College Football Preview: Conference winners and playoff picks for 2015 – Washington Post
Can Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes defend their title? (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
Ohio State proved its superiority beyond a shadow of a doubt in 2014 by conquering the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff to win the national championship. Its reward was a shiny trophy and a target centered squarely on Columbus, as the national title contenders of 2015 now take aim, seeking to thwart the Buckeyes’ back-to-back bid.
Some squads will shoot closer to the target than others, however. In reality, the College Football Playoff ought to be called the Power Five Championship because only schools from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 truly appeared to have an opportunity to earn the endorsement of the College Football Playoff committee and compete for a national title. The remaining teams, the so-called Group of Five, remain, at best, long shots.
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With that in mind, here’s a look at which programs are early Power Five favorites to participate in the College Football Playoff, starting with the projected champion for each conference.
ACC: Florida State
Let’s not call it a rebuild in Tallahassee. Coach Jimbo Fisher simply reloads, even if that means replacing former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston, the No 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft. The Seminoles predictably are set to contend again, at least for a conference championship if not a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Florida State’s stockpile of running backs and wide receivers is as robust as any top program in the country. As for who’s in line to replace Winston, the preseason depth chart initially listed Sean Maguire on the first team, but graduate student Everett Golson didn’t transfer from Notre Dame to sit on the bench during his only season with the Seminoles.
Big Ten: Ohio State
The Buckeyes have an embarrassment of riches back this season in their quest for a second straight national championship. That there’s even some question whether Cardale Jones will start at quarterback underscores the depth of the roster. Jones directed Ohio State to the title, but J.T. Barrett played well during the 2014 regular season before getting hurt and is in the mix to start again.
Then there’s former starting quarterback Braxton Miller, who is moving to wide receiver. That’s three quarterbacks on a single roster who could start for almost any other program in the country. Plus running back Ezekiel Elliott and play-making wide receiver Michael Thomas are threats to score just about every time they touch the ball.
It’s not really a question if Ohio State will win the East Division, but by how many games. Wisconsin appears the front-runner in the West, although the Badgers were no match for Ohio State (59-0) in last season’s Big Ten championship game, and that was with Badgers running back Melvin Gordon, who was the No. 15 selection in the NFL draft.
Big 12: Baylor
The headlines in Waco, Texas, this offseason centered on Sam Ukwuachu’s conviction and subsequent sentence of six months in jail and 10-year probation for sexually assaulting a former Baylor women’s soccer player. The defensive end was an all-American at Boise State before being dismissed from the team for undisclosed reasons and transferring to Baylor.
On the field, Coach Art Briles has to replace departed quarterback Bryce Petty, but that hardly means the cupboard is bare. Virtually everyone else is back, including K.D. Cannon and Corey Coleman, the most potent one-two punch at wide receiver in the country. Junior Seth Russell is in line to become the new starting quarterback.
TCU is ranked ahead of Baylor in the AP preseason poll following a 12-1 season in which the Horned Frogs narrowly missed the College Football Playoff. Expect TCU to push the Bears to the wire in the Big 12. It’s certainly a testament to Coach Gary Patterson that TCU is considered perhaps a national title contender despite having the smallest enrollment in the conference.
SEC: Alabama
Alabama has lost five games over the last three years, and two of those were in the postseason. The Crimson Tide as usual is stocked with talent, including having perhaps the top punter in the nation in J.K. Scott. The offensive line is among the best in the country too, with center Ryan Kelly as the anchor. Running backs Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake are breakaway threats.
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Coach Nick Saban has not revealed if he has made a decision on the starting quarterback, but Jake Coker appears the front-runner to take over for the departed Blake Sims. Coker and Sims competed last season to be the starter, with Sims winning the job thanks to his performance in preseason scrimmages. Coker’s competition includes freshmen Blake Barnett and red-shirt David Cornwell.
Pac-12: Oregon
In what’s shaping up to be perhaps the most competitive of the Power 5 conferences, the Ducks have a clearer path to the Pac-12 title given Stanford appears the only legitimate challenger in the North Division. Oregon is expecting elevated production from tailback Royce Freeman, who ran for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns last season as a freshman.
In the South, USC finally may have the pieces to mount a return to the glory days of the early 2000s. Current coach Steve Sarkisian returns a proven starting quarterback in Cody Kessler, although the Trojans are competing in a division with Arizona State, Arizona and UCLA, all of which could vie for the South title.
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College Football Playoff Predictions
1. Ohio State
2. Baylor
3. Alabama
4. TCU
The Buckeyes are the gold standard in college football this season, and it really isn’t even that close. There’s a reason why Ohio State is the first program in the history of the Associated Press preseason top 25 to be a unanimous No. 1 selection. Coach Urban Meyer’s group has the parts to assemble a historic season and perhaps most important can withstand a serious injury to its quarterback.
So it’s basically a race to see which team will be the runner-up. Baylor has the edge here based on its ridiculous physical talent. Take for instance Russell, who at 6-foot-3 reportedly can dunk with ease and says he has been timed at 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Forget about quarterbacks; not many wide receivers or cornerbacks are that fast.
That’s not to say Alabama or TCU aren’t stocked with future NFL players. It’s just that from top to bottom, the Buckeyes and Bears have the market more or less cornered.
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