The SEC plays 8 conference games and 4 non-conference (NC) to reach their allowed number of 12 contests! The ACC also plays 8 games within their league, while the B-10, B-12 & P-12 play 9 conference games and 3 NC games. This is often a ‘bone of contention’ as the later 3 conference’s (B-10, B-12 & P-12) believe that the 9th game make their run to the College Football Playoff more challenging.

A couple thoughts on this claim. First and obviously, it depends on who you schedule in your NC tilts. If you schedule 2 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams as Florida has done (UT Martin 9/7 & Towson 7/28) then you have an advantage over, say, the B-10’s Ohio State, whose 9th conference game is @ Michigan. Keeping Florida front and center, their other 2 NC games are against Power Five (P5) opponents, Miami 8/24 and Florida State 11/30. The Gators do not play against a Group of 5 (G5) team in 2019, so Florida plays against 10 P5 opponents when U factor in their 8 SEC games. Most teams in the ACC & SEC play 1 P5, 2 G5’s & 1 FCS to fill up their NC schedules.

That said, let’s take a look see at the SEC’s NC schedule for th 2019 season! Be mindful that there are 14 teams in the SEC and each of them will play 4 NC games for a total of 56 (4 X 14 = 56) non-conference games.

SEC West Division

Alabama takes on 1 P5 opponent, Duke (ACC), @ a neutral site (Atlanta), 2 G5’s, New Mexico State (Independent/IND) & Southern Miss (C-USA), and 1 FCS team, Western Carolina (Southern Conference/SoCon) all 3 games are in Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide rarely schedules home & home with Power 5 conferences, one exception was Penn State a few years ago. However, this is changing as they have scheduled both Notre Dame and Wisconsin to a home / home series!

LSU Plays 1 P5, Texas (B-12) in Austin (9/7), 2 G5’s, Georgia Southern (Sun Belt /SBC) & Utah State (Mountain West Conference/MWC) and 1 FCS opponent, Northwestern State (Southland Conference/SLC), all in Baton Rouge. The LSU/Texas game in week 2 has a Game Day presence written all over it!

Texas A&M challenges Clemson (ACC) in week 2, this game may have as much Game Day interest as the LSU/Texas game!  The Aggies will line it up against 2 G5’s, Texas State (SBC) & UTSA (C-USA) and finish their NC schedule with 1 FCS opponent, Lamar (SLC), all three of these games are @ home. The three teams discussed here have the largest venues in the SEC, A&M 102,733, LSU 102,321, & Alabama 101,821!

Auburn, for the 2nd year in a row, will open with the P-12 favorite, last year it was Washington (21-16 Auburn win in Atlanta) this year it is Oregon ( in Arlington TX). True to form, the Tigers play 2 G5 teams, Tulame (C-USA) & Kent State (Mid-American Conference/MAC) and 1 FCS team, Samford (SoCon)

Mississippi State plays Kansas State (B-12) @ home in week three. The Bulldogs also play 2 G5’s, Louisiana (SBC ) @ a neutral site, New Orleans and Southern Miss (C-USA). Finally, they ‘lace em up’ vs Abilene Christian (SLC) in Starkville on 11/23 just prior to the EGG Bowl!

Ole Miss is set to host a P-12 team for the 1st time in their long history, Cal (P-12) comes to Oxford, MS. These teams played in 2017 in Berkeley, CA, the Golden Bears beat the Rebels, 27-16! Mississippi plays 2 G5’s, Memphis (AAC) on the road & New Mexico State (IND) at home. The Rebels will battle 1 FCS opponent, SE Louisiana (SLC) on 7/14 in Oxford.

Arkansas breaks the pattern of playing 1 P5, 2 G5’s, & 1 FCS, as the Razorbacks do not play a P5 team in 2019! Instead, they will play 3 G5’s and 1 FCS all @ Razorback Stadium. They open their 2019 campaign vs a FCS opponent, Portland State (B-SKY) and then play Colorado State (MWC), San Jose State (MWC), and Western Kentucky (C-USA). This is the 1st time since 2011 that the ‘Hogs’ are not playing a P5 team!

The West Division of the SEC will play 28 NC games in 2019. This coming year the West will play 6 P5 opponents, 15 G5 teams, and 7 FCS squads. For those of you who do not understand the practical difference between the FBS & the FCS, it is about the number of scholarships the schools can award. FBS must give 85 full scholarships, while the FCS cannot give more than 63 full rides. The West is playing more FCS schools (7) than P5’s opponents (6). Given the physical nature of this division, hands down college football’s best, so while these FCS opponents are an understandable break from the pounding one receives in the SEC’s West Division, it does not change the fact that these games are little more than scrimmages!

SEC EAST Division

Georgia immediately breaks the 1,2,1 pattern established by their conference neighbors to the West. The Dawgs play 2 P5’s, in state rival, Georgia Tech away (Atlanta) and Notre Dame (SCFP considers ND & BYU as the equivalent of P5 programs and counts them as such) @ home in Athens. The Bulldogs will als line it up against 1 G5, Arkansas State (SBC) and 1 FCS team, Murray State, out of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

Florida as mentioned plays 2 P5 opponents and 2 FCS Universities. Somewhat unusual behavior as only one of these wins can count toward the 6 needed to establish bowl eligibility. The Gators did the same thing in 2018, however, that was do to the fact that when they scheduled Idaho, the Vandals were part of FBS and members of the Sun Belt Conference. Between the time of the actual scheduling of the game and the date the game was to be played, Idaho left the FBS and returned to the FCS and Big Sky Conference. For whatever reason, Florida determined to honor the contract rather then try (or were unable to schedule a FBS opponent) to reschedule a game with a FBS school.

Missouri returns to the typical pattern of 1 P5 (West Virginia/B-12), 2 G5’s (Wyoming /MWC & Troy/FBC), & 1 FCS opponent (SE Missouri/OVC).

South Carolina is the 3rd team in the East Division to take on 2 P5’s in 2019. The Gamecocks battle neighbors to the north, North Carolina (ACC) and welcome Clemson to Williams-Brice Stadium. Muschamp’s team will also kick it off @ home vs a G5 team, Appalachian State (SBC) and a FCS opponent from the Big South (BSC), Charleston Southern.

Tennessee plays 1 P5, BYU (IND), 2 G5’s, Georgia State (SBC) & UAB (C-USA), and 1 FCS, Chattanooga (SoCon). All 4 of their NC games will be played on their home field @ Neyland Stadium.

Kentucky will get after in-state rival, Louisville, a P5 from the ACC on 11/30, rivalry weekend across college football. The Cat’s play 2 G5 teams from the MAC, Toledo & Eastern Michigan, and 1 FCS team, UT Martin (OVC). All 4 of these games are in Lexington.

Vanderbilt heads north to take on the B-10, Purdue, in West Lafayette in week two! They will get after 2 G5, UNLV (MWC) and Northern Illinois (MAC), as well as 1 FCS opponent, East Tennessee (SoCon)

The East Division plays 28 NC games. Four of the teams play one P5 University and three of the teams in the East, play 2 P5’s for a total of 10 games vs Power Five opponents. They take on 8 FCS teams (Florida has 2) and line it up against 10 Group of 5 clubs!

The SEC as a conference plays 56 NC games, 16 of their games are against P5 Conferences, (ACC 8 games, B-12 3 games, P-12 & IND 2 games apiece, & 1 tilt vs the B-10) This accounts for 29% of their NC games 16/56!, The Mighty SEC lines up 15 times against the 63 scholarship programs of the FCS or 27% of the NC Schedule. The Majority of their NC contest are vs the G5 conferences, as they play these conferences 25 times or 45% of their non-conference games.

This report does not include week zero (8/24/2019), the game that is must see that week is Florida @ Miami, The Gators are favored by 7!

Week one begins on the Thursday, the 27th of August runs through Monday, September 2nd!

Thursday’s Games (8/29/19)

UCLA (P-12) @ Cincinnati (AAC): Cincy won this game a year ago, 26-17, went on to have a terrific season, 11-2,  and won the Military Bowl, beating Virginia Tech, 35-31. UCLA, in its 1st year under Chip Kelly, struggled through a 3-9 campaign, yet the Bruins did beat crosstown rival, SC, 34-27 and 2 other P-12 teams (Cal 37-7 & Arizona 31-30)! That said, they were winless in their Non-Conference (NC) games in 2018. The Bearcats are the pick, 3.5, over the Bruins!

Utah (P-12) @ BYU (IND): The Holy War, as this game is called, is sure to get all the church bells in Utah ringing on Thursday beginning at dawn! The Utes lead the all time series (94th meeting), 58-31-4, and have won 8 of the last 9, including 8 in a row! Utah is favored by 6 in Provo, @ BYU’s, Lavell Edwards Stadium!

Georgia Tech (ACC) @ Clemson (ACC): Clemson has won 8 of the last 10 meetings, including 4 straight! Tech’s last win in the series was in 2014, @ home, in Bobby Dodd Stadium, 28-6! The Tigers are one of two teams ranked 1st or 2nd in every pre-season poll, Alabama being the other team. Clemson is a 34 point favorite.

Friday’s Games (8/30/2019)

Wisconsin (B-10) @ USF (AAC): This is the 2nd meeting between the Badgers & Bulls. The 1st game was played in Mad-Town (2014), a 27-10, Bucky win! South Florida will have to stop the run, a thing they failed to do in their last meeting (Wisconsin ran for 294 yards), if they want a different result! Badgers by 10!

Colorado (P-12) vs Colorado State (MWC): This in-state annual battle is played at a neutral site, Denver’s, Mile High Stadium! The Buffs (Colorado) have beaten the Rams 7 of their last 10 meetings, including 4 straight! Vegas says it’s Colorado, again, this time by 11 points!

Alabama (SEC) vs Duke (ACC): The last time these teams played was in 2010, Bama prevailed, 62-13, in Duke’s Wade Wallace Stadium! A rare visit by the Tide to a NC’s opponent’s arena. Obviously, the home field advantage was not an issue for Alabama. This game will be more to Bama’s pattern of playing 3 NC games at home and one at a neutral site, this one @ Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium! Bama by 33!

