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Post by EvilVodka on Jan 27, 2017 17:30:04 GMT
So here is my unnaturally early Playoff picks for the 2017 College Football Season. First I'll list the teams I like, and then I'll list the four I think have the best shot
Florida State
They bring back Francois, but they lose Cook. They have the schedule in place to make a serious run at a National Championship. Miami and Louisville at home, a Watson-less Clemson on the road. If the defense can play like they were playing in the last part of the season, they're set.
Alabama
When was the last time you heard that the Alabama offense might be better than the D?? They lose a ton of key players, and a lot of that great D will head to the NFL...BUT they bring back Hurts, and Sarkison will be calling the offensive plays. I think Ridley comes back, not sure about Scarborough. The Alabama D just reloads every year...it might take them a little time to gel, but the schedule is set up for a championship run.
Ohio State
J.T. Barrett comes back with a chip on his shoulder. I'm sure Urban Meyer will be spurred on to put that Clemson blow out quickly behind the Buckeyes. I know they have a young team, and they'll be the favorite to win the B1G. I worry about that schedule though...too many tricky road games, including road trips to Iowa, Nebraska, and Michigan.
Oklahoma
Baker Mayfield is back....The offense should be rolling in typical Big XII fashion. But what about the D? Their schedule gets tricky down the road as well, with road games at Ohio State, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State.
Louisville
Enter year 2 of Lamar Jackson. How is the rest of the team though? They have serious issues to address, like maybe shoring up the O. Line and getting the D to play at a higher level. They get Clemson at home early, and no Hurricanes or Hokies on the schedule. They do have a trip down to Tallahassee though later in the season.
Miami
I think the "U" will start "being back" this season. The D they are building there is a future top 10 Defense. They were young last year, but they'll be even better this year. We'll have to see what Miami can do at QB with Kaaya leaving. If Richt can create a decent offense, Miami will soar up. They have an early test against FSU in week through in Tallahassee, but the rest of the schedule is somewhat friendly, with five of their last 7 games at home.
LSU
I think we're about to see LSU back in a big way....gone is Les Miles and inept offenses. Now they've got a Cajun guy as head coach, and two excellent coordinators running the offense and defense. The problem is the schedule, which includes road trips to Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Tennessee. They'll be good, but maybe a year away??
I don't have any thought or insight to Clemson or most of the PAC 12. Texas is an unknown as well.
But....based on what I do know, here are my picks for the playoff:
1. Florida State
2. Alabama
3. Louisville
4. Ohio State
1 FSU vs. 4 Ohio State
2 Alabama vs. Louisville
FSU vs. Alabama in a rematch from week 1 for the National Championship
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Post by Hero on Jan 27, 2017 17:33:05 GMT
Wow, that would be an amazing run.
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Post by EvilVodka on Jan 27, 2017 17:41:13 GMT
FSU vs. Alabama in a rematch from week 1 for the National Championship Also, just on a side note, if FSU played Miami again in the ACC Championship, played Louisville again in the semifinals, and Alabama again in the Championship, that would be 3 rematches for the year!  Can anyone tell I'm bored at work yet?? |
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Post by EvilVodka on Jan 27, 2017 17:43:51 GMT
Wow, that would be an amazing run. for Alabama? I think Hurts is going to put the Hurt on some teams... do you know if Ridley and Scarborough are coming back? that would be huge IMO I think it would take an elite defense to stop them, and the only possible elite defense I see is Miami right now |
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Post by bluehen on Jan 27, 2017 21:44:47 GMT
A rare guess (from me) at the 2017's Invitational teams : Florida State, Southern Cal, Oklahoma and Alabama....but ESPN's so called 'committee' is going to have to show some rare balls in leaving out the B10.
