College Football Favorites with the Most to Worry About in 2015
The first edition of the Amway Coaches Poll was released Thursday, giving college football fans the first definitive look at the nation's top teams heading into the 2015 season.
As expected, defending national champion Ohio State headlined the initial rankings and sit atop the poll.
But as we all know, anything can happen in a college football season, and those rankings aren't likely to look like the ones we'll see at the end of the season. Teams near the top should be hesitant to feel comfortable there.
So which top teams have the biggest obstacles in front of them in the upcoming year?
Here's a look at some of the favorites for the 2015 college football season that have the most to worry about.
Oregon Ducks
1 of 10
Any time you lose a Heisman Trophy quarterback, it's going to bring up questions for the offense. But the losses on defense should be a bigger cause of concern for Oregon.
The Ducks will have to replace seven starters from last year's defense, including the top two tacklers in Erick Dargan and Derrick Malone Jr., as well as first-round pick Arik Armstead. However, Oregon was fortunate to have DeForest Buckner return for his senior season.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., a fifth-year transfer, should have the offense running smoothly, but the offensive unit likely won't be as prolific as it was with Marcus Mariota at the helm.
Oregon also faces serious threats to the Pac-12 throne. USC looks to be squarely in the mix, and both Arizona and Arizona State will be able to put up enough points to play with anyone in the league.
Auburn Tigers
2 of 10
Just like any other team in the SEC West, Auburn is going to have a tough road if it wants to make it to the College Football Playoff.
However, the Tigers are fortunate to have their biggest matchups—games against Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss—inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn is expected to show improvement on defense led by returning coordinator Will Muschamp, but it should still be worried about that side of the ball given its results of the past.
Auburn hasn't finished higher than eighth in the SEC in total defense since 2008. That's a timespan that includes three head coaches and four defensive coordinators for Auburn.
Muschamp has the talent to make Auburn a formidable defense. It just remains to be seen if he can turn the unit around in his first year.
Oklahoma Sooners
3 of 10
There's been a bit of a power shift in the Big 12 the last couple of years.
Traditional powers Oklahoma and Texas have fallen from the top and made way for TCU and Baylor, but Oklahoma is ranked No. 16 in the preseason rankings and will try to put a stop to that trend.
Oklahoma has a quarterback competition that isn't quite settled. Incumbent starter Trevor Knight will be challenged by Cody Thomas and transfer Baker Mayfield.
But the bigger issue might be protecting whoever comes out with the starting job. Oklahoma only returns two starters from an offensive line that allowed only nine sacks in 2014.
The Sooners need a quarterback to step up and take control of the offense to avoid falling further behind in the Big 12.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
4 of 10
Georgia Tech had one of the most prolific ground attacks in the country last season, ranking second in the nation in rushing offense.
Quarterback and leading rusher Justin Thomas is back to lead head coach Paul Johnson's option, but there aren't many other key contributors from last year's team returning.
The Yellow Jackets will be without their top four rushers at running back from 2014, including Synjyn Days who ran for just under 1,000 yards.
But running backs can be easily replaced in the triple-option offense. What might hurt more is the loss of Tech's two NFL wide receivers: DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller.
The triple-option is already tough to defend, but when defenses have to worry about multiple receivers burning them for long completions, the option becomes nearly impossible to stop.
Georgia Tech is ranked No. 17 in the preseason poll and figures to be one of the top teams in ACC this season. But finding new playmakers at running back and wide receiver will be imperative in meeting those expectations.
Georgia Bulldogs
5 of 10
The Georgia Bulldogs were picked to win the SEC East at SEC media days for the fourth time in five years, according to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.
The expectations are nothing new for Georgia; they just haven't lived up to them the past couple of seasons as losses to inferior teams let Missouri swoop in and take the SEC East crown.
The Bulldogs were picked to win the division despite some uncertainty at the quarterback position. It's currently a three-man race between returnees Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta and graduate transfer Greyson Lambert.
Georgia has also had fairly fortunate SEC schedules in the past few years, but not so much this season. The Dawgs have an early-season matchup at home against Alabama and will have to go on the road to face Auburn and Georgia Tech.