Ole Miss (SEC) @ Memphis (AAC): This is one of the more interesting games of the day. Ole Miss is coming off a 5-7 season and a self-imposed Bowl ban in 2018. So needless to say, the Rebel’s are eager to get 2019 season started. Mississippi’s Head Coach (HC), Matt Luke, hired 2 former HC’s as his coordinators, Rich Rodriguez as the Offense Coordinator (OC) and Mike MacIntyre as the Defense Coordinator (DC). Memphis is one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country and is coming off a disappointing 8-6 season. The game will be played @ Memphis’ Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The teams have split their last 2 games, Memphis won in 2015, 37-24 while Ole Miss had their way in 2016, 48-28! A shocker out of Vegas, an AAC team is favored over the Mighty SEC …  Memphis by 6!

Auburn (SEC) vs Oregon (P-12): This is the best game of the day and has playoff implications for the P-12! Auburn could lose this game, win the SEC, and are in the College Football Play-off (CFP). This is not true for the P-12 Champion! Oregon needs to win this game, hope and pray that the Tigers win 10 games or capture the SEC’s West Division, while they win the North Division & P-12 Championship! If Oregon loses the game with Auburn or worse, lose and play poorly, the P-12 better make sure the Duck’s do not win the conference or it could be another season of…  ‘outside looking in’ @ the CFP! Auburn is favorite by 3!

Northwestern (B-10) @ Stanford (P-12)’: These teams have played only once since 2009, a Wildcat win over the Cardinal, 16-6, in Evanston This time the game is in California, at Stanford Stadium. The last time the Cats were @ Stanford Stadium was in 1992, a Cardinal win, 35-24! Stanford leads the 8 game series, 3-2-2! Stanford by 6.5   

Georgia (SEC) @ Vanderbilt (SEC): An SEC East tilt, Vandy has won twice since 2009 (31-27 in 2013 & 17-16 in 2016), while Georgia has won 8 of the last 10, & the Dawgs lead the all-time series, 57-20-2. Georgia had a great 2018 season, winning 11 games and playing for the SEC Championship. That said, 2 of their 3 losses were in the final 2 games, lost to Bama in the SEC Championship, 35-28 and the Sugar Bowl, 28-21 to Texas. Vandy better be ready, as Georgia has it eye on the CFP in 2019 and will be looking to rid themselves and their fans of the memories of what the 2018 season could/should have been! Georgia wins by 20!

South Carolina (SEC) vs North Carolina (ACC): These neighbors have only played twice since 2009; in 2013, South Carolina won, 27-10 and again, in 2015, 17-13. This game will be played @ Charlotte’s  Bank of America Stadium. UNC is 0-4 in their last 4 openers and 0-3 in their last three neutral site contests, and what may be of greater concern for the ‘Heels’, is South Carolina is 18-1 in its last 19 season openers. South Carolina by 7!

Boise State (MWC) @ Florida State (ACC): These teams have never met on a gridiron. FSU had not missed playing in the Bowl Season since 1982, that is, until 2018 found the Noles going a shocking 5-7 (6 wins are needed to be bowl eligible). The Seminole HC, Willie Taggart, is anxious to get 2018 in his rear view mirror and Boise State (10-3 in 2018) in a neutral site game (well … sort of) Jacksonville, Florida’s TIAA Bank Field, is the perfect opponent. The Broncos are 6-5 vs Power 5 opponents in the past 5 years, however it should be noted, that 5 of the 6 wins are against P-12 teams. FSU by 4!

Fresno State (MWC) @ USC (P-12): Speaking of not qualifying for the Bowl Season, that would also include SC, who struggled to a 5-7 record in 2018. SC had made a Bowl in every, non-sanctioned, year, since 2000. SC & Fresno have met twice in the past decade, with the Trojans winning both games, 45-20 in 2013 & 52-13 in 2014. It should be noted that these games, like the 2019 contest, were played in the LA Coliseum. SC is favored by 13.5

Virginia (ACC) @ Pitt (ACC): This is an ACC Coastal Division battle, a division that Pitt won last year. The Panthers & Cavaliers have played  6 times since 2013, with Pitt winning 5 of the 6 games, including 4 straight wins since 2015. However, this is Bronco Mendenhall’s (Virginia HC) best team since his arrival from BYU in 2016 and many are picking the Cavaliers to win the ACC’ Coastal Division. Virginia is favored by 3!

Virginia Tech (ACC) @ Boston College (ACC): The Hokies & Eagles have played 10 times since 2009, with Tech winning 7 of the 10 games. Last year, BC ended VT’s win streak at 3 straight, with a 31-21 win in Blacksburg. BC features one of the best runners in all of college football, AJ Dillon ( 1108,10 TD’s, & 4.9YPC), while Virginia Tech will counter with WR, Damon Hazelton (802 yards, 8 TD’s & 15.7 YPR). The Hokies are favorite by 2.5! 

Sunday, September 1st

Houston (AAC) @ Oklahoma (B-12): These teams last played in 2016, with Houston winning in an upset, 33-23 @ NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas! This opening game will mark, the much talked about Alabama transfer, Jalen Hurts, 1st game as OU’s QB. The last 2 quarterbacks, who also transferred into OU, have won the Heisman Trophy! OU is picked to win by 26 points! 

Monday, September 2nd

Notre Dame (IND) @ Louisville (ACC): These teams have played only once, in 2014, a 31-24 Louisville victory @ Notre Dame Stadium! The Irish are coming off a 12-1 season and an appearance in the CFP (a 30-3 loss to Clemson). While Louisville struggled through a 2-10 2018 season & one in which their coach (Bobby Petrino) was fired. ND has struggled in road openers winning only 2 of the last 5! The Irish are favored by 21!  

Let me begin by saying that this QB ranking is objective not subjective (other elements discussed here are subjective, based on a player’s potential, a prospect vs a  proven player, so to speak) and finally, the list will be evaluated by the criteria listed below!

1. Completion Percentage: should be @ 60% or above to be considered above average
2. Ratio TD’s to INT’s: should be a 2 TD to a 1 INT margin or better
3. Total Passing Yards: looking for 2,500 passing yards or more
4. Duel Threat or Pocket Passer to be considered a duel threat the QB must have rushed for 200 net yards (net yards is determined after factoring in sacks, lost yards)
5. Win and loss Record: this is their record at the school or it transferred in, we will use record at their previous school!

25. Graham Mertz 6’3” / 216, Wisconsin, B-10: (Blue Valley North HS, Mission, Kansas) Mertz is here via the crystal ball route, he will improve everyone of the Badger numbers listed here! Provided he beats out Coan, if not, I’ll go stand in the corner and count to five!

• Hornibrook/Coan completed 59.7% of their passes (178/298) … Mertz, Going up!
• Hornibrook/Coan Ratio of 18 TD’s to 14 Picks … Mertz, Going up!
• Hornibrook/Coan Passed for 2,047 yards … Mertz, Going up!
• Both Pocket Passers, ran for -94 yards & 1 TD’s … Mertz, Going up!
• Hornibrook/Coan combined for an 8-5 season in 2018 … Mertz, Going up!

24  Justin Fields 6’3” / 225, Ohio State, B-10: (Fields’ 2018 stats @ Georgia, a 5 Star recruit)

• A 69.2 completion percentage in limited action (27/39)
• TD to INT Ratio, while limited, was  4/0
• Total Passing yards was 328 in 2018
• Duel Threat ran for 266 yards & 4 TD’s @ Georgia in 18′
• We are projecting a 4-0 start for Fields heading into the Game @ Nebraska (Sept. 28th)!

23. Hunter Johnson 6’2” / 210, Northwestern, B-10: (2017 stats @ Clemson, a 5 Star recruit))

• Johnson completion numbers were (21/27) his Completion Percent was 77.8
• TD/INT Ratio was 2/1 in limited action at Clemson
• Passed for 234 yards in a back-up role with the Tigers
• Duel or Pocket passer TBD? Johnson has strong arm and is very athletic!
• Unlike Fields, Johnson has a tough road early, @ Stanford, MSU @ Home, @ Wisconsin & @ Nebraska all by OCT. 5th!

22. Jacob Eason 6’6” / 227, Washington, P-12: (Eason’s 2016 stats @ Georgia, a 5 star recruit)

• Eason had a completion percentage in 2016 of 55.1 (204/307)
• TD/INT Ratio was 16/8
• He passed for 2,430 yards
• Eason is a Pocket Passer, ran for -45 net yards & 1 TD in 2016
• Eason is 8-5 as a starter!

22. Tate Martell 5’11” / 205, Miami, ACC: (Ohio State transfer)

• In limited action, Martell had an excellent completion percentage, 82.1 (23/28)
• TD/INT Ratio was 1/0
• Martell passed for 269 yards in 2018
• Duel-Threat or Pocket Passer TBD, Tate has a great arm & looks to be very athletic!
• Martell will be tested immediately as the Hurricanes open with Florida (August 24th)!

21. Khalil Tate 6’2” / 215, Arizona, P-12:

• Completer 56.3% of his passes (170/302)
• Ratio TD to INT is 26/8
• Total Passing yardage was 2,530 in 2018
• Duel Threat, ran for 224 net yards & 2 TD’s
• Tate is 9-10 @ Arizona the past 2 seasons!

20. James Blackmond 6’5” / 182, Florida State, ACC: (2017 stats)

• Blackmond completed 58.2% of his passes (173/297)
• His TD to INT Ratio was 19/11
• He passed for 2,230 yards in 2017
• A Pocket Passer, Blackmond ran for -26 net yards
• He was 5-7 as a starter in 2017

19. Ryan Willis 6’4” / 223, Virginia Tech, ACC:

• Completed 58.5% of his throws (213/364)
• TD INT Ratio is 24 to 9
• Total Passing Yards was 2,716 in 18′
• Duel Threat, ran for 354 net yards & 4 TD’s
• Willis transferred from Kansas & 6-7 @ V-Tech

18. JT Daniels 6’3” / 210, USC, P-12:

• Daniels completed 59.5% of his tosses
• Ratio, a weak 14/10 TD to INT
• Total Passing yardage was 2,672
• Pocket Passer, Daniels ran for -149 & 0 TD’s
• As a true Freshman, Daniels was 5-7 @ USC

17. Kellen Mond 6’2” 217, Texas A&M, SEC:

• Completion Percentage was 57.3% in 2018 (238/415)
• TD/INT Ratio is 24 to 9!
• Total Passing Yards, 3,107
• Duel Threat, 474 yards & 7 TD’s
• Mond is 14-7 as a starter @ A&M!

