2016 Preseason College Football Rankings: Predicting Post-Championship Poll
After all the debate and the outcry from Columbus, Ohio, and Stanford, California, it turns out the committee got it right. Alabama and Clemson were the two best teams in the country.
A seesaw affair between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams was thrilling from start to finish, but after the Tigers took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, it was the Alabama special teams that turned the game around and earned Nick Saban yet another national championship.
This season ended how so many before them have, with Alabama raising the trophy as the best in college football, but as the offseason begins, it means a hard reset for the entire landscape of the sport, with every team sharing equal hope for a championship and many of the big names that made 2015-16 possible off to bigger and better things.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The Crimson Tide are likely going to be favorites to repeat, with title game opponent Clemson and Oklahoma nipping at their heels.
But everyone knows who the favorites are going to be—hint: They are pretty similar to what we saw at the start of this season and the season before that—so let's dig a little deeper and see who some of the sleeper picks for next season’s title are.
| 1 | Alabama |
| 2 | Clemson |
| 3 | Oklahoma |
| 4 | Ohio State |
| 5 | Notre Dame |
| 6 | Florida State |
| 7 | Michigan |
| 8 | Oklahoma State |
| 9 | LSU |
| 10 | Oregon |
| 11 | Tennessee |
| 12 | Michigan State |
| 13 | Baylor |
| 14 | Stanford |
| 15 | Ole Miss |
| 16 | UCLA |
| 17 | Iowa |
| 18 | Houston |
| 19 | Georgia |
| 20 | USC |
| 21 | Northwestern |
| 22 | Wisconsin |
| 23 | TCU |
| 24 | Washington |
| 25 | North Carolina |
Dark Horses for the 2016-17 Championship
Tennessee
Wait, this seems familiar. Why is that? Oh, right, Tennessee was in this exact same spot last season before dropping off by the end of the season. The Volunteers started the year in the AP Top 25 but dropped off by the midway point of the year and were essentially an afterthought from then on.
But the Vols closed their season strong with six straight wins, including a 39-point walloping of Northwestern in the Outback Bowl, and look poised to bounce back in 2016. The team's four losses in 2015 were by a combined 17 points, and with a few different bounces of the ball, Tennessee could have lived up to the hype.
With Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd in control offensively, the Volunteers should be able to put up points regularly, but with so much depth returning on defense, they might not need to. The SEC slate isn't what it used to be, but if Tennessee can avoid slipping up against Florida or Georgia in the first half of the year, an Oct. 15 matchup with Alabama at home could be one of the biggest games of the season.
Stanford
Some would argue that this past season, Stanford was one of the four best teams in the country despite its two losses and shouldn't have been left out of the College Football Playoff. Following a huge defeat of Iowa in the Rose Bowl, those fans might be right, and the Cardinal will get their chance at redemption in 2016.
There are a few key losses—Kevin Hogan, Blake Martinez and Kodi Whitfield are just a few names that won't be back next season—but Stanford has something no other team in the country will have next season: Christian McCaffrey.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up was arguably the best player in college football in 2015, and he returns to school another year older and another year wiser. His versatile skill set was on display against the Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl, and as long as he is on the team, Stanford is in the running for the Pac-12 title and a spot in the playoff. McCaffrey is that good.
Houston
No one can be quite sure since it never came to fruition, but there is a chance Connecticut cost Houston a trip to the playoff this season. That is how good the Cougars were in Tom Herman's first season at the helm.
Finishing 13-1, including a decisive win against Florida State on New Year's Eve, Houston gets Herman back—which is monumental news—but also brings back plenty on the field to help bolster its chances of another great run. With Greg Ward Jr. and Chance Allen both back, the offense should be fine. As long as the defense can hold up under pressure, the Cougars will be the favorites to finish highest in the Group of Five.
But Houston should have higher aspirations than that in 2016, with a playoff spot very much within reach. The Cougars will know whether or not they are up for the playoff very early, with a game against Oklahoma to start the season as one of the marquee matchups of Week 1.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