Ohio State Buckeyes
6 of 10
Ohio State is unquestionably the team to beat heading into the 2015 season.
Last season, the Buckeyes were constantly counted out. They were counted out when Braxton Miller was injured in the preseason. They were counted out when J.T. Barrett went down in the regular-season finale.
This season will be quite the opposite. The "O" in Ohio will serve as a massive target for the Buckeyes in 2015.
The defending champions will have to adjust to being the hunted instead of the hunter. They'll get the best game from every team they play this year, and if they fail to match the intensity on any given week, an upset is a possibility.
The first bump in the road has already come for the Buckeyes. Four players, including premier pass-rusher Joey Bosa, have been suspended for the season opener against Virginia Tech, per ESPN's Austin Ward.
Clemson Tigers
7 of 10
Clemson had the top defense in the country last season but experienced plenty of attrition on that side of the ball following the 2014 season. The Tigers have to replace four first-team All-ACC defenders, most notably first-round draft pick Vic Beasley.
The depth chart is full of talent, but the defense this year will lack experience for the team picked to win the ACC, per ESPN's Matt Fortuna.
Cornerback Mackensie Alexander and safety Jayron Kearse should keep things together in the secondary, but a drop in pass rush is to be expected given the departure of Beasley and leading tackler Stephone Anthony. The Tigers senior class was responsible for 32 of the team's 45 sacks in 2014.
Clemson should have an explosive offense led by Deshaun Watson, so it's possible the Tigers will be locked in a couple of shootouts this season.
USC Trojans
8 of 10
The Trojans have a chance to return their program to prominence in 2015, but they'll have to go through a gauntlet of tough road games to do so.
USC has road tests at Arizona State, Notre Dame and Oregon in 2015. All three of those teams are ranked No. 16 or higher in the preseason poll. On top of those games, the Trojans will also host No. 14 UCLA and No. 22 Arizona to round out the schedule.
USC is full of talent, and senior quarterback Cody Kessler is a dark horse Heisman candidate heading into the season.
The Trojans have been near the top of the Pac-12 South the last two seasons, but it's tough to ask a team to take the next step and get back among the elite of college football while facing that kind of schedule.
Florida State Seminoles
9 of 10
Florida State has made it through the past two seasons unscathed in the ACC, but perhaps the Seminoles will come back to the rest of the pack in 2015.
With the level of recruiting Florida State has recently done, replacing talent shouldn't be too difficult, but there is still a lot to replace.
On the offensive side, Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston is gone and so are most of his favorite targets from last season.
Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary are in the NFL, and top defensive playmakers Mario Edwards Jr. and Eddie Goldman are also gone from last season.
Top rusher Dalvin Cook has been suspended indefinitely, according to ESPN's Joe Schad. Cook was charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly punching a woman, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach.
Freshman quarterback De'Andre Johnson was arrested on a battery charge after video of him punching a female in a bar was released, per Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat. While Cook has been suspended, Johnson was dismissed from the team, according to Schlabach.
Florida State shouldn't have much trouble overcoming either of those losses, but it's important for head coach Jimbo Fisher to control his team before the off-field problems translate to issues on the field.
Alabama Crimson Tide
10 of 10
Is this season the end of Alabama's current run? If the past few seasons are any indication, the answer is most likely no, but there are still plenty of concerns for the Crimson Tide.
First, there are plenty of top players the Tide have to replace. Most notably, the receiving corps will have to step up in the absence of Heisman finalist Amari Cooper. There's also a quarterback battle that has yet to be decided.
But Alabama has proven year after year it can reload on talent no matter how many players they send to the NFL draft. The bigger concern for the Crimson Tide in 2015 should be the schedule.
The Tide kick off the season against No. 18 Wisconsin before taking on an eight-game SEC schedule that doesn't feature a "gimme" at any point in conference play. Alabama has seven games against opponents ranked in the preseason poll, including road trips to No. 7 Auburn and No. 9 Georgia.
To make a return trip to the College Football Playoff, Alabama has to avoid losing multiple games. That will be a tough task given the gauntlet of quality teams the Tide will take on.
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