16. Nathan Stanley 6’4” / 242, Iowa, B-10: 

• Stanley completed 59.3 % of his tosses (235/396)
• His Ratio was 28/10 TD to INT
• He passed for 2,852 yards
• Stanley is a pocket passer, ran for 4 net yards & 1 TD
• He is 17-9 as the Hawk starter the past 2 years!

15. Joe Burrow 6’4 / 216, LSU, SEC:

• Burrow completed 57.8% of his passes (219/379)
• TD/INT Ratio 16/5
• Total Passing yardage, 2,894
• Burrow is a Duel Threat QB, ran for 399 yards & 7 TD’s
• 10-3 as a starter in 2018!

14.  Charlie Brewer 6’1 / 210, Baylor, B-12:

• Brewer hit on 61.5% of his throws (240/390)
• A Ratio of 19 to 9 TD’s/INT’s
• Charlie passed for 3,019 yards
• Duel Threat, rushed for 375 yards & 7 TD’s
• His record @ Baylor is 8-17 (7-6 last year)

13. Alan Bowman 6’3” / 210, Texas Tech, B-12:

• Bowman completed an impressive 69.4% of his passes
• TD/INT Ratio was 17 to 7
• Total Passing yards was 2,638 in 2018
• Pocket Passer, ran for -26 net yards & 1 TD
• Bowman was 4-2 in 2018 as a true Freshman

12. Adrian Martinez 6’2” / 220, Nebraska, B-10:

• Martinez hit on 64.6% of his passes in 2018 (224/347)
• His TD/INT Ratio was 17/8
• Martinez passed for 2.617 yards
• Duel Threat, ran for 629 net yards & 8 TD’s
• Martinez is 4-8 as a starting QB @ Nebraska

11. KJ Costello 6’5” / 215, Stanford, P-12:

• Completed 65.1% of his passes (269/413)
• Ratio of 29 TD’s to 11 Picks
• Passed for 3,540 yards
• Pocket Passer, ran for -20 yards & 1 TD
• Costello is 18-9 @ Stanford as the starting QB

10. Kelly Bryant 6’3 / 225, Missouri, SEC: (Bryant’s 2017 stats @ Clemson))

• Completion Percentage of 65.8 (262 completions/398 attempts)
• Ratio of TD’s/INT’s, 13 to 8,
• Passing Yards. 2,802 in 2017
• Duel Threat, ran for 665 yards & 11 TD’s
• Bryant was 16-2 as a starter @ Clemson!

9. Justin Herbert 6’6” / 233, Oregon, P-12:

• Completed 59.4% of his passes (240/404)
• TD/INT was 29/8
• Herbert passed for 3,151 yards
• Pocket Passer, ran for 166 net yards & 2 TD’s!
• Justin went 9-4 last year!

8. Bryce Perkins 6’3” / 210, Virginia, ACC:

• Passing Completion percentage was 64.5% (225/349)
• Ratio, 25/9 TD’s to INT’s
• Passed for 2,680 yards in 18′
• Duel Threat, ran for 923 net yards & 9 TD’s
• Perkins is a JC transfer (1st @ Arizona St.) 8-5 @ UVA in 18′

7. Shea Patterson 6’3 / 203, Michigan, B-10:

• Patterson completed 64.6% of his passes (210/325)
• His TD/INT Ratio is 22/7
• Patterson passed for 2,600 yards
• Patterson is a duel threat QB, ran for 273 net yards & 2 TD’s
• Shea is 10-3 as a starter @ Michigan

6. Ian Book 6’0” / 208, Notre Dame, IND:

• Book completed 68.2% of his passes (214/314)
• His TD/INT ratio is 19/7
• Ian passed for 2,628 yards in 9 games
• Book is a Duel Threat QB, ran 280 net yards/4 TD’s
• He is 8-1 as a starter!

5. Jake Fromm 6’2 / 220, Georgia, SEC:

• Fromm’s Completion Percentage is 67.4 (207/307)
• Ratio is an impressive 30/6 TD to INT
• He passed for 2,761 yards
• Fromm is best seen as a Pocket Passer (-27 net yards as a rusher / 0 TD’s)
• Record as a starter @ Georgia is 23-5!

4. Sam Ehlinger 6’3 / 230, Texas, B-12:

• Sam has completed 64.7% of his throws (275/425)
• TD/INT Ratio 25/5
• Total Passing Yards 3,292
• Duel-threat, Ehlinger has rushed for 482 net yards & 16  TD’s
• He was 10-4 in 2018

3.   Jalen Hurts 6’2” / 218, Oklahoma, B-12: (Based on 2017 numbers)

• Completed 60.4% of his passes (154/255)
• TD/INT Ratio a shocking 17-1
• Total passing yards 2.081
• Duel Threat QB, ran for 855 net yards & scored 8 TD’s
• Record as a starter @ Bama, 27-2!

2. Trevor Lawrence 6’6” / 215, Clemson, ACC: 

• Lawrence completed 65.2% of his passes (259/397)
• TD to INT Ratio an impressive 30/4
• Passing Yards 3,280 in 11 starts
• Lawrence is a Pocket Passer, ran for 177 net yards & 1 TD
• Lawrence’s record is 11-0

1. Tua Tagovailoa 6’1 / 218, Alabama, SEC:

• Tua completed 69% of his throws (245/355)
• His TD to INT Ratio is 43/6
• Tagovailoa passed for 3,966 yards
• Tua is a Pocket Passer, ran for 190 net rush yards & 5 TD’s
• He is 14-1 as a starter

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!

A comparison among Athlon Sports, Lindy’s Sports & Phil Steele College Football! Here are some thoughts from SCFP on the differences in these lists.

1. In 2018 Michigan’s O-Line was seen as a liability, a year later they are the unanimous choice as the best O-Line in the B-10. Not only that, Lindy’s Sports and Phil Steele have them, respectively as the 3rd & 4th best O-line in the nation. Sorry I ain’t buyin it! They clearly are better with 4 starters back and I believe they should be in the top 3 in the conference, but an unanimous choice at #1, no way! Absolutely shocked that these publications have the Wolverines in the top 5 nationally?! Let’s see how they perform in game 2 (Army) & game 3 (Wisconsin in Madison)!

2. Ohio State,  according to these lists do not average a top five O-line in the B-10! Are you buying that? If you review our recruiting page, you will see the Bucks are the 3rd best recruiting program in the country. OSU’s 2019 line, Center, Josh Myers; RG, Wyatt Davis; & RT, Nicholas Petit-Frere, LT Thayer Mumford, & LG Jonah Jackson’s talent trump other team’s players experience! Athlon has then to low at 4 and not sure what to make of Lindy’s 7th or Phil’s 6th? I guarantee you, they will be a top three O-Line in the B-10 before it is all said and done in 2019!

3.Athlon’s Sports ranking Michigan State @ 9 is confusing and Lindy’s placing MSU’s O-Line at #12 borders on bizarre. They return 4 starters and their top recruit is is an O-Lineman, 4 star, Devontae Dobbs, who will start against Tulsa on August 30th! True the Spartans struggled on offense in 2018, but that had a lot more to do with QB, Brian Lewerke  (who played through injury) than the O-Line’s performance. The MSU O-Line clearly belongs in the top half of the B-10!

4. I think they got the Hawks & Badgers right! Wisconsin & Iowa both belong in the B-10’s top 5 O-Lines!

5. I think Steele is right about Illinois being in the top half of the conference, but in the top 5, come on! True, they return all 5 starters and will be improved in 2019, but top 5? Richie Petitbon, a reserve at Bama, will transfer to the Illini and will add depth, but again, not enough to earn a top 5 spot! Lindy has the Illini to low @ 9 while Athlon hits this right on the head at 7!

6. Not sure what Lindy’s Sports was thinking about having Indiana 3rd? Athlon has them 12th and Steele places the Hoosiers at 13th. Athlon & Steele’s placement makes more sense from what I’ve seen and read! Lindy continued the confusion by rating Minnesota 4th. The Gophers have both depth & talent at RB & WR, that said, while the O-Line has the experience to be considered for the top half of the conference, they do not the talent to be 4th!

7. What do you think?

Athlon Sports       Lindy’s Sports        Phil Steele College Football

1. Michigan           1. Michigan              1. Michigan

2. Iowa                   2. Iowa                     2. Wisconsin

3. Wisconsin         3. Indiana                3. Penn State

4. Ohio State         4. Minnesota          3. Iowa

5. Penn State         5. Wisconsin          3. Illinois

6. Nebraska           6. Penn State          6. Ohio State

7. Illinois               7. Ohio State           6. Michigan State

8. Minnesota        8. Nebraska            6. Maryland

9. Michigan St     9. Illinois                 6. Nebraska

10. Maryland       10. N-western         6. Minnesota

11. Purdue           11. Rutgers                11. Indiana

12. Indiana        12. Michigan St.        12. Rutgers

13. Rutgers         13. Purdue                 13. Purdue

14. N-western   14. Maryland              13. Purdue

So who are the 5 best receivers in B-10 for the 2019 season. It is the preverbal … depends!

A. If you are talking about the most receptions in 2018, it goes like this:

1) Rondale Moore, 114 (receptions) Purdue; 2) Tyler Johnson, 78 Minnesota; 3) KJ Hill, 70 Ohio State; 4) JD Spielman, 66 Nebraska; 5) Rashad Bateman, 51 Minnesota.

B. If you are use yards per receptions, it goes like this:

1) KJ Hamler, 17.9 Penn State; 2) Nico Collins, 16.6 Michigan; 3) AJ Taylor. 16.3 Wisconsin; Tyler Johnson. 14.9 Minnesota; 5) Nick Westbrook, 14.0 Indiana.

