2016 College Football Preseason Top-10

A lot of you guys don't follow me on twitter (@K_Mart10), but I did a preseason top 10 countdown for the last week and a half leading up to the first Saturday of the college football season (last Saturday). I've consolidated the complete list into this blog for your viewing pleasure.

No. 1 Alabama

• More of legacy pick than anything. Stacked at OL & RB, so mediocre QB play should be enough.
• Tide's defense will be great as always. We'll see if anyone can beat them. I think they make the playoffs again. #No1Alabama

No. 2 Clemson

•  Hesiman front-runner Deshaun Watson leads a offense full of studs. Gallman, Legget, Scott, Cain, Renfrow, Mcloud, etc.
• Tigers return top-notch OL along w/ #1 WR, Mike Williams. Defense lost some key pieces, but returns top-tier DL. Need some guys to step up.
• Season comes down to @Florida State, but game vs. Louisville scares me. Breakout players: WR Cain & DE Ferrell. #Clemson
• Tigers have best player on the field w/ Watson. Special season in store for CU. Think they make playoff for 2nd straight yr. #No2Clemson

No. 3 Florida State

• Dalvin Cook is the best RB in the nation, & returns behind a GREAT OL to go along w/ a top-tier WR Corp. #Seminoles
• I think Francois should be the Seminoles guy at QB. Think he's a player. Defense is really good, as always. Bunch of werewolves everywhere.
• Tough to start vs Ole Miss (neutral site) w/ a new QB, & @Louisville & @Miami are tough, but season comes down to 10/29 vs. Clemson. #Noles
• Think they lose to the Tigers, but still have a great shot to make the playoffs w/ 1 loss. Cook & Francois are that good. #No3FloridaState

No. 4 Ohio State

• Dual-threat QB J.T. Barrett will lead this O, & RB Mike Weber & WR Noah Brown will be household names by end of the year.
• Buckeyes have to replace a lot, but have been stacking talent. They have some guys on defense I really like in DB Conley & SS Hooker. #tOSU 
• We'll find out what they have in week 3 @Oklahoma. Schedule isn't terrible after that, play @Wis mid-season then finish @MSU & vs Michigan.
• I really like this Buckeyes team. Think they're flying under the radar. I've got Meyer, Barret, & Co. making the playoff. #No4OhioState

No. 5 Oklahoma

• QB Baker Mayfield & RBs Samaje Perine & Joe Mixon make for one of the most explosive backfields in the nation. #BoomerSooner
• Sooners need some guys to step up at O-Line & WR. Defense will be solid, & secondary led by J. Thomas, Parker, & A. Thomas is superb.
• Schedule starts off with 3 marquee games in 1st 4 weeks, w/ Houston (neutral site), vs. Ohio State, & @TCU. Boomer could easily lose 2.
• Not as high on OU as most. Always seem to underperform when picked high. I think Mayfield & crew will have a rough 1st month. #No5Oklahoma

No. 6 Notre Dame

• Irish offense should be really good. Have 2 above average QBs in Zaire & Kizer, & to be honest, idk who I would start.
• Folston & Adams at RB are good players to go along with talent at WR, but they've got a lot to replace on the O-Line w/ 3 new starters.
• Defense has a lot to replace. Recent loss of Redfield is big, & they need Rochell to step up production. D needs to increase sacks & TOs.
• Schedule is ridiculous with only 3 true road games. Irish have a good chance to win 10+ games & maybe make a run at playoff. #No6NotreDame

No. 7 Michigan

• Harbaugh's 2nd yr in Ann Arbor has the potential to be a big one. Have to find a QB, but WRs are deep & return 4 O-Lineman.
• The Wolverines defense will be salty, led by do-it-all sensation Jabrill Peppers. Were 4th overall in total D last season & could be better.
• Schedule is pretty easy, just @ Michigan State in late October then @ Ohio State to end the season. Could slip up @ Iowa, but doubtful.
• I'm not as high on this team as a lot of people. I don't believe in their QB & offense as a whole. Still think they win 10+. #No7Michigan

