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Our-Gardian-Angel Ballot for 2017 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 20, 2017, 12:49 p.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Does anything really need to be said? Alabama will almost always be the preseason No. 1 as long as Nick Saban is the coach, and this year is no different. A pissed off Alabama coming off a devastating national championship game loss may just lay waste to the rest of the country.
2 Florida State Seminoles In 2016, what was supposed to be a down year for the Seminoles, they went 10-3 with an Orange Bowl win. That's just what Florida State has become under Jimbo Fisher. They're poised to return to the national championship picture, with a Week 1 showdown against Alabama looming large. How well an improved offensive line can protect QB Deondre Francois will be pivotal.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Under Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes have reached the point where they can plug key departures with four- and five-star recruits. Don't be surprised if Ohio State finds itself in the College Football Playoff once again. Heck, they might even score a point or two this time around.
4 USC Trojans Coming off a thrilling Rose Bowl win, USC once again enters the season with lofty expectations. Sam Darnold is expected to be a Heisman contender, and a running game to go along with him could make for one deadly offense.
5 Oklahoma State Cowboys This year's edition of the Cowboys has all the ingredients to challenge the 2011 team as Mike Gundy's best. Oklahoma State's second conference title in 40 years and a College Football Playoff berth could both be in the cards.
6 Oklahoma Sooners Bob Stoops is gone, but he left behind a boatload of talent for Lincoln Riley. Baker Mayfield and the OU offense will be fantastic once again. Whether or not they can contend for a national title will likely hinge on whether or not they can field something resembling a defense.
7 Penn State Nittany Lions A surprise Big Ten title and trip to Pasadena last year has expectations sky high for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions in 2017. Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley might be the best QB-RB combo in all of college football. But can Penn State repeat as division champions in the grueling Big Ten East?
8 Washington Huskies The Huskies finally hit their stride under Chris Petersen in 2016, winning the Pac-12 and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. A lot of talent from their sensational secondary is gone. But if younger guys like Byron Murphy can step up, Washington just might repeat as conference champs.
9 Clemson Tigers Clemson is losing a lot from its national championship-winning teams, but the Tigers still should be a force in the ACC. Quarterback Kelly Bryant has huge shoes to fill. If he can step up, Clemson can still compete with Florida State for Atlantic Conference supremacy.
10 Auburn Tigers It could be a make-or-break year for Gus Malzahn at Auburn. If the Tigers can survive an early non-conference test against Clemson and a tough SEC slate, the Iron Bowl could once again be a de facto SEC East title game.
11 LSU Tigers Les Miles is gone and Ed Orgeron has taken over the reigns in the Bayou. The defense will be great once again, but can Orgeron succeed where Miles failed in the later years of his tenure? Namely, that means finding a halfway competent QB and beating Alabama.
12 Wisconsin Badgers A favorable schedule and a lot of returning talent has the Badgers set up for a potential run at a Big Ten title and spot in the College Football Playoff.
13 Stanford Cardinal Year in and year, Stanford has become a staple of consistency under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw. This year should be no different.
14 Louisville Cardinals Lamar Jackson may be the most unheralded returning Heisman winner in recent memory. With him under center, the Cardinals will once again have a potent offense. However, the issues that plagued them last year may remain in 2017.
15 Michigan Wolverines Question marks at key positions and a rough schedule makes the Wolverines a bit of a wild card in the Big Ten East in Year 3 of the Jim Harbaugh Era.
16 Kansas State Wildcats Bill Snyder might have his most talented squad since 2011, one that might be good enough to give the Purple Wizard one more Big 12 title to add to his Hall of Fame résumé.
17 Georgia Bulldogs Yet again, the SEC East is wide open and Georgia is expected to be one of the favorites. But can Kirby Smart avoid the letdowns that plagued Mark Richt during the later parts of his tenure?
18 Florida Gators Jim McElwain has guided the Gators to a 19-8 record and back-to-back SEC East titles during his first two years. But Florida still is searching for answers to the offensive problems that have plagued them since the heyday of Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow.
19 Miami Hurricanes Maybe, just maybe this is the year that Miami wins the ACC Coastal Division. For that dream to become a reality, the Hurricanes' formidable front seven will need to pick up the slack for a less-than-stellar secondary.
20 USF Bulls After flaming out at Texas, Charlie Strong inherits a very talented roster at South Florida. A potent offense and favorable schedule should make the Bulls the clear favorite to grab the Group of Five's New Year's Six bowl bid.
21 West Virginia Mountaineers West Virginia thrived in 2016 thanks in part to its strong defense, a somewhat foreign concept in the Big 12. At quarterback, it'll be interesting to see what Dana Holgorsen can get out of Florida transfer Will Grier.
22 Washington State Cougars Last year's late-season floundering can't be ignored, but Mike Leach looks like he's starting to build a consistent winner at Washington State like he did at Texas Tech. Now let's see if they can avoid another loss to an FCS opponent when they take on Montana State in Week 1.
23 Virginia Tech Hokies Justin Fuente was a brilliant hire for Virginia Tech and paid immediate dividends in 2016. The Hokies' matchup with Miami just might be a de facto ACC Coastal title game.
24 Utah Utes Utah has made a nice transition to the Pac-12 under Kyle Whittingham, but has been plagued by November swoons. The hiring of Troy Taylor as the Utes' new offensive coordinator might remedy some of their issues on offense from recent years.
25 Texas Longhorns Tom Herman is in Austin and expectations are sky high for the Longhorns moving forward. Year 1 could even see them contending in the Big 12 depending on how QB Shane Buechele and a young Texas offense comes along.

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