C. If you are looking at best equating to most yardage over the season, now it looks like this:

1) Rondale Moore, 1,258 Purdue, 2) Tyler Johnson, 1,169 Minnesota, 3) KJ Hill, 885 Ohio State; 4) JD Spielman, 818 Nebraska; 5) KJ Hamler, 754 Penn State

D. Or let’s say it’s yards per game, then it goes like this:

1) Rondale Moore, 98.6 Purdue; 2) Tyler Johnson 89.9; 3) JD Spielman, 81.8 Nebraska; 4) KJ Hill, 63.2 Ohio State; 5) Cody White, 61.7 Michigan State!

Bottom line is on any given Saturday anyone of these guys can make a play that decides the outcome!

Team          Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

U of I:     Richey Smalling        33      406           12.3           5         67               36.9

Team          Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

IU:  Nick Westbrook    42               590               14.0          4               41               49.1

Team          Player       Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

Iowa:     Brandon Smith        28     361                12.9           2                30               27.8

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

Mary.     Jeshawn Jones       22    288          13.0           6                    65               24.0

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

Mich.      Nico Collins        38     632             16.6           6                     52               48.6

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

Mich. D. Peoples-Jones     47                 612    13.0             8                 79               47.0

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

MSU       Cody White       42                  555    13.2            2                    40               61.7

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

Minn.     Tyler Johnson    78               1,169      14.9           12                  52               89.9

Team         Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s        Long           YPG

Minn.  Rashod Bateman     51                 704     13.8           6                 86               54.2

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s       Long           YPG

Neb.      JD Spielman       66                  818     12.4           8                 75               81.8

Team       Player                Receptions    Yards      YPR       TD’s    Long   YPG

NW:   Bennett Skowronek               45           562    12.5           3          40           40.1

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

OSU          KJ Hill              70                  885       12.6      6         42               63.2

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long           YPG

PSU         KJ Hamler      42                     754     17.9           5                    93                58.0

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s       Long        YPG

PU     Rondale Moore     114                 1,258    11.0           12          70               96.8

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s            Long         YPG

RU        Bo Melton          28                      245      8.8            0                   28               20.4

Team       Player     Receptions    Yards         YPR       TD’s         Long          YPG

UW         AJ Taylor            32                   521       16.3           3                 44               40.1

5. Illinois’ Reggie Corbin led the Illini rushing attack with 1,085 yards on 128 attempts, an 8.5 yards per carry (YPC) average (3rd best in the nation and best among P5 backs) while scoring 9 TD’s. Corbin is a combination of power, speed, & consistency, evidenced by his season’s long run of 80 yards, his ability to run between the tackles, and his yards per game (YPG) average of 90.4! The Illinois O-Line returns four starters and Alabama transfer, Richie Petitbon, should fill that gap left by Nick Allegretti! Corbin also has capable back-up support @ RB, 1st, from all-purpose back, Mike Epstein and then, from speed demon, red shirt freshman, Jakari Norwood.

4. Indiana’s Stevie Scott rushed the ball 228 times in 2018 for 1,137 yards, 5.0 YPC, & 10 TD’s. His long run in ’18 was 45 yards and he averaged 94.8 YPG! It should be noted that Scott set true freshmen records @ Indiana, in Total Yards gained, TD’s scored and 100 yard plus rushing games (6)! The Hoosiers will have rebuild the O-Line, as only 2 starters return for the 2019 season. Scott will have capable backups, junior speedster, Cole Gest & incoming, 4-star recruit, Sampson James. James had offers from Ohio State, Michigan, ND, Florida State, Georgia, & Tennessee! Finally, a fact to remember when one is evaluating Scott, he not only has speed and power, he is a brute, standing 6’2 and weighting in at 233 pounds!

4. Maryland’s Anthony McFarland (Please note: I had a tie for the 4th position, primarily because I thought that Corbin needed to be included in this Top 5 count)! McFarland ran for 1034 yards on 131 carries, averaged 7.9 YPC, and scored 4 TD! His long run was for 81 yards (the 1st time he touched the ball vs Ohio State and oh, by the way, the very next time he touched the ball against the Bucks, he went 75 yards, both runs resulted in TD’s) and he averaged 86.1 YPG! McFarland set freshmen records of Total Yards & YPC average! Three starters return on the O-Line, however, after the starters the line is thin! RB, LoLo Harrison is back from knee surgery and will add immediate depth, as he average 8.4 YPC last year before the injury!

3. Minnesota’s Rod Smith/Mo Ibrahim after Smith and Shannon Brooks when down in 2018 with ACL injuries, the relatively unknown Ibrahim stepped up and ran for 1,160 yards on 202 carries, averaged 5.7 YPC, and scored 9 TD’s! Ibrahim’s long scamper was for 74 yards and he averaged an impressive 116.0 YPG in 2018! In fact, Ibrahim, Smith, and Brooks have rushed for over 5,000 yards and scored nearly 50 TD’s! It is a fact, that no program in the B-10 has the ‘proven depth’ of the Gophers! The O-Line will need to be restructured do to graduation and position change! The Gophers have great momentum heading into the 2019 season, whipping the Badgers (37-15) to rclain the Axe (Wisconsin had won 14 straight) and then winning the Quick Lane Bowl, vs G-Tech, 34-10!

2. Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins split carries with the talented Mike Weber (173 carries for 954 yards, 5.5 YPC, & 73.4 YPG), that said, Dobbins ran for 1053 yards on 230 carries, 4.6 YPC, & scored 10 TD’s! His long run in 2018 was for 42 yards and he averaged 75.2 YPG! Master Teague or Demario McCall will be the back-up, both are talented, yet unproven, runners! That said, McCall is the better receiver which may give him a ‘leg up’ in securing the backup role. The O-Line lost 4 of the 5 starters, only LT, Thayer Munford returns. Per usual, there is talent and they will have time to develop it, as the Bucks play 3 G5’s and @ Indiana in their 1st 4 games. Look for Dobbins to run for 1500 plus yards in 2019, as the # of carries will increase (Weber’s departure) and the talented O-line gains experience!

1. Wisconsin’s Jonathon Taylor is not only the best runner in the B-10, he is the best runner in the country! He is blessed with a rare combination of speed, vision, and power. In his 1st 2 years, Taylor has rushed for over 4000 yards! Last year, he amassed 2,194 yards (which led the nation) on 307 carries , averaged 7.1 YPC, & scored 16 TD’s! Taylor longest run from scrimmage was 88 yards and his average, 168.8 YPG, also was the best the nation! Depending on how the Badgers substitute in their 1st 2 games (a wary-eye on Michigan, who comes to Mad-town in week three) against South Florida and Central Michigan; Taylor could be around that 600 yards rushing mark when he crosses the lines to face the Wolverines! Remember, Taylor has finished in the top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting the past 2 years and a great start would go along way to getting him to New York! The O-Line lost 4 starters, yet, the leader of last year’s beef steaks, Center, Tyler Biadasz returns to provide needed leadership. The USF game will be an interesting gage to measure the depth of the O-Line off season maturing! RB support will be provided by power back, Garrett Groshek!

5. Northwestern’s Hunter Johnson, a 5 star transfer from Clemson, where he was likely to ‘ride the pine’, first behind Kelly Bryant (as a freshman) and then generational QB, Trevor Lawrence showed up in Clemson, South Carolina. Both Bryant & Johnson caught the next bus out of town! Kelly to Mizzou & Hunter to Evanston! Johnson has a rocket launcher for an arm, the the agility to extend plays in the pocket, and the foot over foot speed to escape the ‘meat house’ and advance the ball up the field! Clayton Thorson started 53 games for the “Cats” and owns about every career record @ Northwestern, yet Johnson may very well prove to be an upgrade for the Wildcats!

4. Ohio State’s Justin Fields, another 5 star, this time from Georgia, who failed to beat our Jake Frahm. As good as Fields is, it is unlikely that he will be an upgrade to Dwayne Haskins, 4,831 passing yards, 50 TD’s, 8 INT’s, see and 70.0 completion percentage! Justin is a great athlete, with tremendous quickness and terrific straight ahead speed, however, he will need to grow as a passer and is unproven as a leader. Fields will have little competition for the job, backups, Tate Martell (Miami FL) & Matt Baldwin (TCU) transferred out of Columbus! The good news for the Bucks is that they do not play a Power 5 opponent in their 2019, Non-Conference schedule (FAU, Cincinnati, & Miami OH). This should give Fields some time & success to win teammates over, all three of these games are at home and played in the 1st 4 weeks of the season!

3. Iowa’s Nate Stanley is a traditional QB playing for a throw back coach, what could be better! Ferentz is the best teacher of O-Line play in the B-10, his teams line up, run the ball by ‘knocking you off the LOS, and mix in timely play action passes! That said, it is an interesting fact that while other teams in the West Division run variations of the spread, Iowa led the division in scoring offense! So much for ‘old time’ football being boring! Stanley is entering his third year as the Hawks starter and has thrown 52 TD’s the past 2 season, while improving his passing yardage and completion percentage in year two! Stanley passed for 2,852 yards, 26 TD’s & threw 10 INT’s, He will need to continue to improve these numbers (and do so without key receivers from a year ago), especially his 59.3 completion percentage!

2. Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez is exactly the kind of QB that Scott Frost had build his ultra successful program around @ Central Florida. Martinez tends to play the game with the same abandon as UCF’s QB, Mckenzie Milton. Milton led UCF to 24 straight wins before being injured in the USF game! Martinez passed for 2,616 yards, 17 TD’s to 8 INT & completed 64.6 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 629 yards (2nd best on the team) and 8 TD’s, all of this on a team that went 4-8 in 2018!   He has great speed, better quickness, good throwing accuracy while on the move, and exceptional poise given his relative lack of experience! Nebraska is the biggest threat to Wisconsin’s dominance of the B-10’s West Division and this challenge is directly related to the emergence of Martinez!

