College Football Playoff preseason picks – azcentral.com
The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 11. Each week, azcentral sports’ college football insiders will give their four teams in the playoff and four on the bubble. Here are the preseason picks:
Paola Boivin
IN
Ohio State: The Buckeyes are not only talented but have the best path to the championship. This is a slam dunk.
TCU: Trevone Boykin is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback. The Horned Frogs will roll and roll and roll.
Auburn: A lot of hype surrounds 6-5 quarterback Jeremy Johnson. I’m buying all of it.
Oregon: A new quarterback will scare some off but the return of talent at the skill positions and on defense will have the Ducks in the mix again.
ON THE BUBBLE
Alabama: The uncertainty at quarterback is the only reason the Crimson Tide aren’t among the top four. We’ll know soon if they deserve to be.
Baylor: The Bears have a giant chip on their shoulder after flopping the past two postseasons. A lot of built-up anger will fuel them.
Clemson: The Tigers are healthier and ready to pounce.
Michigan State: The Spartans have many of their top players returning and are the Buckeyes’ biggest obstacle in conference competition.
Doug Haller
IN
Ohio State: The defending national champions have an embarrassment of riches at quarterback and the confidence to do what Urban Meyer pulled off at Florida: win multiple national championships.
TCU: Quarterback Trevone Boykin is a top Heisman Trophy contender and the Horned Frogs — left out of last year’s inaugural four-team playoff — have a chip on their shoulders. That’s a dangerous combination.
Auburn: In need of defensive help, coach Gus Malzahn hired former Florida coach Will Muschamp to run his defense. A little improvement here pays off big for the Tigers in January.
Michigan State: Quarterback Connor Cook and the Spartans face Oregon at home on Sept. 12. Win that one, and they may not lose until late November.
ON THE BUBBLE
Baylor: Like TCU, the Bears also have motivation in last season’s playoffs snub, but recent off-field issues have clouded their playoff picture.
Oregon: Several Pac-12 teams — including Arizona State, USC, Arizona and UCLA — are itching to get into the playoff mix, but each still has to leapfrog the Ducks, an offensive force even without Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
Alabama: Will Nick Saban ever start a season not in the playoff hunt? Probably not. This season, the Tide has eight returning starters on defense, but it also has questions to answer on offense.
Clemson: Quarterback Deshaun Watson had an outstanding freshman season, and the Tigers have a favorable, yet weighted schedule (with high-profile games against Notre Dame and Florida State at home) to get playoff attention.
Jeff Metcalfe
IN
Ohio State: Yes, I was one who declared the Buckeyes and Big Ten dead to the inaugural CFP after the second week of the season. No need to get fooled again.
TCU: The Big 12 still isn’t playing a championship game but gets it CFP revenge in year two with the two teams left out in 2014 making the Final Four. TCU is loaded on offense and could again average more than 40 points and 500 yards per game.
Alabama: I get the whole “Tide’s due for a fall” argument, particularly with a schedule some rate toughest in the country, if that’s possible with one-fourth vs. Middle Tennessee, Louisiana-Monroe and Charleston Southern. Nick Saban has proven before he can win with a dominant defense and young QB.
Baylor: The Bears are capable of running the table leading up to the TCU game on the day after Thanksgiving when even a close loss would not be a CFP deal-breaker.
ON THE BUBBLE
Michigan State: The Spartans lost in week 2 last season at Oregon, 46-27, and get the chance for revenge in East Lansing on Sept. 12. If they win that one, they should be undefeated going to Ohio State on Nov. 21 to play for the Big Ten East title.
Auburn: Can Auburn knock off Alabama to win the SEC West? Some believe so. Sports Illustrated ranks the Tigers No. 2 while ESPN and USA Today have them No. 3. I’m not sold yet even with the return of Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator.
Oregon: The Pac-12 is too even and deep to believe one team will win enough to make the Playoff. Even with a new QB replacing Marcus Mariota, there is enough skill talent to believe that the Ducks’ offense again will be prolific.
Florida State: It’s easy to dismiss the Seminoles, who were fortunate to make the Playoff last year with now departed QB Jameis Winston. But Florida State could be strong enough on defense alone to win the ACC. Handling expectations is nothing for Notre Dame transfer QB Everett Golson but anyone who watched Golson throw four interceptions and fumble twice against Arizona State last season won’t put a lot of faith in him.
Andrew Joseph
IN
Ohio State: The Buckeyes have seven (OK, three) quarterbacks who are capable of leading their team to a title, which seems unfair. It must be nice to be Urban Meyer.
Alabama: Bama’s quarterback competition between Jake Coker and David Cornwell has been the offseason story out of Tuscaloosa. But Alabama has proved that it only needs adequate quarterback play while the run game and defense does that rest.
Baylor: The Bears have college football’s biggest, baddest, most meme-worthy player in Shawn Oakman. He would want me to include Baylor, so I am.
Oregon: The Ducks have to be the Pac-12 favorite heading into the season. But with Pac-12 road games at Washington, Arizona State and Stanford, they’ll have to really earn a repeat appearance in the College Football Playoff.
ON THE BUBBLE
Georgia: With road games against Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs have the perfect schedule to make a run in the SEC East.
TCU: The lack of a Big 12 title game hurt TCU last season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again.
Florida State: Everett Golson has huge shoes to fill at FSU. There is no Jameis Winston, but the Seminoles have plenty of firepower to survive a weak ACC schedule.
Michigan State: Mike Dantonio hasn’t garnered the same attention as Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, but that doesn’t matter. Michigan State’s pass rush should be outstanding again, and it has the chance to set the tone early against Oregon on Sept. 12.
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