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Post by Bevo on Jan 27, 2017 21:55:15 GMT
A rare guess (from me) at the 2017's Invitational teams : Florida State, Southern Cal, Oklahoma and Alabama....but ESPN's so called 'committee' is going to have to show some rare balls in leaving out the B10. Sounds good... but, Swap Texas for Oklahoma! the HORNS are BACK!!! |
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Post by Hero on Jan 28, 2017 0:38:53 GMT
Wow, that would be an amazing run. for Alabama? I think Hurts is going to put the Hurt on some teams... do you know if Ridley and Scarborough are coming back? that would be huge IMO I think it would take an elite defense to stop them, and the only possible elite defense I see is Miami right now They will both be back.  Hurts getting better is certainly the key to the offense. |
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Post by EvilVodka on Jan 30, 2017 15:36:09 GMT
for Alabama? I think Hurts is going to put the Hurt on some teams... do you know if Ridley and Scarborough are coming back? that would be huge IMO I think it would take an elite defense to stop them, and the only possible elite defense I see is Miami right now They will both be back. Hurts getting better is certainly the key to the offense. That's going to be a lethal combination |
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Post by EvilVodka on Feb 2, 2017 20:41:10 GMT
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Post by bukirob on Feb 2, 2017 23:44:52 GMT
The only questions about Ohio State is 1) can they replace for the 3rd straight year 3/4 of the secondary. Inside talk from the staff is they feel they have hit an absolute home run with some early enrollee's in Okudah and JC transfer and former 5* commit to Alabama, Kendall Sheffield. Depth at DB was sick before the early NFL entrants but with the addition of these 2 studs Shiano is supremely confident about what they see.
The bigger question is the hot mess that was exposed by Clemson in the passing game. The problems were a combination of poor blocking at the LT spot, young WR not gaining separation by virtue of running poor routes and a QB whose confidence was hampered by the aforementioned issues.
This resulted in a major shakeup on the offensive staff. Both Co-coordinators Tim Beck and Ed Wariner are no longer a part of the staff with the key hire being Kevin Wilson former HC at Indiana.... He is considered one of the best offensive minds in college football and in particular with the spread offense.
IF Wilson can get the passing game clicking Ohio State will be an absolutely DEADLY team to face. This would mean that the JT Barrett of 2014 would be under center but as a 5th year senior. Of particular note is Wilson's use to exploit defenses when he has a quality TE.
Defensively Ohio State should be absolutely sensational. The entire DL returns with the back ups as well. McMillian at MLB is a big hole but OSU has recruited exceptionally well and has guys who played big minutes at OLB who they will initially try to slide over to McMillians vacated spot. If the secondary is as good as Shiano has privately been saying the OSU defense will be better in 2017 than it was in 2016.
Contrary to Evil's view, the road schedule is not as difficult as one might believe. OSU is 30-8-1 @ Iowa and is 8-1-1 since 1984. OSU is vastly superior talent wise and should win comfortably. @ Nebraska and the GAME is @ UM
Nebraska failed to crack the top 25 in ESPN's early look.... lots of holes
UM ESPN ranks them at #12 with just 1 returning starter on defense. They lost their 2 top receivers all world TE and only return 4 starters on offense. Hairball has a total rebuild job at UM this season. Will they be good by November? Dont know.... we'll see.
Top 4
1) Alabama -- Its like saying Ferrari's are fast. In a related note, water is wet
2) FSU -- Im a bit skeptical they tend to lose games they shouldn't The Nov tilt with Clemson is going to knock one of these 2 out of the picture
3) Clemson -- If they can replace Watson MASSIVE IF... they could make it a 3rd straight season
4) Ohio State -- I think they work out the bugs on offense and have pretty good odds of going unbeaten.
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Post by EvilVodka on Feb 3, 2017 15:12:59 GMT
2) FSU -- Im a bit skeptical they tend to lose games they shouldn't The Nov tilt with Clemson is going to knock one of these 2 out of the picture FSU will be a contender if their D can start strong. Last year, their defense was awful to start the season...but by the end, they were playing at a much higher level. The schedule is a little more friendly this year, and Francois shouldn't be as green |
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Post by doc on Feb 3, 2017 15:42:05 GMT
This resulted in a major shakeup on the offensive staff. Both Co-coordinators Tim Beck and Ed Wariner are no longer a part of the staff with the key hire being Kevin Wilson former HC at Indiana.... He is considered one of the best offensive minds in college football and in particular with the spread offense. IF Wilson can get the passing game clicking Ohio State will be an absolutely DEADLY team to face. This would mean that the JT Barrett of 2014 would be under center but as a 5th year senior. Of particular note is Wilson's use to exploit defenses when he has a quality TE. Defensively Ohio State should be absolutely sensational. The entire DL returns with the back ups as well. McMillian at MLB is a big hole but OSU has recruited exceptionally well and has guys who played big minutes at OLB who they will initially try to slide over to McMillians vacated spot. If the secondary is as good as Shiano has privately been saying the OSU defense will be better in 2017 than it was in 2016. The Bucks have a stable of highly recruited receivers who I feel will have breakout years. Kevin Wilson always had Indiana statistically among the best offenses in the Big Ten with Indiana level recruiting. I have to believe his addition is going to make a huge difference. The key is the line matures a bit - in both losses last year the offensive line was greatly exposed. That needs to be shored up.