1. Michigan’s Shea Patterson’s comfort level for the 2019 season took a huge leap forward with the hiring of Alabama’s former OC, Josh Gattis. Out is the pro-style power run game and in is the run-pass option. The intent is to, first, put the ball & game in Patterson’s hands as much as is possible and second, to speed up of the offense! Only Navy, of the 130 FBS programs, ran fewer plays than Michigan, 2 per minute! The RPO is intended to increase Michigan’s number of plays per minute and allow Patterson to do more damage with his passing (2,600 yards, 22 TD’s & 7 INT’s) completion percentage of a terrific 64.6%. This change is timely, much of the ‘name recognized talent’ on D is gone (Rashan Gary, Devin Bush, & Chase Winovich) and the O will need to be ready to outscore the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin & Notre Dame, all on the Wolverines 2019 schedule. This offensive metamorphosis allows Patterson to show case his talents and is the major factor as to why he is listed as the #1 QB in the B-10!

The criteria to determine the strongest division will be based on the following: 1) head to head competition vs Power 5, Non-Conference (NC) opponents (Please note, SCFP counts games vs ND & BYU as P5 equivalents), SEC or B-10 teams who did not schedule a P5 (DNP) will be noted as well; 2) Bowl Wins, Losses, or Bowl Ineligible (BI) will be factored into the process, College Football Playoffs (CFP) games will be part of this post-season count! and 3) the number of divisional teams ranked in Sully’s College Football Page (SCFP) final poll!

1. SEC West:  Division record vs NC Power 5 in the regular season: Alabama 1-0,  Arkansas DNP a P-5, Auburn 1-0, LSU 1-0, Mississippi State 1-0, Ole Miss 1-0, Texas A&M 0-1, !  Totals: 5 wins 1 Loss!  Bowl Results: Alabama 1-1, Arkansas BI, Auburn 1-0, LSU 1-0, Mississippi State 0-1, Ole Miss BI, Texas A&M 1-0, Bowl Record: 4 wins 2 losses, SCFP’s Final Rankings: SEC West: 4 teams ranked, Alabama (2nd),  LSU (8th), & Texas A&M (15th), Auburn (24th),!

2. SEC East: Division record vs NC Power 5 in the regular season: Florida 1-0, Georgia 1-0, Kentucky 1-0, Missouri 1-0, South Carolina 0-1, Tennessee 0-1, Vanderbilt 0-1 RS vs P5’s Record: 4 wins 3 losses! Bowl Results: Florida 1-0, Georgia 0-1, Kentucky 1-0, Missouri 0-1, South Carolina 0-1, Tennessee BI, Vanderbilt 0-1  Bowl Record:  2 wins 4 losses!  SCFP’s Final Rankings: SEC East: 3 teams, Georgia (6th),  Kentucky (9th), Florida (10th)!

3. B-10 East:  Division record vs NC Power 5 in the regular season: Indiana 1-0, Maryland 1-0, Michigan 0-1, Michigan State 0-1, Ohio State 2-0, Penn State 1-0, Rutgers 0-1; RS vs P5’s Record: 5 wins 3 losses! Bowl Results: Indiana BI, Maryland BI, Michigan 0-1, Michigan State 0-1, Ohio State 1-0,  Penn State 0-1; Bowl Record: 1 win 3 losses!  SCFP’s Final Rankings: B-10 East: 3 teams, Ohio State (5th), Michigan (13th), & Penn State (16th)!

4. B-10 West: Division record vs NC Power 5 in the regular season: Illinois DNP, Iowa 1-0, Minnesota DNP, Nebraska 0-1, Northwestern 0-2, Purdue 1-1, & Wisconsin 0-1! RS vs P5.s Record: 2 wins 5 losses! Bowl Results: Illinois BI , Iowa 1-0, Minnesota 1-0, Nebraska BI, Northwestern 1-0, Purdue 0-1, & Wisconsin 1-0; Bowl Record: 4 wins 1 loss!  SCFP’s Final Rankings: B-10 West: 3 teams, Northwestern (17th), Iowa (21st), Wisconsin (23rd)!

So let’s review the results.

Which division performed best vs their regular season schedule against Power 5 Non-Conference Opponents.

The SEC West lone loss vs a P5, during the regular season, was to #1 Clemson, the Tigers beat Texas A&M 28-26! It should also be noted, that Auburn beat #11 Washington, 21-16, while the other 3 wins were against Texas Tech, Kansas State, & Louisville. The West played 2 ranked P5 teams and went 1 and 1!

The B-10 East Maryland led the way here beating #7 Texas, 34-29, while the other 4 wins were against Oregon State, TCU, Pitt, & Virginia! The East lost to #3 ND, 24-17, unranked Arizona State, 16-13, & Kansas 55-14! The B-10 East played at the 500 mark vs ranked teams, 1-1 (Beat the ‘Horns & Lost to the Irish)!

The SEC East did not beat a ranked team in their 4 NC P5 wins; Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, & Purdue. Their 3 losses were all to quality opponents, South Carolina lost to #1 Clemson, Vandy lost to #3 Notre Dame, and Tennessee lost to #25 West Virginia. The SEC East went 0-3 vs ranked teams in the regular season!

In the B-10 West, two teams did not schedule a P5 opponent in 2018, Illinois & Minnesota! The Division did not beat a ranked team, as their wins came against BC & Iowa State. They lost to #3 ND, 31-21 and 4 unranked opponents; Colorado, 33-28, Missouri, 40-37, Duke, 21-7, BYU (counted as a P5 equivalent on SCFP, as is ND), 24-21!

The Divisions rank vs P5’s in the regular season is as follows: 1) SEC West 5-1; 2) B-10 East 5-3; 3) SEC East 4-3; 4) B-10 West 2-5

Next, let’s review the results in the postseason.

The SEC West placed 5 0f its 7 teams (Ole Miss was not eligible due to NCAA sanctions or on the field, as they won only 5 of the 6 games needed to become bowl eligible) The  Division finished the Bowl season @ 4-2. They beat Oklahoma, Purdue, NC State, & Central Florida (SCFP ranks the Group of 5 separately from the Power 5, UCF was our #1 team in this G5 poll). The West lost to #1 Clemson & #21 Iowa!

B-10 West had 5 of its 7 teams play their way into the Bowl Season, winning 4 of the 5 games. Wisconsin beat Miami FL, Iowa beat Mississippi State, Northwestern cane back to beat #18 Utah, & Minnesota shutdown Georgia Tech’s run game! Purdue got hammered by Auburn!

SEC East only Tennessee failed to become bowl eligible; Florida blasted Michigan, Kentucky survived Penn State, while Georgia was upset by Texas, Vanderbilt lost to Baylor, South Carolina was shutout by Virginia, & Missouri fell to Oklahoma State!

B-10 East struggled not only to get divisional teams into the Bowl Season but with its performance for those teams that did get in the post season! Ohio State was their only winner, beating washington in the Rose Bowl. Michigan, as mentioned, was routed by Florida, Penn State fell to upstart Kentucky, & Michigan State lost to high scoring Oregon, amazingly, 7-6!

The Divisional rank in the Postseason:  1) SEC West 4-2 ; 2) B-10 West 4-1; 3) SEC East 2-4; 4) B-10 East 1-3

The number of the teams that finished the season ranked in their respective divisions.

1) SEC West Four; 2) SEC East, Three, B-10 East Three, B-10 West, Three

For those of you who believe the B-10 East is better than the SEC West, I would say using this criteria or other evaluators: recruiting, field performance, or the NFL draft, you should reconsider that statement/question to; Is the B-10 East better than the SEC East? The SEC West is head and shoulder above the other 3 divisions! Period, Please!! Move on!!!

The better discussion is the team comparison of the B-10 East vs SEC East: Georgia/Ohio State; Michigan/Florida; Penn State/Tennessee;  Michigan State/South Carolina; Indiana/Missouri; Maryland/Kentucky; and Rutgers/Vanderbilt! Who would you like in each of those games?

Keep in mind Kentucky just beat Penn State and Florida busted up Michigan in this past Bowl season! A clear statement by the SEC East!

That said, the B-10 West is steadily improving to the point it looks like a 6 team race for the West Division Crown in 2019, with only Illinois on the outside of a legitimate shot!

Finally, these two conferences/four divisions accounted for 13 teams in the top 25 on SCFP final poll!

Athlon’s Top 25

For Athlon’s Top 25, you will see the team rank, conference & division affiliation, the number in prentices indicates the # of conference teams are ranked to that point, their best Non-Conference (NC) opponent & that opponent’s conference, site & date the regular season game will be played, and finally, the number of Top 25 listed here they will play in the 2019 season!

1. Alabama SEC, West Division, Best Non-Conference game (NC) is Duke (ACC) @ Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium on August 31st (Bama plays 3 teams in the Regular Season (RS) on this top 25 list: LSU, @ Texas A&M, & @ Auburn)

2. Clemson ACC, Atlantic Division, Best NC game is Texas A&M (SEC) @  home (Clemson Memorial Stadium, seating 81,500) on September 7th! (Clemson plays 2 teams in this Top 25: Texas A&M & 2 Syracuse)

3. Georgia SEC (2), East Division, Best NC game is Notre Dame (IND) at home (Sanford Stadium, seating 92,746) on September 21st. The Dawgs play a whopping 5 Top 25 teams off this list ( Notre Dame, Florida (Jacksonville), Missouri, @ Auburn, & Texas A&M)

4. Michigan B-10, East Division, Best NC Game is Notre Dame @ Home (Michigan Stadium, seating 107,601) on October 26th! ( The Wolverines play a crazy 6 teams of this Top 25 List: Ohio State, ND, @ Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa, & @ Wisconsin

5. Ohio State B-10 (2), East Division, Best NC Game is Cincinnati (AAC) @ home (Ohio Stadium, seating 104,944) on September 7th! (Ohio State plays 5 teams listed here: @ Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, @ Nebraska, & Wisconsin)

6. Oklahoma B-12, B-12 plays a Round-Robin w/o divisions, Best NC game is @ UCLA (P-12) Rose Bowl is the Bruins home stadium, seating 91,113) on September 14th! (OU lines up against 2 teams list here: Iowa State & Texas @ a neutral site, Dallas)

7. LSU SEC (3), West Division, Best NC game is Texas (B-12) in Austin TX (@ Darrell K Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium, seating 100,119) on September 7th! (LSU plays 5 teams listed here: @ Texas, @ Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, & Auburn)

8. Florida SEC (4), East Division, Best NC Game is Miami FL (ACC) @ Camping World Stadium in Orlando FL on August 24th! (The Gators play 4 teams from this list: @ LSU, Georgia (Jacksonville), Auburn, & @ Missouri)

