated thus far in his college career! This will be interesting! RB, Larry Roundtree (225 carries, 1,216 yards, 5.4 YPC, & 11 TD’s). WR will be led by Jonathan Johnson (69 receptions for 737 yards, 12.5 YPR, & 6 TD’s). The O-Line lost 3 starters and will have to be developed, that said, RG, Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms is an All American and will provide leadership to that end! The D-Line is a concern as only 2 starter returns and back-ups lack experience. @ LB, the starters will be quite capable, but depth with this unit is a concern! The DB’s should be in good shape despite returning only 2 starters.
25. Syracuse ACC Atlantic Division: Dino Babers led the Orange to their most successful season since the 1991 & 1992 when the Orange posted back to back 10-2 records! The Orange will start Tommy DeVito, @ QB, DeVito saw action last year as Eric Dungey fought through a series of injuries. While DeVito is capable, he is a step down from the graduated Dungey! RB, Moe Neal returns and should improve on his rushing totals from 2018 (869 yards, 5.5 YPC, and 5 TD’s! At WR, Sean Riley returns as do 3 of their other top 4 receivers from a year ago!Their O-Line returns four players who have started at least 12 games in the past 2 years. The D-Line features 2 outstanding players, DE’s Alton Robinson & Kendall Coleman. The LB corps will need to be rebuilt as all 3 players have departed. The DB situation is quite different as all 4 starters return led by Andre Cisco, a 1st team Preseason All American selection!
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