No. 8 Houston

• QB Greg Ward Jr. is the real deal. One of the most exciting players in college football, he led his squad to 13-1 last year.
• The Cougars have athletes all over the field on offense to help Ward. The O avgd 40.4 ppg last year, & there's no reason they won't repeat.
• Defensive front 7 is nasty & absolutely shut down then run. (see Dalvin Cook: 33 yds on 18 carries in the Peach Bowl win by the Cougars.)
• Secondary is shaky & has to replace a lot. Have a HUGE game vs. OU to open then late vs UL (both neutral sites), rest of sched is cake.
• If the Cougars somehow run the table, they may be able 2 sneak into the playoff. Expecting a huge season from Hermann & Ward Jr. #No8Houston

No. 9 LSU

• RB Leonard Fournette is a stud, & their defense will be really, really good under Dave Aranda's 3-4 scheme. #Salty
• Fournette, WRs Malachi Dupre & Travin Dural, & a solid OL could make for a great O, BUT they've got to get more out of QB Brandon Harris.
• Schedule isn't terrible for the Tigers, only tough stretch is vs Ole Miss, vs Alabama, & @Arkansas towards the end of the season.
• I don't think Harris will be good enough for them to win a title, but Fournette will still carry them to a top-10 season. #No9LSU

No. 10 Stanford

• Heisman Finalist RB McCaffrey is one of the best players in the country, and he'll make it easier on an inexperienced QB and OL.
• The Cardinal D should be REALLY good at all 3 levels, anchored by stud DL Solomon Thomas. If they can hold teams < 25, have a good shot.
• Schedule worries me, w/ USC, @UCLA, @Washington, Washington State, & @Notre Dame all in a row. Add in @Oregon at the end, & that's TOUGH.   
• This Cardinal team goes as far as Christian McCaffrey takes them, & I think they've got a great shot to win the Pac-12. #No10Stanford 

A few sleeper teams:

•      UNC-High powered O & TJ Logan 
•      Texas Tech-Love Kingsbury & my boy Pat Mahomes #Heisman 
•      Okla State-Rudolph is a star

Follow me on twitter @K_Mart10

College Football Preseason Top 10

I don't know if you guys have noticed, but I have been doing a preseason top 10 countdown on my twitter(@K_Mart10) leading up to the start of the college football season. I decided to consolidate the complete list into one location, so here it is.

No. 1 Florida State

• Heisman Winner Jameis Winston returns to lead what should be a great FSU team on both sides of the ball.
• The RB Williams is a beast. WR Greene is a big-time playmaker. TE O'Leary is as solid as they come. Oh yeah, they also return 4 OL starters.
• Defense is loaded as well. Edwards, Goldman, Smith, Darby, Williams, Ramsey; the list goes on & on. Hard to find a weakness on this team.
• Schedule sets up well: Clemson, ND, & UF all at home. RB Williams becomes a star & he & Jameis lead this team to a repeat. ‪#No1FloridaState

No. 2 Alabama

• This team has tremendous skill players & a great O-line. The question is at QB. I think Coker should be the guy.
• Yeldon & Henry at RB, & Cooper & Jones at WR are as good as anyone in the country. The Tide need the D to return to what they used to be.
• Guys like the DE Robinson & the S Collins should help with that. I still have a wait & see approach as to how they deal with hurry-up teams.
• Schedule is tough, as always. ‪@OleMiss, ‪@LSU, & home vs. Auburn are the big ones. Think this team loses 1 & still makes playoff. ‪#No2Alabama

No. 3 Oregon

• Heisman frontrunner Marcus Mariota is back at QB, & he will lead one of the nation's best offenses.
• The Ducks' RB Marshall is really explosive, & they have one of the best OLs in the country. However, they need a playmaker to step up at WR.
• The defense is really solid as well. I'm a big fan of their secondary, especially DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu & the freshman safety Tyree Robinson.
• Schedule sets up well. Get MSU & Stanford in Autzen, but ‪@UCLA is scary. I think Mariota leads this team to the playoff. ‪#No3Oregon