9. Notre Dame IND, Toughest game in 2019 is Georgia (SEC) @ Samford Stadium seating 92,746, on September 21st (The Irish play 3 teams on the Top 25 List: @ Georgia, @ Michigan, & Virginia)

10. Texas A&M SEC (5),West Division, Best NC game is Clemson (ACC) @ Clemson Memorial Stadium, seating 81,500 on September 7th! (The Aggies play 5 teams that are listed here: Bama, @ LSU,@  Clemson, @ Georgia, & Auburn)

11. Texas B-12 (2), Best NC game is LSU (SEC) @ Home (Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, seating 100,119) on September 7th! (The Longhorns play 3 Top 25 teams: OU @ Neutral Site, Dallas, @ Iowa State, & LSU)

12. Washington P-12, Best NC game is BYU (IND) @ BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium, seating 63,470, on September 21st! (The Huskies play 2 Top 25 opponent: Oregon & Utah)

13. Utah P-12 (2), Best NC game is BYU (IND) @ BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium, seating 63,470, on September 21st! (The Utes play 1 Top 25 opponent: Washington)

14. Penn State B-10 (3), Best NC game is Pitt (ACC), @ Home (Beaver Stadium, seating 106,572) on September 14th! (the Nittany Lions play 4 Top 25 teams: Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, & Iowa)

15. Oregon P-12 (3), Best NC game is Auburn (SEC) @ AT&T Stadium in Arlington TX, on September 21st! (The Ducks play 2: Washington & Auburn)

16. Michigan State B-10 (4), Best NC game is Arizona State (P-12) @ Spartan Stadium, seating 75,005, on September 14th! (The Spartans play 4 Top 25: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, & Wisconsin)

17. Nebraska B-10 (5), Best NC game is Colorado (B-12) @ Folsom Field, seating 50,183, on September 7th! (The Huskers play 3 T-25: Ohio State, Wisconsin, & Iowa, all  @ Home)

18. Iowa B-10 (6), Best NC is Iowa State (B-12), @ Jack Trice Stadium, seating 61,500, in Ames, Iowa on September 14th! (The Hawks challenge 4 Top 25’s: @ Nebraska, @ Wisconsin, @ Michigan, & Penn State)

19. Wisconsin B-10 (7), Best NC game is South Florida (AAC) In Tampa FL @ Raymond James Stadium, seating 65,618, on Friday August 30th! (The Badgers play 5 ranked teams: Michigan, @ OSU, MSU, @ Nebraska, & Iowa)

20. Auburn SEC (6), Best NC game is Oregon,@ AT&T Stadium in Arlington TX, on September 21st! The Tigers play 6 rated teams: Bama, @ A&M, @ LSU, @ Florida, Georgia, & Oregon)

21. Syracuse ACC (2), Best NC game is Maryland (B-10), @ Maryland Stadium, seating 51,802, the game will be played on September 7th! (The Orange play 1 ranked team listed here: Clemson)

22. Central Florida AAC, Best NC game is Stanford (P-12), @ Home in Spectrum Stadium, seating 44,206, on September 14th! (UCF does not play a team that is rated by Lindy Sports)

23. Missouri SEC (7), Best NC game is West Virginia (B-12), @ Home in Memorial Stadium, seating 71,168, on September 7th! Mizzou plays 2 teams ranked in this Top 25: @ Georgia & Florida)

24. Iowa State B-12 (3), Best NC game is Iowa, @ Home in Jack Trice Stadium, seating 61,500, on September 14th! The Cyclones play 3 teams ranked listed here: Iowa, @ OU, & Texas)

25. Virginia ACC (3), Best NC game is Notre Dame, @ Notre Dame Stadium, seating 77,622 on September 28th! (The Cavaliers play 1 ranked team: @ Notre Dame)

Athlon’s has identifies, SEC: 7 teams; B-10: 7 teams; B-12: 3 teams, ACC: 3 teams; P-12: 3 teams; AAC: 1 team; & IND: 1 team to comprise their Top 25 rankings!

Street and Smith Top 25

Street & Smith have 8 of the 10 teams Athlon has in their Top 10, S&S added Michigan and Texas A&M and subtracted Texas & Oregon! In identifying road games vs Top 25 Teams, I used only Street & Smith’s roster; for instance, Wisconsin and Iowa were ranked by the Athlon staff but not by Street & Smith’s; so the Hawks and the Badgers were not recognized as a road game vs a Top 25 opponent! The SEC had 7 teams ranked by Street and Smith, the same number as Athlon with one distinction, Mississippi State was added and Missouri was removed! The B-10 went from 7 ranked teams by Athlon to 5 by S&S! While the P-12 went up from 3 teams to 5 with the addition of Washington State & Stanford! The B-12 stayed @ 3 teams, the ACC fell from 3 to 2 with the loss of Syracuse, the IND’s grew from 1 to 2 with the addition of Army and the AAC stayed @ 1 team (UCF) the only Group of 5 team to be ranked!

1. Alabama: SEC West Division, vs Street & Smith (S&S) T0p 25 road games (3), @ Texas A&M (OCT 12th) @ Mississippi State (NOV 16th), and @ Auburn (NOV 30th)!

2. Clemson ACC Atlantic Division, vs  S&S Top 25 Road Games: (0) None!

3. Georgia SEC East Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): Florida (Neutral Site, Jacksonville FL, NOV 2nd) and @ Auburn (NOV 16th)

4. Oklahoma B-12 has no Divisions, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): Texas (Neutral Site, Dallas TX, OCT 12th)

5. Ohio State B-10 East Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ Nebraska (SEPT 28th) & @ Michigan (NOV 30th)

6. LSU SEC West Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (3): @ Texas (SEPT 7th), @ Mississippi State (OCT 19th), @ Alabama (NOV 9th)

7. Notre Dame IND, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (3): @ Georgia (SEPT 21), @ Michigan (OCT 26th), & @ Stanford (NOV 30th)

8. Florida SEC East Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ LSU (OCT 12th), Georgia (Neutral Site, Jacksonville FL, NOV 2nd),

9. Texas B-12 has no Divisions, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): Oklahoma  (Neutral Site, Dallas TX, OCT 12th) & @ Iowa State (NOV 16th),

10. Oregon P-12 North Division,  vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (3): Auburn  (Neutral Site, Arlington  TX, AUG 31st),  @ Stanford (SEPT 21st) & @ Washington (OCT 19th)

11. Michigan B-10 East Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): @ Penn State (OCT 19th)

12. Washington P-12 North Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): @ Stanford (OCT 5th)

13. Texas A&M SEC West Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ Clemson (SEPT 7th), & @ Georgia (NOV 23rd)

14. Auburn SEC West Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (3): Oregon  (Neutral Site, Arlington  TX, AUG 31st), @ Texas A&M (SEPT 21st), @ LSU (OCT 26th)

15. Central Florida AAC East Division,  vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (0): None!

16. Mississippi State SEC West Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ Auburn (SEPT 28th), & @ Texas A&M (OCT 26th)

17. Washington State P-12 North Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (3): @ Utah (SEPT 28th), @ Oregon (OCT 26th), & @ Washington (NOV 29th)

18. Iowa State B-12 has no Divisions, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): @ Oklahoma (NOV 9th)

19. Michigan State B-10 East Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ Ohio State (OCT 5th) & @ Michigan (NOV 16th)

20. Penn State B-10 East Division,vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ Michigan State (OCT 26th) & @ Ohio State (NOV 23rd)

21. Utah P-12 South Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): @ Washington (NOV 2nd)

22. Stanford P-12 North Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (2): @ Central Florida (SEPT 14th) & @ Washington State (NOV 16th)

23. Army IND, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): @ Michigan (SEPT 7th)

24. Nebraska B-10 West Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (0): None!

25. Virginia ACC Coastal Division, vs S&S Top 25 Road Games (1): @ Notre Dame (SEPT 28th)

Lindy’s Sports Top 25

1. Clemson ACC (1) Atlantic Division (1): The Tigers return a generational QB, Trevor Lawrence (3,280, 30 TDs, 4 INTs, & 65.1%) , 2 great receivers, Justyn Ross & Tee Higgins, both are quick, have break away speed and are big (6’4” & 205), an all American RB in Travis Etienne, 4 starters back on the O-Line, and potential All-Americans @ all three levels of the Defense, DE, Xavier Thomas, OLB, Isaiah Simmons, & CB, A. J. Terrell.

2. Alabama SEC (1) West Division (1): The Tide is loaded and refocused after last year’s 28 point (44-16) ‘tail whippen’ in the National Championship by Clemson! QB Tua Tagovailoa (3,966 yards, 43 TDs, 6 INTs, & 69 percent completion percentage), RB Najee Harris, WRs All American Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith, & Jaylen Waddle, the O-Line is talented, but inexperienced, losing 3 starters! The D has talent everywhere, D-Line is led by Raekwon Davis, the LBs feature, Dylan Moses, & the secondary is patrolled by Xavier McKinney.

Note: Clemson & Alabama are on a collision course in 2019 and the 5th in this series looks, on paper, to be the best of the 5 games!

3. Georgia SEC (2) East Division (1): The Bulldog Offense is led by the 2nd best QB in the SEC, Jake Fromm (2,749 yards, 30 TDs, 6 picks and 67.3 completion percentage) , the best RB in the conference, D’Andre Swift, the WR position is a question mark as the 3 top receivers are gone, the O-line returns 3 starters and is consider the best in the SEC ang by Athlon 2nd best in the country! The defense is directed by all everything, Safety, J.R. Read, while the D-Line is talented yet young, & the LB’s are loaded with talent, but will lack experience at the beginning of the season!

4. Oklahoma B-12: Hard to over-rate Lincoln Riley, 2 years = 2 B-12 championships, 2 CFP appearances, & 2 Heisman winners! I am not sure that this is not the best start to a college football coaching career ever! At QB, they will feature the 3rd straight transfer in as many years, Jalen Hurts, and oh, by the way, the last 2, Baker Mayfield & Kyler Murray, won the Heisman Trophy! Hurts is capable of making in 3 in a row under Riley’s toutalidge! The RB position will be filled by last year’s 1000 plus rusher, Kennedy Books, WR receivers will be led by Pre-Season All American CeeDee Lamb,! However, 4 of the 5 O-Linemen are off to the NFL! On D, it is another matter, Lindy Sports does not rank the Sooners in the Top 10 at any of the 3 levels assessed, D-Lines, LB’s or Secondary. The good news is they do return 9 starters on defense, led OLB, Kenneth Murray!