Defensively - I can't wait to see LB Keondre Jones play on a consistent basis - they'll be planting a tree for him before his time at OSU is over.
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Post by rupturedduck on Feb 3, 2017 18:00:15 GMT
Buckeyes return 9 on O and 7 on D
Michigan returns 4 on O and 1 on D OY!VEY!
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Post by EvilVodka on Feb 3, 2017 19:17:04 GMT
Buckeyes return 9 on O and 7 on D Michigan returns 4 on O and 1 on D OY!VEY! ya, definitely looks like a rebuilding year for Michigan |
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Post by tigercpa on Feb 3, 2017 21:20:09 GMT
The only questions about Ohio State is 1) can they replace for the 3rd straight year 3/4 of the secondary. Inside talk from the staff is they feel they have hit an absolute home run with some early enrollee's in Okudah and JC transfer and former 5* commit to Alabama, Kendall Sheffield. Depth at DB was sick before the early NFL entrants but with the addition of these 2 studs Shiano is supremely confident about what they see. The bigger question is the hot mess that was exposed by Clemson in the passing game. The problems were a combination of poor blocking at the LT spot, young WR not gaining separation by virtue of running poor routes and a QB whose confidence was hampered by the aforementioned issues. This resulted in a major shakeup on the offensive staff. Both Co-coordinators Tim Beck and Ed Wariner are no longer a part of the staff with the key hire being Kevin Wilson former HC at Indiana.... He is considered one of the best offensive minds in college football and in particular with the spread offense. IF Wilson can get the passing game clicking Ohio State will be an absolutely DEADLY team to face. This would mean that the JT Barrett of 2014 would be under center but as a 5th year senior. Of particular note is Wilson's use to exploit defenses when he has a quality TE. Defensively Ohio State should be absolutely sensational. The entire DL returns with the back ups as well. McMillian at MLB is a big hole but OSU has recruited exceptionally well and has guys who played big minutes at OLB who they will initially try to slide over to McMillians vacated spot. If the secondary is as good as Shiano has privately been saying the OSU defense will be better in 2017 than it was in 2016. Contrary to Evil's view, the road schedule is not as difficult as one might believe. OSU is 30-8-1 @ Iowa and is 8-1-1 since 1984. OSU is vastly superior talent wise and should win comfortably. @ Nebraska and the GAME is @ UM Nebraska failed to crack the top 25 in ESPN's early look.... lots of holes UM ESPN ranks them at #12 with just 1 returning starter on defense. They lost their 2 top receivers all world TE and only return 4 starters on offense. Hairball has a total rebuild job at UM this season. Will they be good by November? Dont know.... we'll see. Top 4 1) Alabama -- Its like saying Ferrari's are fast. In a related note, water is wet 2) FSU -- Im a bit skeptical they tend to lose games they shouldn't The Nov tilt with Clemson is going to knock one of these 2 out of the picture 3) Clemson -- If they can replace Watson MASSIVE IF... they could make it a 3rd straight season 4) Ohio State -- I think they work out the bugs on offense and have pretty good odds of going unbeaten. If any of the 4 Clemson QBs can throw the ball at all - a very solid year could emerge.
With Kelly Bryant, Tucker Israel and Zerrick Cooper returning and signing probably the best 2017 QB class in Chase Brice and Hunter Johnson, the Tigers will be stocked with talent at QB. It's not a bad situation to be in, just ask Ohio State a couple of years ago...the injury bug can bite. Longer term, I expect at least one transfer out of this group, maybe 2.
I also have concerns at TE and S. OL and DL solid...6 of the 8 on the 2-deep DL return.
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