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LeinadSpoon Ballot for 2018 Way Too Early

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Jan. 16, 2018, 9:23 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Michigan State Spartans They had an under the radar season last year and return a lot of talent and a strong coaching staff.  They could be the best team in the B1G east.
2 Miami Hurricanes Almost the whole defense looks to come back.  In Mark Richt's third year, this might be the time for Miami to return to national prominence.
3 Washington Huskies They return close to the whole team after a solid season, and seem like the favorite to win the PAC-12.
4 Clemson Tigers Clemson seems able to reload every year.
5 Alabama Crimson Tide 2017 bama was one of the worst bama championship teams, but they did still win a share of the national championship.  They lose a bunch of players to the NFL.  Nick Saban seems to seamlessly reload every year though.  A number 5 ranking is a balance between how I think this team looks on paper and "but it's bama".
6 Georgia Bulldogs Replacing a talented player like Chubb is always hard, but I think with most of the O-Line coming back and talent behind him, the RB drop off won't be as bad as you might think.  I have more concerns on the defensive side of the ball, where I think they might take a big step back.
7 Virginia Tech Hokies Solid last year and returning a lot.  If they returned their whole O-Line, I'd bump them into the top five.  I think they'll contend in the ACC, but I don't know that they'll have the consistency to pass up Miami or Clemson.
8 Ohio State Buckeyes 2017 was their year, and the 2018 version has a lot to replace.  OSU is another team that reloads well, but I don't see this team as a legitimate national title contender with so many open positions to be filled by young players.
9 Boise State Broncos Strong team in a tough Mountain West last year returns a lot of starters.  They could be the G5 team to get snubbed by the committee in 2018.
10 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin is becoming more and more of a reload team, and they bring back a lot of talent.  I want to rank them higher, but replacing DEs is hard, and Wisconsin loses both starters there.
11 Oklahoma Sooners Could be great if they can transition well at QB.  This team is one Baker Mayfield away from a return to the playoff.
12 USC Trojans I expect to be surprised in a positive direction by USC's Darnold-less QB play, and a negative direction by the supporting cast.  Still, losing a potential number 1 draft pick hurts.
13 Memphis Tigers Didn't get the respect they deserved last year and could come back hungry.  With UCF undergoing a coaching change, I think the door is open for Memphis to win the American this year.
14 LSU Tigers I think LSU will be better in 2018 than they were in 2017. 
15 Auburn Tigers Hard to get a read on.  Great team with a brutal schedule in 2017.  Lose a lot of key players.
16 Stanford Cardinal Got a notification that Bryce Love is returning as I was working on this.  They weren't great last year, but have a lot of returning experience.
17 San Diego State Aztecs Another MW team that returns a lot of starters in what could be a good year for the MW.
18 Kansas State Wildcats I may be totally misinformed here, because KSU doesn't seem to be a trendy pick among other prognosticators, but they've got unparalleled coaching stability and return most of their team next year.  In a B12 that loses a lot of QBs, I think KSU has a shot at the B12 championship game.
19 Penn State Nittany Lions Barkely and almost the whole defense are gone.  I'm not convinced that James Franklin has Penn State at the annual reload level of consistency that OSU, bama and Clemson have yet.
20 Mississippi State Bulldogs Lots of question marks with the coaching change, but a lot of players returning.
21 West Virginia Mountaineers Lots of returning talent, but overrated last year in my opinion.
22 Fresno State Bulldogs Another MW team that was good last year and returns a lot.  The MW has 5 teams (the three I ranked plus Wyoming and Utah State) that could end up ranked in 2018.
23 Arizona Wildcats Probably overly optimistic to expect Sumlin to get things going in year one, but he's a great coach in my opinion, and Arizona was good enough that it's not a full rebuild. 
24 Minnesota Golden Gophers The Gophers were very inconsistent in 2017, as you might expect from a first year head coach.  In PJ Fleck's second year, I think they'll play more consistent, which will result in more wins and cracking the rankings.
25 UCF Knights They return a great team, but I think the coaching change will impact them more than people think.

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