5. Michigan B-10 (1) East Division (1): For the first time in a decade, someone other than Ohio State, had the #1 Recruiting Class in the B-10, and that someone is Michigan! QB Shea Patterson is rated as the #1 signal caller in the B-10, that said, the RB position while talented is untested. The WR are the best in the B-10,  led by Donovan Peoples-Jones , Nico Collins, & Tarik Black. and the O-line, a liability a year ago, should be the best in the B-10! While the D lasks the star power of a year ago (Devin Bush, Chase Winovich, & Rashan Gary are gone) should be solid, led by CB, Lavert Hill!

6. Florida SEC (3) East Division (2): Danny Mullen went 10-3 in his first year, beating a very good LSU team, 27-19 and pounding a 10 win Michigan in the Peach Bowl, 41-15! The Strength of the team heading into the 2019 is, w/o question, the defense; D-Back, CJ Henderson is a pre-season All American, D-Line is led by Jabari Zuniga and the LB position is centered around the play of David Reese. That said, Mullen is a master at developing QB play, this was clear in the improvement of Feleipe Franks and Kadarius Toney is of the best special team players in the country!

7. Ohio State B-10 (2) East Division (2): Urban Meyer is gone and so is his  86-9 record over the past 7 years! The Ryan Day Era begins in 2019 and the Buck’s schedule is easing him in as Ohio State does not have a Power 5 opponent in their Non-Conference schedule!  The Bucks, per usual, have talent everywhere! Five Star, Georgia Transfer, Justin Fields will take over @ QB, the RB duties will be carried by out by 1st team all B-10, DJ Dobkins, @ WR it is likely that K.J. Hill will show the way, while the O-Line is anchored by Thayer Mumford, a Preseason All-Big Ten 1st team Selection. The Defense is led by Pre-Season 1st Team All American (DT), Chase Young and All B-10 1st Team, D-Backs (CB) Daman Arnette & (S) Jordan Fuller

8. LSU SEC (4) West Division (2): In the short term, Ed Orgeron, is proving he was/is the “right man’ for this job! He currently is recruiting the 4th best class in all of college football and is 25-9 in his 1st three years! He is 2-1 in bowl games beating Louisville 29-9 and last year handing Central Florida its 1st loss, 40-32, in 26 games! It also should be noted, he landed LSU in a New Years 6 Bowl in 2018! The Defense is led by 1st team, Preseason All-American Safety, Grant Delpit, DT Rashad Lawrence, OLB, K’Lavon Chaisson, ILB, Jacob Phillips, & CB, Kristian Fulton. The challenge this season will clearly be on QB, Joe Burrow, an Ohio State transfer, who passed for 2,894 yards, 16 TD & 5 picks. The Tigers featured RB, Clyde Edwards, is talented but untested, while WR Justin Jefferson will be Burrow’s primary target (54 catches for 875 yards, 16.2 YPC, & 6 TD in ’18).

9. Notre Dame IND (1): The Irish have won 22 games the past 2 seasons, only 4 P5 Clemson & Bama 27, Ohio State 25 & OU 24 have won more games! If ND puts another double digit winning season on the board, given their schedule, I think it would be fair to say they are re-entering their former status as a member of college football’s elite! No question that Ian Book’s insertion into the Notre Dame starting 11 catapulted the Irish to their undefeated regular season. ND’s RB, are talented but unproven as featured backs, the WR corps (Claypool, Fink, & Young) are ranked as the 10th best in Lindy’s National Unit Ranking, O-Line is led by Street & Smith 1st team All-American, Tommy Kraemer. The success of the Irish D is centered around D-Ends Julian Okwara & Khalid Kareem (ND’s D-Line is ranked 6th Best Nationally by Lindy), while the secondary features the Safety play of Alohi Gilman & Jalen Elliott (also ranked 6th Nationally by Lindy).

10. Oregon P-12 (1) North Division (1): It would be hard to overvalue the work that Mario Cristobal has done in his 1st year as HC, as well as his work as OC the previous year! In 2019, he recruited the 6th best class in the country and is doing the same thing in the current 2020 class! At QB, Justin Herbert, is 1st Team Preseason All-Pac 12 selection, @ RB, 1000 plus rusher, CJ Verdell returns, the WR will be bolstered by 5th year (PSU) transfer Juwan Johnson (would have been Penn State “go to receiver”), while the O-Line is led by Preseason 1st Team All-American, Calvin Throckmorton and are regarded as the best Offensive Line in the P-12! On Defense LB, Troy Dye is a 1st Team Preseason All-Pac 12 pick, DL Jordan Scott is a 2nd Team All Pac 12 selection, as is DB, Thomas Graham Jr.!

11. Texas B-12 (2): Texas won 10 games a year ago, currently a big deal, yet historically, 10 wins was an expectation, if they really are back, they need to win 10 again, and again. and yet again! We should find out a lot about the Longhorns on September 7th when they host LSU and by October 12th the verdict will be in (Oklahoma State @ home Sept. 21st & OU in Dallas on Oct. 12th) as to their locale … back, almost back, or way back! On Offense, QB, Sam Ehlinger is the man, passing for 3,292 yards, 25 TDs, & 5 INTs, while rushing for 482 yards and 16 TDs! His 41 TDs are the second most in Texas history behind only Colt McCoy’s 45 in 2008. Texas RB will be Keaontay Ingram a sophomore with break away speed and @ WR the Horns will feature Collin Johnson. The O-Line loses 3 starters, so inexperienced yet talented! The Defense will be led by DB, Caden Sterns and who will need to be vocal on game day as the Longhorns must replace 8 starters!

12. Utah P-12 (2) South Division (1): Kyle Whittingham led the Utes to their 1st PAC 12 South Division Championship in 2018. The Utes had been the only team in the South Division not to have won the Division … not anymore! The Utes are picked to win the South again by at least 3 publications (Street & Smith, Athlon, & Lindy’s Sports) and with good reason, as they return 14 starters, 7 on O & 7 on D! QB, Tyler Huntley, passed for 1,788 yards, 12 TDs & 6 INTs, while RB, Zack Moss rushed for 1,096 yards and 11 scores! WR Britain Covey, is recovering from a knee injury that occured in the P-12 Championship Game vs Washington (a 10-3 loss), Covey caught 60 balls for 637 yards and is expected back in the fall! On Defense, the Utes return every starter on the D-line, LB is a concern as both Barton & Hansen have graduated and were the teams leading tacklers in 2018. The secondary returns 2 starters and should be solid!

13. Texas A&M SEC (5) West Division (3): Jimbo Fisher promised that A&M would utilize the TE position and would run the ball in the rugged SEC West, and that is exactly what they did! TE Jace Sternberger let the team in receptions (48), receiving yards (832), & receiving TDs @ 10! Sternberger is off to the NFL, so Jimbo brought in 5 start TE, Baylor Cupp, who tore it up in Spring Ball. Trayveon Williams ran for 1,760 yards, 6.5 YPC & scored 18 TDs, he is also off to the NFL, Jashaun Corbin will replace Williams,well, maybe not replace, but Corbin showed breakaway ability in the spring ball! QB, Kellen Mond, passed for 3,107 yards, 24 TDs, & 9 picks! The O-Line returns 4 starters, but must replace, All-SEC Center, Erik McCoy.  On Defense, A&M returns only 4 starters and must get the newbees up to speed quickly, as they travel to Clemson in week two!

14. Iowa B-10 (3) West Division (1): Kirk Ferentz is the Dean of B-10 coaches as he enters his 20th year at the Hawkeye helm! He enters the 2019 season with a record of 152-101 in his time @ Iowa City! On offensive RT, Tristan Wirfs & LT Alaric Jackson lead the way, while the defense features 1st Team Preseason All-American, DE, A.J. Epenesa. All three of these players are preseason, All-Big Ten 1st team selections! QB Nate Stanley is back for his 3rd year as a starter and should improve on his 26 TDs in each of the last 2 years! The Hawks also return their top three RBs, led by Mekhi Sargent, who rushed for 745 yards and 9 TDs. The Hawks can win the West this year, but their schedule is not favorable, @ Wisconsin, @ Northwestern, & @ Nebraska. While they do get Rutgers @ home in one of the 3 divisional crossover games, they have to travel to the ‘Big House’ (Michigan) and play Penn State at home! The Hawks will need their A game every week to survive their 2019 B-10 schedule!

15. Auburn SEC (6) West (4): The Tigers may have the best D-Lineman in the country, DT Derrick Brown and the best D-Line in all of college football, when you factor in DE, Marlon Davidson & Buck End,Nick Coe! The LBs long on talent and short on experience, while the Secondary has the potential to be one of the best in the SEC!. Auburn returns all five starters on the O-Line and have budding stars at RB and WR. The issue is at QB, Jarrett Stidham is off to the NFL, where 3 players are locked in a competition, Joey Gatewood, Bo Nix, & Malik Willis, with no one winning the job in the spring. What we do know is that HC, Gus Malzahn’s seat is getting hot (at least a little strange when you consider he is 62-30 in 7 years @ Auburn) as a result Coach Malzahn has announced he will call the plays this year! They get Bama & the Dawgs @ Home (a challenge anywhere … so … better at home) and just as tough, they travel to LSU (Death Valley) & College Station (A&M), arguably the 2 rowdiest venues in all of college football! Then the AD decided to add insane to crazy, by scheduling the most explosive team in the P-12, Oregon, at a neutral site, Arlington, TX, to open the season!