No. 4 Oklahoma

• Riding high coming off of their Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, the Sooners return 14 starters, including 8 on defense.
• QB Trevor Knight has tons of potential, but he has to be more consistent. I think he will be & the offense will be able to score a bunch.
• Big fan of the Sooners' defense, especially the LBs Alexander & Striker. On offense, they need a RB to step up & WR Shepard to make plays.
• Schedule is easy, as they get Baylor at home. One game that scares me is ‪@TTU. I think Knight leads this team to the playoff. ‪#No4Oklahoma

No. 5 UCLA

• I love this team, & especially QB Brett Hundley. Their offense is going to be tough, & the team as a whole returns 17 starters.
• Offense will be one of the best in the country. Return QB, top 4 rushers, & 5 of top 6 receivers. Defense gets back 10 of top 14 tacklers.
• They need to find a RB besides Myles Jack, as he also starts at LB. Secondary is really good, but they need some young LBs to step up.
• Schedule sets up well for the Bruins, play Texas in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, but they get Oregon, USC, & Stanford at home.
• I think Heisman Hopeful QB Brett Hundley has a great shot to lead this team to the Pac-12 championship & get them to the playoff. ‪#No5UCLA

No. 6 Auburn

• They have one of the best O-Lines in the country, & QB Nick Marshall will only get better in year 2 of Gus Malzahn's system.
• I really like Sammie Coates on the outside for the Tigers, & WR D'haquille Williams is who to watch out for, a JUCO All-American.
• The D-Line should be above average, but schedule is really, really tough. Think they lose at least 2 & miss the playoff. ‪#No6Auburn

No. 7 Baylor

• QB Bryce Petty, RBs Shock Linwood & Devin Chafin, & WR Antwan Goodley form one of the best offensive units in the country.
• The Bears defense does have some question marks, but they are athletic & I really like the pressure their D-Ends can apply & the LB Hager.
• Schedule isn't bad, matchups vs. Ok State, ‪@Texas, & defacto Big 12 championship ‪@Oklahoma, which is only 1 I think they lose. ‪#No7Baylor

No. 8 Ohio State

• Buckeyes return one of the top 2 or 3 best DL's in the country with Bosa, Spence, Bennett, and Washington. 
• Only 1 returning starter on OL, & who knows how good the new QB Barrett will be. I think he's actually a better passer than Braxton Miller. 
• Need a RB & WR to step up, I like the Fr Samuel. Had them ranked much higher before Miller's injury, but still think they're a good team. 
• Schedule isn't terrible. Get tested week 2 vs. VT, but nothing else until @MSU in Nov. Think Buckeye's lose 1 game this year. #No8OhioState

No. 9 Michigan St

• Spartans are always tough on defense. Led this year by DE Shilique Calhoun. Replace 6 starters, but still should be good.
• Spartan's offense finally has a QB w/ some skills in Cook, 22 TDS/6 Ints last season. Langford is one of most underrated RBs in the country.
• We’ll see what Sparty's made of early @Oregon. I think they lose, but still like their chances for the playoff if play well. #No9MichiganSt 

No. 10 Stanford

• The Cardinals defense is stacked, especially the secondary led by Richards & Carter. Anderson is an anchor on D-Line.
• Replacing 4 O-linemen, but always have good guys up front. QB Hogan has some real playmakers at WR in Montgomery & Cajuste.
• Need Barry Sanders to step up at RB, he's the X-Factor. Kid has moves like dad. Special teams unit will be one of the best in the country.
• Schedule is TOUGH. ‪@Wash, ‪@ND, ‪@ASU, ‪@Ore, ‪@Cal, & ‪@UCLA. Only tough game ‪@home is USC. I think Shaw & Co. lose 2 or 3. ‪#No10Stanford

A few teams that just missed the cut: Georgia, LSU, Clemson, South Carolina, USC, Wisconsin.

A sleeper team that I really like: Washington with new head coach Chris Petersen.

Follow me on twitter @K_Mart10