The NCAA Football season is upon us, and with it will surely come a fair amount of historic and exciting moments. There’s a certain element in college football that you don’t see in the NFL, and whatever it is, it always draws in quite a crowd of loyal and rowdy fans. This season will surely be another great one, headlined by many quarterback switches among the NCAA’s top teams, the addition of new powerhouses into the SEC soon, and the new marketing rules for college athletes. Let’s get into it.
The Potential Top 10 Teams
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Oklahoma Sooners
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Georgia Bulldogs
5. Clemson Tigers
6. Iowa State Cyclones
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
8. Cincinnati Bearcats
9. Texas A&M Aggies
10. Wisconsin Badgers
Summary: There are five major teams battling for the four College Football Playoff spots. One of these powerhouses won’t make it. It may be bold, but I think Clemson will be the odd man out this year. Alabama should be steady, though they are seeing a QB change. Oklahoma is looking to destroy the Big 12 as they make their way out the door to the SEC after the season. Ohio State has an incredible amount of highly touted recruits and key returning players, though it’ll be up to the play of new QB CJ Stroud that really decides the fate of this team. This Georgia team is very sneaky too, I love JT Daniels at QB and they didn’t lose too much talent after the end of last season. Those four teams won’t leave room for the Clemson Tigers, who are losing many key players including Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. I like DJ Uiagalelei, and he may be good enough to get this team into the CFP, but as of now, they’re my odd man out. The rest of the top ten sees huge seasons from Iowa State, North Carolina, and Cincinnati, though I don’t think they’ll be able to weasel their way into the CFP. Texas A&M and Wisconsin round out the top ten, leaving teams like Notre Dame, Penn State, LSU, Texas, and Oregon outside of this list.
The Heisman Watch
1. JT Daniels, Georgia
2. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
3. Breece Hall, Iowa State
4. Sam Howell, North Carolina
5. DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson
6. Bryce Young, Alabama
7. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
8. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
9. Bijan Robinson, Texas
10. Kedon Slovis, USC
Summary: There is plenty of talent this year in college football, even if a lot of the big names made their way to the NFL after last season. It may be bold, but I think JT Daniels is going to win the Heisman this year. He was stellar when he took over for the Bulldogs last season after transferring, and he should be great again this year. I believe he’ll have tough competition from Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler and Iowa State RB Breece Hall though. Sam Howell is returning and should garner Heisman buzz as well. The new QBs on powerhouses finish 5 through 7, though they can definitely all make big jumps as they prove themselves throughout the season. Ridder, Robinson, and Slovis round out the top ten here.
Top 3 Players At Every Position
QB:
JT Daniels, Georgia
Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
Sam Howell, North Carolina
RB:
Breece Hall, Iowa State
Bijan Robinson, Texas
Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
WR:
Chris Olave, Ohio State
Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
Justyn Ross, Clemson
TE:
Arik Gilbert, Georgia
Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State
OL:
Evan Neal, Alabama
Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State
DL:
Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
Zach Harrison, Ohio State
Myles Murphy, Clemson
LB:
Jack Skalski, Clemson
Payton Wilson, NC State
Mike Rose, Iowa State
DB:
Derek Stingley, LSU
Sevyn Banks, Ohio State
Josh Jobe, Alabama
Summary: This season will be headlined by some of the key players on this list. The QBs are plentiful. The running back position will be unpredictable but likely headlined by Breece Hall. Ohio State has the two best receivers in the nation. Look for Arik Gilbert to excel in the Georgia offense. There are plenty of great offensive linemen across the NCAA. Thibodeaux is easily the best defensive lineman in the nation. Linebacker is a rather weak position, and anyone could end up being the top player at it this season. Defensive back will be headlined by Derek Stingley, he’s easily the top DB in the nation and a likely first-round draft pick next spring.