16. Wisconsin B-10 (4) West Division (2): The Badgers have been among college football’s elite when you consider RB and O-Line play. Nothing new to report in 2019, the Badgers have the best running back in college football, 1st team preseason All American, Jonathan Taylor and their O-Line is anchored by their center, Tyler Biadasz, also a 1st team preseason All-American. Bucky’s WR underperformed in 2018, injuries and some unacceptable off the field behaviors disrupted their focus as they came in to 2018 as the 4th ranked team in the country yet finished a disappointing 8-5! The QB position will be interesting to follow this year, Alex Hornibrook, who went 26-6 as the starter over the past 3 seasons has transferred to Florida State! That leaves Jack Coan, who led the Badgers to an impressive bowl win over Miami, 35-3, in the Pinstripe Bowl, or highly recruited 4 star QB Graham Mertz to battle for the staring role! The D will get a boast with the return DE, Garrett Rand, out with an Achilles last season and the emergency of 4 star LB Jack Sanborn, while the secondary returns a ton of experience in 2019, due in part, to injuries in 2018!

17. Washington P-12 (3) North Division (2): Chris Peterson has more than revived a stagnant Husky program. Peterson went 15-12 in his first 2 years, since then he has gone 32-9, won the North Division & Pac 12 Championship in 2016, & 2018, tied Stanford in 2017 for the divisional title (lost the tie breaker to the Cardinal, 30-22), been to three straight New Year’s Day 6 Bowls, and the College Football Play-offs in 16! Coach Peterson is a difference with a distinction … winning! The Husky’s lost record setting 4 year starting QB, Jake Browning, enter Jacob Easton, a home state product, who elected to attend Georgia and as a true freshman, passed for 2,430, 16 TD’s, 8 INT,s, while completing 55.1% of his passes.  Easton should bring a consistence that at times was vacant in 2018. He will not have to do it alone, all of the receivers return and 4 of the 5 O-Linemen who started in the Rose Bowl are back in 2019. RB, Salvon Ahmed (996 yards in 2 years as a backup to  Myles Gaskin should be ready to step up)! The D lost 5 starters to the NFL, yet the secondary is ranked 2nd and the D-Line is ranked 3rd in the preseason P-12 unit evals! Now put all this together and add in Peterson and you understand the optimism in Seattle!

18. Central Florida AAC (1) East Division (1): This is a program that has won at a pace that rivals Alabama & Clemson’s the past 2 seasons (UCF 25-1, Bama 27-1, & Clemson 27-2) I said rivals, not equals, due to the respective schedules. In 2017, UCF beat Maryland 38-10, their game with Georgia Tech was cancelled due to weather. and then the Knights beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl, 34-27! In 2018, they beat Pitt, 45-14, who won the ACC Coastal, and then lost to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl, 40-32. Their is no question that the American is the best conference in the Group of 5 (G5), that UCF is the best program in the the G5, and that that are better the majority of Power 5 teams. That said, the Knights do not have to play in the B-10 East, the SEC West, The SEC East, the PAC 12 North, or a round robin in the B-12. Those challenges, in the P5 Conferences week in — week out, are simply not the same in the AAC East! That said, the Knight play 2 P5’s this coming season, Stanford, @ Home and take on Pitt @ Heinz Field, in Pittsburgh!

19 Miami FL ACC (2) Coastal Division (1): Mark Richt has left the building and Manny Diaz is at the helm. After a 7-6, injury riddle and QB Play that at best was wildly inconsistent consistent in 2018; Richt decided to call it quits! Miami has more star power on defense than Clemson, the canes have 4 players on the All ACC 1st team heading into the 2019 season, led by DE Jonathon Garvin, LBs Michael Pinckney & Shaquille Quarterman, & CB Trajan Bandy, The Offense is led by TE Brevin Jordan, LG Navaughn Donaldson, & RB DeeJay Dallas. However, the key to what category the Hurricanes are placed in this year will be centered around the development of their QB! Ohio State transfer, Tate Martell, a top 5 QB in the 2017 class, could be exactly what the Canes need to win the ACC’s Coastal Division!

20. Michigan State B-10 (5) East Division (3): The Spartans, @ least arguably, have the best defense in the the B-10 coming into the 2019 season. Last year, they led the nation in Rushing Defense and return several of the reasons as to why they were able to do this! MSU D is led by, Preseason All B-10 Ten, 1st Team DE Kenny Willekes, LB Joe Bachie, & CB Josiah Scott. DT’s Raequan Williams & Mike Panasiuk are really good players and make this one of the best D lines in the country. LB, Tyriq Thompson provided solid play in 2018 and newcomer, Antjuan Simmons is a proven contributor, whose production should sour as a full time starter in 2019! Finally, S, David Dowell will provide senior leadership and experience as he directs the Spartan D from the backend of their defensive formations The Spartans can defend Thermopylae, no question, the real unanswered quire is can they counter attack?  This will be answered by the play of Brian Lewerke! Last year, in the Spartan upset Penn State, Lewerke hurt his shoulder and played through considerable pain and a disrupted throwing motion. He is now healthy and so are three dependable receivers, led by Cody White! The run game  will be led by 7 returning limemen with starting experience and a host of RB’s led by Connor Hayward!

21. Nebraska B-10 (6) West Division (3): Scott Frost’s ‘Dream Job’ did not begin the way he or the faithful had longed for in 2018! The Huskers lost their first six games and were bowl eligible after the 9 game (7 losses). However, they never lost their focus or played dead, in fact, quite the opposite, the Cornhuskers won 4 of their last six and were close to going 6-0 in the last 6 games, losing @ Ohio State, 36-31 and @ Iowa 31-28! QB, Adrian Martinez, who Frost says has the potential to be the greatest player to ever play at Nebraska. Quite a statement given Nebraska history! If that boast is going to become anywhere near true, he is going to need a lot more help then he received last year! WR, JD Spielman (66 catches, 818 yards, 12.4 YPR, 8 TD) is a good place to start, while RB/AP Maurice Washington, would have been a huge assist, had legal issues off the field and his status is unknown! The O-line has 3 starters returning and may need to be reshuffled positions to maximise incoming talent! On D, LB, Mohamed Berry and CB Dicaprio Bootle are Preseason All Big-Ten 2nd team and will need to provide leadership as the Huskers return only 5 starters on that side of the ball!

22. Stanford P-12 (4) North Division (3): David Shaw is one of the best coaches in all of college football. He has to recruit with one hand tied behind his back, as Stanford is actually serious about the admission of college ready students! In the last 5 years, the Cardinal have won 48 games and lost 19, an average of 9.6 wins to 3.8 losses, translated into the real world as 10-4 in each of the past 5 seasons! Beyond impressive! That said, last year was different, Stanford struggled to run the ball, did not dominate the LOS on either sided of the ball, and for the 2nd, time since 2009, finished the season unranked! The question one asks; was last year an anomaly or are their recruiting challenges finally overwhelming their roster? The Cardinal return their QB, K.J. Costella (3540 passing yards, 29 TD’s, & 11 INT’s), a 2nd team selection Preseason All PAC 12, TE Colby Parkinson (29 receptions, 16.8 ypr, & 7 TD’s and massive O-Lineman, Walker Little (6’7 313)! The Defensed is led by CB, Paulson Adebo (1st team All P-12), DL Jovan Swann (a 3rd team selection) all very capable, yet the D returns only 5 starters to open the season against Northwestern (won the B-10 West), @ USC (best skilled players in the P-12), @ UCF (25-1 the past 2 years), & Oregon (Preseason pick, w/ Washington, to to win the North Division) in their 1st 4 games of 2019!

23. Iowa State B-12 (3): Matty Campbell has changed the culture @ ISU and as an outcome of that, the programs national perception! In his 2nd year, the Cyclones beat OU, 38-31, in Norman & TCU 14-7, @ home, and won their Bowl game vs a 10 win Memphis team, 21-20! Coach Campbell’s teams have gone 16-10 over the past 2 years, after winning just 08 games in 3 years prior to his arrival! The Offense was led by, true freshmen, Brock Poddy, (2250 passing yards, 16 TD’s & 7 INT’s), Poddy was also the teams 2nd leading rusher (100 rushes for 308 yards) an is a 3rd team Preseason All B-12 selection! ISU returns 14 starters, 7 on O and 7 on D! While the O-Line was highly productive in 201`8 for the 1st time since 2014 all 5 starters return. RB is an issue as 2 time all B-12, David Montgomery is gone, Tarique Milton looks to be the replacement! the WR position features, Deshaunte Jones, who has to fill the shoes of, All B-12, Hakeem Butler (1318 receiving yards, 22.0 YPR, & 9 TD’s). Jones’ challenge is arguable greater than Milton’s! No question the strength of ISU 2019 addition is the Defense! The have the best D-line in the B-12, led by DE, JaQuan Bailey & NG, Ray Lima and Safety, Greg Eisworth also a preseason 1st team B-12 selection!Mike Rose will provide outstanding play at LB!

24. Missouri SEC (7) East Division (3): HC, Berry Odom lost 13 of his 1st 18 games, but since then, has won 14 0f his last 20! As he heads into his 4th year at Mizzou, he is 19-19. He must replace, Drew Lock, who many NFL scouts thought, other than Trevor Lawrence, was the best (NFL perspective) QB in the Country. The Tigers return 13 starters ( 7 on Offense & 6 on Defense). The offense is led by TE, Albert OKwuegbunam and OT, Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, while the Defense features LB, Cale Garrett!. The Tigers line up against Georgia, @ home & Alabama, in Tuscaloosa in 2 of their 1st three SEC games!

25. Washington State  P-12 (5) North Division (4): Washington State may be the 4th best team (Washington, Oregon, & Stanford) in the 4th best division (SEC West, B-10 East, & SEC East) in college football! WSU strength on Offense is on the O-Line, massive  RT Abraham Lucas (6’7” 320) and Center, Fredrick Mauigoa (6’3 3120) and @ WR, The cougars often line up with 4 WR and no TE, they have 2 very productive returning wide-outs, Davontavean Martin (69 receptions for 8 TD’s and Dezmon Patmon (61 receptions and 5 TD’s). The Air Raid O revolves around its QB (Gardner Minshew) and Gage Gubrud (a former FCS All-American @ Eastern Washington) is the leading candidate to lead the O! The D will be led by D-Lineman, Will Rodgers III and LB, Jahad Woods. The Cougars schedule is not helpful as they travel to Washington & Oregon in the division and play Utah in Salt Lake City!